Vancouver melodic death metal with violins in the shadows — Lamentations Of The Shadowkingdoms streams in full and the LP is out October 30.
By Gigi Rose — CelebnMusic247
Some records arrive quietly and then refuse to leave your head. Dungeon Serpent are streaming their second LP, Lamentations Of The Shadowkingdoms, in full ahead of its release on Friday, October 30 on Profound Lore Records, on LP, CD and digital, per the release — and this is exactly the kind of melodic death metal that rewards listeners who still sit down with a whole album.
The Vancouver collective let the record stream early on the Profound Lore YouTube channel, and the video for “Rainland’s Elegy” is also out now, per the release. Giving fans the full stream before release day is a confident move. It says the band believe the six pieces on this record hold together as a journey, not just as singles to be skimmed.
Melody, atmosphere and real weight
What pulls me in here is the instrumentation. Arawn handles vocals, guitars, keyboards and bass, joined by drummer Bhraonáin of Fake Dust and violins by Anju Singh of The Nausea, per the release. Violins in death metal can so easily become a gimmick, but in the right hands they add sorrow — that sense of something beautiful being lost while the heavy parts close in around it. Paired with keyboards and a melodic guitar foundation, that is a rich palette for a record with “lamentations” right there in the title.
The early praise backs that up. The release quotes notices from Decibel Magazine, The Razor’s Edge, Mystification Zine and Invisible Oranges — a spread of outlets that do not agree on much, which tells you this album is reaching across the metal underground rather than preaching to one corner of it.
Craft behind the atmosphere
The record was mixed and mastered by Damian Herring of Horrendous at Subterranean Watchtower Studios, with cover art by Marc Potts, per the release. Herring understands this corner of death metal from the inside, as a player as well as an engineer, and that matters on a record where the atmosphere has to stay heavy instead of washing the riffs out. The cover art completes the world-building before you hear a note — dark, regal and a little haunted, exactly what a title like Lamentations Of The Shadowkingdoms promises.
This is Dungeon Serpent’s second full-length, per the release, and second albums are where a band either repeats themselves or becomes who they really are. An early full stream, a striking lead video and this level of care in the credits all point to the second outcome.
How to hear it and order it
Preorders and presaves are available via Profound Lore Records, per the release. Find everything in one place at the band’s Linktree, listen and order on Bandcamp, and follow them on Instagram. The label’s home is profoundlorerecords.com.
If you love melodic death metal with a genuine sense of place and mourning in it, clear an evening, put this on front to back, and let the violins do their work.
The 247 Take — Dungeon Serpent are building cathedrals, not just riffs — Lamentations Of The Shadowkingdoms sounds like a second album from a band who know exactly who they are. Out today, and worth your full attention.
Sources: Earsplit PR release for Dungeon Serpent, Lamentations Of The Shadowkingdoms (Profound Lore Records) — release date and formats, streaming and video details, personnel, mixing/mastering and cover art credits, quoted praise, preorder details and official links.
