When a band has some musicians with a long musical experience on their shoulders, you can bet that it will carry something with them that'll make you like their future works. It's something personal from each musician, something that mere words can describe, but it's something that you'll always find. In the DNA of LIBER NULL, a band with members from Italy and Netherlands you'll find this same feature. When hearing their first album, called "I - The Serpent", you'll understand my words.

It's a different form of traditional Black Metal, with that same morbid insight of the SWOBM, but with some different elements that you can hear clearly. It can be a contribution from the drummer Thorns (who played on BLUT AUS NORD, FROSTMOON ECLIPSE, HANDFUL OF HATE, and played as live member from ENTHRONED, to name a few) and the vocalist Psaalm (who worked previously on FROSTMOON ECLIPSE and WINTERPATH), because it is different due some slow-paced tempos that contributes to turn the atmosphere of the songs oppressive and darkened in a way that can make shivers run down your spine. It's different, and it's very good.

The sound quality is raw, as the greater part of the bands that follow the way of the SWOBM use to be. But this is their songs come to life, with this harsh and filthy sound. But I must state one thing: it's not as bad as you can think, because you'll be able to hear and understand what the band is playing in all the songs. It's filthy, but in the right way. The band prefers to compose long songs, so "I - The Serpent" has only six of them. But all of them are darkened pearls, with their particular way to seduce the fans.

Contrasting fast and aggressive moments with morbid and atmospheric ones, you'll find the wonderful "The Unrepenting Son" (this one using very good guitar riffs and morbid moments), "Dereliction" (this one has some clean moments that will haunt your dreams, and the ethereal and darkened melodic lines of the guitars and harsh voices are making a great work) and "Unholy Cosmogony" (where the harsh and aggressive parts show good tempo changes, with very good work from bass guitar and drums, and again some sad and introspective melodic lines can be heard), and the grandiose "I - The Serpent". These are the longest songs, but on the short ones "Below and Beyond" and "The Heretic's Tongue", you have a more aggressive aesthetics, but keeping the same atmospheric moments of the others.

"I - The Serpent" is a lovely and great album, and headed in this way, LIBER NULL will become a giant in the future.