BLACKENED ROSE: LOVE OF THE SERPENTINE EYE SINGLE REVIEW
Blackened Rose of Gadigal/Sydney is a Gothic Metal band, sprung from the inspiration of the melancholic beauty of Goth Metal and charisma of 80's Hard Rock. Blackened Rose formed in 2022, releasing their debut Single Ginger Red (Oh, So bad), followed by the Single Crimson Red Snow
in January 2026. 'Love of the Serpentine Eye' is the latest single from Blackened Rose, released on July 3rd. The kiss of night, Has buried me, Within my dreams. The kiss of dawn, Has split my eyes, Yet still I can’t see. Love of the Serpentine Eye begins with a Gothic ballad straight out of the 1994 adaptation of "The Crow" with dramatic low and haunting tones, before it switches dramatically into the polarizing bright sounds of Hard Rock. The sound switches once more as it heads into the gritty intro of a theatrical guitar solo, before returning into the gothic-rock blend of the beginning of the track. The contrasting styles amplify the theme of manipulation, as you switch between the public "bright and happy" and the private "heavy and dangerous" faces of a manipulator.
Aleksei says: "Musically, 'Love of the Serpentine Eye' was inspired by the heavy doomy riffing of Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath, while the lyrics centre around a manipulative person, who uses someone else's feelings for their own gain. The primary lyrical inspiration came from a song 'Love in Cold Blood' by Finnish gothic metal band HIM."
Lies of the devils, Can poison sweet angels’ hearts. Cyanide apples, The love of the serpentine eye. In nomine Veneris. The sun, Breaks the bleak dawn. In armis Veneris, Past any hope. The entire track is bought together
by the snake charmer vocal stylings of Aleksei Iagunkov. Aleksei flows between deep and smooth gothic tones with dramatic inflections and rolling of phrases, and the higher clean sounds of Hard Rock, bringing an interesting and eccentric resonance to the track. Overall Love of the Serpentine Eye is an interesting blend of Horror Vampire aesthetics, Ozzy Osbourne high vocals and Classic Heavy Metal sounds. Lyrically, Love of the Serpentine Eye is a piece of gothic poetry, with tantalizing turn of phrases and dramatic imagery. And now you see, His gaze has turned to me, Love entwined with lie, In a serpentine eye. Now you hear, Hiss has reached your ears, Kiss of venom and sly, With the serpentine eye.
You can find Blackened Rose on: Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and X
For Fans Of: Type O Negative, HIM, Whitesnake and The 69 Eyes
9/10
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