Serenity are back with album number five, entitled Codex Atlanticus, and whilst it doesn’t quite blaze a new trail when it comes to individuality, it’s a decent enough listen with some great earworms on it.
Unfortunately, Codex Atlanticus doesn’t get off to the best of starts. The introductory track is absolutely tremendous, really setting the scene well and giving it an all-round epic feel as it builds things up and up thanks to the perfectly-executed orchestration…but then it’s like it’s an anticlimax when the first full song, Follow Me, gets going with a simplistic piano introduction. It’s like all the buildup was over-hyped and it’s a little disappointing – sometimes juxtaposing different styles against one another really works but Serenity didn’t quite succeed with this one.
Nevertheless, later tracks on the album more than make up for this false start and a particularly standout piece is Caught In A Myth, an energetic and triumphant song that is chock-full of good vibes and sing-along moments as well as massive-sounding instrumentation, jaw-droppingly good orchestral moments and an absolutely stunning guitar solo!
Although this is nothing new in terms of Serenity’s music, Codex Atlanticus is nevertheless a good listen and is certainly a release worthy of more than a passing glance.
7/10
