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Entombed: Serpent saints (the ten amendments)

18/06/07 || Lord K Philipson

So, this is the album that was supposed to be released 06/06/06, but instead we got the “When in Pittsburgh” EP thing? One cannot help but wonder what the fucken problems were with getting this album out in the first place. Well, well… “Serpent saints” is here now anyways. So, is it a return to form? Are we finally graced with another masterpiece such as “Clandestine” or “Wolverine blues”? I have no idea why we would be, but that’s something I always think (and hope for) when it comes to The Tomb releasing a new album. Anyways, let get this shit on the road so I can go back to playing some PC games and jack off to pictures of Jennifer Connelly.

The first few times I listened through this piece my reactions were mixed:

1. Damn, LG sounds really good.
2. Damn, that was a cool riff.
3. Damn, that was really lame.
4. Damn, that was even more lame.
5. Damn, there’s another cool riff.
6. Damn, a pretty good song there.
7. Damn, that downright sucked.
8. Damn, another pretty cool riff.
9. Damn, I dig Olle’s drumming (or is it Peter’s?).
10. Damn, is this what we have been waiting for?

After some 10 spins, or more, my reactions are as follows:

1. Fuck, LG sounds really good.
2. Fuck, that was a cool riff.
3. Fuck, that was really lame.
4. Fuck, that was even more lame.
5. Fuck, there’s another cool riff.
6. Fuck, a pretty good song there.
7. Fuck, that downright sucked.
8. Fuck, another pretty cool riff.
9. Fuck, I dig Olle’s drumming (or is it Peter’s?).
10. Fuck, is this what we have been waiting for?

As you can see, sometimes a first reaction turns out to be correct in the end. It’s obvious that original member Uffe’s departure didn’t have any bigger impact on Entombed’s sound. Actually, I think they are better off without him. And having Olle Dahlstedt replacing Peter Stjärnvind (though he obviously still plays on some of the tracks here) hasn’t affected anything either on a musical level. I was always puzzled that Peter played with Entombed for so long considering he’s all about Bathory and shit. That guy eats, shits and breathes metal. Preferably the suckiest kind of metal, but still metal. He’s prolly very happy with being in Nifelheim, that is definitely where he belongs.

So with that we dive into “Serpent saints – the ten amendments”.

The title track starts off this piece with a small acoustic/piano introduction. Not completely convincing but things get better with the minutes passing by. If this had a production similar to “Left Hand Path”, this tune would be a bit reminiscent of days of old actually. I dig this track and the ending is probably one of the better things Entombed’s fired up the last 10 years or so. Whoever’s doing those black metallish backing vocals deserves a handshake. Those sound cool. Great opener.

Paying tribute to the tour Entombed did (with Grave, Unleashed and Dismember if my mind serves me right) last year, “Masters of death” is up next. A pretty fast track that goes by unnoticed. I can’t help but think of the hideous “Victims of war” chorus by Unleashed as the chorus phrasings are the same in both tunes. Again we get some cool backing vocals in the black metal vein. The heavy-assed break in the middle of this tune saves it from being 5 minutes of utter boredom. It’s also nice to hear some semi-blasts in Entombed again.

“Amok” is midpaced and has some charm despite cheesy lyrics here and there. It’s definitely sounding Entombed and I find myself nodding approvingly pretty much thruout this track. It must be that catchy chorus thing…

“Thy kingdom coma” moves on in a typical Stockholm 1990 death metal tempo. Not slow, not fast. Something in the middle. This tune does exactly nothing for me.

Next in line is “When in Sodom”. I really dug this one on the EP and it sounds even better now. “Let me guide your little stick”. We all know that penis references do well at GD. One of the strongest tracks without a doubt.

I’m not sure if I hate or dig the chorus in “In the blood”. Let’s just say that it sticks in yer head anyways. It’s a heavy, slow track with some nice melodies thrown in. No surprises in this one, it moves on slowly and steadily. A decent tune.

“Ministry” follows. Some rock’n‘roll vibes in this one and yet another tune that doesn’t help me restore the long gone faith in Entombed.

“The dead, the dying, and the dying to be dead” is a fucken excellent title. It starts of so well with some blasts and catchy riffing, but then the tune turns fucken horrible as soon as the chorus enters the picture. Bummer, the tune is quite good otherwise.

“Warfare, plague, famine, death”. “All together now: 666!!!” Hahaha, that is just… beautiful. Only Entombed can get away with something as cheesy as that. I dig this tune and halfway thru it really picks up with a nice fast part that definitely gets yer fist going.

Closer, and outro, “The ten amendments”, on the other hand, is 3 minutes of complete elk-semen.

The smackdown:

Something that I always enjoyed with Entombed are their lyrics. No different this time. Enough of satanic references (with a smile) and clever wordplays for me to dig quite a bit. “Serpent saints” as a whole is just another Entombed album. It’s nothing close to their classics, but I think we knew that even before this album was recorded. Best tune? Actually, there’s 2; the title track and “When in Philadelphia”. Threeman Records employee (I think she’s still working there though the label seems dead), Tash, said on our forums:

“I can assure you that Entombed don’t give a moment’s thought to what they used to be, let alone trying to be it. They actually just are what they are.”

Maybe that’s the whole problem?

6,5/10.

Note: The actual tracklisting might not be a 100%, in some reviews and at some sites there are different tunes ending the album and the order of the tracks is switched around a bit. Anyways, this is how we got them and reviewed them accordingly.

Information
Released: 2007
Label: Threeman Recordings
Website: www.entombed.org
Band
L.G. Petrov: vocals
Alex Hellid: guitars
Nico Elgstrand: bass
Olle Dahlstedt/Peter Stjärnvind: drums

Tracklist
01. Serpent saints
02. Masters of death
03. Amok
04. Thy kingdom coma
05. When in Sodom
06. In the blood
07. Ministry
08. The dead, the dying, and the dying to be dead
09. Warfare, plague, famine, death
10. The ten amendments

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