Metalcatto
I’m not a Servant expert. I know the band has gathered some attention in the underground. The Melodic Black Metal movement is a big deal now—Dissection has been vindicated. However, Lux Ex Inferis cover art made me skeptical. Like, why does it look so CGI? I’ve seen AI art more convincing. Anyway, I was still expecting the music to impress me, but most of all, to feel real.
The last part was true. Lux is raw enough to be respectable Melodic Black Metal. It could have fooled me into thinking this was like Groza, but Servant is aggressive enough to avoid mellower territory—nothing wrong with that, okay. The tracks feel dense and expansive, but they’re usually not long. They just feel that way because you’re being emotionally punished, but you like that, right? The production strikes a balance between clarity and grit, allowing the melodies to breathe without sacrificing the genre’s characteristic coldness. It’s not polished enough to sound commercial, but not raw enough to be unlistenable.
Lux is heavily carried by its guitar work. At times, it made me think of …And Oceans, but it’s more direct, more Spectral Wound. The riffs are sharp and memorable, weaving between melancholic tremolo passages and more aggressive, almost thrashy sections. The vocals do sound like someone chugged a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, though. So yes, destroyed and decadent, only the way cheap whisky can do. I should also say: people, there’s an intro track here that doesn’t suck. It’s hard to believe. Yet that brings me to talking about the sucky parts.
Actually, it’s not bad. Servant does a solid job and stays consistent all the way through. Perhaps my issue would be that the album has certain writing peaks—like in the first half—that don’t quite replicate in the later parts. It’s nothing terrible, but I felt that after the fifth track, the music wasn’t as memorable. As in, I only recall riffs from the earlier half. Not that I hate it. The later tracks are still competent, but they lack the same spark that made the opening so engaging. They’re not filler, but they don’t elevate the album further either. It’s a slight drop, not a crash.
So, Lux is a solid entry. It gives you exactly what it promises. It might have better tracks than others in it, but the overall product is brutal enough to be respected by us—the snobbish and disgusting reviewers who have no problem trashing bands from the safety of anonymity and sofas. it’s a good reminder that MeloBlack can pack a punch without losing its edge.
Label: AOP Records
Release date: October 2nd, 2026
Website: facebook.com/servantmagick
Country: Germany
Score: 3.5/5.0
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