In the Company of Serpents is breathing new life into the Denver metal scene

Cannabis and doom have long been
bedfellows, and things are no different in Denver, where In the Company of
Serpents (ICOS) is starting to take off as one of the biggest and most
successful doom bands from the city. Its large fan base and hypnotic sound have
brought it to the forefront of the doom scene both locally and internationally.

Grant Netzorg, guitarist and vocalist of
the band, describes ICOS’s music as “Angry caveman noises through a wall of
fuzzed-out amps. It’s dark, heavy rock and roll for fans of Black Sabbath,
Pentagram and any other riff-driven heavy music.” He and drummer Joseph Weller
Myer formed a few years ago when Myer replaced their previous drummer. The
group just released their second full length EP, Merging in Light, which the members feel is the band’s strongest
offering so far.

“We typically will just jam on riffs and
begin to layer in different elements like vocal patterns organically,” Netzorg
says about their creative process. “We have a tendency to focus on one song at
a time until we’re happy with it, and then we’ll start playing it live.”

The group certainly embraces cannabis,
as do most doom bands, but they don’t want that aspect of their lives to
comprise its entire image. “I don’t mind if someone calls us ‘stoner doom,’”
Netzorg says, “but I would argue that weed is so closely intertwined with all
forms of American music that you might as well append ‘stoner’ to any genre. Stoner
blues, stoner country, stoner hip-hop—seems plenty of musicians enjoy their
reefer! That said, weed does go particularly well with this sort of music. Slow,
groove-heavy Godzilla riffs and a room full dope smoke go together like
rainbows and unicorns.”

That being said, ICOS has embraced
cannabis both in its personal use and the band’s merchandise. “Our guiding
principle when it comes to merch is to make stuff that we would be stoked about
as fans,” states Netzorg. “You always see jam bands and reggae acts with
weed-centric merch, but you seldom see heavy bands with it, despite there being
multitudes of metal head stoners out there. We’ve done glass pipes, magnetic
grinders and vape pens for dabs in the past, and we are currently having some
ultra-thin hemp rolling papers made as well.” Sold mostly at local shows in a
city with legal cannabis, this merchandise goes over very well with fans and
has helped to increase its popularity in the local scene.

ICOS loves the Denver metal scene, and it
is proud to be from a state that has legalized cannabis. However, it still does
see some issues with the current system. “We’re stoked that it happened, and we hope to see the rest of the
country follow suit soon,” Netzorg says about legalization. “One change
I’d like to see would be for cannabis activists to quit constantly
demonizing alcohol in an attempt to gain support for pot. Is alcohol more
harmful when abused? Certainly. But, constantly wagging a finger at
Boogeyman Booze smacks of the same inane moralistic arguments that have been
levied against cannabis since the ‘Reefer Madness’ days. Legalizing
recreational pot was in many ways about letting responsible adults partake
responsibly, and this sort of thinking contradicts that. Plus, Colorado’s
craft beer and weed industries should be best buds. Ask anyone who’s
paired top quality Kush with a delicious, citrusy IPA.”

This
band certainly knows its metal and its cannabis, and is a boon to a local scene
flush with new cannabis startups, bands and other proactive endeavors. We hope
to see this group move forward in both the Denver and the international scenes
over the coming years.

inthecompanyofserpentsdoom.bandcamp.com

IN
CONCERT

June 10
@ Hi-Dive in Denver.