Snakewine – Serpent Kings
Phonector
Release Date: 31/10/2015
Running Time: 30:42
Review by Dawn “The Metal Priestess” King
8/10
Over the years, Germany has produced some of the best rock and metal bands there has ever been, ranging from The Scorpions to Accept to Kreator and Helloween. And now it has produced yet another.
Snakewine formed in early 2014 and hail from Saalfeld, right in the centre of Germany. Serpent Kings is their debut full length album, released on 31st October 2015 and one question needs to be asked? Why the hell hadn’t I heard of them before now??
Described on their Facebook page as “pulse driven heavy rock” this is an entirely accurate description of these four guys. A mix of biker rock and good ol’ fashioned rock and roll, with a little bit of punk thrown in, this band certainly know how to make a BIG impact with this debut offering.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Niklas Wenzel, this is one “hell of a rock and roll ride.” Opening up with “Breathtaker” the album is relentless from start to finish, and that is by no means a bad thing. At just eight tracks long with a total playing time of just a smidgen over thirty minutes long, this album will have you headbanging and/or bopping along for the entire time.
Combining a dirty, sweaty sound with funky beats and fantastic guitarwork this is like nothing I have ever heard before. The structure is simple with singalong choruses and heavy riffs and solos that will have you banging your head along with the music. There are no fillers on the album, so no time to catch your breath before you are launched headlong into the next round of heavy rock n roll, but that doesn’t mean that every song sounds the same.
The singer has a very distinct voice, with a hint of Ian Astbury from The Cult (albeit a little bit more gravelly) and, as far as I am concerned, this is what makes the band. Some people MIGHT not like the vocals but I love them. It gives the band their individuality and loud, full sound.
Each one of these guys is a very talented musician and sometimes it’s hard to believe there are just four of them. They complement each other perfectly and the album has obviously been recorded with energy and passion.
Stand out tracks for me are “Son of a Gun” and “Shipwrecked” but my favourite track on the album has to be “Mean Machine.” Its heavy, it’s hard and it has a wonderful rock and roll sound.
I love these guys on cd and I would love to see them perform live! Half an hour jumping around to this lot and I would need three pints just to recover!
There isn’t any ground-breaking stuff on here, everything is kept nice and simple, and I am sure that any people wouldn’t class it as album of the year. BUT, it is a fun album and it totally rocks so if there is one album you don’t miss out on this year, it would be this one.
I loved it and I am sure you would too!!
TRACKLISTING:
1. Breathtaker
2. Son of a Gun
3. Brood of Vipers
4. Mean Machine
5. Serpent King
6. Double Barreled
7. The Devil You Know
8. Shipwrecked
LINE-UP:
Ronny Konietzko – Vocals
Frank Vogel – Guitar
Florian Rahm – Bass
Roman Kramer – Drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn ‘The Metal Priestess’ King and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Der Versuch bei normaler Nutzung des Internets seine eigenen Daten permanent schützen zu wollen, ist in etwa so wie der Versuch beim Einkaufen im Supermarkt alle Angaben zu Inhaltsstoffen und Zutaten auf den Verpackungen lesen und deren ökologisch und sozial unbedenkliche Herkunft und Herstellung überprüfen zu wollen.
The singer is very weak. Guitarwork is good although not very resourceful. Easy Solo parts but tight played. Pretty good mix. The drumwork is as standard as possible, nothing impressive at it. Same for the bass lines. All in all not remarkable hard rock