In the Company of Serpents, Merging in Light

Merging in Light is my first introduction to the Denver duo of In the Company of Serpents and if first impressions are anything, this relationship is off to an excellent, albeit sludgy doomed start. The three tracks on their latest EP are full of buzzing, stoned groove that is sure to have foggy heads nodding after just the first few seconds.

And that’s all it takes for EP opener “Breed, Consume, Die’ to really get going — just a scant 42 seconds before monstrous drums and monolithic riffage get rolling seduce and infect. This shit is head-bangingly heavy, dark and rumbling. It’s not the most inventive by any means, but the song certainly sticks with you like week-old resin on the inside of your favorite glass tube. “Third Mind” starts off with whale-song like reverb before a raw, heavy handed drum rhythm arrives, quickly followed by more fuzzed out walls of riffs.

While it’s the groove and hazy atmosphere that really drives this EP, we can’t forget the vocal delivery of Grant Netzorg — deliberate and gruff, his snarls and growls fit the vibe perfectly. As does the swampy, bleary lead on “Third Mind” about halfway in.

The nine and a half minute long “A Union of Opposites” is a dark, slow burning beast of a song. It’s not as head-nodding fun as the previous two, but there is a seething, filthy groove flowing throughout. All in all, for a three song EP, Merging in Light is a hell of an introduction to the band. I’ll be waiting to see what sludgy, stoned metal they come up with next.