Serenity – War of Ages

Releasedate: 22-03-2013; Label: Napalm Records
By: Thorsten Hendriks

This symphonic metal band from Austria has gone from strength to strength over the past 10 years, despite one of their founding members Mario Hirzinger quitting the band.

Earlier this year the band added Clementine Delauney as full member (instead of guest) and this has a very positive effect on the total concept of SERENITY. The sound of this album is full-on and the compositions are very well written, together with the clever lyrics and chorus parts it makes a complete package. The 10 tracks on this album all display their own essence; classical influences, fast riffs and drums combined with speedy guitars and varied vocals. The Limited version includes 2 bonus tracks, which we – unfortunately – could not review. The album will fill a large part of your free time as the shortest song is 4min 44secs and the longest lasts nearly 7 minutes!

The intro to the CD is very tranquil with the soothing voice of Clementine, followed by fast riffs and drums, going into a full symphonic metal composition. ‘Wings of Madness’ (track 1) is a typical display of combining the different styles of music into one great song. Track 2 ‘Art of War’ continues the tone set by the previous track, strong lead vocals supported by excellent skill of all available instruments. The next track “Shining Oasis” has a slight Arabian sound to it and the lead vocal is combined with a female voice to create a beautiful composition showing the skill of the writers and performers.
‘For Freedom’s Sake’ take you to a different level: a slow balled, more or less performed as a duet. Beautiful song and the lyrics are very inspiring. ‘Age of Glory’ (track 5) leads you into a slow and orchestral song which could come from a motion picture soundtrack, but then the fast guitars and drums take over. The music takes you on from your slow arrival onto a rapid journey as if you were chasing something.

The next song ‘The Matricide’ introduces you to another different aspect of these excellent musicians – a good mix of all the voices and musical instruments available in the right division. ‘Symphony of the Quiet’ (track 7) is not what you thought to expect of the title; it is a fast paced symphonic metal piece with excellent use of the orchestral composition. ‘Tannenberg’ {Mountain of pine trees} again reverts back to a slow ballad, this time only sung by a male lead. Long guitar solos combined with various tone and tempo changes make it a very pleasurable song to listen to. The last song on the CD ‘Legacy of Tudors’ starts with a typical way of how the Tudors used to sing, when the guitars come in you can hear how SERENITY is able to combine other style into their intricate composition writing skills. A very fast track which will take you to a happy place and makes sure you end this CD on a high.

This band and CD are definitely a force to be reckoned with: Let battle commence!

Line-up:
Georg Neuhauser – Lead vocals
Thomas Buchberger – Lead & rhythm guitars
Simon Holzknecht – Bass
Mario Hirzinger – Keys, vocals – left Serenity 30/10/2012
Andreas Schipflinger – Drums, vocals
Clementine Delauney – Vocals

Tracklist: 1.Wings Of Madness 2.The Art Of War 3.Shining Oasis 4.For Freedom’s Sake 5.Age Of Glory 6.The Matricide 7.Symphony For The Quiet 8.Tannenberg 9.Legacy Of Tudors 10.Royal Pain Not reviewed LTD bonus tracks: 11.Fairytales (ballad version – LTD bonus track) 12.Love Of My Life (LTD bonus track)

Links:
Serenity Official