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Sermon - Of Golden Verse review



Reviewer:
9.0

198 users:
7.95
Band: Sermon
Album: Of Golden Verse
Style: Alternative metal, Progressive metal
Release date: March 31, 2023
A review by: musclassia


01. The Great Marsh
02. Royal
03. Light The Witch
04. In Black
05. The Distance
06. Senescence
07. Wake The Silent
08. Golden
09. Centre
10. Departure

2019 saw the Birth Of The Marvellous. Since that birth, Sermon has grown up, and is now unleashing a sophomore release that is golden, in its verses and everywhere else.

Sermon is, for the most part, a one-man project led by an anonymous fellow going only by the name Him. Between this, the band and album titles, and album artwork, this is either a Christian metal band, a mocking of such acts, or a guy with severe delusions of grandeur, and I have no real idea from the promo text which it is, although I would expect someone that unironically refers to themselves as a godlike figure would probably not have the self-editing ability to create music this darn good. While presented as a one-man band, there is one major exception to this, as James Stewart (Decapitated, Bloodshot Dawn, ex-Vader and more) returns on drums; the two worked together exceptionally well on Birth Of The Marvellous, and have only improved with On Golden Verse.

Birth Of The Marvellous lingered in the realm between progressive and alternative metal, like many bands described as sounding A Bit Like Tool. Such a comparison felt slightly tenuous even on the debut record, although the warmth of Him’s vocals and some of the textures weren’t a million miles away from Tool’s work. Arguably the main element that helped distance Sermon from such comparisons in a way that the likes of Soen and Wheel initially struggled with (looks like there’s a requirement for any band in this niche to have a one-word name) was Stewart’s drumming; coming from extreme metal, he brought an intensity that could take Birth Of The Marvellous into heavier territory, despite its generally mellow aura. Of Golden Verse makes a major stride in pushing the boundaries of Sermon’s aggression and power; everything that made Birth Of The Marvellous so alluring is still present here (with songs such as “The Distance” and “Golden” reviving motifs from the debut to underline this), but there’s simultaneously been musical progression and expansion.

The evolution of Sermon is noticeable very early on when listening to Of Golden Verse; once the tone-setting introduction “The Great Marsh” is over, “Royal” commences with pounding drum rolls and gnarly chugs. It sustains a tense, restless energy for a long while without fully unleashing itself; there’s no true cathartic explosion in “Royal”, but it grows and transforms subtly across the waves of building tension. “Light The Witch” initially feels like it could be a repeat of ever-growing tension, but offers some welcome release with its lively chorus; this song arguably peaks, however, in its emotionally charged second half, one that combines initial mellowness with increasing urgency, with Stewart absolutely decimating the toms in the process.

These are both great songs, but the real standout here in terms of the heavier tracks is undoubtedly “Wake The Silent”, which I already know is going to be in ‘song of the year’ contention for me. The main riff in this song, hot damn: the guitars and drums just lock in so tightly for this visceral, frantic, face-shredding riff that demands listeners throw themselves into it. The song in general finds a balance between seductive melody, urgent emotion and intense aggression, with Stewart once again extracting everything out of his kit with a real tour de force. “Wake The Silent” is the kind of immense experience that can justify the existence of an album all on its own; luckily, there’s another 9 great tracks to enjoy on Of Golden Verse as well.

Still, all this increased intensity is all well and good, but Birth Of The Marvellous reveled in its tender emotion and warm musical tapestries, and it would be a shame for Sermon to overlook this, but they absolutely don’t. The back-to-back of “The Distance” and “Senescence” features Tool-esque tom-heavy drum sections, evocative vocals, stirring guitar soloing, measured musical evolution, tender quiet passages, and proggy expansiveness: all the good stuff. The song that ties what Sermon already were to what they have become is the closer, “Departure”; on the one hand, this song features the greatest ties to Stewart’s extreme metal background with its liberal use of blast beats and some huge riffs, but there’s also triumphant melody (used exquisitely in tandem with those blasts) and rich atmospheric bridges.

If you’re unfamiliar with Sermon and looking for specific reference points, on top of Tool-like bands such as Soen and Wheel, I did find myself thinking of the likes of Opeth, Porcupine Tree and surprisingly enough Trivium in certain moments. However, I think Sermon have done more than enough on Of Golden Verse to distinguish themselves as a standalone powerhouse; this is an outstandingly written, excellently performed beast of a record, and, hot on the heels of the equally stellar new album from Ne Obliviscaris, another early entrant into the Album Of The Year race.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 8
Production: 8





Written on 29.03.2023 by Hey chief let's talk why not


Comments

Comments: 17   Visited by: 192 users
30.03.2023 - 15:51
Rating: 9
MetalManic
Looking forward to this one
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30.03.2023 - 19:58
TheBigRossowski
Got my hopes up that it was already online!
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That rug really tied the room together, did it not?
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30.03.2023 - 20:01
Rating: 9
musclassia
Staff
Written by TheBigRossowski on 30.03.2023 at 19:58

Got my hopes up that it was already online!

Not long now!
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30.03.2023 - 22:04
Rating: 8
schlakt
Looking forward to this! Their debut was great
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31.03.2023 - 22:48
Rating: 8
AndyMetalFreak
A Nice Guy
Contributor
I can now understand why you think so highly of this album, it really is stunning. I can also understand why it doesn't appeal to everyone though.
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01.04.2023 - 15:41
Nejde
I agree with both musclassia and Andy, this album really is stunning. It also made me revisit the debut. Had almost forgotten how good that one is too.
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Liebe ist für alle da.
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02.04.2023 - 14:38
nikarg
Staff
Same here, I am joining the hype train. I've played it four times in the past week, and each one was better than the previous. The drumming rips, the sound is excellent, and the songwriting warrants repeated listens. It's "all killer, no filler"; even the interludes are good and have a place here. Cannot choose a favourite track yet, it's way too difficult a task for me. “Wake The Silent” is definitely one of the best, as you say.
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05.04.2023 - 04:55
Rating: 9
MetalManic
When will this band's profile be removed from 'invisible' status on MS?
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05.04.2023 - 12:12
Rating: 9
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Staff
Deserves the hype
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Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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07.04.2023 - 13:17
Zap
I've sort of been disconnected from new metal lately. From time to time I do try some of the new bands, but usually they fail to really capture me and I give up after a handful of songs. The only new music I like is made by older bands, usually ones I'm already familiar with. Disillusion, Enslaved, Mastodon... I'm not really happy about this situation but I really can't help that I'm just not feeling any of this new stuff.
Thankfully I discovered Sermon thanks to your list and your review. This is the first time in quite a while that I listened to a recent band (one that released their debut in the past five or so years) and finished their album(s) front to back. It feels kind of cathartic so I just had to share it.
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07.04.2023 - 13:51
Rating: 9
musclassia
Staff
Written by Zap on 07.04.2023 at 13:17

I've sort of been disconnected from new metal lately. From time to time I do try some of the new bands, but usually they fail to really capture me and I give up after a handful of songs. The only new music I like is made by older bands, usually ones I'm already familiar with. Disillusion, Enslaved, Mastodon... I'm not really happy about this situation but I really can't help that I'm just not feeling any of this new stuff.
Thankfully I discovered Sermon thanks to your list and your review. This is the first time in quite a while that I listened to a recent band (one that released their debut in the past five or so years) and finished their album(s) front to back. It feels kind of cathartic so I just had to share it.

I suppose many people are going to be prone to losing enthusiasm for chasing the new sounds at a certain point, with a) so many new bands that sound like rehashes of existing groups, and b) the sheer volume of music to try and navigate; I hope I don't reach that point, but I'm glad to have highlighted an album that's disrupted the ennui for you, even if it doesn't reignite a wider interest in new metal bands
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09.04.2023 - 16:36
Rating: 8
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Staff
Written by Zap on 07.04.2023 at 13:17

I've sort of been disconnected from new metal lately. From time to time I do try some of the new bands, but usually they fail to really capture me and I give up after a handful of songs. The only new music I like is made by older bands, usually ones I'm already familiar with. Disillusion, Enslaved, Mastodon... I'm not really happy about this situation but I really can't help that I'm just not feeling any of this new stuff.
Thankfully I discovered Sermon thanks to your list and your review. This is the first time in quite a while that I listened to a recent band (one that released their debut in the past five or so years) and finished their album(s) front to back. It feels kind of cathartic so I just had to share it.

I'm not as far gone as you but I'm recognizing your state of mind developing in me and it's nice to see that something shook up the foundation a bit

I'll have to give this one a go and see if it does something similar for me
----
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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10.04.2023 - 17:35
Zap
Written by Troy Killjoy on 09.04.2023 at 16:36

I'm not as far gone as you but I'm recognizing your state of mind developing in me and it's nice to see that something shook up the foundation a bit

I'll have to give this one a go and see if it does something similar for me

Although I would of course not wish this curse upon anyone else, I am also somewhat glad that I'm not the only one.

Happy to see you give this an 8, so I'm guessing it did do something similar after all!
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11.04.2023 - 19:52
Rating: 8
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Staff
Written by Zap on 10.04.2023 at 17:35

Happy to see you give this an 8, so I'm guessing it did do something similar after all!

It would be a 9 if not for a few personal gripes (interludes interrupting the flow, "Senescence" and "Wake the Silent" feeling like 12 minutes of filler) but the other 5 tracks hooked me right from the start.

Albums like this give me a little jolt of enthusiasm and reinvigorate my thirst for more new material, but it's such a slog going through 300+ albums every year just to uncover maybe a handful that end up with a few tracks from each that end up on random playlists. My tastes are either becoming way too particular (reason I don't review these days -- I don't think I'm very relatable) or I'm just falling out of love with the genre of metal as a whole.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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18.04.2023 - 10:37
Rating: 9
SamuelYK
Great album, been on repeat for a few days
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21.04.2023 - 15:49
Rating: 9
MetalManic
Updating my rating from 8 to 9 (for what it's worth), and here's why:

Upon the first couple of listens of this album, I got the 'pretty cool', sounds great, etc. vibes. A couple spins more came the 'this is a bit repetitive, same sound, etc. A few more listens, the nuances present themselves---which are elevating. When the listener is able to anticipate such nuances (as vocal delivery, guitar effect, particular smash of a particular cymbal), the songs have a 'yeah, this is how it's meant to be' sound. Then comes the point where the intro of certain songs lead to the feeling of a 'classic' introduction. THIS is the moment that you know the replay value/lasting power is here to stay.

These points are pretty generic, but were really all it took to make me a bigger fan of what I had originally experienced with Sermon's debut (Birth Of The Marvellous). 'Excellent' is a great word to use to describe this album.

Another note: That last track 'Departure'...pretty sensational. Interestingly enough, I feel that if one were to swap the vocals out with some heavy growls, you could have yourself a Slugdge track from Esoteric Malacology \m/
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06.07.2023 - 09:25
Rating: 8
tintinb
The repetitive nature of some of the songs and the lyricism itself is what is so attractive to me for this album. That including the tension built up by the vocals and the drums, rightly pointed out by Musclassia, create a marvellous atmosphere for this album.
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Leeches everywhere.
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