There are two types of Doom Metal, in my opinion (excluding Funeral Doom); you have your 70s-inspired, Hard Rock-based music with clear vocals and your modern, slower, harsh vocal stuff. The self-titled debut from Finland's Serpent Warning falls squarely into the former category. The heavy, fuzzy haze of Black Sabbath is thick in the air when these Finns crank up the reverb and distortion pedals. One of things I prefer about this style is that bands write songs and not just pieces of music that showcase "slow" and "heavy." Serpent Warning start things off with the memorable "Evil River," a song I was singing along with almost immediately while tapping my foot and riffing on my air guitar. The title track is another smoldering song that manages to stay interesting despite lasting more than seven minutes and Serpent Warning shows they aren't afraid to speed things up, while remembering their Doom foundation, on "Thousand Names." Things aren't all rosy on Serpent Warning and tracks like "Beyond the Wisdom" and "Luna" are generic and tedious. Still, the whole album maintains a satisfying heaviness that will please most Doom fans. If, like me, you've enjoyed the recent albums from bands like Primeval Realm, The Graviators and even Argus, Serpent Warning is a band worth your attention.
