Release Date May 29th, 2026
Format CD
Genre US Power Metal
Origin USA
Serpent is a Los Angeles heavy metal band built around the classic American power metal tradition. Achilles handles vocals, Amadeus Mozart and Ray De Leon form the guitar partnership, Pat Quintero plays bass, and Headbanging Man sits behind the drums. Their music draws from the steel plated side of the eighties, where high vocals, twin guitars, firm rhythm work, and epic subjects mattered more than studio decoration. “As The City Burns” is their official debut album, arriving through Stormspell Records after close to twenty years of development. Such a long gestation could have produced an unfocused collection from several periods. Serpent presents eight songs with a unified character, rooted in traditional heavy metal with power metal scale and selected thrash accents. This is old school metal written with discipline, speed, and an evident respect for the American tradition.
“As The City Burns” deals in Greek mythology, ruined cities, vengeful gods, doomed figures, war, and approaching disaster. The lyrics use large images without turning the album into a costume parade. Andromeda, the Aegean Sea, fallen Athens, and weeping deities provide the setting, giving the songs a distinct Mediterranean character within an American metal sound. The production retains a dry, physical attack, placing the guitars and rhythm section at the front while leaving Achilles enough space for his upper register. His performance has the required drama, especially when the melodies rise above the heavier riffs, and he rarely slips into empty screaming. The guitar work supplies galloping rhythms, fast harmonies, and leads shaped around melody rather than speed alone, while the bass and drums maintain an urgent pace across the album.
Serpent is at their most effective when the epic scale meets compact songwriting, since the songs develop through riff changes and vocal hooks without becoming bloated. A few melodic turns follow recognizable US power metal patterns, though the ferocity and mythological focus prevent the album from becoming anonymous. Nearly two decades of preparation can be heard in the careful construction, and the result is a debut with substance, fire, and character to survive beyond its initial impact.
|8.5
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