Serocs – The Next
“With similarities to Cryptopsy, Wormed, Decapitated and Gorguts”. Behold the sweet band bio wisdom summons forth the descriptive conjuration once again! In this cast, I could probably paste the band comparisons and leave it at that, but since I pride myself on working “harder NOT smarter”, I shall stumble forth into the digital wasteland of the internet once again…
With 2 Eps and “The Next” being the bands second full-length, Mexico’s Serocs have seemingly cultivated a prolific 4 years. The material devouring this slab of technically gifted death metal is surprisingly catchy and cleanly produced which keeps ones attention tuned in on the songs even though the riff wizardry is quite perplexing. I like the fact that vocalist Jason Hohenstein (ex-Lecherous Nocturne, ex-Narcolepsy) sticks to a mid-ranged death scream, never dipping down into cupped mic brutalization. This keeps his delivery intense and free from the knuckle dragging classification that could have lumped these guys in with the brutal crowd. Where the Gorguts tag would suggest over the top, if not an awkward sense of riff sculpting, Serocs riff style is more of a “normal” caliber of technicality, with a lot of precision tremolo picking and stop on a dime transitions. Not until the closing track “Alienus Gignesthai” does the band implement slower and more tortured chords and mildly bent note verse riffs to offset the speed and complexity found in their impressive songwriting arsenal.
In the end, The Next is a good mix of tempos and interesting songs that I found worthwhile to spend time with, even thought the underlying sense of stylistic familiarity employed by Serocs is evident. Certainly nothing new to behold here, just well done and complex death metal for those trips to the grocery store several times a year when you feel like beating on the steering wheel and pretending your air guitar knows every note inside and out. -Marty
Comatose Music
Worm Gear 