Serpent Omega - Serpent Omega (2013)

   Somehow it's always interesting if mythological or folklore related topics could be heard from stoner/doom bands, though it's not really far from their pretty common spiritual or esoteric concepts. It's enough to think about Yob for instance. And also it's not quite new, if we think about Conan. Maybe the reason that could make the whole thing kinda surprising each time is how well stoner/doom features could fit for a concept that is more usual to encounter in folk metal. 

   Fortunately Serpent Omega completely lacks any folk metal music influences musically, therefore it has depths and it's possible to take the whole thing more seriously. By the advantageous features of stoner/doom, the band's narrative could hit heavy and hard if it's needed, or if a song desires to have ancient or misty feeling, it could get psychedelic assistance. If it's about mood range, the songs could be uplifting but still heavy, or obscure, and even extremely down pulling, comparable to more extreme subgenres. Powerful female vocal style is assisting to the music, that is mostly shouting, occasionally could reach clear singing, but only for short periods. Most possibly the female vocal is the the main reason why it's not possible to step over the concept like in most other cases, simply cause it's the most suitable narrative for the selected topic. Also the concept in this form could show way more diverse range than in its usual musical environment. There are no folk songs grabbed out from their traditional children or village grandma choir versions, no reindeers dancing around campfires, and basically no dance or danceable parts to find in any form at all. If this is the price to pay to give myths enough wide range, it's definitely worth it. In total Serpent Omega combined a more traditional form of metal (a bit sludgy stoner/doom) with a concept that counts as a  modern tendency to have in metal, but from another perspective outside metal, this concept could be the definition of the term "traditional".  Already on their debut, Serpent Omega definitely found the best way to express their message, but their style was still in some kind of experimenting or uncompleted state. Despite there are plenty of very enjoyable moments on the album, some songs collapsing into monotonous tiredness. It's a stunning debut though, recommended for the fans of stoner/doom.