|
|
|
|
Austria's Serenity was formed in 2001 and they have released two CDs on their
own before signing with their fellow countrymen Napalm Records. Napalm is not
a label you would expect this album to come from as Serenity dwells within
the power metal genre. Ok, sure, they have released music from artists such
as Nightmare and Siegfried but they are still mostly known as a label dealing
with avantgarde music of the darker nature. Nonetheless, here we are and
Serenity's debut album is up for scrutiny. I can't help but compare this one
to the new album from Britain's progressive metal veterans Threshold that I
reviewed a few days ago because although Serenity is a power metal band above
anything else there are strong progressive tendencies present in their music
at most times. There are some similarities in the song writing between both
bands but I personally find Serenity frontman Georg Neuhauser's vocals to be
slightly more soulful these days.
Mario Hirzinger is the man behind the keyboard arrangements on the album and these are fundamental in creating an extra dimension that sets Serenity one step ahead of the great mass of bands within the genre. Just listen to the haunting opening minute of "Engraved Within" for example which then breaks into the passionate vocals of Georg Neuhauser. Other noteworthy moments of the album include "Reduced To Nothingness" where Georg performs a very intense passage and the sad yet beautiful "Forever", a song that should definitely appeal to fans of Sonata Arctica. Even though there is apparent talent within Serenity, they are slightly uneven and the guitar work is sometimes uninspiring. A decent debut but they need to improve to be able to compete with the best in their genre.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Canopus |
| 2. Reduced To Nothingness |
| 3. Words Untold |
| 4. Circle Of My 2nd Life |
| 5. Engraved Within |
| 6. Forever |
| 7. Dreams Unlived |
| 8. Dead Man Walking |
| 9. From Where The Dark Is Born |
| 10. Thriven |
: 47.30
| Buy other Serenity albums |
