SERPENT COLUMN

Tech/Extreme Prog Metal • United States

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Serpent Column biography
In existence from 2015 to 2020, Serpent Column was a North American progressive black metal studio project, spearheaded by Jimmy Hamzey. Originally adopting the stage name Theophilos, Serpent Column began as the vehicle for Hamzey's decidedly anti-social outlook, informed by Heidegger, Homer and Nietzsche, his discography lyrically and thematically linked by "the struggle between our ancient brains and the conditions of human civilization." Serpent Column's style was rooted in a ferocious, technical black metal with mathcore flourishes, its songwriting a winding labyrinthine maze of frenetic riffing both dissonant and melodic, at times resembling a blackened Converge or Botch. The project released three full-length albums and three EPs during its tenure, with each cover illustrated by Greek-based U.S. expatriate Jane Morris Pack. Hamzey claimed primary inspiration from Kayo Dot and Toby Driver, Finnish black metal bands Sargeist, Vitsaus and Horna, John Coltrane, Aaron Turner, Tim Hecker and composers such as Beethoven, Bruckner and Wagner, with Deathspell Omega becoming a more important influence in the wake of his debut.

Performing guitar, bass and vocals, Hamzey's early recordings were collaborative works with musician Maya Chun, who provided programmed drums, electronics and additional vocals, with the two appearing on Serpent Column's first album, 2017's Ornuthi Thalassa, and the 2018 EP Invicta. Initially released independently, Ornuthi Thalassa drew the attention of Fallen Empire Records, which reissued the LP on vinyl in 2018 along with Invicta later in the year before the label's dissolution. In 2019, Hamzey - now known as Theophonos - signed to the Fallen Empire sub-label Myst�skaos, a collective run by Wormlust's H.V. Lyngdal and Sk�phe's Alex Poole. With Hamzey's songwriting process and performance techniques enhanced by learning most of the guitar parts for Deathspell Omega's Paracletus and The Synarchy of Molten Bones, Serpent Column issued its sophomore LP, Mirror in Darkness. In place of Chun was Kostnatěn� mastermind Dillon Lyons, whose vocals were blended with Hamzey's across the album.

The latter half of Serpent Column's discography was markedly a one-man affair. 2020 saw the release of the Endless Detainment EP and its follow-up album Kathodos. Experiencing a philosophical change-of-heart and desire to leave behind the intense negativity which defined his work, Hamzey quietly ended Serpent Column the same year, starti...In existence from 2015 to 2020, Serpent Column was a North American progressive black metal studio project, spearheaded by Jimmy Hamzey. Originally adopting the stage name Theophilos, Serpent Column began as the vehicle for Hamzey's decidedly anti-social outlook, informed by Heidegger, Homer and Nietzsche, his discography lyrically and thematically linked by "the struggle between our ancient brains and the conditions of human civilization." Serpent Column's style was rooted in a ferocious, technical black metal with mathcore flourishes, its songwriting a winding labyrinthine maze of frenetic riffing both dissonant and melodic, at times resembling a blackened Converge or Botch. The project released three full-length albums and three EPs during its tenure, with each cover illustrated by Greek-based U.S. expatriate Jane Morris Pack. Hamzey claimed primary inspiration from Kayo Dot and Toby Driver, Finnish black metal bands Sargeist, Vitsaus and Horna, John Coltrane, Aaron Turner, Tim Hecker and composers such as Beethoven, Bruckner and Wagner, with Deathspell Omega becoming a more important influence in the wake of his debut.

Performing guitar, bass and vocals, Hamzey's early recordings were collaborative works with musician Maya Chun, who provided programmed drums, electronics and additional vocals, with the two appearing on Serpent Column's first album, 2017's Ornuthi Thalassa, and the 2018 EP Invicta. Initially released independently, Ornuthi Thalassa drew the attention of Fallen Empire Records, which reissued the LP on vinyl in 2018 along with Invicta later in the year before the label's dissolution. In 2019, Hamzey - now known as Theophonos - signed to the Fallen Empire sub-label Myst�skaos, a collective run by Wormlust's H.V. Lyngdal and Sk�phe's Alex Poole. With Hamzey's songwriting process and performance techniques enhanced by learning most of the guitar parts for Deathspell Omega's Paracletus and The Synarchy of Molten Bones, Serpent Column issued its sophomore LP, Mirror in Darkness. In place of Chun was Kostnatěn� mastermind Dillon Lyons, whose vocals were blended with Hamzey's across the album.

The latter half of Serpent Column's discography was markedly a one-man affair. 2020 saw the release of the Endless Detainment EP and its follow-up album Kathodos. Experiencing a philosophical change-of-heart and desire to leave behind the intense negativity which defined his work, Hamzey quietly ended Serpent Column the same year, starting anew with the mononymous project Theophonos, with the posthumous final EP Katartisis arriving late 2021.

Fans of Dodecahedron, Kostnatěn�, Hoplites, Noise Trail Immersion, Plebian Grandstand and Krallice are advised to investigate further.

- Gordy, June 2023read more