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Serenity

Words Untold & Dreams Unlived

Written by: AP on 29/04/2007 21:04:24

It’s a trend on this zine to complain about everything in the absence of magnificent releases, and more often than not metalcore becomes the unlucky target of our tire. But when we attack generic metalcore releases and curse said scene for brewing records we can’t use for much else than reducing our stock of threes, fours and fives, we are oblivious to the fact that the power metal factory is even more industrious. Most of the time I shake my head in disbelief that this genre can have a fan base and thrive. No wonder then that Serenity is so resolute about avoiding this stigma and dubbing their creation “Words Untold & Dreams Unlived” melodic progressive metal.

In reality, “Words Untold & Dreams Unlived” trots the shady border between power metal and progressive. The album is drenched with enough mysticism to soundtrack Narnia, but is also pumped with bass and heavy riffs á la Dream Theater. Throw in the skillful pianist and Serenity’s imago is shamelessly disclosed. Fortunately there are some things only Berklee graduates can do, sparing Serenity the imminent copyright infringement lawsuit Petrucci and co could file.

That being said, “Words Untold & Dreams Unlived” exhibits more potential than most bands in this genre. Its persistent progrock passages lift it from the mediocrity pit and that keyboardist definitely knows what he’s doing, whipping up a majestic atmosphere no less. The album’s production deserves credit too; the music is layered with skill and this reveals and accentuates cool details in almost every song. In fact, the songs have been crafted with such skill that the vocal style offends them. What we have here is stereotypical power metal vocs that regard the complex song structures with a cold shoulder.

No matter how I twist and turn it, this album persists to be above average and is essentially brought down by just two factors: vocal delivery and idolizing. To put it simply, Serenity needs to pay less respect to Dream Theater and more attention to finding a medium between the music and the singing.

Download: Reduced to Nothingness, From Where The Dark Is Born

For the fans of: Dream Theater, Dragonforce

Listen: Myspace

Release date 30.04.2007

Napalm

Provided by Target ApS