Serpent Throne – White Summer, Black Winter

Something tells me that Serpent Throne members own more than just one Black Sabbath record. Not that “White Summer, Black Winter” sounds like an outrageous plagiarism of the mighty Sabbath, Serpent Throne do have some distinguishable traits, however these nine songs definitely have some Iron Man DNA in them as if they were written by the bastard offsprings of Iommi, Buttler, Ward with groupies, conceived at the backstage of California Jam.
There’s no Ozzy, Hughes or Dio though, Serpent Throne are purely instrumental. That means the guitars assume a main role, and man! Guitarists Demian Fenton and Don Argott engage in some remarkable and contagious guitar work. The interplay between the two is enthralling, constantly tossing out wickedly infectious riffs and soaring leads that occasionally exude a NWOBHM feel. It must be said that, unlike most instrumental rock, “White Summer, Black Winter” hardly falls into a jam-like ambient, these songs actually rock.
Had Serpent Throne fallen from the cosmos into the little planet we call Earth somewhere between the late 70’s and early 80’s it is safe to bet that they’d be stars on VH1 Classic Rock Nights show. Classic stuff, in both meanings of the word! (8/10)

David Alexandre

Band info: www.myspace.com/serpentthrone
Label info: www.translationloss.com
For fans of: Black Sabbath, Wino, Nebula, Asteroid