#liminaldreadproductions — Public Fediverse posts

When it comes to snakes and music, I’m a simple man. I think of Testament’s Brotherhood of the Snake, High on Fire’s Snakes for the Divine, Deicide’s Serpents of the Light, and Sir Mix-a-Lot. And now Philadelphia’s Crotaline1 slithers in flaunting first-wave-of-black-metal ballads rife with references to snake genitalia. Black metal’s second wave garners most of the attention, having shaped what most consider to be the genre’s trve north, but Mayhem, Darkthrone, Immortal, and Emperor never would have become what they are without Bathory’s lo-fi virulence, Venom’s proto-thrashed, punk-informed edgelording, and Celtic Frost’s sinister atmospheres and doomy trudges. First-wave black metal fairly characterizes what Crotaline provides on debut The Embrace of Cloacal Desire, as it’s ridden with direct, unadorned riffing, torturous plods, and a classically DIY aesthetic. Crotaline’s debut sounds like a blast, and I hope it is—my anaconda don’t want none unless it’s got fun, hun.

In many senses, The Embrace of Cloacal Desire is a primitive album. Crotaline relates carnal tales of ophidian lust in straightforward spurts of stripped-down metal, preferring uncomplicated riffs and instrumentation to deliver their herpetological gospel. In this way, Crotaline reminds me more of Hellhammer than Bathory or Celtic Frost. Tom G. Warrior’s (Triptykon) first project,2 Hellhammer distinguished itself more for its chaos and enthusiasm than its execution. Similarly, The Embrace of Cloacal Desire attacks with zealous verve, flitting through nine tracks of intermittently thrashy and doom-laden black metal. Despite the bold mashup of genres, though, Crotaline never quite brings their fangs within striking distance.

The Embrace of Cloacal Desire by Crotaline

Two primary issues plague The Embrace of Cloacal Desire, and each boils down to the same root cause—simplicity. While the drums supply a commendable rhythmic thunder, mostly Crotaline’s performance either plays too safe or lacks the technical firepower to achieve big moments. After a protracted minute-and-a-half intro, opener “Breeding the End” gets properly started. Unleashing a classic thrash riff recalling Bonded by Blood-era Exodus, a peppy bass groove joins in to underpin the melody. The pace slows at the chorus, cutting to a second riff before wending back to the main one. “Widow’s Web” kicks in next, treating listeners to a Venom-meets-Bathory hook that, just like the preceding song, tamps the brakes for vocals and a bridge. The pattern wears thin quickly, and The Embrace of Cloacal Desire suffers from this constricted songwriting—particularly in the back half. Too many half-formed ideas reach for big moments, only to topple into funereal crawls. For an album dedicated to dangerous snakes and sex organs, too often I’m left unthrilled and unfulfilled.

Ultimately, the lack of memorable passages and songs leaves The Embrace of Cloacal Desire as drab and listless as a shed snakeskin. Solid building blocks reside in Crotaline’s DNA, but the shapes of their assembled structures never coalesce into more than their constituent components. Where varying tempos can effectively lead to dynamic pacing and musical climaxes, Crotaline’s overuse of the fast-to-slow momentum shifts undercuts their songwriting. “As the Serpents Feast” exits the chorus and launches into a punky bridge begging for a wailing solo, but instead delivers an understated, unconvincing lead lacking excitement and dexterity. “Red Moon of Despair” starts promisingly enough, yet drops to a two-minute slog of glacial pacing. The same framework repeats on “Beneath the Reeds,” and yet again on “Hemipenes; The Embrace of Cloacal Desire.” Rather than mirroring a narrative or cleverly subverting expectations, these pivots can seem haphazard or lazy, leading to either frustration or boredom.

In spite of a great album concept and comparisons to bands I enjoy, Crotaline’s debut fails to charm my snake. Predictable songwriting and uninspired performances make The Embrace of Cloacal Desire’s thirty-five minutes feel longer than they are, and no song manages to entirely sidestep these issues. Even so, it takes guts to write this wild shit, and even more so to memorialize these ideas in song. Venom lurks within Crotaline, but the band needs to retool their bite. Hopefully they can figure it out and give us a rousing sophomore resurgence. Until then, I’m left to wonder if maybe I’m bored with it, or maybe it’s Crotaline.

Rating: Bad
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Liminal Dread Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 3rd, 2026

Withering Soul – Passage of the Arcane Review

By Andy-War-Hall

Much has changed in the decade since Withering Soul last graced this website. I was in high school when Madam X placed a scarlet 2.5 on Adverse Portrait, a scoring I would agree with wholeheartedly.1 It was an enjoyable but unfocused work, and its Moonspell-akin gothic tendencies didn’t mesh well with the band’s Dissection worship. But in a development not covered here, Withering Soul leveled up with 2021’s Last Contact, dropping the Type O Negative vocals almost entirely and amping up their blackened core with beefier riffs and more engaging compositions. Some gothic elements remained, and what did felt far better integrated into their style than before. Withering Soul continue down this stylistic path through their fifth album Passage of the Arcane, centered on the theme of “human experiences traversing into cursed oblivion.” Have Withering Soul really discovered a path of subliminal qualities, or will Passage of the Arcane only lead to disappointment?

Passage of the Arcane is a sensible progression from Last Contact for Withering Soul. Sporting Dark Fortress atmospheres brute-forced to life through death-influenced Dissection riffage, Withering Soul have departed even further from goth rock than Last Contact in favor of even more blistering melodic black metal. Gone are the low, clean croons of Withering Soul’s past, with lead man Christopher2 relying entirely on his powerful, hoarse screams for vocals. But the songs remain snappy with strong, hooky riffs and seamless transitions between various musical ideas. Death metal grime stains Withering Soul’s sonic tapestry on “Grievance Eludes the Light” and “Among Covetous Eyes,” while the sheen of synthesizers coats “Gallery of the End” and “Burden of the Valiant.” Withering Soul are clearly a talented bunch and everyone gets a chance to shine on Passage of the Arcane; with guitarist Frank G. layering “Gallery of the End” with a bright, melodic solo; drummer Rick hitting slick fills on “Grievance Eludes the Light” and bassist Joel dropping fat, sneaky lines on “Trajectory.” Withering Soul don’t break the mold with Passage of the Arcane, but they did craft an album better than their last.

There’s real dirt in Passage of the Arcane. The opening one-two-three punch of “Attrition Horizon,” “Grievance Eludes the Light,” and “The Monolith Embodied” sees Withering Soul swing with heavyweight might as Christopher and Frank G.’s guitars pummel through power chord abusive, tremolo-heavy riffs of winding, thrashy and frost rimed-natures. Things get more exploratory as Passage of the Arcane progresses, but Withering Soul never let off that initial intensity. Passage of the Arcane’s punchy production makes Rick’s kick drums really thump, and Joel’s bass comes through big time in Withering Soul’s chuggier, groovier moments (“Trajectory”). There’s an embarrassment of good riffs here, and everything clear of fat until, unfortunately, the closer “Burden of the Valiant,” but even that song picks up eventually. Like the blackened counterpart to Dormant Ordeal from earlier this year, Withering Soul more often than not embody aggression, dealing out some truly cut-throat metal on Passage of the Arcane.

But Withering Soul is held back from greatness by a lack of variety in certain areas. Riffs are multitudinous, but almost every guitar lead on Passage feels identical, usually consisting of basic eighth note arpeggios overtop tremolo riffs that don’t really do much to spruce up the chords (“Attrition Horizon,” “Gallery of the End,” “Burden of the Valiant”). It just stinks that Withering Soul couldn’t bring the creativity they have for rhythm guitar to lead. Similarly (and a bit ironically), vocal monotony is an issue, as Christopher only uses one style of scream across Passage of the Arcane’s 41 minutes. Perhaps a little goth bass singing wouldn’t go amiss, as a treat? These complaints may verge on nitpicks, but they are prominent and persistent enough to somewhat sully my enthusiasm for Passage of the Arcane.

Withering Soul assembled Passage of the Arcane out of common ingredients to the sub-genre, but tight songwriting and strong performances elevate the material. Though an immediate album in many ways, Passage was a grower for me, as repeat listenings revealed little details and how the pieces move. If you like your black metal riff-centric and melodic, this is an easy recommendation. Withering Soul may have reduced their sonic palette over the years, but the downsizing only made them leaner and meaner, and Passage of the Arcane is a lean, mean listen.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Liminal Dread Productions
Websites: witheringsoul.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/witheringsoulband | instagram.com/witheringsoul_77
Releases Worldwide: November 14th, 2025

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