Rise Above Records strikes again with the fourth studio album from Australian doom metal power trio Witchskull, titled The Serpent Tide. Hailing from Canberra, the band are comprised of guitarist/vocalist Marcus De Pasquale, bassist Tony McMahon, and drummer Joel Green. Together, these three conjure up a huge wall of sound on all their releases, but The Serpent Tide could arguably be their strongest effort yet, and that's something to be said considering how terrific 2020's A Driftwood Cross is. De Pasquale is a master at crafting some massive doom riffs that also dip into the NWOBHM bag of tricks (Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Saint Vitus, Witchfinder General, Angel Witch...yep, this guy is well versed!), and his vocals are one part Ozzy Osbourne and one part a more heavy metal version of Eddie Vedder. Yep, you heard that right! His forceful, wailing style works perfectly within crushing songs like "Bornless Hollow", "Obsidian Eyes", and the monstrous "Sun Carver", while the frantic pace of "The Serving Ritual" and "Rune of Thorn" work well to bookend the more grinding, slow & heavy tracks like "Misery's Horse" and "The Serpent Tide". Fans of massive riffs are in for a treat, as this is a 35-minute journey into some of the heaviest and juiciest doom metal riffing you've likely heard this yeah, and the guitar solos are scorching, often times dripping with fuzz and wah-wah.
To say this is one of my most played doom albums at the moment is an understatement. The Serpent Tide is a tremendous album but a killer band, the production is outstanding, the riffs monolithic, the vocals unique, and at 35-minutes, once the album ends you are ready to once again hit play all over again. An easy contender for album of the year.
Track Listing
- Tyrian Dawn
- Obsidian Eyes
- Sun Carver
- Bornless Hollow
- The Serving Ritual
- The Serpent Tide
- Misery’s Horse
- Rune of Thorn
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