REVIEW: In The Company Of Serpents - A Crack in Everything

A scavenging vulture calls through a desolate desert. Heavy, black boots kick up sand in their path. Into a rundown town on the fringes of the American frontier saunter three men clad in black, the sun a distant memory in the blackened sky above. The scene is now set for In the Company of Serpents' fifth studio album, A Crack in Everything. The Denver doom metal trio have always questioned the limits and boundaries of genre, and their latest release is no stranger to that, marrying up acoustic, spaghetti western tones to crushing doom riffs in a combination that can only be described as a cinematic vision.

The album takes its title from Leonard Cohen's 'Anthem'; in this, he sings "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.' That line encapsulates the album's themes entirely – it's a personal piece, born from emotional defeat and a losing battle with alcoholism, but despite the misery and loss, it sets out to find that crack where the light can shine through, that glimmer of hope in the distance.

The nine-track LP kicks off with 'Don't Look In The Mirror', a perfect establishing shot for what to expect with this record. Clashing drums from Andy Thomas meet powerful riffs from Ben Pitts, in the lead-up to deep, guttural vocals from Grant Netzorg. The track delves into Netzorg's personal struggles with depression and addiction, the despair channelled into visceral intensity. What follows is 'A Patchwork Art', a song that encapsulates the band's style and themes. It begins with the western twang of guitars, an intro that wouldn't be out of place in a Clint Eastwood movie, but it isn’t long before the growling vocals arrive on the horizon. Over the course of the track, the spaghetti western themes begin to bend and buckle under the weight of the heavy sludge, giving way entirely by the end. The track evokes a certain image; a showdown in the sandy streets of the old west, the light leaving the sky as darkness takes over. It's a symbolic battle between light and dark, despair and depression coming out the apparent winner.

'Delirium' follows, an acoustic piece in the transition between scenes. It offers a well-needed reprieve from the crushing gloom. The peace is short-lived, however, as 'Cinders' arrives on the scene soon after. It falls in line with the rest of the tracks, tying together raw, emotional intensity, with eerie instrumental passages. Memorable riffs cling tightly to the mind, though ultimately this track does little to stand out among its companions.

First single release, and fifth track 'Endless Well' features guest vocals from Jeff Owens from the band Goya, bringing a new fighter to this perpetual internal battle, and with him, soaring backing vocals that offer a welcome contrast in style. The track is ultimately about "daydreaming for some cataclysm to come along and wipe the collective slate clean," Netzorg says, and that wish for the apocalypse is evident in the sludge metal riffs that run through this one. However, it's not all about wallowing in despair – in its ending lines, it suggests there is a way to escape this self-imposed prison cell: "Resurrection, or perhaps rebirth? A fierce rejection of this state: inert," Netzorg growls.

'Buzzard Logic' is one of the longer tracks in this album, hitting a sprawling, darkness-infused eight minutes. It's one that lands definitively in the camp of metal, and brings a very welcome increase in tempo that helps to break up the length – unfortunately, that speed is brief, before the track returns to the status quo of slower, esoteric melodies. Another instrumental interlude, 'Tremens', follows. It's the kind of slow, relaxed strumming you might expect at a campfire out in the wilds of the desert, and leads into the next track well. 'Until Death Darkens Our Door' is a standout in that it primarily takes the southern gothic approach in both vocals and instrumentals. The band's Denver roots come through most here, dark country influence permeating its sorrowful tones. It's a track that informs listeners of why the band stand out amongst the crowd – they're far from your average post-metal band, bending the constraints of genre and style.

Finally, we reach 'Ghosts On The Periphery'. A haunting climax to this inner turmoil, the shadows of the all-consuming darkness within revealing themselves in their entirety. Another track of eight minutes, though this length feels earned. After six brutal minutes of crushing guitar and bass, we're given the radiance of light through the return of the spaghetti western instrumentals. To close off this saga, the final, eponymous lines are spoken:

"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."

A Crack in Everything stands out in the band's repertoire as a deeply personal collection of tracks, delving into themes of addiction and depression. It straddles the line between genres, never quite clashing with its southern guitar twangs and growling doom metal vocals. While the tracks each have their own merits, one point of contention may be that some struggle to stand out, hard to distinguish from others in style and form. Ultimately, this album is a well-crafted saga of darkness and light, and In the Company of Serpents have proven themselves as standouts in the genre.

Score: 7/10

A Crack in Everything was released on July 11th 2025.

Words: Naomi Colliar Duff

Photos: In The Company Of Serpents