Serpent Saints - Leather Lucifer (Stormspell) 20081. "Death Ride" (6:54)
2. "Leather Lucifer" (6:12)
3. "Devil's Night" (4:54)
4. "Bleed Upon The Cross" (5:09)
5. "Incinerate Them" (5:07)
Serpent Saint formed in 2007 and soon after recorded a four song promotional CD that they were giving away for free. Eventually the CD was picked up by EmanesMetal Records from France and Stormspell Records in the U.S. and released as a mini-CD/EP with added track "Incinerate Them". The cover image gives off the impression that these guys are some sort of horror metal, perhaps a modern version of Lizzy Borden or Halloween. The band's vocalist, who goes by the name Therapist, wears a make up design that looks like a cross between Alice Cooper and King Diamond. My first impressions were right on the money. Leather Lucifer play traditional, straightforward heavy metal with lots of Thin Lizzy inspired guitar harmonies, galloping riffs and a heaping helping of Mercyful Fate, early Iron Maiden and some NWOBHM influences. When I first popped the CD into the player and cranked it up I was pleasantly surprised by the classic metal sounds emanating from the speakers. However, when vocalist Therapist started singing, I was disappointed at first. His voice just wasn't what I was expecting. Therapist sings in a clean, mid-range style with the occasional high yells. His enunciation is somewhat slurred, almost sounding a bit drunk. I suppose I was expecting something a bit more aggressive, like John Arch, Nasty Ronnie or even King Diamond. However, upon further listens, I began to appreciate his style as it added to the overall dark and eerie feel of the music. The lyrics are as dark as one might expect from song titles like "Devil's Night", "Bleed Upon the Cross" and "Leather Lucifer". Leather Lucifer obviously aren't worried about offending people, and in fact probably take delight in offending as many people as possible. This is basically the entire premise of horror metal. The offense is part of the appeal and part of the spectacle. Expect to be outraged!