Some of the best progressive metal albums hit the hardest because they balance old and new well. The long-awaited Cea Serin album released back on September 12th, and it could easily become a new obsession. The album is called The World Outside.
Cea Serin has been around for a long time, releasing their debut back in 2004. Then a follow-up launched in 2014. And at last, their third album this year. The band includes Jay Lamm on vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, and keyboards, and Rory Faciane on drums. They bring with them Steffi Cannelli on vocals for one track, and a host of guest soloists like Andy Gillion, João Miguel, Coen Strouken, Steve Blaze, Vick LeCar, Cecilia Cuccolini, Manuel Acevedo, and Dann Hoyos.
The band is a bit of an enigma, though they pander towards the classic sound of the progressive metal genre, too. Their music can almost be overwhelming at first, yet there are plenty of catchy choruses and spellbinding solos to ground the experience. They feature intelligent and emotional lyrical content, as well, and so their style ends up feeling smart, layered, complex, and certainly heavy.
I think that’s what I like most about The World Outside. The guitars are satisfyingly heavy with a certain edge and kinetic energy I love. The drums match that power note for note, and then the band adds in sounds and musicians from around the world to flesh out the music into something bold and beautiful. Adding a female guest vocalist here and adding violin or harp there, the band edits themselves into music that has just as much elegance and finesse as it does monstrous riffs.
The World Outside has six tracks and is 70 minutes long. It’s quite balanced, as my two favorite songs occur in different halves of the album. In the first half, we get “Where None Shall Follow” in which the band’s layered style is immediately apparent; from the piano and emotional voiceovers to the hefty riffs, semi-harsh vox, and catchy chorus, the opener has a lot going on, and it’s all great. A favorite, “The Rose of Ruin” comes next with its beautiful atmosphere, guest vocals from Steffi, and readily recognizable guitar lick that will burn itself into your memory. The first half closes with “Until the Dark Responds”, a song with chesty vocals and a sweet synth solo that really stands out.
The second half gives us “All the Light That Shines”, the longest song at just over thirteen minutes. It is more cautious at first, leading us gently into the fray that eventually breaks forth; I love the wicked guitars on this one and the amazing bass groove. My favorite on the album follows, called “When the Wretched and the Brave Align”, and what a song it is! For some reason, it reminds me of a more progressive Tiamat song. Anyways, I love how aggressive it is, even while subtle melodies linger in the background. I love the emotional voiceover and the brash riffs and layered vocals. The song burns through various terrific instrumentals, and I love how the chorus comes back around now and then with its strangely addictive hook. The closer is called “Wisdom of the Aging Fathers: Three Regards to Reason”, and it ends the album well. This one has some truly fantastic guitar solos, some warm vocal segments that really sell the song, and an uncharacteristic finale that has hints of electronica.
The whole of The World Outside is high quality: there isn’t a weak song or a moment that feels like filler. It can seem a little daunting since all of the songs have lengths over ten minutes, but that ends up being a strength as the band’s calculating style and extensive development become starkly apparent. Progressive metal fans need to hear this.
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Find Cea Serin online:
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The PROG Mind 