PHL City Paper Posted: Thu, May. 23, 2013, 12:00 AM: Serpent Throne’s Adventures in Metal and Celluloid

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Serpent Throne’s Adventures in Metal and Celluloid

What happens when Ozzy Osbourne asks you to shoot a promo video for him.

Elliott Sharp

City Paper

NO BONE MOVIES: Members of Serpent Throne — (clockwise from top left) Don Argott, Colin Smith, Demian Fenton and Sean-Paul Fenton — are also filmmakers who’ve worked on local hits The Art of the Steal and Resurrect Dead.
Dante Torrieri
NO BONE MOVIES: Members of Serpent Throne — (clockwise from top left) Don Argott, Colin Smith, Demian Fenton and Sean-Paul Fenton — are also filmmakers who’ve worked on local hits The Art of the Steal and Resurrect Dead.

Demian Fenton and Don Argott met one of their heroes a few years ago. The two local filmmakers were hired to shoot a promotional video for a music-industry client’s new album.

The client? Ozzy freaking Osbourne.

“We rolled up and there were all these fancy New York photographers there,” recalls Fenton. “And we looked like two dirtbags. When Ozzy saw us, he came over — he gravitated toward us — and told us stories about recording the first Sabbath album. It was totally rad.”

Fenton and Argott didn’t tell Ozzy about their own Sabbath-inspired, instrumental metal band, Serpent Throne, or that they had just released an album titled Ride Satan Ride, or that track seven was called “Back Stabbeth.”

“We didn’t need to tell him,” says Fenton. “He could tell we were huge fans — he knew just by looking at us.”

Serpent Throne formed in 2005, right after Fenton (editor) and Argott (director) finished making Rock School, a documentary about the Paul Green School of Rock Music. It was their first doc, and it was stressful, so they needed to blow off steam. “We rented a small practice space to set some amps up and riff, loudly,” says Fenton. “Slowly, but surely, everyone showed up, and we became Serpent Throne. There was no intention to start a band — we were just staying sane while making films.”

Fenton and Argott, both guitarists, have wrapped several documentaries since that first practice, includingThe Art of the Steal, about the Barnes Foundation’s controversial move to Philly, and Last Days Here, about the lead singer of Pentagram. Serpent Throne’s bassist, Colin Smith, has also picked up a film credit since then, namely as the producer, writer and co-star of Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles.

Serpent Thone’s drummer, (Demian’s brother) Sean-Paul Fenton, is the only band member not involved in film. But he’s a web programmer, and when he was hired to make a web site for some Vietnam veterans who flew helicopters during the war, the idea for the band’s fourth album was born. Released on April 30, Brother Lucifer is about soldiers who worship the devil and drop acid during the Vietnam War.

There are no lyrics — just savage shredding and scowling grooves. But you can feel the soldiers struggle as reality and morality disappear, and they ultimately embrace the dark lord. It’s heavy.

“We normally bullshit about a goofy concept — usually the plot from a crappy B-movie — and take it from there,” Demian says. “We just start jamming, and we never take ourselves too seriously.”

He pauses, and then corrects himself.

“Well, actually, we do take the riffing very seriously.”

(editorial@citypaper.net)

Tue., May 28, 8 p.m., $12-$14, with Weedeater, Fight Amp and Old Wounds, Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com.

Sea of Tranquility reviews Oblivion Sun – The High Places

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http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=14498

Oblivion Sun: The High Places

Founding members of legendary prog act Happy the Man, Stanley Whitaker (guitar, vocals) and Frank Wyatt (keyboards, reeds) formed a new band back in 2007 called Oblivion Sun, and unleashed their self-titled debut album to a fanbase that was more than ready to welcome them with open arms. Fast forward to 2013, and the band are back with their sophomore release The High Places, along with new members David Hughes (bass) and Bill Brasso (drums).

As long as you have Whitaker & Wyatt involved, you can guess that the music is going to at least somewhat have that Happy the Man flair to it, and The High Places most certainly does. Instrumental tracks “Deckard”, “March of the Mushroom Men”, and “Dead Sea Squirrels” contain many of the elements that fans always loved about HtM, mainly Stan’s unique guitar stylings and the quirky keyboard work of Wyatt. While it’s of course progressive rock, the music has an element of jazz fusion to it as well, which can be attributed to Wyatt’s majestic piano lines and occasional use of saxophone, not to mention the often intense interplay between the lead guitar & keyboard lines. “Everything” is a tender vocal piece, which adds a brief few moments of respite between the instrumental tracks that surround it, but the main attraction here is the 22-minute title track. Broken up into six parts, this epic tale of dreams, Heaven, Earth, fantastic battles, and unspeakable beauty, sees the band pull out all the stops, with hints of classic HtM, Genesis, and Camel, and featuring fantastic Peter Gabriel inspired vocals from Whitaker, sizzling guitar work, complex rhythms, vintage sounding keyboards, and a great variety of tones, textures, atmosphere, and melody. It’s all a prog rock epic should be, and proof that the old HtM mates can still put together a lengthy composition of this nature.

Some might be left wanting more at barely 40 minutes, but The High Places doesn’t overstep its bounds here and delivers a tight little package that impresses on all levels. If you’re looking for some new prog here in 2013 to sink your teeth into, check this one out and let the old guys show you how it’s done.

Added: May 12th 2013
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score: 

Serpent Throne | Brother Lucifer Review in The Obelisk

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Serpent Throne, Brother Lucifer: (Apocalypse) Now or Never (Say Die)

Underrated Philly instrumentalists Serpent Throne have a talent for making songs memorable without the use of lyrics. Brother Lucifer is their fourth album, released thro [...]

http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2013/04/11/serpent-throne-brother-lucifer-review/

 

Oblivion Sun takes it’s The High Places show to the streets.

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Oblivion Sun takes it’s The High Places show to the streets.

Saturday, May 11th: a New Jersey Proghouse Production at Roxy & Duke’s Roadhouse in Dunellen, NJ. www.njproghouse.com

Saturday, May 18th: a Mike Potter Progressive Rock Showcase at Orion Studios in Baltimore, MD.www.orionsound.com

Appearing with us at each show will be progressive rock sextet 3rd Degree as the opening act.

For those of you in the NJ/NY area, you know who you are. For those in the DC/Baltimore area, we know who you are.

More show dates to follow.

 

Dave

www.oblivionsun.com

Oblivion Sun | This High Places review in Progwerld

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http://www.progwereld.org/cms/recensies/album/oblivion-sun-%E2%80%93-the-high-places/

Oblivion Sun - The High Places

[translated by Google from Dutch]

I always find it so incredibly special that you get to the first few notes of a music sheet can already hear for any artist or band in question.That was earlier example with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. And in our own prog street to stay, that was quick recognition among others attended Supertramp (the restless Wurlitzer pianootje), the old Genesis and Yes.

And now here for me an album from a band which also rises: Oblivion Sun. Heu .. will tell you never heard of. But the inveterate prog lover – who does not shun the more complex music and in possession of a trained progoor-says the band name Happy The Man certainly something.Oblivion Sun should you also see it as a relaunch of Happy The Man. We miss really only Kit Watkins, keyboardist Peter Bardens to Camel ever replaced, but that is now behind the buttons.

After the debut album with the same name Oblivion Sun from 2007, especially guitarist Stan Whitaker and keyboardist / saxophonist Frank Wyatt again managed a very interesting slice of progressive rock with high quality produce.

What should I write about this sublime album. No, I first but as the word to someone much better than me, colleague Wouter Bessels that the debut album of Oblivion Sun wrote the following:

“Oblivion Sun is definitely one of the highlights of 2007 progressive. A plate on which authentic handling operations with melodic themes and musical clichés which absolutely not at issue. A group that might on stage for a thrill going worry, I hope it comes to that. The reader will not be surprised that this is compulsory reading for Happy The Man lovers, while others are interested in this CD an album in your home that stands for American progressive rock at its best. ”

And yes, for this album, “The High Places”, is exactly the same, great musicians, fresh compositions and optimum production. You get on this album than forty minutes of top notch prog served. Well will you silver disc several times in your CD player must rotate if the music in your head decisively. The only exception is the song March Of The Mushrooms that very Celtic visiting, a beautiful melody knows, and that too on a Camel Eske way guitar is fitted ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZuLy76eA6E&feature=player_embedded ) .

The music of Oblivion Sun is actually nothing to compare with, but maybe you do a bit of waiting. Well, think of a mix of our own Solution , the old hard work of Hackett and King Crimson with a light sauce prog Iluvatar on a bed of Supersister , or that idiotic references?

The soprano sax Frank Wyatt fits like a glove in the music of Oblivion Sun, while the same man also excels on keyboards. Guitarist Stanley Whitaker plays the stars of heaven on both acoustic and electric guitar. And what of the compositions, rarely do you hear such a different combination of chord play. Whitaker is on this album, the singer and I’m not really fond of. There the old hands might want to hire a guest vocalist.

In summary, we have here an album of very high quality with very recognizable own sound. And that is extremely clever at this time when all prog music already chewed and looks alike. ”The High Places” from Oblivion Sun to me is already one of the highlights of 2013. Let’s hope that the company his skills also visit our continent is showing because you bet that I will stand in front!

Joop Klazinga