▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███
░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓
███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░
███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████
███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███
███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███
███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███
▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███
███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███
██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███
░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███
░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀
██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██
░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░
▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓
░ ██ ██ Artist: Serpent Skies ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: A Claim to Reality █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-03-28 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Serpent Skies ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Melodic death metal from Gavle, Sweden. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ IÆve come to a conclusion that there is only three █
█ types of metal albums, feeling-wise. ThereÆs the █
█ type that makes you go: ôwow!ö from the first █
█ moment on. I call it the ôwow-factorö. Then █
█ thereÆs the type that makes you go: ômehö and not █
█ much more. ItÆs okay, but nothing special. Then █
█ thereÆs the type that makes you go: ôoh, gawdö. █
█ You get the gist. █
█ Now IÆve found a fourth tpe to add on the list. █
█ ThereÆs the type of album that makes you go ômehö █
█ on the first spin, but after second and third and █
█ so on you start to get a little excited. ôThis is █
█ actually pretty goodö, you might say to yourself █
█ making the people around you look at you all funny █
█ while youÆre talking to yourself. ThatÆs what █
█ happened to me with Serpent Skies and their debut █
█ full-length æA Claim To RealityÆ. █
█ HereÆs what happened. █
█ My thoughts with the first spin: ôAlright, starts █
█ of with sounds of war; gunfight, air raid siren. A █
█ bit cliched, but alright. Then comes the music █
█ itself. Pretty good, very In Flames-like. Moving █
█ on. Meh. A bit bland. IÆm starting to get bored. █
█ Eleven songs! Ohhhà Song sound very similar. Not █
█ that inflamish anymore. The sound is a bit muffled █
█ too. Not the clearest sound. Pretty bad ass █
█ singing. Some nice melodies. Nah, not that good.ö █
█ So you see, I wasnÆt very impressed with the album █
█ with the first spin. But, IÆm a professional, so I █
█ gave it a benefit of a doubt and put it into the █
█ record player again. There were few days in █
█ between the first and second spin. █
█ ôHere we go again. Serpent Skies. Hmmàagain the █
█ first song is veeery much like In Flames. But hey, █
█ this is starting to sound pretty good. Not at all █
█ that bad I thought it to be. Interesting and █
█ catchy melodies, good guitars, nice solos. I still █
█ like the singing. I think IÆll nod my head to the █
█ music. Yeah, this is the stuff!ö █
█ I found myself liking the melodic death metal that █
█ is Serpent Skies. The bloody Swedes have done it █
█ again. Coming to us from the city of GΣvle, our █
█ neighbors have released one EP before this yearÆs █
█ full-length. They do sound quite a lot like █
█ (maybe) the biggest metallers from Sweden, ie. In █
█ Flames. But they have something of their own too. █
█ I like how they variate the pace between fast-ish █
█ death metal and slower, almost ballady metal with █
█ some clean singing thrown in the mix. Some riffs █
█ sound almost like rock riffs. They manage to █
█ create something that is easy and entertaining, █
█ yet I do have to add that the album is a bit long █
█ for my taste. So the album wasnÆt anything █
█ spectacular or innovative. Just basic melodic █
█ death metal I suppose. ItÆs just that thereÆs so █
█ many bands like Serpent Skies. That is why the █
█ rating here will not be too high. █
█ On the third spin I started to wonder if there is █
█ a story in the album. I didnÆt have the lyrics █
█ with me so I canÆt be 100% sure but I think the █
█ helicopter sound at the end is a clue towards the █
█ story being there. That I may have to ask in the █
█ interview. So stay tuned. Meanwhile, bring on the █
█ fourth spinà █
█ --- █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Dismembered 3:42 ░
░ 2. Moments of Truth 4:25 ░
░ 3. Indians 4:06 ░
░ 4. Forever Haunted 3:46 ░
░ 5. Sic Parvis Magna 4:43 ░
░ 6. Graveyard Poets 4:02 ░
░ 7. Explain Reality 3:20 ░
░ 8. The Ordinary 4:21 ░
░ 9. To Exit and Drown 4:41 ░
░ 10. Lost in Space 4:45 ░
░ 11. The Crucible 5:03 ░
░ 46:54 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░
▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓
▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■
░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░
▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░
█▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓
█▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█
▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒
░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░
▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓
█▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓
░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒
█░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█
███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░
▓██ ░ ██▓
██░ ░██
█▒ ░ ░█
▀█ █▀
▓ ░
░