Review: “Pathways” by Serpent Fire

A project from a seasoned group of veteran musicians, Serpent Fire came to life in 2022 when Jukka Piironen ended a long hiatus from making music. He started the band as a studio project with Jukka Mursu (Gorem, Vinnfrost, Nex Locus) and with songs taking skeletal form thick and fast they decided to record an EP. Reaching out to those they knew, guitarist J.K Hel (ex-Man Eating Tree, Corpset), keyboard player Marco Sneck (Poisonblack, Chamelion) and drummer Pete Karjalainen (Gorem) were soon on board. They’re calling it Melodic Death Metal with that Northern Finland melancholy…

…but in truth there are some Death Thrash riffs in “Wait Until The Dark” that capture the imagination as the keys dance with nostalgic majesty. They are perhaps a little bolder in the mix that others would dare opt for but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as they’re the most melodic element of these compositions. Gruff vocals and a traditional heavy metal styled solo light the way to what may be on the way in the future, the band not shy of an experiment or two. More bright synths breathe life into “Disengage” before a rampaging kit performance and chunky riffage bolster the sound. Underneath the sonic weight of the keys the guitars roar against the harsh vocals and another spellbinding solo in the final moments exposes more sublime musicianship. What came first, the chicken or the egg? It’s a question as old as time and if this had been a self titled record “Serpent Fire” by Serpent Fire on “Serpent Fire” would have torn a hole in the fabric of the space time continuum for some inception level madness. As a track this one is soaked in Gothenburg scene elements with the distinctive flavours of early In Flames on offer. A clean vocal passage in the centre has an almost ethereal quality to them before a rich, melodic solo adds yet more warmth. There can be no doubting the talent the five piece posses, their musicianship earned over thousands of hours in the rehearsal space and this bodes very well for their debut album [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Wait Until The Dark
2. Disengage
3. Serpent Fire

“Pathways” by Serpent Fire is out 31st October 2024 via Inverse Records and should be available over at bandcamp