Formed in Dallas, Texas CLERIC has been ripping through the Death Metal scene with their absolute brutal power of sound. This quintet of darkness brings a solid, bone-crushing grit with the wall of sound they produce. Their music will rip you apart from the sheer force that they create. The vocals will invade your soul with their infectious darkness. With the help of Tofu Carnage Records, they have given us a very dark album "Serpent Psalms" which was released on October 25th, 2019.

"Maw Of Absolution" opens up the album setting an ominous tone with electronic elements before opening to a spectacular wall of sound that is accentuated with deep eviscerating vocal work. The guitar work on this track creates a sense of foreboding and with the tuning offers an interesting illusion of depth that is heard throughout "Serpent Psalms". The hellish, blackened, deathride only begins there. With "Lucifer Triumphant" the band really explores the meaning of soul shattering sound. The riffs are brutal, heavy, and will leave you feeling crushed. The track is fast paced until it hits the chorus where the song breaks down into a sludgy beatdown of your soul. The chorus presents a sound of absolute power that lasts throughout the remainder of the track.

Continuing on the path to Hell, we are met with "Of Twilight And Of The Grave". This track opens up with a strange arrangement of electronic sounds that give the opening of the song a truly ethereal feel. This opening is very interesting because it is not something that is typically heard in Death Metal. After the opening, the track really opens up into a chaotic powerhouse. The drum work on this track is really impressive with the tempo changes that are used and the drum kit is utilized to transition through the song. "Possessed In Congress" really gets going with some insane guitar riffs at the beginning of the track. It then moves to more of a groove laden beatdown with the powerful vocals layered underneath. The instrumentals are the prominent force of this track. "Unending Spectral Bloodshed" gives us another interesting facet that is rarely used in the Death Metal genre. CLERIC opens up this track with a melodic guitar solo! Up against the devilish backdrop of rhythm, this solo adds a depth to the sound and fits very well with the rest of the track. "All Death Unseeing" is the anthem of "Serpent Psalms". It encapsulates all the talents of the members and merges them into one chaotic hellride.

CLERIC has produced one hell of an album with "Serpent Psalms". Every track on this album has something different and unique to it. Whether it be melodic guitar solos, time change driven drum work, or electronic elements, this album has a lot to offer. Normally in Death Metal, tracks can sound like the same one previous to it, but CLERIC has done their work to not fall victim to that formulaic routine. So good job on that guys!. I feel that "Serpent Psalms" is an album that will give the band a solidified presence in the Death Metal community and I can't wait to hear more from these guys!