Struck by Lightning – Serpents

September 1, 2009 • Translation Loss Records

Not too long ago I wrote about seeing Struck by Lightning at a concert and being reasonably impressed by their chaotic hardcore-sludge sound. I decided to pick up their debut album Serpents to see if their studio output was on the same level as their live show; I suppose it is. While it's not the most original sound, they are still pretty talented musicians and the album is definitely enjoyable.

Unfortunately I have to get this out there first off: One thing that stands out more now that I didn't pick up on at the show is how much they sound like the popular prog-sludge bands out there, specifically Mastodon and Baroness. Granted, they're a much heavier version of either, but I can't help be reminded of Mastodon's Remission and Leviathan on many of the songs—the twin guitar harmonies, the incredibly complex and fill-heavy drumming, fast chugging riffs... all the same elements are there. Not to mention things like how a particular riff from Struck by Lightning's "Nothing Sacred" sounds exactly like one from Mastodon's "Aqua Dementia" (although if the title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to that fact, that's pretty awesome), and that isn't the only example.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to dismiss Struck by Lightning as being unoriginal for this, it's just something that sticks out. The songs are still quite good in their own right, and they pull out some fantastic monstrous riffs now and again—"The Watchful Eye", in particular, has a real kickass groove to the chorus. Additionally, the vocals sound a lot more punk and the guitars are lower and crunchier, giving the album a more crust punk sound. (Can't complain there.) Sometimes when it's not punky, it's doomy, like on "Becoming Earth", which is a cool twist and fits in well.

So Serpents manages to stand up on its own as a competent metal album really well, and despite its obvious influences it manages to do its style well without sounding stale thanks to its punk tendencies. It's basically the kind of direction I've been hoping the prog-sludge "scene" would take since the big players have been getting pretty stale as of late. Struck by Lightning has a new album out as of last month, in fact, and I'm hoping it'll be a bit more original (haven't heard it yet) but in the meantime Serpents is a mostly-respectable beginning.

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