Band:	Impending Doom
Album:	The Serpent Servant
Style:	Deathcore
Release date:	March 2009

01. When Waters Run Deep
02. The Serpent Servant
03. Anything Goes
04. Storming The Gates Of Hell
05. Welcome To Forever
06. More Than Conquerors
07. Revival: America
08. In The House Of Mourning
09. When I Speak
10. City Of Refuge
11. Beginnings

Ever wondered what it would sound like if Cannibal Corpse teamed up with Johnny Cash? Or Napalm Death covered Keith Green? Probably not. But if the thought of Goregrind and Worship music meshing up ever was on your horizon then the answer would be Impending Doom. This five piece from California might just be the most brutal thing to happen to Christianity since Good Friday.

The Serpent Servant is the second album from this Death Metal band and, honestly, it is better than I thought it would be. Nail.Dead.Risen released a few years ago started out alright, and then quickly developed into a monotonous and dull release. This sophomore project shows a bit more development since the debut, but it still has much room to grow. The first noticeable change is the more traditional Death Metal vocals instead of the pig-grunts used on Nail.Dead.Risen. While an improvement, still nothing impressive to my ears.

Songwriting is another aspect that has seen some improvement: there are actual songs here! We're not getting Mindcrime brilliance, but the tunes are a little more distinguishable from one another. For instance "More Than Conquerors" actually caught my attention upon first listen and is a track worth tossing onto my Sunday morning drive to church playlist. Still, the guitars feature the same chug-chug-chug-chug associated with Brutal Death Metal bands with the occasional breakdown and interesting riff. Nonetheless, it is mostly palm-muting and simple riffage and no solos, for better or for worse. There is one area where this album does shine and that is the drumming. Again, we're not getting 2112, but the blast beats and fills can be interesting at times.

How can we forget about lyrics (because we can forget about the bass playing since it seems nonexistent on this release)! What would a Metal review be without someone commenting on Christian lyrics? The words (having to read the actual lyrics since I can't understand a word Brook Reeves is growling) come across like a personal diary of Martin Luther. More depressive and bleak than most would think some Jesus Freaks would write. But that is the beauty of many Christian bands: their extremely honest lyrics. While being heartfelt, they don't hit me as hard as a Demon Hunter or Becoming The Archetype song might.
So if you are looking for just a straightforward Brutal Death album with some Grindcore tossed in there, I'd recommend checking it out. Not a stellar release, but decent. Hopefully the albums keep improving to something really exciting.