Tampa Florida’s Black Death Serpents of Perdition Temple return with their third full length album Sacraments of Descension. Having been a fan of Gene Palubicki’s work in past Projects like Angel Corpse and Blasphemic Cruelty I was excited to review this. Palubicki’s riffing is on point throughout this whole album and there is not an uncatchy song on the album.
Opening up with “Nemesis Obsecration” it would be impossible to not hear the roots of Angel Corpse in most of the songs on the album. If anything, Perdition Temple might be a little bit thrashier and groovier. Drummer Ronnie Parmer really does a world class job keeping up with Palubicki’s blazing picking hand. “Desolation Usurper” was the promo track used to promote the album and the frenzied trills into lower end trem picking warfare makes for an all-out auditorial assault. Solo wise this album is loaded with them and they do an excellent job breaking up all the speed throughout the album. The outro riff on this one is fantastic and they do an excellent job bringing things back to themes earlier in the song to tie it all in.
Tracks like “Eternal Mountain” show a bit of the melodic side of Perdition Temple. Which is still within the sound of Perdition Temple but maybe just a little bit different from past albums. It should also be noted that Gene Palubicki handles the vocals with bassist Alex Blume from Ares Kingdom on backing Vox. Another thing to note is this has the sound of a classic Morrisound album. “Devil’s Countess” is my favorite track on Sacraments of Descension, for some reason I hear a slight Cannibal Corpse tinge to it. Probably more so just similar riffing techniques that remind me of them. Especially towards end of the tune. I hear a little bit of Gallery of Suicide. Similar chord selection, maybe? The overall flow of the album is perfect for this style. Tracks are around three to five minutes and the overall run time is right around thirty-five minutes
Tracks like “Carnal Harvest” remind me a bit of older Ripping Corpse with the use of specific guitar techniques and also cool flange effects in the beginning of the song. “Red Reaping” is another one of my favorite songs on the album. I can’t say how refreshing the melodic tinges are throughout all of the blast filled speed and chaos. I cannot say anything negative about this release. Every track is incredibly well thought out and executed. If you did not get a chance to catch these guys on their last tour with Cannibal Corpse you missed out and should really consider purchasing their whole catalog because these guys are metal as all hell. Highly recommended.
