THE VIBRANT SOUND OF BLISS AND DECAY

US band CEA SERIN was formed back in 1997, and following some initial demo productions, they released their debut album "Where Memories Combine" in 2004, an outing that was met with a lot of interest and acclaim from reviewers and fans alike. Then the band disappeared, their promised second album becoming something of a progressive metal vaporware item, bordering a mythological entity. Talked about and anticipated, if it ever should appear. Come 2014 and the band unexpectedly reappears, releasing their second album "The Vibrant Sound of Bliss and Decay" through the fledgling German label Generation Prog Records.

Cea Serin has returned following a ten year long hiatus with a second studio album that should build quite nicely upon their reputation as a high-quality progressive metal band. Tight, quirky and vibrant progressive metal, unafraid to include whatever the musicians desire, be it compelling power metal galloping sequences, more aggressive thrash metal escapades or, indeed, a ballad penned by Sarah MacLachlan. A production that merits a check by those with a general interest in progressive metal, and especially those with a taste for a vintage variety, adventurous take on the genre.

Cea Serin were formed in 1997 by vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Jay Lamm and guitarist Keith Warman, with influences as diverse as Carcass, Cradle of Filth, Sarah McLachlan and Yanni, very much in the prog metal area but coming at it slightly differently to many. They released their debut album, 'Where Memories Combine' in 2004, but then there was nothing for a long time. In 2014 Lamm and Warman were back, this time with a full-time drummer in Rory Faciane. This release was to act as a bridge between the old and the new, with re-recordings of two songs from the long- unavailable Chiaroscuro demo, a Sarah McLachlan cover ("Ice") and then two new songs including a 20-minute epic. If this was supposed to be the lead-in to the next album then we are still waiting, as this is currently the most recent release from the band.

To my mind, that is a real shame, as this band really are concentrating on both words in the term prog metal. When they set off, they really do, and there is no doubt the importance of Carcass in their musical background, but the same band then provides a power ballad arrangement of Sarah McLachlan, I mean, really? The thing is they all work really well, it is just hard to realise they are all the work of the same band. The newer material is more thoughtful, bombastic and epic than the earlier songs, with Faciane making a real impact with some very strong work in the backline indeed. This is a powerful prog metal act, and I can only hope that given there were ten years between albums when this appeared, that there is more to come as I would certainly like to hear it.