Serement is ready to make Death Metal roar.
Formed in 2022 by four of the members of Blessed by Perversion, the Greek band released their first EP that same year. In 2024, and with the support of labels Dolorem Records and Iron, Blood and Death Corporation, Andreas Moschopoulos (vocals), Manolis Kouelo (guitar), Vaggelis Nanos (bass) and Vaggelis Vasilopoulos (drums, Chaos Heresy, Sickening Horror) unveil Abhorrent Invocations, their debut album.
With opening track Stench of Torment, the band immediately demonstrate their straightforward approach, with impressive riffs and raw vocal parts that sound quite different from the Swedish or American scene, for example. The rhythm hits until it adopts more ethereal harmonics that make it slow down, then Sworn gives us a similar treatment, albeit with a few ferocious accelerations that create a contrast with the cold base. Frozen Dawn of Death follows with an initially heady mix, but the drums add a more energetic touch that also benefits the cutting guitars, before Malevolent Mist Over the Mount of the Deceased strikes back with undisguised rage and a few more abrasive or melancholic leads. The track is relatively short, and gives way to Forging the Darkness, which in turn develops a rather heavy atmosphere, thanks in particular to the tortured backing vocals and its ponderous final, but Honor of the Leech will soon return to livelier patterns and frantic blasting, as well as introducing a few more complex parts before gradually fading out. The final melody soothes our minds for a moment before letting No Reflection for His Shadow relentlessly trample us, whether with jerky patterns or a wall of solid riffs at full speed, but the band will slow down again with Subliminal Enslavement and its soaring melodies that fit relatively well with the ambient violence, as well as a relatively energetic bass. The album closes with Katávasi Psychón, a much more mysterious and dissonant instrumental track whose eerie ambience takes us on a journey right up to the final moments.
Serement‘s recipe is based on undertaken violence, which the band naturally combines with slower, even melodic passages. Abhorrent Invocations will satisfy fans of rage from all horizons!
80/100