SERPENT OMEGA is a Swedish doom/sludge metal band. "II" is their second full length album but they also have a demo and a live album under their belt. Despite the genre in which they play (doom is exactly known for being energetic), there is an underlying energy to this album that cannot be denied. Much of this owed to the crust/punk elements that present themselves throughout the albums seven tracks.

Those elements, in turn, are boosted in a big way by the albums MVP, vocalist Urskogr. Goddamn, she has a set of lungs and sings her ass off the entire time. A hardcore yell, death growls, blackened screams, and even stellar clean vocals....she does all this with apparent ease and just knocks it out of the park. Her performance is easily one of the best I've heard this year—and that's saying a lot because I have reviews a mega ton of doom and call it my genre of choice.

But she doesn't carry the band. The other three members are as equally adapt at taking the basics of doom and twisting them to new heights. I really appreciate Andreas' guitar style because he understands that doom isn't always about how slow you can play.  He has riffs for days and throws them out with pinpoint accuracy. It is very possible for doom to be mid paced, and in some cases, even faster than that.  What is important are the riffs and how they are presented.  In that respect Andreas certainly succeeds as his riffs are thick and dense as a brick wall.

The bass is a deadly weapon in Tomas' hands, equally adapt at destructive riffs as he is backing up the more melodic guitar parts.  At times, he is the heaviest element of the songs and at other times, he is the glue holding it all together.  Peter's drumming is certainly the album's back bone because this guy is adept at many styles—he is at home with slow doom as he is with the fervent energy that makes the album spark.

The album opens with "Orog Nuur," which starts out slow yet methodical in its approach.  The doom/sludge riffs remain intact as Urskogr shouts at the top of her lungs, amid the cascading drums and thundering bass.  I love it when the double bass doubles down, making the song even more heavy despite that not being seemingly possible.  The halfway point finds the drums laying down the low end with the guitars and bass becoming slightly dissonant with a melodic mixture.  The song's ending is simply furious with Urskogr screaming like there is no tomorrow.

The band can bring the hammer down with the best of them, as the ultra dense, heavy handed style of "Land of Darkness," shows.  Despite how abrasive it can be, there are places for clean melodies and vocals to live in between the heavier nook and crannies.  This particular track really encompasses everything "II" has to offer and  what the band is capable of. Around the 1:15 mark, "Rivers of Reversed," displays one of the best doom riffs I've heard all year.  It reminds me of a more modern Black Sabbath with a bit of a swampy dirge thrown in.  The vocals leave behind the hardcore/punk shouts and go more towards a death growl/scream and it works so well—as does anything Urskogr does on this album. This track is more aligned with traditional doom tempos and the band runs with it very well, especially the song's middle portion where the bass shines and Urskogr showcases her ability to actually sing.

Ominous tones and the build up of drums ramp up the crescendo that explodes into solid yet groovy riffs and screaming vocals on "Chthonic."  The song's cadence is muddy but interspersed by sudden bursts of speed. "Through The Gates," is immediate, full of guts and guile—and some truly brutal guitar riffs.  Not counting the outro, this is the shortest track on the album but goes a long way in proving that doom metal bands can be searing and caustic when need be.

"At The Mountains Edge," is similar to "Land Of Darkness," in that it too showcases a little bit of everything the album contains.  The vocals are particularly potent as are the riffs which have some blackened vibes to them at certain moments.   I actually think this song serves as a better ending than the outro. My complaints about "II" are very few. Some of the songs tend to go on a little too long—a minute or so shaved off parts here and there would go a long way. The last tracks placement bugs me too. There isn't anything wrong with the song itself but it sounds so obvious to me that it would work better as an intro.

With those things said, at this point I'm just being nit picky and can't get out of my own way. SERPENT OMEGA's "II" is a near perfect doom/sludge album with a hell of a lot of variety and energy to it. This is sure to make some year end best of lists. I know some albums I've already put on my list now have some very tough competition to beat for the spot.