Cor Serpentis

Though their just-coming third album Liquid Darkness shows a real maturation, this second effort Cor Serpentis indicates that the Germans hadn’t fully regrouped after beginning their second stint together. Nonetheless, the vision is a great deal clearer than what Doomsday delivered before the separation, and that’s enough of a recommendation to give a listen. Quite a beast of a listen at 62 minutes, with no song less than around 9 minutes, Calliophis went for broke on the slow doom death crawl here and ended up with intensity and consistency at the cost of greater enjoyment. I reckon a few more spots of pace and relaxed quiet could have made this into a bigger hitter, yet some doom death and even funeral doom fans will like what they hear.

The reason I’m a bit sad that Calliophis didn’t present this in its best light is because they have chosen such thrilling topics that don’t translate so well through the perpetually harsh growls and slow-moving riffage. The second chapter of the Munk saga (based on the fairytale Heart of Stone by Wilhelm Hauff and the 1950 film production) may be the best of those, but figures like Yuki Onna (who preys on travelers in the Japanese Alps) and the ritual of ‘The Cleansing’ also provide the music with a character that the instrumental parts don’t really get across. As a death growler, Thomas does a decent job, yet I’d really like that content to be foregrounded or more obviously depicted in the dynamics of the songs. As it is, the riffing goes on for very long periods at quite slow pace, mainly using chord-based riffs that seem tense and dramatic yet fail to evolve to their full potential.

To hone in on that instrumental part for a minute, Calliophis have a thick and slightly dry guitar ensemble churning atop equally old-school drums, which just about keep the long cuts under control with some much-needed fills. I’m having a hard time saying whether the 5 gents playing on this album sound closer to the melodic end of doom that Draconian and Swallow The Sun occupy, or whether the monotony and scope really do touch groups like Mournful Congregation or Esoteric in the funeral direction, mostly because of the evenness of intensity and deeply rooted low pitch that shifts just a few times in an hour. ‘Seven Suns’ conspicuously attempts to thread lead guitar along much of its verses, giving it more of a climactic emotional feel than the darker likes of ‘Edge of Existence’. Actually, the long quiet build-up of ‘The Cleansing’ might have worked better in the middle of the album, since its softer and atmospheric tendencies would have served as a break between dense slogs through the darkness.

In terms of the album overall, I admit to finding it tricky to sit through the whole experience in one go, although strangely I find the last 2 songs by far the most memorable, what with the melodic focus on ‘Seven Suns’ and ‘Isolation’ having a very distinctive riff that wearily groans on through around half the runtime. As a whole then, yes I’m dissatisfied with a lack of variety and some monotonous verses, but I’d also say that the atmosphere is quite deliberate on behalf of Calliophis and proves grim enough for a certain sub-section of doom death disciples. Let it play out as you surreptitiously plot the death of your housemates.