FORGED IN BLACK
“DESCENT OF THE SERPENT”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9/10

Forged In Black are a heavy metal band from the UK formed in 2013, originally forming in 2007 under the name Merciless Fail, releasing the six song ‘Forged In Black’ E.P. in 2010. The band changed their name to Forged in Black, and released their first full length offering ‘Forged In Black’ in 2013. In 2017, the band released the four song E.P. ‘Sinner Sanctorum’, and in 2019 released their sophomore album ‘Descent Of The Serpent’.

British heavy metal never sounded so good, just how many times have you heard that statement before? Well, in this instance it is one hundred percent true… ‘Descent Of The Serpent’ is attractive, heavy and a pleasure to listen to. Mixing fast paced rockers with mid tempo anthems, the new album launches forth in an avalanche of raging riffs with the “foot on the monitor” style ‘Seek No Evil’. Clocking in at just under three minutes, ‘Seek No Evil’ is one of those great things that come in small packages… The album boasts nine songs, with four of them stretching past the six minute mark. ‘One In The Chamber’ is a tension filled, menacing foot stomp, dark and chilling, with an awesome NWOBHM buzzing guitar sound. ‘One In The Chamber’ pounds very hard, similar to a jack hammer smashing through concrete.

Doom style riffing heralds the ‘Shadowcasters’, picking up the tempo and thundering on displaying all the traits of both the epic and glorious genres of heavy metal. The atmosphere that has been created by Forged In Black across the opening triple shot is electrifying, and terrifying in equal measures, overlaid with haunting tension. The title song ‘Descent Of The Serpent’ is bold, brash and aggressive with a guitar riff so savage it will rip you to shreds. As heavy as you get without stepping over to the thrash metal genre, ‘Descent Of The Serpent’ is a gorgeous experience of very heavy, traditional and classic heavy metal. What a song and what an opportunity for some vigorous head banging. ‘One Last Sign’ is a majestic and anthemic mid tempo foot stomp, reminiscent of the sound bands such as Angel Witch, Raven and Saxon developed during the early eighties NWOBHM evolution.

Dropping hints of seventies era Black Sabbath, Forged In Black launch ‘Palm Of Silver’ in jaw dropping doom laden style, quickly showing a turn of pace as it scampers on at a blistering pace. Staggering and quite frankly astounding, ‘Palm Of Silver’ is the best song on the album, flying the NWOBHM flag with pride. The guitar work on this album is outstanding, ranging from savage to sublime, and in the mighty shape of ‘Aphelion Tormentor’, guitars cut and thrust a beautiful path for the songs entire five minute length. Anthemic takes on a new meaning with ‘Vendetta’. Full of British swagger and stiff upper lip, ‘Vendetta’ is chunky, crunchy and very heavy, with the anthemic chant style chorus snarl “vendetta” a must for a crowd sing a long. Bringing the album to a close is the Iron Maiden style six minutes plus epic ‘When Hell Is Done’, delivering a short atmospheric build up and then launching into a tirade of savage riffery. Head bangingly infectious, ‘When Hell Is Done’ is a sparkling depiction of the classic and traditional style of British heavy metal.

Overall, Forged In Black have forged a superb album of heavy hitting heavy metal, stacked with both eighties and seventies NWOBHM nuances.

TRACKLIST

Seek No Evil
One In The Chamber
Shadowcasters
Descent Of The Serpent
One Last Sign
Palm Of Silver
Aphelion Tormentor
Vendetta
When Hell Is Done

http://forgedinblack.com/
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