On November 15, 2019, SERPENS LUMINIS released their first full-length album "Bright Euphoria." They play black metal but with heavy spiritual and occult themes. SERPENS LUMINIS is a Swiss band that formed in 2015. Shortly after, they contributed three songs to a three-way split with two other Swiss bands NANSIS and HARUSPEX titled "Usque Ad Sideras et Usque Ad Inferos". Don't let the phrase "full-length album" fool you, "Bright Euphoria" only has 3 songs and is just over 27 minutes long!

With that said, I'll jump right into the first track "The Dawn Fragrances." It begins straightaway with a wall of sound coming from the blast beats and droning guitar while a second guitar plays a jarring melody. Over the course of the track, the vocals range from crazed growls to desperate yells. The drummer does well at matching the tonal shifts in the song, whether they are playing blast beats or rhythmic patterns. The guitars, however, stay a near-constant drone, which really add to the atmosphere of the track.

Next, we have the titular track "Bright Euphoria."After a brief mystical synth intro, a darkly and dense melodic passage follows. The distressed wails of the vocalist and slow rhythmic drumming slowly add texture to the track. This slow and methodical building of atmosphere is well done. The guitars shift back and forth between blistering black metal and eerie melodic riffs.

The last track "A Wreathed Skull" is the also the longest at 11 minutes long. It plunges you immediately into murky depths. The snarling vocals and dissonant black metal riffing paint a hellish landscape. Interestingly, there is a bit of clean singing on this track, which sounds quite sinister layered under the black metal riffs. They crescendo to beastly growls and desperate yells. The listener is given a brief respite after that punishing passage. The instruments temporarily let up, but haunting yells still echo in the distant background. With a terrifying shriek, the swirling chaos returns. The last few minutes are hypnotic, a dark background to the deranged rambling of the vocalist.

Overall, I recommend "Bright Euphoria" to fans of black metal that has a cleaner production and is full of atmosphere without being too melodic. The unbridled madness of the vocals and unrelenting instrumentals are something to behold. The atmosphere that the band has managed to create in less than 30 minutes is admirable. If you enjoy the album, remember that the Goathorned Productions run is limited to 300 physical copies.