Album Review: Serianna - 'Define Me'

It’s a real shame there aren’t more metalcore bands out there like Serianna. If they haven’t already dived into the centre of the spotlight, with a release like 'Define Me', their melodic metalcore sound is bound to reach the ears of the masses pretty soon. Serianna do metalcore tight and technical, complex and convincing, and there’s no getting around it. That’s a rare thing in metalcore these days. 'Define Me' is a refreshing reminder that once upon a time metalcore bands were something to get excited about.

The album begins with ‘Like Glass,’ which kicks off on a note of complex progression and brutal guitar chugs that builds slowly towards a punishing drop, tackled by the heavy immensity of Serianna’s screamer. The entire track, much like later offering, ‘Pariah’ is metalcore at its most punishing. The band make it clear from the get go that they understand exactly what metalcore desperately needs, and are heading back to the ingrained traditions of the genre, at its most raw and true.

‘Shadowcast’ introduces us for the first time to the soaring clean vocalist and provides us with a richer knowledge of the instrumental complexity of Define Me. In this track the band begin to reveal their deeper understanding of heavy music, expanding the walls of the genre into something that is on occasion, quiet and melodic, and on others, explosive and vicious. Indeed, Define Me shines most in the moments when the band harness their ability to concentrate on the melodic aspects of their sound. In ‘Outlander’ and ‘Drifter’ they prove they are much more than merely idle with their instruments.

In ‘Exist To Outlive’ and ‘Snake Oil Sales Man.’, the transitions between clean vocals and heavy vocals are seamless. Very quickly it seems, Serianna have established a calculated and impressive balance between heavy and not so heavy. It shouldn’t work, but it does, and it seems that Serianna appear to have been privy to the formula all along. More importantly, the lyrical hooks and soaring choruses songs like ‘Exist to Outlive’ and ‘Define Yourself’ are inspirational and thrilling, without being cliché or chastising.

So many metalcore bands go about writing music like it’s a self-help guide, and while Serianna are doing something similar, it isn’t overdone, and most importantly, it’s completely sincere. It’s clear that the band aren’t sympathetic, they’re empathetic and they’re not preaching. They’re creating a sphere for speculation and discussion, and that’s something music has always meant to achieve. In a genre stocked full of bands spoon feeding you their life lessons like cough medicine, Serianna are like a healthy dose of vitamin D.

Like Glass

Shadowcast

Analog

Full Circle

Drifter

Snake Oil Salesman

The Fallout

Pariah

Outlander

Burial Ground

Exist To Outlive

Define Yourself

Remove/ Rebuild