Serpent Column - Aion of Strife (2026)

This sits firmly in the zone where I acknowledge the craft more than I feel compelled by the result. Aion of Strife is dense, aggressive, and intellectually charged, but it often feels like it’s fighting itself rather than pulling me forward. The dissonance is constant, the intensity rarely relents, and while that clearly serves the band’s ideological and aesthetic goals, it limits the album’s long-term grip. I don’t hear enough contrast or destination — more pressure than payoff. It’s impressive in its refusal to soften, but that same rigidity keeps me at a distance.

Pros

1. High conceptual coherence – The album commits fully to its dissonant, confrontational worldview with zero dilution.

2. Technical precision under chaos – Riffs and rhythms are tightly controlled beneath the surface violence.

3. Clear underground identity – This is unmistakably Serpent Column; no genre tourism, no compromise.

Cons

1. Relentless sameness – Constant intensity flattens impact over the runtime.

2. Limited narrative arc – Tracks feel adjacent rather than cumulative; few moments truly arrive.

3. Low replay pull – Once the language is absorbed, there’s little emotional incentive to return.

Genre: Black Metal
Country: US

Final Verdict: 61% (Good Album)
Yearly Ranking: 57th / 79

Highlight: Always is the Kairos (ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ οὐσία ἀδάμας)


Made me think of:
Deathspell Omega
Mgła
Grave Miasma

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