Coming March 19^th 2021, Symphonic Black/Death Metallers SERAPH IN TRAVAIL are releasing their third full-length "A Black Death Incense", the follow-up to 2019's "Lest They Feed upon Your Soul". Mixing traditional Black Metal sounds -as well as some bits of Death Metal- with a Symphonic and Gothic feel, the band delivers 47 minutes across eight original tracks.

Opener "Fixed And Dilated" comes in full force. It features a groovy core rhythm and a Gothic-sounding synth/strings arrangement. SERAPH IN TRAVAIL make some heavy use of synth throughout the album, building a truly dense sound. The slightly clean vocals have an almost Power Metal feel and contrast nicely with the purely growly harsh ones, both courtesy of Jon Sutherman. The band adds in some beautiful and sinister atmospheric passages as well as some Doomy bits. A gorgeous Symphonic coda leads right into "My Bitter End", a track with Heavy emphasis in melody. Gothic arrangements abound as it builds to a massive, brutal middle section. A nostalgic and bittersweet coda with piano, strings and chanted vocals eases the transition to the next track.

The way the interludes at the end of the tracks connect the songs is one of the strengths of the album. "When They Crown You Queen" has a flawless and brutal transition, one of the most effective on the record. Sadly, the track is quite monotone, repeating the same ideas over and over, aside from a delightful instrumental break mid-way through. A similar synth/string pattern gets used for the transition with next track, reworked to sound more sinister.

"In Hemorrhagic Hues" is a relentless seven-minute epic that insinuates the glaring issue with "A Black Death Incense". The song, being the longest of the album, follows a similar pattern to previous tracks, alternating between full-blown brutal Black/Death sounds and orchestral passages -which tend to be more interesting than the heavier stuff. Aside from a brief breakdown and some tasteful soloing there's little break from the formula employed so far. The band seems to have run out of ideas by the time the listener gets to the fourth track.

The second half makes it even clearer. Aside from the short "Dead Scream Kill", the last three tracks flow together adding very little new. "For The Wrath Of Dying Days" has a gorgeous coda, "The Apostate Coil" is considerably more dramatic than other tracks and has some Proggy undertones, and "Across Bloody Waters" is a fitting album closer.

And yet, "Dead Scream Kill" is the only track on the second half that manages to leave a lasting impact. In fact, it might as well be the most successful track on the album. Focused and slightly more accessible, it fuses the symphonic and the heavy elements in a more complete way. The instruments play each other off and truly blend together. It manages to keep interest more easily. There is a slight Metalcore feel throughout the track, and although I am not necessary a fan of that subgenre, it fits the song. The songwriting is solid, holding the attention by not going overboard with neither the melodrama nor the excessive length of other tracks.

"A Black Death Incense" has a couple of issues that plague it, like the muddy production or the lack of hooks. Skilled musicianship cannot make up for uneven songwriting. The main problem seems to be the lack of self-editing. The shorter tracks are more successful (like "Dead Scream Kill" or "My Bitter End"), so trimming down some fat could be a good idea. Blending more the distinct sounds the band brings to the table is important, too, as some times the songs feel fractured.

Also, considering the cheesy synth sounds they use, giving in a bit more into the campy side of this style could work. At times the idea behind the songs sound more serious than the songs themselves. Overall, SERAPH IN TRAVAIL show promise on "A Black Death Incense" even if the album feels rushed at times. If they manage to exercise a bit more restrain, things might start falling into place.