Serpentine
Circle of Knives

British quintet Serpentine are back with a new album, one that sounds and looks very similar to their previous one – oh how the time flies, has it really been four years already? And this is the best they can come up with? But first things first, this is the third album of this band and they offer us a circle of knives with ten songs and 53 minutes playing time and it can be summed up in just one sentence for the lazy one: An album of good songs that you will grow tired of pretty quickly thanks to the lack of novelty and the rather genre-typical music.

AOR is the genre in question, fairly typical in style with catchy songs and very melodic style. Super nice production that is customary in this genre, and a singer that is spookily reminiscent of Gary Hughes of Ten, the fact is that it sounds quite a bit like ten minus the epicness of Ten. The variation is typical of an album in the genre and I cannot avoid checking my bookshelf to see if they have stolen my made up book called AOR For Dummies as it seems like they have followed all the advice written in that book. Fans who hear lot of AOR should be able to predict exactly how this album would sound just from hearing the first few notes.

It is a fairly good album; I like the songs, as they are catchy and good. I don’t like as much the predictability and the complete lack of surprises, 53 minutes without anything that feels like a surprise. It is obvious that these guys are competent musicians and skilled performers but they are not really creative artists as nothing of what they do feels in any way original. Those who listen to a lot of melodic rock and AOR will probably find this to be an entertaining album but one that will not keep them entertained for too long.

The opening two tracks are the strongest one on the album and from there on it is plain sailing, the rest of the songs are pretty forgetful to be honest. The fact is that this album will entertain for a while before every buyer will put it away and forget that it ever existed. One of those that adds more to the genre mainstream, it is a good album but not one that will make any kind of permanent mark in the books of musical history. Somehow you think that this band should be capable to make something very interesting but facts are facts and they have so far made one debut that I haven’t heard followed by two more or less identical albums, both good but in the end also a bit forgetful.

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