There must be something about the thin air, and gloom of Seattle, WA that has given birth to some fantastic modern melodic NWOHM bands. Serpent Rider is one of those bands and hearing them for the first time rekindled my love of NWOTHM (New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal) bands.  For a while there, I found myself somewhat bored with the bands that seemed to either deliver each album with disappointment or bands that would take years off, return with a subpar album, and then disappear again.  It’s hard to keep my attention that way but Serpent Rider grabbed my attention immediately.  

Serpent Rider’s debut album The Ichor of Chimaera (No Remorse Records) is a hearty serving of classic heavy metal delivered to us through the band as if they were a medium bridging the gap between yesterday and today. Kicking off with “Steel Is the Answer” and its Venom-like rhythm guitar intro was one hell of a first impression.  Sometimes it’s hard to be captivated by just one listen of an opening track but they nailed it.  

Then comes “Radiant,” and suddenly, you’re hearing one of the best damn metal songs from a new act in years. R. Villar doesn’t just sing—she commands. Her voice is that of a siren, luring you in with melody and then dragging you to the abyss before you even realize you’re drowning. It’s powerful. It’s real.

Clocking in at just over seven minutes, “The Ichor of Chimaera” is an epic.  Not every long song can be epic, but Serpent Rider proves that not only do they know what an epic song should sound like, but they also know how it should feel: Exciting, captivating, and awe-inspiring.  

A Nordic-tinged, a Capella intro from Villar sets the stage for a journey in the truest sense with “Matri Deorum.”  Layered, unpredictable, and shifting like the unpredictable weather of their hometown. I had to listen three times in a row just to make sure I absorbed every damn second of it.

“Tyrant’s March” barges in sounding like it could be the bastard child song of Motörhead and Venom this track hits on every level I hoped it would and then some. It made me wanna flip a table, rip off my shirt, and start a one-man mosh pit in my own office. Trust me, it’s not something you want to see but you’d have to if you were in the room with me while listening to this song. But it’s Serpent Rider’s now, and they own it.

The Ichor of Chimaera isn’t just a great NWOTHM album; it’s one of the best I’ve heard in years. The songwriting is razor-sharp, the performances are raw but tight, and the production is perfect in its sparseness yet attention to detail which captures the true spirit of the music that has inspired them as a band. I sincerely believe that Serpent Rider is more than deserving of serving in the upper ranks of NWOTHM royalty.  The power of the songwriting, the rawness of the performances, and the no-frills production creates a familiar but exciting experience.  Serpent Rider is a band that will keep the classic sound and energy of heavy metal alive and well for as long as they can keep it up.  Let’s hope that it will be a good while because Serpent Rider is just getting started.     

Buy the album:
https://serpentrider.bandcamp.com/album/the-ichor-of-chimaera

8 / 10
DON DE LEAUMONT
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