Album Review: Seraphic Entombment - Sickness Particles Gleam
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Amidst the variety of newer bands entering the fold within extreme metal, one name that’s been cropping up now and again, and garnering increasing attention, has been Seraphic Entombment. Formed several years ago, the band hail from Alabama, United States, and released their first Demo in 2019. It must be stated though that while this Demo was released, the band had done no other material than this for some time; that at least was the case before Everlasting Spew Records nabbed the band and now, penned down for an October 13th release date, Seraphic Entombment are at last preparing to unleash their talents upon the wider metal world with Sickness Particles Gleam. Utilising surrealist art reminiscent of the coagulation of blood and water, Seraphic Entombment look primed to make a striking debut album presence. Let’s see what these guys have in store for us.
As it can probably be seen from the outset, once you get this record in your hands, Seraphic Entombment’ first major work is quite the lengthy excursion. Other than their 2019 Demo, this is otherwise the majority of what this band have to show for themselves so therefore it makes sense why such attention may have been centred upon Sickness Particles Gleam. However, that still means audiences will be glued to this record anywhere from eight to thirteen minutes at a time, which is a bold move when you’re looking to unleash your first full length album. The opening track alone pulls no punches as “Vault Of Vision” clocks in at over twelve minutes long; an elongated, atmospheric piece that simultaneously introduces us to their soundscape whilst easing us into their doomed, drawn out guitar tone. That helps the band conquer our trepidations regarding these lengthy tracks; the riffs might harness a gradual journey through these songs but the guitar work lands with enough impact and might that we harbour zero issue being amidst this nightmare for so long since the band have rendered this soundscape with a comfortable vantage point for us to behold it.
Additionally aiding the band’s performance are the vocals, which are these drawn out and guttural bellows that don’t so much roar in our faces but feel mixed in elegantly amongst the riffs that crash as strongly as they do when the band just let the tone peter out, enabling the doomy vibe of this record to stew that little more. There isn’t much discernible.when it comes to lyrics yet the vocal performance is such that it doesn’t matter what is being said, only that the vocals mesh well with the instrumentation which it certainly does. Amongst the plethora of death/doom records right now, it’s a nice change to see a newer band fully embrace a more pained, torturous aspect other than the more straight up death metal approach. While the band’s cavernous approach is far from anything we’ve not experienced before, Seraphic Entombment demonstrate a keen understanding as per what makes this such an enticing style for fans to become drunk on for the collective assault the band throw up via vocals and riffs collates to envelop us totally. When you really get your teeth sunk into this record, you can’t help but smile knowing how, by going just a little further beyond their more conventional peers, the band are already making an impact and guaranteeing attention for the rest of the record’s duration.
Yet such a band’s performance would not be as entertaining or engaging if we as the audience did not believe the ferocity of their performance, that’s where the production of this album deserves praise. Considering again this is their first full length work, Seraphic Entombment have already cracked the code on what makes a record of malicious death/doom so alluring to fans of extreme metal. Granted, there’s no shortage of death/doom records of the modern era that have adopted the more savage and ferocious style this band utilise, yet it’s quite another thing to then apply that same sensibility into your own record, mixing around your own instrumentation and vocals, in your own first album. It
showcases the band’s acute knowledge of their songwriting and an intimate realisation that they knew precisely what they were doing the minute they entered that recording studio. It’s not merely in how all these differing elements merge together, but in how the band use effective implementation of pauses throughout their performance. This album isn’t a constant barrage of devastation, such like that would demote this record’s merit, for the band understand the need to give their audiences time to breathe and especially throughout tracks of ten minutes apiece no less. Sometimes, the gaps between riff segments is just as profound as the main volleys of guitar work themselves.
You’ll find as well, towards the end of each song, the band have incorporated these minute ambient sections that really help to sink us deeper and further into the album’s aesthetic. Other than the opening of the record, these instances are found only at the end of tracks and makes for a nice atmospheric inclusion as well as a cool-down before the band unleash another onslaught of death/doom our way. It’s also another way of letting us catch our breath and remember whereabouts in our space we are after having even assailed for up to ten minutes or more. The band don’t want us to lose our footing, for doing so will lessen our connection with the music being thrown at us. What’s more, you’ll find the riffs strike solid ground as we make the link between our ears and the strength by which the guitar work brings down upon us, but their petering resonance doesn’t simply end when the next riff comes into play; whether it’s riffs or drums or vocals, their sound doesn’t just cease but rather it only continues into the far distance which helps insinuate the vast scope this record is playing with. It likely aids the band with these long tracks too, since we know we’re not working with something that’s confining us within a set space but something we feel like we’ve got ample enough room to move around in.
In conclusion, Seraphic Entombment’s first full length album, and arguably their first major statement of who they are as a band, is a triumph. This is the kind of extreme metal I utterly adore to discover this day and age; while cavernous works of death/doom such as Sickness Particles Gleam is hardly anything new amongst this new wave of bands, this band understand what makes it work and how to best implement it. This is all the more impressive when we remember we’re dealing with tracks that, at their longest, reach beyond thirteen minutes as “Quivering Majesty” closes out the record in epic, cacophonous crescendo. For nearly an hour straight, Seraphic Entombment unleash everything they presently have and I, for one, came away equally flustered and maddened with excitement. It’s a blinding album and one that speaks so much for the potential this band may offer. I’m very excited to see where these guys go next because there’s a ferocity and evil within them that conventional death/doom contemporaries possess little of. Absolutely sadistic.
