photos by Shane Gardner
Decibel Magazine is now hosting the exclusive premiere of “Heel Turn,” the new single from Baltimore, Maryland-based doom outfit SERPENTS OF SECRECY, formed by members of Sixty Watt Shaman, King Giant, Foghound, Borracho, and more. The track precedes the band’s long-awaited debut album, Ave Vindicta, set for release this Halloween in honor of the late Rev. Jim Forrester, who was tragically murdered in 2017.
Ave Vindicta was engineered by J. Robbins and Matt Redenbo and recorded and mixed by J. Robbins at Magpie Cage Studios Baltimore, Maryland (Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Government Issue), with the keyboards engineered and recorded for “The Cheat” and “Dealer’s Choice” by Adam Micalczu at Empire Studios in Windsor, Ontario, and mastered by Dan Coutant at Sun Room Audio in New Windsor, New York. The album is completed with cover art by Joe “Joweone” Nasatka, photography by Shane Gardner, and graphics by Bill Kole. Ave Vindicta features guest keyboards on “The Cheat” and “Dealer’s Choice” by Mark Calcott and by J. Robbins on “Bleeding Still.”
Vocalist Mark Lorenzo writes of “Heel Turn,” “This is a no-more-mister-nice-guy for the next generation complete with melodic bass runs, monster guitar riffs, gritty vocals, swinging percussion, and even some cowbell for good measure. What more could you want?”
Guitarist Todd Ingram offers, “This track is a signature Rev. Jim song with a catchy and groovy bass line as the centerpiece. Rev loved WWE wrestling and from the very start he dubbed this one ‘Heel Turn’ and with Mark’s lyrics there was no need to change it once the track was finished:
‘Your world is painted in black and white. Seeing red now, so what am I? The well of kindness completely dry. Thought I was your savior? Now I’ll watch you die.’
I remember after Steve joined the band, he came up with the harmony lines during the verses. They sound so killer and build tension leading into the chorus. We take turns with the solos that deliver an in your face, rock guitar swagger. ‘Heel Turn’ being one of the shorter songs on the album, never failed to get the heads noddin’ and the bootys shakin’.”
Decibel writes, “With Forrester’s bass loud and clear alongside thick, hazy riffs and Mark Lorenzo’s raspy vocals, ‘Heel Turn’ is a top-tier stoner metal standard and taste of the full album.”
Tune in and crank SERPENTS OF SECRECY’s “Heel Turn” first, only at Decibel Magazine, RIGHT HERE.
SERPENTS OF SECRECY will release Ave Vindicta through their own Moving The Earth Records on Halloween, Saturday, October 31st – Rev. Jim’s favorite holiday – on CD and digital formats. Find preorders at Bandcamp HERE.
Watch for an official video and more on the album to be issued in the days ahead.
SERPENTS OF SECRECY has been working on Ave Vindicta for several years. Shortly after the bulk of the album was recorded in 2017, bassist Rev. Jim Forrester (also of Sixty Watt Shaman, Foghound) was slain on the streets of Baltimore. The band spread the word to help track down his murderers while dealing with their own personal loss of their dear friend, leaving the record to the side as it was just too painful to hear. Finding solace in the fact that Jim would have wanted the album to see release, the band completed the album two years to the day since Forrester was killed. It was the first time they had been in the same room together for almost as long, and everything just clicked.
SERPENTS OF SECRECY’s Ave Vindicta delivers more than fifty-two minutes of hard rocking classic doom metal. With Forrester’s bass riding high in the mix, guitarist Todd Ingram (King Giant, Pimmit Hills), drummer Chuck Dukehart III (Foghound, Sixty Watt Shaman), guitarist Steve Fisher (Borracho), and vocalist Mark Lorenzo (Zekiah, Crawler) create an album as inwardly personal as it is thundering to the passing listener. The songs are clearly rooted in and fed by the fertile doom metal their hometown and surrounding area is internationally known for yielding, with an overwhelming bounty of powerful, dynamic, grooves delivered from an intensely soulful core.
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