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Heads for the Dead Utters a "Serpent's Curse"

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Murk. Rot. Putrescence. Decay. Ruin. Corrosion. These are the hues adorning the palette of Heads for the Dead in the creation of their grotesque murals. Their upcoming album Serpent’s Curse is no meditative ode to verdant glens, no triumphant call to arms from atop gleaming fortress walls, but a visceral celebration of grime and violence. Succumb to the band’s odious filth with our exclusive premiere of “Of Wrath and Vengeance.”

Heads for the Dead is the latest work from multi-instrumentalist Jonny Pettersson (Ursinne, Wombbath, numerous others). For Serpent’s Curse, he’s partnered with Revel in Flesh’s Ralf Hauber on vocals along with session drummer Erik Bevenrud, whose no-nonsense percussive battery powers the album’s savagery. “Of Wrath and Vengeance” features one of a handful of guest guitar solos, this time from Pettersson’s fellow Wombbather Håkan Stuvemark, injecting a flitting taste of melody in the midst of Heads for the Dead’s smothering crunch.

Hauber’s subterranean bellow begins the song, his bandmates soon commencing a measured procession with plenty of low-end heft. Pettersson’s given plenty of mix space to the bass as well as to Bevenrud’s ever-present kick, the two combining to infuse the music with a rumbling dread befitting the band’s inspiration in classic horror. It’s easy to imagine the band members themselves as both the cast and setting of a gritty horror film: the core lineup of rhythm guitar, drums and bass set the stage as a tenebrous swamp filled with untold horrors lurking beyond the edges of the screen. Bevenrud’s ride and Pettersson’s leads are the wavering flashlight beams of our fear-stricken protagonists, flickering as they stab through the oppressive mist of Hauber’s dripping howls. We, the viewers, are powerless to intervene, enraptured voyeurs to their impending doom.

Serpent’s Curse releases via Transcending Obscurity Records on September 24th. Pre-order the album now in vinyl, CD, and digital formats on Bandcamp.