Serpent’s Knight - Silent Knight …of Myth and Destiny

Release Date: February 15th, 2010
Label: Shadow Kingdom Records

TRACK LISTING

DISC 1:
1.  The Serpent's Reign
2.  Sorcerer's Apprentice
3.  Disturbing Your Peace
4.  White Rabbit
5.  Sleaze
6.  Trial by Fire
7.  No Sanctuary
8.  Tears of Love
9.  Apollyon the Destroyer
10.  Beyond the Valley
        (Band Practice)
11.  Beyond the Valley
12.  Long Live Heavy Metal
13.  After the Dark
14.  Mystic Psalms
15.  Conceived for Hypocrisy

DISC 2:
1.  Sick Bloody Cunt
2.  The Lightning Chaser
3.  Serpent's Knight
4.  Betrayed
5.  Cracks in the Paint
6.  Pinned to the Ground
7.  Eisoptrophobia
8.  Dellusions of Grandeur
9.  Battle Angels (1981)
10.  The First Spider After Winter
       (2009)

Total playing time:  1:42:49

November 6, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

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*Comments:

I originally heard this band back in the mid-80’s and was less than impressed the first time around. I had no idea who this band was or how long their seemingly silly shtick would resonate with the underground metal elite, but I did find the vocalist oddly fascinating.

Little did I know…

Serpent’s Knight was a Seattle-based early power metal band that showcased the vocal talents of a very young Warrel Dane of Sanctuary and Nevermore fame. I’m not sure what image the band was going for here, but the pictures scream Hellhammer-lite while the music says Sanctuary, which is no surprise. While this rough piece of metal history is far from anything Refuge Denied or Into the Mirror Black would deliver, for 1983 standards this was leaps above the typical L.A. scene with the merging Motley Crue and RATT mystique growing. Since this set is in two parts I’ll cover both separately for posterity’s sake.

Released from the Crypt catapults a rumored opera-trained Dane to incredible heights, surpassing even King Diamond himself for the low-to-high-register crown, though sometimes it does tend to get somewhat overpowering, as if the vocals rip high for the sake of going higher. These nuances aside, a track like “Disturbing Your Peace” is where I hear all of the makings of what would soon become foundation for songs like “Die for My Sins” and “Battle Angels,” as well as shards of “What Tomorrow Knows” in Dane’s lower register; the origin lay here in rather crude, but important traditional metal tracks. The earliest cover of Jefferson Airplane’s classic “White Rabbit” is here as well, a song that Sanctuary would cover so precisely in just five years after the fact. This version is enjoyable as is, but the second attempt later on would stand the test of time much easier. Dane manages to mark his undeniable territory on these tracks; they are pretty good for reference, yet they are quite derivative of most of the under-produced, under-achieving demo material during this period. To be perfectly honest, while there are some great tracks on here Serpent’s Knight remains on the lips of the underground’s elite simply due to the fact that one of the best vocalists in metal started here. With that said, there are standouts like “Sleaze,” “No Sanctuary,” and “Trial by Fire,” the latter coming off like Iron Maiden on a bit of an amphetamine kick. The musicianship here is decent, but nothing terrific; for the rawness of the production (it was supposedly recorded in a church to save money on a studio - and it shows) it’s certainly not bad, but for all of its faults it certainly is more of a conversation piece and casual listen here and there than a classic underground gem by any means. 3 Stars

The second disc has the 1989 “3000 Degrees in the Sun” demo and begins with what can only be described as a laughable attempt at shock with “Sick Bloody Cunt,” that is complete with what I’m imagining is a sex scene from some movie I couldn’t care less about. Then the lyrics kick in and suddenly I’m treated (?) to what sounds like a primitive punk band spewing off obscenities and basic practice chords in vain attempts to make something viable from crap. Seriously, the opening track is nothing short of ridiculous. So I get past the first mind-numbing track and plow into “The Lightning Chaser,” which doesn’t fare much better save for much better lyrics. However, vocalist Mark G. does very little to capture the essence of any of the tracks here, often sounding forced or stale in both delivery and style. Once again, if not for Dane’s presence on the early recordings this band wouldn’t be given a second thought and might well have faded into the obscurity of heavy metal purgatory. Lyrically this offering is tremendously pedestrian; there is nothing really memorable or thought-provoking in here. In fact, there’s nothing even fantastical to grab on to in anything. There are some decent moments, such as “Betrayed,” which is a nice instrumental effort and “Cracks in the Paint” is probably the best track on the second sic simply because it has a good melody and encompasses the true sound of early 80’s metal, even if it had been done to death by 1989. To be honest, all you really need is the original demo and let this one just fade into oblivion as it’s really unnecessary and horribly trite. 1.5 Stars

As a whole, the first disc is fine, somewhat important for a historical document of sorts, but the second disc is filler of the most rudimentary design. Choose your poison here.

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