Review by Greg on November 27, 2023.

In line with my recent trend of space-inspired thrash bands, Russian act Excruciation by Silence appeared on my radar with their 2021 debut Metal Madness. We're in for a change, though, as there are no twisted, intricate suites to be found here, nor any altars dedicated to a pick used by Erik Nelson were erected in the process. What we have here, indeed, is for the most part speedy, total '80s-worshipping thrash with lyrics so anachronistic and absurd that they don't even pretend to be taken seriously (the review title is just one gem among many). That's why I was so surprised to see that the band is actually the brainchild of Sergey Stepanenko, aka the same guy behind the uber-serious, Death-meets-Atheist prog death project Critical Extravasation. Well, everyone has to take a break from time to time, I guess.

Now, 'metal madness' stopped being a novelty concept on the scene at least four decades ago, but these guys are really committed to it nonetheless, as should be evident from the tracklist. The album's first tracks are passionate enough to mirror this approach as well, with 'Death to False Metal' and 'Metal Madness in the Distant Space' hitting you with razor sharp guitars, shredding solos, and unstoppable drumming from the first second. The latter is also notable for its intense, epic chorus, and it's hard not to admire the seriousness with which it screams: 'Metal madness among the stars/cry in the void: black metal sucks!'. 'Metal Sect' isn't too far removed either, and when the band starts experimenting on 'Metal Army', they casually end up dropping a killer heavy metal anthem out of nowhere. I swear you could tell me that a demo version of this song was unearthed from a box full of old tapes in K.K. Downing's basement, and I'd genuinely believe it. The guitars try their best to steal the scene with numerous solos and the excellent recurrent line, even if part of the praise should of course go to Alexey Beus' spot-on Halford impersonation, complete with smooth falsettos, helping out on vocals.

The vocals... oh, yeah, the vocals. Well, Stepanenko sure isn't the Eastern counterpart of Bobby Blitz, but his harsh middle range is adequate, and his occasional wails more or less suit the band's light-hearted mission, and I'd say they don't ruin Metal Madness too much (except when he goes overboard with them, like on the insufferable 'Metal Mania'). What does really ruin it, though, is the last regular track. 'When the Night Comes' is the only song without 'metal' in its title, it concerns a totally different subject, and slows down to host a female guest singer. There's nothing inherently wrong about all of this, right? Well, I don't know if it's really Stepanenko behind the mic here, or an unlisted appearance of the guy from Life of Boris, but the vocals are... farcical. They really sound as if your stereotypical drunk Russian middle-aged man in an Adidas tracksuit broke into the recording studio and stopped by to lay down some tracks. I swear there has to be a reason for having left an accent so ridiculously thick, but I fail to imagine it. Anyways, given the song title, I really wish I had been listening to Charlie Kelly's 'Nightman' on a loop for five minutes and a half instead.

At the end of the day, Metal Madness really left me puzzled more than anything. But beneath the surface of inexplicable choices, not to mention one total throwaway song, there's still an evidently above average technique into play, and its first half ranges from enjoyable to very good. I wouldn't mind hearing a new work from Excruciation by Silence with a bit more restraint... but I'm afraid that word might be banned in their rehearsal room.

Rating: 6.9 out of 10

Review by Fernando on March 12, 2023.

Ireland, a country that has had many very important and influential bands in metal most would rightfully think of Thin Lizzy, and in extreme metal there’s Primordial, the now defacto Celtic black metal band. And on that note, today we have a project wherein A. A. Nemtheanga from Primordial, lent his vocals and bass skills. Verminous Serpent is the name, and alongside fellow Irishmen Joseph Deegan of the occult abomination Slidhr and Matt Bree from cavernous wretches Malthusian, they deliver The Malign Covenant,their debut album, through Amor Fati Productions.

With such a pedigree of Irish extreme metal bands that are as far apart as they come, how does Verminous Serpent sound? Well, this is unequivocally black metal, very raw, very violent, pitch black and overwhelming, but also hypnotic. The biggest risk this project faced was if the music leaned towards any of its members better known bands, but fortunately they don’t, for the most part. Those familiar with Slidhr will definitely hear some similarities, particularly in how Verminous Serpent falls into dissonant and obscure soundscapes, but the key difference is atmosphere, and the band excel at creating a nightmarishly ritualistic atmosphere that perfectly evokes images like on the cover art, death, desolation and utter despair. Aside from how Deegan and Bree play to their strengths in creating something new, this is somewhat new territory for A. A. Nemtheanga, mainly that instead of switching between shrieks and glorious warcries, he snarls and howls like a pest-ridden wolf, his vocals are searingly wretched in a way that perfectly compliments and rounds the very brutal and ominous music, if one goes in blind, not an iota of Nemtheanga’s usual vocal delivery is present here, and the music of Verminous Serpent is all the better for it.

Furthermore, a very noticeable aspect about the music that makes it a cut above the rest of most black metal is how proficient each member are in their respective instruments. That’s obviously a given for Nemtheanga and Deegan since the former is already a seasoned veteran, and the former’s skill on the guitar speaks for itself in Slidhr and certainly here as well. His riffs and excellent knack to create the most dissonant leads is present throughout, especially in the slower tracks where he truly shows how dense and powerful the riffs are. Nemtheanga on the other hand obliterates the bass, and equals Deegan’s intensity with pulsing bass lines that feel and sound gigantic, like roaring of thunder, and of course Matt Bree rounds everything up with his monolithic drumming, and much like the bass and guitars, it's in the slow parts of the songs where you feel how intense and overwhelming the music is, and can stay still and in awe about how black metal this dense and thick is the work of three people. And speaking of that, despite being 5 tracks and just over 40 minutes, the album is a crawling descent into darkness and it never feels monotonous or boring. That’s how you know Verminous Serpent are onto something, as their style of grueling and droning black metal could’ve easily veer into monotony and lethargic boredom had it been in lesser hands, but this cacophony of desolation isn’t in lesser hands, whatsoever, and the centerpiece of the album, where the band truly display their strengths and the absolute best track, is the closer ‘Deaths Head Mantra’, clocking at 13 minutes, this is where the band truly and absolutely prove themselves and show that this style of cacophonous black metal can be more than just distorted reverb and echoing vocals.

To close off I want to mention the production, which is definitely in the same realm of Malthusian and Slidhr, being polished enough to highlight the instruments, but gritty enough for the music to sound and feel intense, which is an achievement in it of itself, since many bands that opt for the super dark, extremely dissonant black metal end up either sounding like Antaeus clones, or do such a poor job mixing their music that it just sounds like a trebly sludge, but Verminous Serpent did neither, they nailed it. And finally, while this is a truly remarkable record, the one disclaimer I’ll give is that the band are playing a very, very specific niche for themselves, and less patient people who only want riffs might feel like the band are taking forever, which isn’t true, of course, but to anyone wanting to check Verminous Serpent, know you this, The Malign Covenant isn’t a record you play to mosh, it’s a record you let wash over you and drown you in endless darkness, so patience is a must.

Best tracks: 'Seraphim Falls', 'The Malign Covenant', 'Deaths Head Mantra'

Rating: 8.5 out of 10