At first spin I was tempted to write this off as yet another generic Black Metal album, but I would have been remiss if I did that, as this album gets better with repeated listens, and after many spins I find myself coming back to it more than I would have thought. This is the first proper release for this Polish band, who have 6 years of demos behind them, but now, finally, a contract with Adipocere and a fine release with "Serpenthrone".

Abused Majesty (name and lyrics both indicate a language barrier at work here) play fast, blasty Black Metal with a heavy edge and sharp production usually characteristic of Death/Black bands like God Dethroned or Belphegor – and there is a similarity to bands of that kind. But really, Abused Majesty play more involved songs with more layered melodies and intricate arrangements than is the standard for 'deathy' bands. They don't use much in the way of keys – at least I don't hear them – they just wring out speedy blasts of evil like "A Dream Of Sleeping Warriors" or "Upon The Throne Of Serpents". The concept of the album – a story adapted from early Scythian mythology – is original and cool, but the poor translation of the lyrics makes it hard to tell what is really supposed to be happening.

So this band is not creating anything too original, but they do it up very well indeed, and "Serpenthrone" is a highly enjoyable album with more depth and staying power than other albums of it's kind. If not a masterwork, then a worthy debut nonetheless.