SERVANT: Aetas Ascensus

Release year: 2023
Label: MDD Records

Servant, the German “black metal sensation”, eh? Promising to deliver an “unmatched black metal experience” on this, their second album, in part due to the “authentic vocals.” Yes, I am once again reading the promo sheet, more than slightly amused by the hyperbole.

To be honest, though, it’s not the worst I’ve seen. Just a bit over the top.

Spoiler alert, or maybe not so much, there’s nothing particularly “unmatched” on Ateas Ascensus. And Servant certainly aren’t a sensation. The vocals do sound authentic, though. On the other hand, what would “unauthentic” vocals sound like? Machine generated, maybe? I don’t know.

Would you be surprised if I told you that instead of being sensational and unmatched, Servant are in fact somewhat generic and unoriginal? That instead of delivering the promises of hyperbole, the germans play it rather safe and stick to a very tried and tested formula?

I didn’t think so.

In other words, what’s on offer here is an album full of very traditional, even conventional black metal. Buzzsawing, tremolo-heavy guitarwork; darkly melodious, sinister riffs; furiously blasting drums; snarling vocals. There are strong hints of 90’s Scandinavian black metal, to no one’s surprise. As a slightly interesting element, some of the riffs have that industrialized, cold and sterile feel of, say, Satyricon’s Rebel Extravaganza, but on the whole, you can’t compare Aetas Ascensus to that album.

Ultimately, namedropping is rather futile. Disregarding the most synth-heavy Scandinavian acts of the 90’s, if you can name it, there’s probably some similarity or parallel between Servant and that band. A bit of those sinister Swedish melodies, a bit of Norwegian atmospherics, and so on. Album closer Licht features some pretty well done sonic nods in the direction of Burzum.

With originality off the table, what does Servant offer? Nothing to shit your pants about, that’s for sure, but a quite solid meat-and-potatoes entry into the endless annals of somewhat faceless but enjoyable black metal. The sound is good, the songs hold together well, and there are moments where the band do shine. But on the whole, this is so generic by nature that I can’t think of any reason why to prefer this over all the countless bands of a similar nature.

I guess it’s a problem of plenty. If black metal was something of a scarce commodity, I’d laud this way more hand way higher. Indeed, it is very competently done. But black metal isn’t a scarcity; quite the contrary. There’s more black metal than you can grasp invisible oranges at. And as such, Servant’s destiny is to fall into the obscurity of countless similar acts.

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