Band : Serpent Venom
Album Title : Carnal Altar
Label : Church Within
Distributor : Church Within
Release Date : 2011
Review : CD

Serpent Venom crawls and slithers into yr braincells and spits this slab of dark yet melodic doom metal of the finest order. With just seven songs averaging eight minutes in length each, the overall effect of this British band first full-length release Carnal Altar is of epic proportions.I can hear traces of Electric Wizard,  Candlemass, St Vitus, Rev Bizarre and ofcourse, the mighty Sabbath, especially in the Iommi-ish riffwork. Guitarist Pete alternate from slow and heavy riffage to wah-wah laden solos which always seem to fit in nicely with the feel of the tracks. Aside from the mighty Sabbath-aura, Serpent Venom also blend in certain 70s bluesy and psychedelic rock influences. It’s really easy for me to feel the maturity of the band in all their compositions, and for sure when you have this kind of feelings, it’s always a very good point. Tracks like “Four walls of solitude” and “Devilshire” are all mind-numbing examples of downtempo prime doom at its best.The album is quite consistent all the way through, exhibiting the traits of melody, harmony and power all throughout it

Though this is not a revolutionary release, this is more than well done. A band that you should follow if you like this kind of music. Another winner for Church Within (Orchid, Seamount, Lord Vicar)