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░ ██ ██ Artist: Served Dead ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Servants Arise █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2010 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-07-17 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: self-released ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Served Dead is a relatively new Finnish black █
█ metal group, comprised of members who apparently █
█ don't share their talents with any other bands. █
█ The five-man outfit have grown together over the █
█ past few years; thus, their cohesion and focus is █
█ obvious from the introduction track. █
█ With the album set to be released all the way back █
█ in 2010, the band members were never able to get █
█ it off the ground and had to wait for Inverse █
█ Records to save the day with proper worldwide █
█ distribution. While the world wouldn't exactly be █
█ better off without Servants Arise, it's not like █
█ this is offensively bad. Especially since they █
█ draw considerable comparison to the likes of early █
█ Cradle Of Filth. █
█ Getting the album started, "The March" begins with █
█ a rather symphonic feel, eerily reminiscent of █
█ Vader's "Para Bellum" or pretty much any Carach █
█ Angren interlude minus the piano, paving the way █
█ for a relentless war-themed onslaught. That "feel" █
█ never abides, yet it never overwhelms, which makes █
█ for a much smoother listen than what one normally █
█ expects listening to this style of music. The █
█ guitar melodies are definitely the highlight of █
█ the album here - so much so the symphonic elements █
█ are more or less there for support rather than for █
█ juxtaposition. For those who appreciate extreme █
█ metal incorporating symphonies and the like into █
█ their music without going over the top, this is █
█ definitely a bonus. Others might feel less █
█ appreciative if they were hoping for a █
█ predominantly symphonic release. █
█ Moving on from all that symphony blabber, the █
█ production is also worth noting. While we aren't █
█ talking Emperor levels of mastering, the DIY-feel █
█ is augmented by a crisp, professional sounding █
█ production that makes virtually every instrument █
█ stand out, including the programmed drums. █
█ Fortunately the drums aren't too high in the mix, █
█ as they sound rather soft and hollow at times. █
█ It's rather obvious this band would only benefit █
█ from the introduction of a human drummer, someone █
█ to provide a more organic, soulful approach behind █
█ the kit. Or perhaps programmer Rontt would be wise █
█ to mix the drums lower and flip a few knobs to █
█ give his bass drum more weight. █
█ Sarcasm and Oldblood both handle vocal duties here █
█ - one for the KK Warslut shrieks, and the other █
█ for the Dani Filth screams. It's definitely not █
█ the craziest vocal styles to appear on the same █
█ album, but the Filth-styled moments keep it a █
█ little more interesting, especially since they █
█ appear unexpectedly and don't hang around for any █
█ set amount of time. █
█ Overall, this album doesn't really offer anything █
█ spectacular. It's pretty straightforward █
█ pseudo-symphonic black metal with a focus on █
█ melody with a few crazy vocal elements and a █
█ fairly professional production. If you're the kind █
█ of person who likes digging up underground █
█ releases, a fan of symphonic or melodic black █
█ metal, or just one of those stage-five clingers █
█ who love my reviews so much they fly across the █
█ world just to watch me sleep at night, listening █
█ to this album won't be the biggest waste of time █
█ in your life. That being said, it's not exactly █
█ "drop what you're doing and listen" kind of stuff, █
█ either. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. The March 1:10 ░
░ 2. The Unholy Warcry 2:09 ░
░ 3. Shrouded Doubt 3:01 ░
░ 4. Oath I've Sworn 4:23 ░
░ 5. Undenied Pride 4:10 ░
░ 6. Retaliation 3:57 ░
░ 7. The Hammer 4:47 ░
░ 8. Gospel of Hate 5:07 ░
░ 9. Servants Arise 8:16 ░
░ 10. Lament 1:20 ░
░ 38:20 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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