Play 90 second soundbite of 'Reincarnation' @ 'CD quality'
Serenity have taken everything to the extreme here; the album is magnificently packaged, the press pack is suitably understated but informative and the music is rangy, busy and quite sophisticated. Actually, my immediate thoughts were that Serenity are just a bit too busy for their own good - certainly there's a lot goin' on here, every song seems rammed with sound and dynamics, every second is taken up by something electric, every inch is covered with the musical 'footprint' of Serenity!
Hey, there's no doubt that Serenity can handle themselves; these guys know their way round musical composition, they have great instrumental ability and awareness, they quite clearly play with unified spirit and they definitely mean business! But, I just wonder whether their music is just a bit too busy - there's just no respite, no time for breath, not a moment for consideration. It's as if Serenity haven't yet learned that silence is as important in music as is crescendo - the occasional 'stop' adds suspense, emotion, anticipation. Serenity currently fill every available 'space' with 'noise'. I know Serenity have it in them coz track fourteen, the last track, 'Goodbye', is a subtle little teaser that demonstrates the atmospheric and emotional side of this very credible, very likeable outfit.
'The Psychle' by Serenity is actually an amazingly competent and pretty compelling piece of work. Certainly, Serenity can't be accused of being lazy or short on ideas - 'The Psychle' is an immense work and probably as good as any other similarly ilked album out there. But, I still think there's more to come from this outfit - Serenity sound like a band with a plan, an ambition, a future. Serenity exude energy, Serenity rock tall, Serenity defy gravity - 'The Psychle' is complex, 'The Psychle' is full-on, 'The Psychle' is flat-out. 'The Psychle by Serenity is like an elevator that goes from halfway to heaven to halfway to hell - stuck in the middle, angry, hurt, looking for the answer, looking for the key. 'The Psychle' is ambitious - Serenity are focussed - focussed ambition should do well, focussed ambition should get the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow. 'The Psychle' by Serenity is an impressive piece of work - at times challenging but generally right on the button!
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