This is the debut album from one-man Canadian death metal band Dungeon Serpent.
Well, you don’t tend to hear this sort of thing that much any more, not played in its original, old-school style at any rate. World of Sorrows is melodic death metal, but remove from your mind any thoughts of overly polished stadium-friendly fare. No, this harks back to the early days of bands like Hypocrisy, Amon Amarth, Kataklysm, and Vehemence. It’s great to listen to, and the artist behind Dungeon Serpent clearly knows the style well.
The music is full of ripping riffs, emotive melodies, characterful songwriting, and macabre atmosphere. These tracks are simply fun, in a savage, gleefully old-school way. The leads and solos work well with the rhythm guitars, forging a collaborative path into emotive brutality. The songs tie all of their various elements together well, culminating in the 11-minute title track that closes the album, which is an instrumental piece.
World of Sorrows is a very enjoyable slab of old-school melodic death metal. It benefits from both style and substance, and delivers 35 minutes of satisfying melodic brutality the likes of which we don’t hear regularly in 2021.
A recommended listen for anyone into the 90s melodic style.
Wonderbox Metal 