Human Serpent are a new act from Greece (consisting of two guys who call themselves I. and X.), which self-released the demo-MCD The Eternal Loyalty To Misanthropy last year. One of the tracks from that demonstrational recording made it to the Spiritual Flesh Around The Cycles Of Inexistence sampler, a tape released via Abyssic Black Cult Records with six Greek bands, amongst whom, as you can guess, Human Serpent. In early 2014, the duo recorded new material at the Kissing The Beast Studio, and everything was produced, mixed, engineered and mastered by K. Filip. Nebular Winter Productions, who take care of the release on tape (until now, but I guess it will stay this way, they release stuff on cassette only), did send us the promotional copy of this stuff, but there’s a CD-edition too, done via Death Knell Productions.
The Gradual Immersion In Nihilism (eight tracks; four on each side of the tape-edition, with a total running time of thirty five minutes) brings a minimalistic, nihilistic and grim form of Black Metal, pretty fast and lacking of any trendy or catchy addition. The riffs are based on epic melody lines, supported by a fantastic rhythm section (wonderful basses and great drums; the latter being fast and artillery-alike, then again pounding and interactive). The vocals are of a mostly sulphuric, deep-throated excellence, little guttural and deadly in execution. A thing that distinguishes this band from the vast majority are the fabulous bass lines at the end of Chapel Of Bones, or the addition of hypnotic Gregorian chants in the opening track I Am A Misanthrope (he, did you write this track expressly for me, guys?); not that unique for more bands use this, but truly fitting in Human Serpent’s case. The mood does vary, without abnegating the anti-human spirit. Most tracks are fast and aggressive (All return To Nothing, with its unstoppable energy and truly splendid slow-paced intermezzo; or misanthropic manifesto Anti-Human Propaganda), others are pretty glorious and epic (Grief amongst others), and sometimes you will experience (with pleasure!) a doomy approach (cf. The Untrodden Paths), invigorating the asphyxiating atmosphere.
The production is little primitive and rough, which strengthens the old styled attitude of these misanthropic hymns. The lack of fake clinical workmanship is done very decently (hehe, let’s muck up cleanness and correctitude), and what’s more, it supports the dynamic pieces with grandeur! Take higher-mentioned song Grief, for instance, and then you’ll understand this statement. Though, the unpolished sound is a statement itself. And it’s the purest statement that defines why I adore this kind of Aural Art so intensively!