(Austin Weber introduces our premiere of the lethal and fascinating new album by Scotland’s Zillah.)

As most of our readers are probably already aware, Scotland’s own death metal savants Zillah are a band we here at NCS really enjoy. Before the full album stream for Serpentine Halo that you’ll find below, we had previously exclusively premiered both album opener “Therefore I Am” and track three, “Made Flesh And Bone”. We are very proud to be able to let you hear the whole record ahead of its official release date this Friday.

Both of the songs we previously premiered offered an experience akin to injecting pure adrenaline and hatred directly into your skull. Yet calculating full-throttle rage is far from the only mode that Serpentine Halos cycles through. Several tracks that make up much of the second half of the record such as “Karras”, “Man Son Of Swine”, “One Thousand Stones Thrown Pt. 1”, and closer “He Who Knows All” temper their steamrolling nature with an experimental and brooding side that weaves in and out of the faster moments. This really adds a lot of dynamic tension to Serpentine Halo that really expands Zillah’s songwriting palette beyond the typical death metal focus on speed as a weapon — although the album’s other rage-centric numbers, which include “Something Done Cannot be Undone” and “Not All Of Me Shall Die”, are electrifying highlights as well. Continue reading »