Sometimes, it’s common to forget that Belgium is an important country to Metal. During the 80s, acts as KILLER, OSTROGOTH, ACID, CROSSFIRE and others were famous into underground, and established the foundations for the future generations. But no one can forget that there are extreme Metal acts on the country, as AGATHOCLES, ENTHRONED, ABORTED and some others. And one more name comes to join to the team of Belgian extreme Metal acts: SERPENTS OATH. And the quintet’s third full-length, “Revelation”, is really a fine piece of darkened and apocalyptic art.

The band delivered the responsibility of the recordings, mixing and mastering to the hands of Yarne Heylen of Project Zero Recording Studio (and is known for his works with NERVOSA, WARBRINGER, SKELETAL REMAINS and others), who modeled a sonority that’s clean and defined in the due aesthetics for Black Metal, but aggressive and nasty as well. It means that the hearers will take the best experience possible in the band’s music for such work, and it’s a perfect armor for a Black Metal assault. And the cover of Néstor Ávalos depicts clearly what the quintet’s stands for: the absolute destruction of Heaven!

Musically, the quintet follows a Black Metal tendency that is fast and furious, filled with charming tremolo picking arrangements on the guitars, with abrasive and subjective melodies to bind everything together. Some could say that they follow the same ways of acts as DARK FUNERAL, MARDUK and IMMORTAL in the past, but on an evolved, mature and personal way. This album has a darkened and restless appeal that’s hard to resist, because it’s in a midway between the classic outfits of the genre with a modern insight. Ok, words can complicate things, so let’s make it simple: this album is excellent!

There are 9 tracks (3 are intros, so it gives to the album a conceptual scent sometimes) of the most pure and destructive Black Metal one can ask for. After the intro “Invocatio Genesis”, the fall starts with a brutal and fast song, “Blood Covenant”, filled with sharp guitars and very good arrangements that hooks the hearers; being followed by the climatic and disgusting (in the good sense of the word, please) “Gateways to Tiamat”, another fast and abrasive song full of a darkened appeal that’s impossible to resist to. And “Purification Through Fire” brings the band to a point that is nearer the classic elements that was used to be called Grim Black Metal during the 90s (the parts that aren’t extremely fast, where bass guitar and drums are weaving very good and solid rhythmic parts).

A profane intro is what “Invociatio Apocalypsis” is, bringing the right ambience for “Beyond the Void”, a massive and fast attack boosted by very good guitar arrangements that allows the vocals to show very good sets of tunes (to low tunes on the shrieks to high-pitched ones). Again with speed decreasing in some parts, “Drakonian Gnosis” shows some subjective melodic arrangements that add value to the faster moments. And on “Path of the Serpent” the band sounds more climatic and atmospheric (even with fast rhythms), in a massive and hooking onslaught of energy.

The third trilogy starts with the intro “Invocatio Resurrectio” then comes “Cult of Death”, a song technically more simple than the previous ones, but rich on darkened melodic traces on the guitar riffs. Dissonant and darkened melodic guitar parts introduces “Unto Typhon”, a song that soon explodes with fast rhythms (but here are some contrasts on it) and darkened hooks. And the album closes with “Pandaemonium”, a maelstromic show of fine arrangements filled with morbid energy and with apocalyptic vocals.

By now (as some days are left until the album’s official release), it’s not clear if “Revelation” is a conceptual album or not. But one thing the listeners can be sure of: SERPENTS OATH is really a strong candidate for becoming a driving force in Black Metal. The band has all in hands to do it, and you just need to listen to it!