Doom Metal releases are sometimes not as easy to review as their Death / Black brothers and if the discussion comes to THE WANDERING MIDGET the status must be changed from easy to difficult. The Finnish band is another newcomer to the Doom family and after their 2007 MCD (“I Am The Gate”) via Eyes Like Snow they are presenting their official debut with “The Serpent Coven”. What makes this release so difficult / enjoyable for the listener is the mixture of the traditional 70s influences with some experimental parts which gives this music more than one edge and several trap doors. The roots of the five songs (plus intro) can be found in the 70s, a fact which is applicable to nearly the whole new Doom generation. But the band is really trying to leave the wellknown territory and especially the vocals could be found in any Irish Pagan Metal band, for example MAEL MORDHA. So you must really get used to them before you can enjoy THE WANDERING MIDGET. Especially the first song ‘Taynia’ with a very dynamic end part is the highlight of the album but also the other songs can offer – with a big portion of patience – real dark moments. “The Serpent Coven” has definitely something to offer for all fans of the new growing Doom scene and the “normal” Metalheads because the band is also incorporating traditional Metal parts in their hyper long songs. But the record must be deeply discovered and you need more than five runs to find a key to the dark chambers of this Finnish combo. www.the-wandering-midget.tk, www.northern-silence.de