Album Review: Seraph In Travail - A Black Death Incense
Reviewed by Richard Oliver
A Black Death Incense is the new album from Philadelphia based symphonic black/death metallers Seraph In Travail. They are a four piece that formed in 2008 with the Achieved In Flatine EP in 2012 being the first release by the band. Their debut album Bring Forth Death followed in 2015 followed by Lest They Feed Upon Your Soul in 2019. A Black Death Incense is the third album which will be self-released by the band.
Seraph In Travail have a sound that mixes the symphonic black metal of bands such as Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir with a contemporary and melodic death metal sound reminiscent of bands such as The Black Dahlia Murder. The guitar riffs are very much in a melodic death metal style albeit with a blackened edge and the lead guitar playing is also highly melodic and very slickly done. The symphonic elements are tastefully done and very much add an epic atmosphere to the music whilst the drumming is technical as well as pounding with some great use of blast-beats throughout. The vocals shift between black metal screams and guttural death metal growls and there is also a heavy use of clean vocals which are used very effectively.
The songs themselves whilst sounding very good are all very similar in sound and style with little to differentiate between them. Some feel a bit overlong at times as well and could do with a bit of trimming. Whilst it is very samey there are highlights such as Fixed And Dilated which opens the album and epic, melodic album closer Across Bloody Waters. This is a confident sounding album but doesn’t really stand out from other symphonic extreme metal bands. A good if somewhat flawed release.
