Review Summary: Putting aside its lack of originality, this album provides a reliably enjoyable slice of throwback heavy metal.
Without a doubt, Black Sabbath has been one of the most influential bands of all time. Besides the band’s obvious status as one of the original groups in the metal genre, Black Sabbath has inspired countless groups with their “doomy” sound. Even today, there remains a significant scene of bands whose predominant characteristic is attempting to follow the path of the classic Black Sabbath lineup. Serpent, hailing from Sweden, is one band that falls into this category. While originality is clearly not their strong suit, the band’s music is excellent and well-recommended for fans of this distinctive sound. Slaves of Babylon is the band’s first full-length album, released in 2013.
Comprising nine songs clocking in at around thirty-seven minutes, Slaves of Babylon is far from a difficult listen. The songs fit a consistent mold of retro-metal, frequently with rocking stoner grooves, while keeping close to metal’s roots as bluesy hard rock. Lyrically and in atmosphere, the entire album shows all the hallmarks of Black Sabbath-inspired doom, with song titles such as “Black Magick” and “Walk to the Grave” evident of this. That being said, Slaves of Babylon is far from an overly depressive listen. While not lighthearted, most songs are simply heavy jams rather than being crushingly bleak in any way.
This album’s consistency is one of its greatest strengths. There are not any clearly weak tracks on Slaves of Babylon. Nonetheless, several songs do stand out from the bunch in a positive way. The second track, “Black Magick”, is one clear highlight, a driving metal anthem which virtually perfects the formula Serpent attempts on this album. The succeeding instrumental jam, “Nekromant”, is also remarkable, being surprisingly reminiscent of Led Zeppelin’s heavier moments. Finally, “The Ritual” is perhaps the album’s heaviest track, and also undoubtedly one of the best overall here as well.
As previously noted, the musical sound which Serpent captures on Slaves of Babylon is far from unique. That being said, this album is exceptionally well-done in producing its intended sound. For those who enjoy the old-school metal and hard rock style exemplified by Black Sabbath, Serpent is a band well-worth checking out.
