Serenity: Fallen Sanctuary
Serenity is a melodic power metal band, according to Wikipedia.
I like melodic music. I like power metal. Will I like Serenity?
Fallen Sanctuary is Serenity’s second album. Its single Rust of coming ages could be heard on a daily basis on Kink Aardschok, a non-stop (except for hourly news updates) hard rock / heavy metal music station.
After some searching I managed to get myself a copy of the demo of the full album so I could check out what Serenity had in store besides the aforementioned single. I was very pleasantly surprised. The album comes with 10 tracks (11 on the limited digipack edition). Most tracks combine “orchestral” sounds with power metal influences. Two ballads, Fairytales and Journey’s end (Limited edition only) take the softer route, while To stone she turned and Derelict take the harder route. All in all the tracks make for a very balanced album.
While with most albums you can pick the top tracks easily, Fallen Sanctuary poses more of a challenge. At first, Rust of coming ages was my favourite track, together with All lights reversed. After some plays, Velatum and Coldness kills ranked up there as well. Before I knew it, I was pointing out a mere 3 tracks I didn’t like as much as the others. Quite unique for me!
The verdict is simple: a solid release from Serenity. I upgraded my download-demo to the digipack after listening to the tracks a few times (available at Napalm Records for €13). A recommended album for all (melodic) power metal fans!
Tracklist
- 1. All Lights Reversed 6:18
- Rust of Coming Ages 4:30
- Coldness Kills 5:28
- To Stone She Turned 4:58
- Fairytales 4:54
- The Heartblood Symphony 5:27
- Velatum 4:29
- Derelict 4:26
- Sheltered (By the Obscure) 5:00
- Oceans of Ruby 4:16
- Journey´s End (Limited Edition) 4:59
- Velatum (Limited Edition)