Search - Agathodaimon :: Serpent's Embrace

Awesome album..................lucky random pick

Switchblade Metalman | California, USA | 01/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Frank Nordmann - Vocals, Guitars

Sathonys - Clean vocals, guitars

Eddie Smith - Bass, Clean Vocals

Felix Walzer - Keyboards

Matthias Rodig - Drums



Agathodaimon is one of my new found most favorite Symphonic Black metal bands of 2005. I picked them up after listening to a couple of music samples, and thank God I did. The music is beautiful, and the orchestral layering in the background makes it all the more atmospheric. "Cellos for the Insatiable" is one of the best intro songs to an album that I've ever heard in my metal career, it's amazing. The clean vocals by Sathonys on "Light Reborn" and "Serpent's Embrace" were mesmerizing, and I was headbanging like I was at their concert in no time. The song "Solitude" also guest features a female vocalist, thus making the song the ballad part of the cd.



The guitarists and drummers aren't epic instrumentalists such as Yngwie Malmsteen or Nicholas Barker(ex Dimmu Borgir drummer), but their presence is made known with their melodious contributions to the songs.



One thing I did not like is the previewing of the "Serpent's Embrace" video and the behind the scenes......that one thing threw off the whole headbanging momentum that I had. The video screen it gives you is about 4x4 inches, and the production is horrible. I'm not going to dock a star for that, since the music provided cancelled out any other horrible things that could have happened on this cd.



For friends of Black/Symphonic Black Metal this is a must have. Pure melodic music throughout the cd, just like I ordered........ Favorite songs "Serpent's Embrace", "Light Reborn", and "Limbs of a Stare".



John"

Their best since Blacken the Angel

Ben Stubbs | Australia | 05/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Agathodaimon's debut album was well received back in the late 90s and showcased the band's ability to write gothic symphonic black metal. Unfortunately, they failed to live up to this original promise, with their next two albums being mediocre releases. The main problem they have faced over the years is the complete lack of distinction and originality in their work, especially in the saturated genre that they are positioned.



This being said, I didn't really have high expectations for "Serpent's Embrace". But the band has obviously made a conscious decision to do something a little bit different while remaining completely true to their roots. This latest release is a hybrid beast containing many different genres of metal all mixed in to create some truly great material. Here can be found some melodic death metal along with the black metal their albums have always contained. Throw into the mix a superb ballad with female vocals, an almost dark-wave sensibility to a couple of tracks and more than anything else, thrash metal! Chuck all these ingredients into a pot, mix in three differing vocal attacks, and "Serpent's Embrace" is formed.



Just as on "Chapter III", "Serpent's Embrace" plays its best card first, with "Cellos for the Insatiable" being a fantastic opener that reminds me of "And Oceans" at their best. The use of keyboards in this song and throughout the album is quite good, never overpowering the rest of the music and simply adding substance and depth. "Light Reborn" is another corker, its thrashy riffs hitting the listener right from the outset, and a chorus section that won't be leaving your head for the rest of the day. The ballad "Solitude" (track 5) came as a complete surprise to me and to be honest, doesn't really belong on this album. It happens to be a really successful attempt at an "Antimatter" style piece of work though, so I'm not going to complain too much (although I'm sure others will).



So with all this praise, why can't I give this album a high rating and why has it been relegated as a disappointment by the critics of metal? I think the answer is the second half of the album. The quality drops a bit for the last 4 songs, not giving the listener very much to hang on to. My attention tends to drift as Agathodaimon go through the motions, winding up the album with a lack of inspiration. This is a shame since the first half showed some real promise. Nonetheless, it's the first time since "Blacken the Angel" that I've looked forward to Agathodaimon's next album."