Artist: Blood Serpent
Country: Vietnam
Label: House Of Ygra
Formats: Demo Tape
Year: 2026
After a good debut album back in 2023 and an enjoyable split CD with Iron Bludgeon in 2025, both released by the enigmatic House Of Ygra label, the Vietnamese noise mongers return with something new: a rehearsal/demo tape. Those familiar with the aforementioned previously released material know that they will be treated on some bludgeoning Black/Death Metal in the right South American/South East Asian tradition: this is some wild and savage stuff!
‘Rehearsal MMXXVI’ doesn’t only present us something new to chew on, it also marks the first release of the band with a renewed line-up. It seems that F.R.O.S.T.B.I.T.E. (or “Ferocious Ravager Ov Sempiternal Torment And Blasphemous Invocation Towards Enmity”) has left the band as an active contributor, but is still involved with the technical side of things as he is credited for his work behind the mixing and mastering desk. He has been replaced by two individuals who were already part of the Blood Serpent live line-up. And, maybe most notable, there is a human drummer involved with the name Inhuman Suffer.
That last thing, turning the programmed drums into actual, real drums, obviously isn’t only significant from a personnel point of view, but especially musically that gives Blood Serpent quite a different sound and feel. The rather mechanic and somewhat Mortician-like character of the 2023 debut album certainly had its charm, but for me kept it away from being something really outstanding. This rehearsal tape, recorded in January this year, adds a more vibrant intensity to the music. In a way it also enhances the chaos element of the music, which is not so much in the guitars, but more in the frantic speed and drum patterns.
That’s an observation easily made, as the four tracks on ‘Rehearsal MMXXVI’ were all taken from their previous output, two tracks from the ‘Bestial Extermination’ debut album and two from the split CD with Iron Bludgeon. The tracks do feel much more alive and are definitely taken to a more violent and punishing level. Not sure whether this is just the band caught in the moment of actual rehearsing or if the band has indefinitely settled for this line-up with discarding the drum computer. If you ask me: this is the best the band could have done, and it’s also easily their best recording to date. Let’s hope they keep it this way.
