Solitary Sabred – Temple of the Serpent (Vinyl Store)
Wednesday, 20th December 2023
Cyprus is a well-established island nation that along with Greece have been epic metal havens for decades. The generational appeal of history, fantasy, and mythology runs deep in the hearts of the people – spread out to other parts of the world. Solitary Sabred are heavy metal warlords delivering an epic brand of heavy/power metal since the early 2000’s, releasing three previous albums before this latest offering Temple of the Serpent. Before us is a ten-track concept record, chronicling the journey of demonic djinns and undead sorcerers, exploring the fall of the Akkad Empire – containing a host of energetic arrangements and performances that should have no trouble rallying the troops for festive feasts.
Upon initial exposure to tracks like “Spectral Domain” and “Lord of Ganzer”, the piercing high screams and versatile, multi-octave melodic prowess present in the pipes of singer Petros ‘Asgardlord’ Leptos offer standout qualities, to the point that many may make viable comparisons to the late, great Warrel Dane. The musical support often mirrors the atmosphere, marching / epic strains of classic US metal artists like Sanctuary, Jag Panzer, Cauldron Born, and older Metal Church – the rhythms possessing galloping, blistering fervor, while the tempos shift between traditional, power, and semi-thrash pastures based on the feel of the song. You can visualize the lines of ‘anguish, transcending time and space’ next to some sinister, melodic harmony tradeoffs in a slightly off-time progressive manner for highlight “Flight of the Banshee”, guitarists Demetris ‘Spartacus’ Demetriou and Nikolas ‘Sprits’ Moutafis peeling off speedy riffs beyond addictive lead breaks in heroic fashion. Although most of the songs fly by in focused three to five-minute clips, closers “Reaper of Kur” and “Gates of Namtar” at six minutes and change apiece explore more of the Candlemass/Manilla Road-style channels, with a touch of 80’s Iron Maiden injected for good measure – the extra narrative voice switch-ups heightening the anticipation throughout these tracks.
Possibly flying under the microscope compared to most acts of this style due to smaller label/distribution avenues, do not sleep on the professional abilities of Solitary Sabred through Temple of the Serpent. We may not get to hear many bands of this style compared to say 30 years ago, but when the execution and delivery are outstanding, people will be hard pressed not to celebrate this triumphant outing for years to come.
