Release Date May 15th, 2026
Format Cassette/Digital/CD
Genre Black Metal
Origin Austria
Verba Serpentis comes from Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Carinthia, Austria, and formed in 2024. The name is Latin for "Words Of The Serpent". The band first appeared with the single "Leviathan" in 2024, followed by the EP "Ophidic Gnosis" the same year. With "Torchbearers", the Austrian band returns through independent release channels, dealing in melodic black metal tied to satanic visions, shadowed atmosphere and blackened aggression.
"Torchbearers" is the work of a band sharpening its craft very fast. Verba Serpentis takes the melodic black metal line and drag it into colder, darker ground, where the guitars do most of the talking and the atmosphere is never there just for decoration. The EP has a strong ritual flavor, not in a cheap theatrical way, more as a constant dark current under the riffs, vocals and pacing. There is enough melodic pull to make the material stick, and enough black metal fire to stop it from becoming tame.
The main strength here is how the band balances melody and darkness. The guitar work has that Swedish black metal shadow running through it, with shades that can bring Uada, Dissection and Behexen to mind, without turning the EP into a copy job. The vocals sit in the right place, cold and hostile, while the songs move with a focused sense of direction. The production serves the material nicely, giving the riffs space to cut, the drums enough force, and the atmosphere enough presence to make the EP sound bigger than a simple young-band release.
The downside is that Verba Serpentis are not yet at the stage where every idea burns with the same level of power. A few passages follow expected melodic black metal paths, and the EP could use one or two more moments that mark the skin deeper. The band has the sound, the vision and the black flame, now the next step is to make every section impossible to ignore. That said, "Torchbearers" already shows a band moving far above beginner level.
For an EP from a band active only since 2024, this is a nasty and convincing strike. "Torchbearers" sounds hungry, focused and devoted to the darker side of melodic black metal. It has atmosphere, aggression, satanic aura and strong riff work, with only some familiar genre moves holding it a little back from a higher mark. Verba Serpentis has put their name on the map with this one, and the next release should be watched closely.
|8.5
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