A few days ago, a friend texted me asking my thoughts on so called “spinoff bands”. You know, bands that form featuring one or more members of a more noteworthy act. I told him it varies and, like most cases in life, is a band by band case. Take Municipal Waste for example. Bat and Morbikon? Great. Cannabis Corpse and Iron Reagan? Not so much. Anyways, today’s review isn’t about a band of nearly fifty-somethings cosplaying as teenage thrashers, but rather a band who happens to share similar personnel with another radically different band, which begs the question: Which, if either, is the spinoff?
The roots of today’s band in review, Serpent Rider, go back to 2015, when they officially formed under the moniker Highway Corsair. In between this 2015 inception and their 2017 rebranding, three members formed a death metal band named Draghkar. In other words, it’s one of those “chicken or the egg” scenarios, only one’s a death metal band and the other’s an epic metal band, with neither act sharing any stylistic overlap whatsoever. So today, we find ourselves reviewing The Ichor of Chimaera: The debut full length from one-time Californian, now full time Seattle based epic metal warriors, Serpent Rider.
Joining the Draghkar gang of rhythm guitarist Brandon Corsair, bassist Brian Verderber, and drummer Drake Graves are vocalist R. Vilar and lead guitarist Paul Gelbach. Together, whether these five are dealing in lumbering doom, blinding speed, or pure US power, they do so with an epic twist. The lyrics are rife with fantastical and mythological tales, at times being more epic than the music itself, which even at its most colossal, is never as epic or sporadic as say The Lord Weird Slough Feg. Equally of note is Vilar’s vocals, which are less power and force, and more hypnotic and esoteric. Think female-fronted stoner/doom vocals atop of an epic band. Epic metal has always been about unusual vocals, and Vilar’s subtle “less is more” delivery definitely checks off this box, even if for the most unexpected of reasons.
As for the album itself, Ichor starts strong, thanks to winding numbers like “Steel is the Answer” and “Matri Deorum”, as well as glorious power-speedster “Radiant” and the Candlemass-esque title track. However, it’s during the album’s back half in which things really get down to business. “The Hero’s Spirit” is slow and foreboding, an epic doom tapestry adding a depth of mystique to this already intriguing outing. My choice cut, “Tyrant’s March”, storms in with the violent epic thrash aggression of Manilla Road circa Mystification (1987). Rounding it all out is “In Spring”, which goes for the jugular with its unrelenting USPM combativeness.
Armed with a variety of classic metal styles and songs that never overstay their welcome, much to the delight of this here online metal critic, The Ichor of Chimaera is a strong debut full length from Serpent Rider, and a satisfactory “headphones-centric” affair at that. One can’t help but get lost in the mythological dimensions of Serpent Rider’s metallic universe…in which case, the band holds no responsibility for whatever might ensue while listening to this venture. Be sure to be armed with your sharpest sword for the occasion!
7 out of 10
Label: No Remorse Records
Genre: Epic Heavy Metal
For fans of: Smoulder, Manilla Road, Candlemass
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