Did you forget?: Serpentine Dominion

In case this passed you by, crazy man Adam from Killswitch Engage and dude man George from Cannibal Corpse did a project in 2016 and it is called Serpentine Dominion. No, really, it's true. This is what happened.

Serpentine Dominion

Serpentine Dominion

Metal Blade Records

OFFICIAL: Imagine Killswitch Engage at their heaviest, with the immediately recognizable guitar playing of Adam Dutkiewicz, the precision drumming of former The Black Dahlia Murder member Shannon Lucas, and the legendary death metal growl of Cannibal Corpse's George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. That concoction would come to be known as Serpentine Dominion.

The origins of Serpentine Dominion can be traced back to 2009's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. That year, the fest was host to one of its finest lineups, ever, and included Killswitch Engage, Cannibal Corpse, and The Black Dahlia Murder. During that fateful summer, Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz made a proposition to Cannibal Corpse vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher: "George, I want to write you a record."

"Honestly, I just love his voice. To me, he's the best singer in death metal," states Dutkiewicz. That was really it, Adam D wanted to create a metal album with Corpsegrinder. On the Mayhem Fest tour, Lucas, who performed with The Black Dahlia Murder through 2012, was tapped to record drums on the album. Between 2009 and 2016, Cannibal Corpse and Killswitch Engage released three albums each, so it's fair to say that scheduling time to work on Serpentine Dominion was no easy feat. The vast majority of Serpentine Dominion was written by Dutkiewicz within a year, but much of the vocal tracking wouldn't be complete until 2016, as Fisher tracked vocals at Adam D's studio when both of their rigorous schedules allowed.

Killswitch Engage vocalist Jesse Leach penned the lyrics for Serpentine Dominion. Adam D explains: "He gave me a lot of free-form writing, then I would place them, add parts, and structure them into the songs afterwards for George." The band name and album concept revolve around corruption within the government, religion, big business, etc. It's an intentional departure from the topics normally covered by either Killswitch Engage or Cannibal Corpse. Additionally, the concept is incredibly topical, given in the United States is in the middle of one of the most contentious election years in history - and the fact that the album is scheduled for release on October 28th, merely days before the US presidential election, is perfect timing.

Ultimately, though, Serpentine Dominion's self-titled debut is purely a passion project. There are no expectations, there is no pressure, and it was written and recorded simply for what musicians get into music for in the first place: fun. When asked about his favorite aspects of the album, Adam D, in his usual self deprecating fashion, remarked, "I love the guys that are I nvolved... they're damn so talented, man. I think my guitar playing and singing is the lack luster part about it!"

The question many fans will surely ask, will there ever be shows? The intention is to play this album live somewhere at some point, of course, as schedules allow. The album is set for release on October 28th, 2016 worldwide via Metal Blade Records.

Serpentine Dominion line-up:

Adam Dutkiewicz - guitars

George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher - vocals

Shannon Lucas - drums

Serpentine Dominion "The Vengeance in Me"

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