Artist: Serpentine
Label: AOR Heaven Records
Release: 2011
Length: 53:56
Rating: 4.5/5
Serpentine are a fresh melodic rock outfit who pleasantly surprised everyone last year with the very high-quality “A Touch Of Heaven”, a debut that scored seriously glowing reviews all over the world, including right here on RockLine. The band is interesting because of who’s behind the mic: former Shy vocalist Tony Mills, who these days sings for Norway’s TNT. Mills announced he was leaving the band soon after the debut came out, and Matt Black was brought in as the newcomer, but fate had other plans and Tony Mills ended up singing on the new album again. I don’t know the story behind it, but if you’re a hardcore AOR maniac and you’re curious how Serpentine work with Black, you can get the Japanese edition of the new album, which has a bonus track called Lonely Nights with Matt on lead vocals.
The new album picks up where “A Touch Of Heaven” left off. Serpentine are now filling the gap on the UK’s melodic rock/AOR scene even more successfully, a gap that opened up when Mills left the super-melodic AOR band Shy. Shy have been in a creative deep freeze, with no new album in six years, and Serpentine also help make up for the unfortunate fact that TNT haven’t managed to capitalize on Tony Mills’ outstanding vocal talent, with their pretty mediocre releases of the past few years.
So with “Living And Dying in High Definition”, Serpentine have stormed into Shy’s spot on the British melodic rock scene. And they’ve done it extremely effectively. The band’s second studio album boasts an even sharper definition of that classic eighties AOR sound, cut into a production that, of course, is in tune with modern times. The new album has even more polished verse and chorus hooks, masterfully fused into a catchy, ultra-melodic, infectious package that “Living And Dying in High Definition” embodies from the first second to the last. Above all, it’s a triumphant weave of lively synths, classic piano and dynamic guitar riffing. The stuff Journey masterfully laid down way back when. The track Dreamer is the real definition of radio-friendly rock and wins you over in a heartbeat with its perfect catchiness and melodic finish.
And if you like the Shy style, you like the Journey style. You can’t have one without the other, right? Is the Pope Catholic? Love Is Blue comes unbelievably close to the “tricks” Jonathan Cain pulls on keyboards in Journey. A fantastic, punchy ballad that doesn’t need a single thing added, the melody is that perfectly polished. The guitars work close to the atmosphere typical of the sound of their countrymen Shy, and that goes for the guitar embellishments and even the soloing. Unbelievable. The sound is crystal clear, with a clean separation of the individual elements and perfect sonic balance between them, which means the full spectrum of the soundscape gets used. The midrange is beefed up with vocal harmonies that reinforce the mood in the superbly polished choruses, where the songs all reach their atmospheric peaks.
Since the style is so clearly defined, it’s also very limited in what it can express, so don’t expect any major departures between songs, let alone experimental flashes. Nuernberg is the track that stands out a bit on the album, especially for its prominent riff, which isn’t exactly an everyday find in the classic AOR phrasebook, and for the somewhat darker mood the song captures. Serpentine are born for the CD players and “record players” of strict AOR gourmets, those of you who bet everything on melodic perfection and listenable atmospheric catchiness that shakes your ears from the first spin. In that case it’s hard to single out highlights, given how similar the songs are in atmosphere and expression, but don’t worry. The sound and expression of Serpentine are clearly defined and never bore you for a second. All the way through you feel a close or distant resemblance to Shy and Journey, and the lion’s share of that goes to Tony Mills, the original Shy singer, who in his basic vocal approach already recalls Steve Perry in style and tone of voice.
“Living And Dying in High Definition” is an outstanding album from these fine Welsh AOR heavyweights, and it builds on the debut “A Touch Of Heaven” in every way. There’s a fuller, richly seasoned production sound, even more polish and tightness in the individual tracks, an even more intense dialogue between keyboards and guitar riffing, and the soloing is livelier still, along with the instrumental middle sections before the final repeat of the chorus. Mills is brilliant again, and his melodic touch shines and dominates, with an innate feel for outstanding articulation that’s especially fascinating in the quieter moments, where a bit of subtlety is called for.
Last year Serpentine did a successful tour alongside Houston and Crash Diet. The new album further strengthens their status on the current AOR scene, which will forever stay stuck in the “underground” anyway, but still. Those of you who understand the magic of the real AOR deal, don’t think twice.” Living And Dying in High Definition” is an album that will fit you like a glove, and then some.
Lineup
Tony Mills – vocals
Chris Gould – guitar
Gareth David Noon – guitar, keyboards
Gareth Vanstone – bass guitar
Roy Millward – drums
Production
Sheena Sear
Track list
1. Deep Down (There’s A Price For Love)
2. Philadelphia
3. Dreamer
4. Love Is Blue
5. Where Do We Go From Here?
6. Cry
7. Best Days Of Our Lives
8. Heartbreak Town
9. Nuremberg
10. Forgotten Heroes
