Serpent Ascending, Ôros Kaù, Swords of Dis, and Midnight Odyssey – From the Waters of Death – Split (Review)

Serpent Ascending, Ôros Kaù, Swords of Dis, and Midnight Odyssey have joined together to produce an epic split album.

Now here’s an interesting and unusual release. This massive split is a collaborative concept album aimed at providing a contemporary retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh. From the Waters of Death brings together an array of atypical talent from the exceptional I, Voidhanger roster, and is something you should definitely be paying attention to if you’re a fan of esoteric extreme metal.

From the Waters of Death is masterminded by Swords of Dis singer Alice Corvinus, who also appears on all of the songs on this release. Containing five tracks, totalling 85 minutes of music, this is a record that’s quite special, and stands leagues apart from your average split release. In fact, the thing this reminds me of most in scope and ambition is the fantastic and equally huge 2020 split between Spectral Lore and Mare Cognitum – Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine, (also from I, Voidhanger).

We start with Serpent Ascending’s 15-minute Aruru Births the Lord of the Wilderness. I’m not familiar with Serpent Ascending, but is a Finnish death metal-based project brought to us by an ex-member of Desecresy. Both members of Swords of Dis appear on this song, alongside the solo member of Serpent Ascending.

The striking vocals of the Swords of Dis singer are immediately apparent. The music carries dissonance and technicality, but laced with dark atmosphere. With grim growls that are focused and intense, the song unfolds with deathly malevolence. Occasional clean singing appears, working well with the rest, as the music twists and turns with spectral melody and punishing drums. I especially like the section that starts around the 10-minute mark, where the music takes on almost an Arcturus-esque aspect, while still retaining its own personality.

Thus we have the first chapter of From the Waters of Death told. My first encounter with Serpent Ascending is a positive one.

Next is Ôros Kaù’s 8-minute contribution Into the Wailing Darkness They Fell, Where the Mouth of Fire Awaits. This is another solo act I’m unfamiliar with, this time from Belgium and focused on black metal. Once again, both Swords of Dis members appear on this track too.

The song reveals itself to be both violent and terrifying. It bleeds horrific atmosphere through eerie melodic touches, as a raging torrent of hostility flows beneath. Alice Corvinus’ voice is a welcome presence once more, a strong and pure counterpoint to the singer of Ôros Kaù’s corrosive, corrupted screams. There’s a level of blackened darkness here that few bands ever achieve, one that’s only enhanced by its display of atmospheric mastery.

I like this a great deal, I have to say. I’m very impressed. It’s inspired me to check out this artist’s previous work, that’s for sure.

There are two colossal Swords of Dis songs after this – 22 and 19 minutes respectively. These songs both feature vocals from the artists behind Ôros Kaù and Midnight Odyssey. I confess I only discovered the UK’s Swords of Dis last year, and have absolutely fallen in love with their multifaceted blackened doom. 2023’s Melancolia is a masterpiece, and if I had discovered it at the time it would have absolutely placed very highly on my year end list. As such, I was very excited to hear their songs on this split.

Up first is From Egalmah They Rode Toward the Howling Cedars Where the Blood of Beasts Is Spilled and the Silence of a Scorned God Cracks the Earth. Behind this lengthy title sits a song that offers up an entire world for the listener to eagerly explore. Aspects of the music remind me – in places – of Melechesh, Orphaned Land, or Nile, but these are relatively lazy comparisons. Layered with exotic textures and rich in succulent melodic treats, the song ebbs and flows across its sprawling running time, revealing more and more of its secrets with each delectable listen. The music has a dramatic edge, making for a formidable song, one that’s led by the band’s equally formidable singer.

Following this, Blood Stains the Altar of the Sun and in Ishtar’s Mourning the Feral Lord of Desolation Awaits the House of Dust builds mood gradually, before erupting in a fiery explosion of aggression and passionate singing. Although not dissimilar in style and character to its predecessor, it has a more aggressively atmospheric disposition. The music layers sounds upon sounds in the pursuit of evocative soundscapes, building and releasing with the power and grace of a natural phenomenon. Out of the two, this is probably my favourite overall.

Swords of Dis have shown, once more, what a notable and remarkable band they are. More of this, please.

But we’re not done yet, oh no. From the Waters of Death ends with the 21-minute From the Setting of the Sun and Through the Waters of Death, the Faraway, Uta-Napishtim, Lies Hidden from the mighty Midnight Odyssey. I have long been a huge fan of Australia’s Midnight Odyssey, (placing near or at the top of my year end lists in 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023 – more than any other band), so this was an eagerly anticipated conclusion to this epic release.

It’s an epic track, bringing together ambient and symphonic black and doom metal into music that’s as well-crafted as you would expect. It starts as bombastic as it is dramatically charged, before bringing out its black metal teeth to bite down hard. It rumbles along with jagged riffs, while still retaining an atmospheric mien. Different parts of the song accentuate the more blackened or mood-rich aspects of the music, but the general feel is of an intensification of aggressive feeling as the colossal track progresses. The last five minutes or so sees the balance shift to the more atmospheric side once more, bringing proceedings to a satisfying conclusion.

This is a really strong album. Each song on this release works as an entity in and of itself, yet the true value of From the Waters of Death comes from approaching it in its entirety. It presents a comprehensive and well-rounded journey to the listener, a narrative into ancient times, painstakingly recreated and retold by four artists that are worthy of such an appellation. Don’t miss out on this; spend the necessary time to get to know its labyrinthine ways, and rare rewards will be yours.