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SERPENT SPAWN
Crypt Of Torment EP

Iron Bonehead Productions (2022)
Rating: 8/10

Serpent Spawn is a brutal German act that is heavily influenced by the 90s era, with heavy dollops of Deicide, Sinister, Malevolent Creation and the likes thrown in for good measure.

When I first saw the cover design I though this might be one of those blasphemic black / death outbursts, so I was pleasantly surprised to be obliterated by the deep, gnarly vocal expression. The vocalist here is one Martin Witchskinner (Blood / ex-Dawn / ex- Malaphar) who also provides guitar and bass, and alongside him is guitarist Rob Wenglorz (ex-Blood / ex-Dawn) and drummer Markus Winterstein (ex-Malaphar).

This trio of musicians are veterans of the scene, and you can tell that by the way they construct these robust rhythms which are built upon a steely framework of precise, bludgeoning percussion, and brain-crushing bass and axe work that just tears your face off.

Forget modern day gloomy aesthetics, this beast just goes in for the kill and savages you within minutes. Tracks such as ‘Carnage Divine’ are belligerent slabs of straightforward death metal and there’s no messing about as the strains of, say, Incubus, Deicide and of course Blood are clear as each track blasts from its cage like a muscular pack of ravenous wolves not fed for months.

Everything about this opus salivates, rips and rages with utmost fury, even when the trio resorts to some mid-paced melody such as with the opening menace of ‘Skinned And Gutted’ which is soon injected with a dose of speed to scalp you.

This release only offers four cuts and I guarantee you’ll be dead after the initial bursts of the opening title track which features a killer melody after its preliminary blast. Again, there’s the Deicide influence which continues through to ‘Conquering The Trinity’ with its mid-paced execution.

Crypt Of Torment is 15-minutes of a blast furnace, a rabid assault on the senses bolstered by clinical drumming, horrifying vocal bellows and a bass and axe team that splices you in half at whatever speed or weight it chooses. The 90s would be proud.

Neil Arnold

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