Serpentcult

Serpentcult
Serpentcult
	;
Background information
Origin	Ghent, Belgium
Genres	Doom Metal, Sludge Metal
Years active	1999 - 2006
Labels	Rise Above Records, I Hate, Listenable Records
Associated acts	Thee Plague of Gentlemen, Death Penalty, Bathsheba, Alkerdeel, Dodenmis, Meroth, Leng Tch'e, Welkin, Hedonist, Hemelbestormer, Rituals of the Dead Hand, Leech 54, Skulltorch, Death Anos, Secundo Flumine, Landskap, Pantheïst, Rhymes of Destruction, Dune, Firma, Leviathan Speaks, Of Blood and Mercury
Website	Facebook

Serpentcult (alternately stylized as SerpentCult) were a Belgian doom metal band active between 2006 and 2011. Formed after the demise of Thee Plague of Gentlemen, Serpentcult would release an EP and two albums all the while touring Europe and North America. While in terms of tone and themes Serpentcult would lean into the apocalyptic themes of the prior band, the vocals would lean into a much cleaner territory with the voice of Michelle Nocon.

History[]

Serpentcult formed in 2006 shortly after the dissolution of Thee Plague of Gentlemen. That band split up in July of that year due to the lead vocalist being arrested for, and confessing to, child rape and similar sex crimes, having especially targeted girls who were Muslim and/or of eastern European descent. Thee Plague of Gentlemen's frontman was condemned and disowned by his band members, the Belgian media, and I Hate Records, who subsequently removed the band's debut album from their catalog.^[1]^[2]

The remaining three members of the previous band decided to move forward as Serpentcult as a trio, but afterward hired Michelle Nocon as lead vocalist. Their name is referential to what would have been Thee Plague of Gentlemen's second album. Serpentcult's inaugural release was an EP titled Trident nor Fire, released on 23 April 2007, also through I Hate Records. The EP features three original tracks, followed by a cover of "Rainbow Demon" from Uriah Heep's album Demons and Wizards.^[3] In April 2007, Serpentcult performed at the Doom Shall Rise festival in Göppingen, Germany.^[4] This would follow several odd gigs in 2007.^[5]

On 17 April 2008, Serpentcult notably performed at Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands.^[6] They released their debut full-length album, Weight of Light, in May 2008, via Rise Above Records. Guitarist Frédéric Caure described the title as referencing "some kind of society thing. It's about going away from the normal society and going your own way in the world without having all this materialistic stuff all around you... and having your inner enlightenment. This road to inner enlightenment is very individual and very much your own thing."^[7] Among the album's eight tracks are "Screams from the Deep" and "Red Dawn", which are re-recordings of songs that originally appeared on Trident nor Fire. The album was produced at Prior Studios by Greg Chandler of Esoteric and mixed by Billy Anderson.^[8]

Following the album's release, Serpentcult performed May 2008 dates in Germany and the Netherlands alongside the UK doom metal bands Warning and Esoteric. The band then held a CD release party on 10 May in Kuurne, Belgium. On 13 December 2008, Serpentcult played as part of the Rise Above Records' 20th Anniversary Show in London.^[9] Serpentcult subsequently did their only tour of The United States with Zoroaster and The Gates of Slumber between 1 and 14 August 2009. The tour started in Chicago, went through eastern Canada and eastern/mid-western United States, and concluded in Indianapolis.^[10]^[11]

In February 2010, Serpentcult would embark on a tour of Europe alongside Dark Fortress, Farsot, and Sardonis.^[12] While not known at the time, this would prove to be the band's final tour as a quartet and their final tour overall. Right after the tour, vocalist Michelle Nocon and the remaining members of the band chose to part ways, with the remaining members choosing not to replace her.^[13] Shortly after the announcement, they also decided to cancel their appearance at Tom G. Warrior's "Only Death is Real" concert event at Roadburn 2010, being replaced by Altar of Plagues.^[14] In a 2017 interview with nocleansinging.com, Nocon stated about her departure from Serpentcult, "I felt I had told my story. We somehow grew apart, musically and as individuals as well, and... it was only the right thing to leave.".^[15]

Serpentcult's first album as a trio, and second overall, was Raised by Wolves, which was released in 2011 via Listenable Records. This album features longer songs on average than their previous full-length, and subdued yet existent vocals. In a non-rated positive review of the record, Natalie Zina Walschots of Exclaim! suggested, "Raised by Wolves is subtler than their previous work – still heavy, but now more meditative."^[16] The band would be largely inactive following it's release.

Both Michelle Nocon and "Cozy" Cosemans went on to be vocalist and drummer, respectively, for Death Penalty, alongside Garry Jennings of Cathedral. Nocon was also the lead vocalist of Bathsheba between 2013 and 2018, and formed a solo project called Leviathan Speaks.^[17]^[18] Cosemans would be involved with other bands such as Hedonist, Hemelbestormer and Rituals Of The Dead Hand. Steven Van Cauwenbergh would largely remain active with the black metal band Alkerdeel.

Discography[]

Trident Nor Fire (Extended Play) (2007, I Hate)
Weight of Light (Studio Album) (2008, Rise Above Records)
Raised By Wolves (Studio Album) (2011, Listenable Records)

Members[]

Michelle Nocon - Vocals (2006 - 2010)
Steven Van Cauwenbergh - Bass, Vocals (2006 - 2011)
Frédéric Caure - Guitar, Vocals (2006 - 2011)
Frederik Cosemans - Drums, Percussion (2006 - 2011)

List of Known Tours[]

Weight of Light Spring Tour (With Warning, Esoteric) (2008)^[19]
Weight of Light Fall Tour (With Grand Magus) (2008)^[20]
North America Is Doomed (With The Gates of Slumber, Zoroaster) (2009)^[21]
Winter 2010 European Tour (With Sardonis, Farsot, Dark Fortress) (2010)^[22]

External Links[]

References[]

[1] Nieuwsblad

[2] BraveWords

[3] Metal underground

[4] BraveWords

[5] Last.fm

[6] Blabbermouth

[7] Teeth of the Divine

[8] Rise Above Records Official

[9] Bravewords

[10] Brooklyn Vegan

[11] MetalSucks

[12] Century Media

[13] Blabbermouth

[14] Blabbermouth

[15] No Clean Singing

[16] Exclaim!

[17] ult rock

[18] No Clean Singing

[19] Last.fm

[20] Last.fm

[21] Last.fm

[22] Last.fm

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