Serenity - Death & Legacy (2011)

Serenity - Death & Legacy

It's always a pleasure when, as a listener, you stumble upon a band that you haven't listened to before. And so was the case when I first discovered the music of Serenity, accidentally stumbling upon the video for "The Chevalier" on YouTube one day. A few days later, Death & Legacy arrived through my letterbox and so began a new discovery for me in the world of power metal.

The thing that really lets down Serenity is their past efforts. 'Fallen Sanctuary' wasn' a terrible album, but it didn't exactly set the musical world alight. It was a rather mediocre album with small sprinklings of inspiration. Luckily, Death & Legacy represents a band who have really upped their game. From the opening aural cascade of "Set Sail To..." into the orchestral chords of "New Horizons", it's clear that this is a more polished listening experience.
It is true that Serenity haven't exactly pushed the boundaries of their genre, but this is nonetheless a very well made album from a band who not only play to their strengths, but also seem very aware of what the listeners expects from an album of this type. Songs such as "The Chevalier" (with a guest vocal appearance from Sirenia's Ailyn) and "State of Siege" possess soaring choruses, whilst "Far From Home" is an epic musical adventure from start to finish. The album follows the theme of historial figures, with every song portraying the story of famous figures from history such as Christopher Columbus, Sir Francis Drake, Giacomo Casanova and Marco Polo. But it's not a silly concept album full of songs with little impact- in fact, you could completely ignore the lyrical content of the songs and simply enjoy the sheer levels of musicianship occuring underneath.

The band themselves are in fine form. The guitar work is as you'd expect, with moments of flourish interspersed with simpler musical efforts, but all of it seems to work in the context of the album. The acoustic playing on "Changing Fate" is effective if not particularly challenging, but it matters little. After all, Serenity are a band who have a lot more going on with their music than just guitar work. The orchsetral sections are the finest factor on this album, with the opening to "State of Siege" being a certain high point of the album. The band don't hold back on the heavier side of things, either, with "When Canvas Starts to Burn" possessing a thrash-y riff that even Metallica would be proud of. The witch hunt themed "Serenade of Flames" also possesses a metallic crunch that some of the softer songs on this album do not. The vocal performance of Georg Neuhauser is up there with his contemporaries, channelling the likes of Sonata Arctica's Tony Kakko and even Nightwish's Marco Hietala on the heavier moments of the album. However, Neuhauser tempers all this with his own unique style, which seems familiar yet wonderfully individual at the same time.

As is the case with this style of music, you're unlikely to be unimpressed if you hate the likes of power metal or symphonic metal. If you're a fan of this genre, though, which is surely where the appeal of the album will lie, you're likely to find something to really like here. It's not a fantastic album but it's an impressive effort packed full of songs that demonstrate a real keen ear for a good tune. If this represents a turning point in Serenity's career, which I sincerely hope it does, here's hoping it leads to even greater things.
This is the sound of a band who know what they're doing, and who do it very well.

copas from http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/46862/Serenity-Death-%26amp%3B-Legacy/

Tracklist:
01. Set Sail To… (Intro)
02. New Horizons
03. The Chevalier [feat. Pilar "Ailyn" Giménez García]
04. Far From Home
05. Heavenly Mission
06. Prayer (Interlude) [feat. Pilar "Ailyn" Giménez García]
07. State Of Siege
08. Changing Fate [feat. Amanda Somerville]
09. When Canvas Starts To Burn
10. Serenade Of Flames [feat. Charlotte Wessels]
11. Youngest Of Widows [Limited Digipack bonus]
12. Below Eastern Skies (Interlude)
13. Beyond Desert Sands
14. To India's Shores [Limited Digipack bonus]
15. Lament (Interlude)
16. My Legacy

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Serenity - Fallen Sanctuary (2008)

Serenity - Fallen Sanctuary

Last year the full-length debut of Austrian Progressive Power Metallers SERENITY was definitely one of the nice surprises of 2007, and was one of those albums that marked the opening of Napalm Records to other styles. Now they are trying to prove with “Fallen Sanctuary” that they can keep up the good work and that it was not a one-off thing and I was very eager to hear, how they would compare up to the predecessor, especially as the expectations for the new disc were a lot higher than for their label debut.

The first thing that strikes is the cover artwork, where the (new) logo is featured a lot more prominently and I can’t shake off the image of a KAMELOT cover with more blue instead of dark red either, but that’s only the visual side, because musically the Austrians continue with their foundation of Melodic Metal with infusions of Progressive and Power Metal, borne by the always cohesive and catchy song writing and the excellent vocals of Georg Neuhauser, who has this expressiveness and clarity in his voice that manages to elevate the songs higher, but without sounding too slick and smooth and while still having a certain bombastic element in their songs, it is to enhance the compositions instead of being the focal point.

The opener “All Lights Reversed” is a great example for what to expect on SERENITY’s latest album, with variety, opulent orchestrations (courtesy of Lanvall of EDENBRIDGE), the very tasteful and effective use of choirs and the already mentioned great vocals and while everything is very grand and epic, there still is enough crunch in the guitars and drums to keep the song firmly rooted in Metal. A violin introduces the epic grandeur of “Coldness Kills”, where the orchestration plays a bigger role, but still does not get overbearing, as it takes a step back when needed and does not overwhelm the listener. Overall it is a slow-paced track, which lives off its great and sweeping chorus that conjures up images of a deeply snowed-in landscape, which goes hand in hand with the lyrical content.

With “To Stone She Turned” the Austrians show that they also can add a brick, as this song is a lot faster and also heavier, but just as catchy and well structured and here it struck me that Georg Neuhauser’s voice sounds a little like the Metal version of EVERON’s Oliver Philipps (in the vocal style) and that is a big compliment, as the German Progger manages to leave his very own distinct mark on his band’s sound. After taking a breather with the ballad “Fairytales” (which they also do very well, if I may say), another of my personal favourites is on the list: “The Heartblood Symphony”. This one is maybe a little more on the smooth and polished side, extremely catchy and what not, but somehow it touches a chord in me that endeared it right the first time I heard it.

Surely there will be a lot of people, who will criticize the at times quite extensive use of keyboards and orchestration, but to be honest, if the songs are as well-written and arranged as SERENITY’s on here, I could not care less. This band is one of the brightest stars of the Austrian Metal scene and they deserve every single point that is awarded to them, because they walk the fine line between kitsch and demand and prove to be true high-wire artists, point blank!

copas from http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=15514

Tracklist:
1. All Lights Reversed
2. Rust Of Coming Ages
3. Coldness Kills
4. To Stone She Turned
5. Fairytales
6. The Heartblood Symphony
7. Velatum
8. Derelict
9. Sheltered (By The Obscure)
10. Oceans Of Ruby

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Serenity - Words Untold & Dreams Unlived (2007)

Serenity - Words Untold & Dreams Unlived

This young Austrian quintet has been making quite a splash in the underground. So resounding the waves, that the mighty Kamelot have drafted them up for a string of live dates and even the venerable ProgPower UK organizers have added them to this year's festivities. Quite simply, it was a grand choice, because if there was one new band able enough to join the annals of greats such as Vanden Plas, Threshold and the aforementioned Kamelot, than it would be this lot. Fans of hyper-melodic, progressively tinged Power Metal would be doing themselves a disservice missing this one; probably the best debut of 2007, "Words Untold & Dreams Unlived" is crisp, smart, sophisticated, and above all else, bloody enjoyable, without a second lost between each and every endeavor.

Serenity's sound lies primarily in the Kamelot mould of complex verse arrangements, pulsating intro riffs, and big, shiny choruses, with an oddball middle section chock full of subtle orchestration and flashy lead playing. "Engraved Within" and "Thriven" are probably the best example of this style of composition, both giving way to monstrous melodies and challenging instrumentation, but they are far from the best tracks on the album. For a start, tumultuous opener "Canopus 3" owes its life to "Hypothetical" -era Threshold, particularly in the drum work. In fact, the sound and feel of the production is very reminiscent of the British proggers, and the tight, calculated performance of the individual members can be compared to them also. The subtle nuance of the keys really brings the darker tones of the album into light, adding the Power Metal element to some of the more intricate guitar playing. "Reduced to Nothingness" sums up the band perfectly: short, catchy, potent Power Metal of the highest order, with very little room for improvement. "Words Untold & Dreams Unlived" is a great start for Serenity, and while it may not be original or innovating, the quality of this band outweighs the need to experiment beyond personal limitations.

copas from http://www.metalcrypt.com/pages/review.php?revid=3641

Tracklist:
01. Canopus (4:30)
02. Reduced To Nothingness (4:55)
03. Words Untold (0:58)
04. Circle Of My 2nd Life (5:33)
05. Engraved Within (6:22)
06. Forever (6:43)
07. Dreams Unlived (0:51)
08. Dead Man Walking (4:54)
09. From Where The Dark Is Born (6:18)
10. Thriven (6:24)

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Serenity - Engraved Within (2005) demo

Serenity - Engraved Within

SERENITY is a highly gifted band from Austria and they deliver us a killer demo, which blew me totally away! “Engraved Within” is nearly perfect, that begins with the production, the songs, vocals, musicianship, songwriting… It’s unbelievable but each of the six tracks (“Gates To Serenity” is a intro!) convinces with dedicated hooks, a fantastic musicianship and much quality! Stylistically, they play somewhere between BRAINSTORM, EVERGREY and KAMELOT.

Slight Prog tendencies can’t be denied but the songs are still catchy. In the instrumental passages, they show their talents on their instruments but it’s never too much. In my opinion, SERENITY fit into the Melodic Metal category and they belong to the best ones in this genre! I have no clue what they could have done better on this self-produced (!) CD. Maybe the guitars could be a bit punchier – apart from that, I’m totally inspired. This is not my sole opinion, their album was demo of the month in Rock Hard magazine, it received great critics in all webzine reviews and the killer track “Engraved Within” will be on the next “Metal Crusade” sampler of the “Heavy Oder Was?!” magazine.

copas from http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=6&id=9004

Tracklist:
01. Gates To Serenity (Intro) (1:21)
02. Forever (6:30)
03. Thriven (7:11)
04. Engraved Within (7:00)
05. Journey's End (3:53)
06. Dead Man Walking (4:27)
07. Guiding Light (7:09)

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