Svrrender is Servile Sect’s follow-up companion work that is meant to complement and complete their earlier Trvth LP.  Apparently, Trvth was released on the summer solstice and Svrrender was released on the winter solstice. Both also found themselves birthed physically from the Handmade Birds label. Yet, the art was done by two completely different but equally gifted artists. Trvth was visually manifested by Kevin Gan Yuen (Sutekh Hexen, Circle of Eyes, Fermentae) while Svrrender is assisted with the talents of audio-visual artist Demian Johnston.
As you might guess, Svrrender picks up where Trvth left off. I felt as though the earlier album was probably their most straightforward black metal collection to date. There are moments of their more sci-fi and psychedelic sounds, but I noticed that the vast majority of their time is devoted to noisy walls of shredding guitar riffs and screechy vocals, especially when it came to the second half of Trvth. For a guy who’s gotten more and more into black metal, that’s okay with me. However, if you appreciate Servile Sect for their more genre-bending experiments and nose-thumbing unconventionality then you might want to stick with their earlier Demos 2005/2006 and Realms of the Queen. There is one moment though; the first track on Side B, when Eastern chant is combined with cosmic navigations in addition to the whole blackened vibe. The guitar sweeps in long strokes of psych, like a rocket blasting off again and again. It’s really hard to describe. In other words, it’s really Servile Sect. It’s times like that when you feel like no matter what incarnation of Servile Sect you love most, you’re bound to find it on each release. They have such a way of branching out, yet remaining true to their identity every time.
These guys are truly one of the most exciting acts out there these days. If you still haven’t leant them an ear then you really need to reconsider. Otherwise, you’re missing out. You should at least experience them so that you’re prepared for where music’s going in the future, because there’s no denying that they will be a heavy influence on many genres in the future. If you already dig this enigma, then this is another essential release for you.
