CoC : Serpent's Kiss - Distant Shores : Review

Serpent's Kiss - _Distant Shores_
(Independent, 2002)
by: Adrian Bromley (6.5 out of 10)

Even though the mark doesn't really say it, I actually found the music of Serpent's Kiss quite enjoyable. Serpent's Kiss plays a real cool old-school heavy metal attack a la Iron Maiden / Jag Panzer that is full of metallic passion, from the soaring guitar riffs to the magical / fantasy lyrical content. Where the album falters is in the vocal delivery: the vocals sound a bit strained at times, thus bringing the heavy metal attack down a few notches. I don't think singer Rod has a bad voice per se, I just think some more studio work could be beneficial to him, as the harmonies around him obviously work -- now only if the vocals could be stronger... This album really moves along with a solid stride and I especially like songs such as "Strider", "Face the Slayer" and "Victory". Lots of passion here, but the band needs just a bit more power and they'll be slaying us all.

Contact: william.philpot@ntlworld.com

(article published 3/7/2002)