Serotone - Equilibria

by Paul Raven

published: 7 / 10 / 2007

Label: Re-Action Recordings
Format: CD

Excellent and thrilling debut album from intense Scottish post-hardcore outfit Serotone who reveal themselves to be an instant name to watch out for with their frantic and panicked music

Review

Scotland's Serotone are the latest new pretenders to the UK post-hardcore throne, and their début album 'Equilibria' is a thrilling freshman outing which demonstrates that they have the foundations of a strong career laid down. Post-hardcore is one of the more vague catch-all terms in rock music, and Serotone have staked out their own corner of the tent. While the influence of their successful countrymen Biffy Clyro is plain to hear, they're far from copycatting them, adding in the more proggish elements that having two guitarists enables. Angular jerky rhythms and abstract riffs form the backbone, with wide dynamic changes as the songs move from walls of fizzy guitar to sparse passages of drums and bass and then crash back again. Schizoid, frantic and panicked, it's the sound of flinching frightened from a baffling world before lashing out at it, knuckles split and bleeding from shards of broken mirror. It's a very intense songwriting style, with everything short of the kitchen sink nudged carefully into a battered hardcase before being opened up on stage and unleashed. 'Equilibria' is powerful stuff, all the more so for the slight imperfections – for example, vocalist Dale feels no shame about painting outside the lines and wandering out of key when it will add to the impact, and it's plain to hear he can nail the right notes when he chooses to. His voice is striking, focusing the songs without overpowering his bandmates, and if he's got the stage presence to match, Serotone are going to be a force to be reckoned with on the live circuit. The only disappointment is the production. A band doing this sort of epic and moody progressive music needs the full range of studio craft, from crystalline clarity in the quiet passages to crushing weight and heft when the twin guitars attack. But when you consider this is a début album from a young band on a small British independent label, it's more than possible to cut them some slack in this respect. It's not a bad job – I've heard worse from older bands with bigger budgets – but it's breathtaking to think of what these guys could sound like with a real wizard sat behind the desk. And barring the sort of incidents that can derail a band's career at any stage of the game, early or late, I'm pretty confident that Serotone will get their chance to grow. All the evidence shows that they have the ability to write and perform strong material, and a year or so of hammering the live circuit should leave a noticeable mark on the public, provided they can scoop a few relevant support slots. I'll be watching for their name on posters near me, and making sure I catch them as they pass through. Serotone are a British band to watch out for, and 'Equilibria' is the evidence.