After last year's split with Black Urn on Caligari Records and a self-titled EP a few years before that, Shrine of the Serpent have elicited the force of a thousand black spirits to release their first full-length album "Entropic Disillusion" - a nasty piece of work that reaches depths lower and greater than before. The Portland trio have crafted an all-consuming death/doom sound roaring with murderous melancholy that will sap the life out of you, crush your wasted husk of a body, and cast you into the eternal abyss. It starts with the slow, growling dirge of "Descend into Dusk" which evokes an air of terror as you embark on this journey of anguish. However, it then falls into the quiet introduction of "Hailing the Enshrined", gently casting moody tones into a sparse, empty world until the relative tranquility tempts a ruinous behemoth to rear its head and attempt to dismantle any sense of peace and replace it with harsh misery doled out at a sloth's pace. The trend continues over the next two tracks (with a few bursts of bloodthirsty fury) using riffs and tone that could kill you and serve as your eulogy all at once. "Returning" is a break in the rancorous onslaught, but not in your torment, instead opting for unsettling ambient noise to keep you uneasy and ready for the inevitable resurgence of scathing despair. "Epoch of Annihilation" is that fated moment, starting as a slow, agonizing march but building into a violent waterfall of extreme metal bearing down upon you. "Rending the Psychic Void" will end your time in this unforgiving wasteland with coarse power and sorrow that will bring you to your knees. "Entropic Disillusion is an incredible trip through ugly, hellish misery - play it loud until it disintegrates every fiber of your being! -Brandon
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