Serpent's Embrace

Reviewing past works from Agathodaimon had me wanting more. "Higher Art of Rebellion" felt like the guitars, bass and drums all took a back seat to the keyboard and vocal work. On "Serpent's Embrace", the sound is completely balanced and I feel the album is produced well. "Serpent's Embrace" is also far more accessible. The songs are all in English this time around which made following the lyrics much easier. All in all, it seems that Agathodaimon really evolved as a band in the two albums since "Higher Art of Rebellion".

Since the lyrics are in English this time, it was much easier to follow. As much as I enjoy this style of black metal, I would say the lyrics are a bit on the cliche end. I have heard all of this before many times. However, in 2004, speaking about love and death was pretty popular across many metal subgenres. I feel like lyrically this album is victim to the times. It's not terrible by any means, in fact it has many beautiful sounding songs. "Solitude", with guest vocalist Ruth Knepel is down right gorgeous. She has an amazing voice and the song is completely hers to sing in.

The song structure is fantastic. The first eight songs are very creative with many memorable riffs. "Light Reborn" and "Faded Years" are my two personal favorites. "Light Reborn" has some great clean vocals. Clean vocals in symphonic black metal isn't a rare thing, but it feels refreshing here. Martin Wickler who performs those vocals, along with being the guitarist, does an overall phenomenal job. In my opinion, he is a staple in Agathodaimon's sound and the reason why I like this album so much. This is also the last album with Frank Nordmann on main vocals. It's a shame because I really enjoy his performance here. I'm not too familiar with Agathodaimon outside of Frank's vocals, so he is the definite voice of the band in my eyes. Everything seems balanced here unlike the last album I talked about. There are even a couple guitar solos which is much appreciated. With all instruments getting their proper time, I feel that the keyboards are once again a stand out part. "Serpent's Embrace" feels more electronic than symphonic. I'm not complaining as I love the sound, but it's just something I noticed.

The only negative I would give this is probably the same I would say for "Higher Art of Rebellion". "Serpent's Embrace" is shorter than that album by ten minutes, but I do feel that a couple songs could have gotten cut. The problem with that last album is that the second half really dragged by. The second half is strong in "Serpent's Embrace", but "The Darkness Inside" doesn't do the album any favors. It's a very paint by numbers track which hurt the rating for this review. Also, the last two songs, "Bitter End" and "Feelings" don't offer much than what the album has already given. None of these songs are completely terrible, but I have heard them before.

Overall, I really like this album. I think it's much better than "Higher Art of Rebellion" in terms of production, guitar work and keyboard placement. Martin Wickler is the absolute standout here with his great gothic clean vocals. If you like those mid-aughts symphonic, romantic, and gothic bands then check out "Serpent's Embrace".

Recommendations: "Serpent's Embrace", "Light Reborn", "Faded Years", and "Solitude"