Review by Dominik on November 9, 2026.

I have often said that hindsight is a wonderful thing. Looking back at a band's history, you can usually identify the moment when they changed direction, reached their peak or simply went down the drain. Sometimes, however, you come across an album that during the first listen makes you realize that this is the very moment a band has finally understood its true calling. "Lux Ex Inferis" ("Light from Hell") is one of those albums. I could now be somewhat overconfident and claim that Servant read my review of their predecessor attentively, realized they couldn't afford to invoke my wrath any further and decided to follow my free advice given. Or perhaps they simply figured out who they wanted to be. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt.

My main criticism of the band's previous works revolved around the feeling that everything was overly constructed and planned down to the last detail. Nothing wrong with that in principle, unless it starts to take away too much of what makes black metal so enthralling in the first place: the raw emotion and the ability to establish a genuine connection with the listener. Now comes "Lux Ex Inferis", and Servant have managed to reinvent themselves. Nothing has been turned completely upside down, but the guys seem to have understood what makes a melodic black metal album truly work. Yes, they have cranked up the melodic component, aren't afraid to make sporadic use of keyboards and occasionally come dangerously close to the cheesy side of black metal. However, everything feels much more spontaneous, while remaining well-constructed, and as if the band genuinely had a blast putting it all together. At times, the result resembles a harsher version of Keep Of Kalessin, but Servant never quite ventures onto the saccharine cliff that the Norwegians occasionally seem so eager to jump from.

Farago, handling both guitar and vocals, delivers a more than solid performance. Those familiar with the German outfit Imha Tarikat might recognize a certain resemblance in his vocal pitch, but we are still miles away from anything resembling a copycat. There is also at times a whiff of hardcore in his delivery, which alternates nicely with some excellent black metal shrieking. Generally speaking, I feel that every member of the band has stepped up their game. The melodic riffs are genuinely captivating, while the drumming feels considerably less robotic and much more organic, even when operating at breakneck speed. Apparently, human beings are still capable of playing fast without sounding like malfunctioning machinery.

Let's dive into some specifics, starting with the intro "In Noctem", which is rather misleading. Not much spectacular happens initially: timid guitars establish a bit of atmosphere before, roughly one minute in, the keyboards suddenly appear with an uplifting melody that wouldn't feel out of place in an animal documentary. At that point, I was convinced that Servant had taken a different approach. I just wasn't entirely sure yet whether it was one for the pedestal or the bin. The moment "Tabula Rasa" ("Blank Slate") kicks in, however, it becomes pretty clear that we are dealing with the former. A melodic guitar line that immediately gets stuck in your head sets the scene before the song takes off in spectacular fashion. The drumming is lightning-fast, the guitars weave a dense web of riffs and, towering above it all, we have the vocalist delivering an angry and occasionally downright pissed-off performance. A brief mid-song breather leads into an excellent mid-tempo passage that perfectly illustrates the band's new approach. Even when the musical foundation flirts with fragile melodies, the vocals provide the necessary counterweight with their considerably more aggressive delivery. The track eventually regains most of its initial energy before... fading out. What? Fading out? That's something you normally do when you've run out of ideas, or the studio suddenly catches fire. And here we have plenty of ideas, so I have no idea which Poltergeist threatened the band into leaving the room so quietly.

By the time track number three, "Glorification", set in, I was convinced that Servant's blueprint, at least for this album, has been carved in stone. Blisteringly fast passages alternate with short acoustic breaks or more restrained sections, and the quality never wavers. I honestly couldn't find a single song that doesn't work, while several stand noticeably above an already very good average. The previously mentioned "Tabula Rasa" is one of them, with "De Profundis" ("Out Of The Depths") being another. Here we get guest vocals courtesy of Lethian from Nornir (check out their album "Skuld", which is an absolute scorcher!). Her relentless rasps complement the song perfectly, which also happens to contain the fastest and most aggressive passages on the album. The combination of two distinctly different vocal pitches adds another layer to the atmosphere. The guitars once again deliver a spotless performance, and you can almost feel the addiction setting in. Just one more spin, I promise. Famous last words.

"Lux Fulger" ("Light Shines") is another essential listen. By now, the formula is well established, and the band once again validates its ability to play masterfully with different tempi. The riffs take on a darker character during the chorus, which provides a nice contrast to the light supposedly shining, as suggested by the song title. That Servant can also deliver a great song with a more deliberate approach is demonstrated by "The Accuser". It reminds me somewhat of the Greek outfit Lucifer's Child and features a truly majestic, almost epic riff, supported by hard-hitting double bass drumming. It feels as though the band wasn't entirely sure whether this approach would work for the entire duration of the song, so the final minute turns into a glorious maelstrom of melodic blasting. A wise decision, if you ask me. There is no need to take unnecessary risks when you can simply unleash hell.

The production on "Lux Ex Inferis" is perfectly suited to this kind of music. It hasn't been polished into oblivion, nor is it as warm and cozy as a Finnish sauna, but don't expect anything resembling the primordial black metal soup either. Everything is clearly distinguishable without sacrificing the necessary aggression and bite. If this is what light from hell sounds like, perhaps we shouldn't be too afraid of relocating there in the afterlife. At least the soundtrack seems to be considerably better than what heaven has to offer.

Rating: 9 out of 10, because sometimes the road to enlightenment leads straight through hell, and Servant have finally found the right soundtrack for the journey.