THY SERPENT'S CULT are a Death Metal group from Chile, formed in 2008. On their second full-length album, "Sedition, Sorcery and Blasphemy," the group shows a refinement of their brutal, old school-influenced attack on this punishing release.

After a short spoken-word intro, THY SERPENT'S CULT obliterate any doubts the listener might have with a frantic burst of blast beat-propelled riffing. It's clear from the group's attitude as much as the music itself where their influences came from. Songs like "The Eyes Of Lucifer," "Seven Headed Serpent," and "I Put The Doom Inside" exude a sort of unrelenting yet graceful malevolence that is very reminiscent of Death Metal heavyweights like DEICIDE and MORBID ANGEL, but with the group's own spin on it. JC Abraxas and Fernando Belmar tear through riff after shredding riff with a controlled fury that is almost frightening to behold, while Strife anchors things down with his excellent skinsmanship. In addition to having the base of the style down, THY SERPENT'S CULT impress with their ability to write strong riffs and keep the same blasphemous attitude without succumbing to tedium. One would think that a band might start running short of ideas by, say, the tenth track, but the band are anything but idle on the ferocious "The Coven Horrors."

The group's developed sense of songwriting is hard to understate; writing competent Death Metal is one thing, and many are content to just be novelty acts, but the fact that these guys can write anti-religious odes such as "United In Sin" that are both intense and memorable is impressive. Another notable element of the band's sound is Belmar's leads. The sheer electricity in his leads are enough to satiate fans of expressive guitar playing, with wide string bends and a sense of melody that juxtaposes brilliantly with the soul-crushing riffs in a way that completes and then highlights the surreal darkness that is characteristic of the band's approach.

"Sedition, Sorcery and Blasphemy" is an impressive step forward and a strong release overall for THY SERPENT'S CULT, who have definitely found their way onto my radar with this one. From what little I've heard of their debut LP, the band's sound is fuller, and just as sincerely evil as before. This is a great find for anyone who's into crushing Death Metal.