The Ichor of Chimaera

Serpent Rider are another band in the general vein of bands like Smoulder, Cauchemar or Wrathblade—bands that kind of straddle the Heavy/Doom line with epic arrangements, big riffs, and a lot of mood. The Ichor of Chimaera is clearly a labor of love, as while I have to enumerate certain flaws, I can feel the passion and dedication coming through and that can make up for a lot. The production is a bit weak, not giving the guitars enough presence, and I wish the whole mix had more layers and space, as this is very barebones. Singer R. Villar comes across as a bit weak also, but a lot of that is, I think, that she is recorded by herself, without much in the way of reverb or backing vocals. She just puts herself out there, and if she sounds a little wobbly here and there, it just kind of adds to the charm.

Because there is a lot of charm. This reminds me of the earlier Slough Feg or Manilla Road releases, where there were a lot of obvious flaws, but the strength of the melodies and songwriting combined with passion carried you through anyway. It's become a stigma of the modern era that we expect even underground bands to have pin-drop sound clarity and flawless performances when that's not what it's really about. This has a distinct sound, with a riff style that stands out and some really good melodies for Villar's cool, measured voice to work over. It's not perfect, but it's not trying to be, and I can appreciate that.