VERSES OF SEVERANCE have released their debut EP, Serpents of the North, today, October 23. The self-released record is out now on Bandcamp and streaming platforms.
The project brings together a Ukrainian singer and multi-instrumentalist with two guitarists based in the Netherlands, and Serpents of the North is the first release under the name. Its three songs, running just over 24 minutes, draw on Ukrainian poetry written since the start of the full-scale russian invasion. The closing track, "Chalice," is built on the work of Maksym Kryvtsov, the poet and soldier killed at the front in January 2024; the band says his family and publisher approved the use of his words.
Tracklist:
- Serpents of the North
- Claws of the Dark
- Chalice
The same three songs will also appear on the band's first full-length, planned for early 2027.
"Chalice" arrived as the debut single in September, together with a live studio video filmed at De Kerk in Groningen:
We've already reviewed the EP and gave it 8/10. In our review we called it a debut that sounds nothing like a first attempt: the title track opens at full force with blastbeats and screams, "Claws of the Dark" is the darkest and most compact song of the three, and the 11-minute "Chalice" moves between calm and storm, holding back vocals until past the four-minute mark. Our tip for newcomers is to start with "Claws of the Dark."
Order & Stream "Serpents of the North": Bandcamp
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