EP Review: Serpent Icon - Tombstone Stories
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
I’m going to show my age now and make the bold statement that melodic death metal reached its pinnacle when At the Gates released the imperious Slaughter of the Soul in 1995. I’m not saying everything that followed is inferior, just that it’s hard to improve on perfection, though many of tried.
Three other people who would be in agreement are the German trio, Serpent Icon, who issue their debut EP, Tombstone Stories as a kind of love-letter to the early Gothenburg sound, without trying to reinvent this particular wheel.
Formed in 2023, by previous members of Living Abyss, Gloryful and Night In Gales, the three have worked tirelessly to create a record that pays tribute to the whole of the genre in just five tracks. Here you’ll find nothing but the pure essence of the Gothenburg sound, free of clean vocals, breakdowns or modern synths, and just focused on raw power.
In opener, Circus of Mankind, you’ll recognise that Serpent Icon is the real deal when it comes to highlighting their influences. The driving rhythms from Hartmut Stoof’s relentless drumming and Tobias Dahs’ searing guitars, combined with gritty riffs, take you back to hearing In Flames and At the Gates for the first time.
The title-track blends thundering drums with soaring guitars, bringing an earworm of a riff to the pre-chorus, giving a little respite to the blistering speed without losing sight of the melodic aspects. Feels like this tune alone will win over most genre fans.
Both Ashes and Final Witness are built around sweeping, anthemic riffs, supplemented by powerful drumming and with vocalist, Christian, growling raw and guttural snarls, there is no mistaking the influence. Ashes gives a moment to a more ambient sound into the final third, with Tobias’ bass thundering it into the conclusion. Final Witness goes for a more grimy, dirtier sound, achieving a punchy result.
Closer, Sirens and Sinners, is pure At the Gates, with flailing, whiplashing riffs, rumbling drums and a face-melting solo; I’d like to think that late-great Tomas Lindberg would be proud of what he was so instrumental in creating.
All the melodic death metal tropes are here: harmonised guitars, blasting double-bass drums and low-pitched growling vocals. None of it feels forced and you can hear the passion from all three members of Serpent Icon in every note of the twenty-minute run-time.
It bodes well for a full-length some time in the future but, for now, there’re new kids in Melodic Death Metal Town, and may I suggest you take note.
