Serenity

Worlds Untold & Dreams Unlived
Napalm Records

Serenity reminds me of classic Dream Theater back when they wrote great songs and not excuses for technical acrobatics. Think "Images & Words" or "Awake" and you will get the idea. Vocalist Georg Neuhauser is in fine form and shines on every track. It's nice to hear a great singer once in a while who has clarity, range and is not over the top with falsetto screams. Guitarist Thomas Buchberger and keyboardist Mario Hirzinger can hold their own in the prog-metal world as they display fiery leads and great riffs. On the bottom end, bassist Simon Holzknecht and drummer Andreas Schipflinger are definitely a tight unit as they keep it all together through each track. The nice thing is, these guys write great songs that you can really feel and sink your teeth into. It's not all 100 miles an hour, blastbeats, and guys showing off just because they can. Listen to "Dead Man Walking" or "From Where The Dark Is Born" and tell me I'm wrong! Sure, these guys have all the musical chops they could possibly need; but they know how to use them correctly. I feel that Serenity are the next prog-metal masters and I can't stress highly enough how good this album is.

- Craig Harvey