Would it be accurate to call this a surprise release? I heard rumors of Serenity working on a new album this year, but the idea that it would be released before the year was out seemed a little far fetched. Their previous album, Codex Atlanticus, was just released in January of 2016, and I suppose that does fall a few months shy of a two year mark, but simply put releases don’t tend to come this quickly —- record companies don’t like it. The short turnaround got me wondering if the band had even toured to support that album, I couldn’t remember… but sure enough they did a European tour of their own directly after its release. It seems to have been only a month or so, which might explain why they were able to get back to work on new material, perhaps feeling like they needed to ride the wave of creativity they were feeling after the critical success of that album (and it was a success to me anyway, remember “The Perfect Woman” landing on my top ten songs list). Then there’s also the added dimension of Lionheart being a concept/thematic album about… well Richard the Lionheart of course. Don’t these things usually need a little more time to work out? A longer bake time if you will. You’d probably be able to brush that aside considering that Serenity’s vocalist/songwriter Georg Neuhauser’s day job is that of a history professor, so presumably, all the research on such a topic had already been loaded into his brain long ago and this was a natural outsourcing of his passion. But as Angry Metal Guy smartly points out, Serenity’s take on Richard I comes off a bit slanted, biased, or even more dishearteningly, naive:
Googling Richard I for three minutes will show that he, like all regents and generals, was a complicated man who did complicated things for complicated reasons. But such a nuanced picture of the character is notable in its absence. Missing, for example, is a song about the massacre at Ayyadieh, where Richard I lion-heartedly executed 2,700 people—some accounts saying it was closer to 3,000, including women and children—because Saladin would not pay a ransom. Instead, Lionheart relies heavily on messages of unity and a lionization (see what I did there?) of Richard I. While “Massacre at Ayyadieh (I Executed 2,700 People Because Saladin Would Not Pay Me a Ransom)” makes a less inspiring song than “United” or “Stand and Fight,” it also makes a crucial point: who would write an uncritical concept album about The Crusades in 2017?
– Angry Metal Guy
As I’m sure I’ve pointed out before, I try to make a point of not reading other reviews of an album before penning my own, but I was late to this album, and during a bored, scrolling through my phone moment, I let my guard down and read his review. Angry Metal Guy doesn’t write as often as I’d like him to these days but that’s a stellar review (one I highly encourage you to read), and considering his site was one of the biggest influences on me starting my own blog, I make an exception for him without guilt. His larger point that Neuhauser’s lyrics seemed to rely on power metal’s proclivity towards positivity is what’s worth examining here. If you take a glance through the lyrics throughout this album, you’ll see a largely sympathetic take on Richard I, one that doesn’t offer a corresponding opposite view of his decisions and actions. I’m not saying Neuhauser should have written the soundtrack to Kingdom of Heaven here, but AMG delivers a valid criticism, and the overt romanticism that drenches every song on Lionheart actually works against it, makes it less likely to draw us in, particularly in the fraught, politically, racially charged climate of 2017. I’d immediately point out that I don’t detect anything malicious or nefarious in Neuhauser’s lyrics, and that’s reinforced in part because the formula he’s using on Lionheart is a damn near replica of the one he used for DaVinci on Codex Atlanticus. It worked there, because DaVinci is an interesting, engaging, well respected figure that largely avoids being seen in any particularly negative light today —- as a conceptual subject, he’s far better suited to power metal’s proclivity towards joyful euphoria.
All this wouldn’t really be much of an issue of course if the songs were on point, and some are nearly there, but for the most part this album sees Neuhauser missing his usual mark of excellence for the first time since I’ve become a fan. I’ve gone through this record well over a dozen times now over the course of a few weeks and its just not clicking with me. Many of the songs lack the sharpness, the well defined arcing hooks that he’s so adept at penning, with the exception of a few cuts. Opening song “United” comes across as the inspirational, horns bellowing call its supposed to be, its lyrics speaking of coming together to take up the holy crusade —- the sort of stuff power metal is meant to be the soundtrack for. Similarly on “Lionheart”, where “Jersualem unites us against Saladin”, Neuhauser delivers an impassioned vocal in the verse segments in particular, a slight phrasing twist in his delivery that reminds me of why I love him so much as a singer. Choir vocals backup the refrain here, bringing to mind a Blind Guardian influence that is noticeable all throughout the rest of this album. We get triumphant, punctuating horns in the chorus of “Hero”, a lyrical clunker but possessing enough strength in its vocal melodies to make you ignore the Enrique Iglesias reminders it will conjure in your mind. This change in style and tone is appropriate for the subject matter, and on first listen I wasn’t too surprised to find the album’s first four cuts storming out of the gates in this mode. But it never lets up, the entire approach across the board sounds more epic and grand than we’re used to from Serenity, its all glory and light here. By the time I got to the fifth cut “Rising High”, I started to wonder where was this album’s “Wings of Madness”, or “Far From Home”, those doses of melancholy that I’ve come to expect.
For the bulk of their back catalog, like their spiritual cousins in Kamelot, Serenity were consistently working with light and shade, a splash of darkness to their sound to balance out their major key heavy songwriting. Even on Codex Atlanticus they had those more dark, introspective moments —- “Reasons” and “The Order” come to mind, and that was an album I thought was an abrupt about face from the darker tones of War of Ages to a brighter, cheerier sonic palette. Neuhauser pulled that off successfully because he had a couple musical factors changing; namely that Thomas Buchberger was no longer in the band, his thick guitar riffs dominating the bulk of the band’s earlier work, and as a result Neuhauser built up the songs around his vocal melodies, giving the album a noticeable Broadway vibe. So back to Lionheart, where songs like “Eternal Victory” midway through the album sport a few nice moments in the way of hooks and the odd nice riff or solo, a sameness begins to set in with all of these songs essentially mirroring one another. Another glorious paean to Richard I and his inevitable victory, got it. I didn’t actually realize that the sameness throughout the album was what might be dragging it down until I read Angry Metal Guy’s review, but his analysis of the lyrics really do sum it up: These songs all have the same theme of glory and victory, yadda yadda yadda, and that results in stylistic sameness throughout the album, and that ultimately results in a relatively unremarkable listening experience.
The first real difference in tone and even in song structure comes in the closing pair of tracks, “My Fantasy”, and “The Final Crusade”. The latter is a strange bird, featuring some harsh vocals that I suspect we all figured were coming at some point (every power metal band seems to do a little dip in them at some point), and while they don’t ruin what is a largely a good song, they fail to add anything to it. The strength of this track is the Broadway vibe of the chorus, bringing to mind hints of the last album, Neuhauser’s vocals soaring against the backdrop of a swooning symphony. He’s joined towards the end by Sleeping Romance vocalist Federica Lanna, her vocals a sweet, subdued tonic to his soaring theatrical delivery, though he does bury her sonically in the mix when their voices are supposed to be conjoining. The other song, “My Fantasy” might be the highlight of the album, a song that reminds me of the Death and Legacy era in its multi-faceted approach. A heavy riff progression sandwiches a wide open power ballad chorus where Neuhauser dreams up as glorious a hook as he’s ever conjured, his vocal progression bringing to mind the very best of Tony Kakko and Klaus Meine in his tone and vocal melody direction. Its also the only moment on the album where you could forget about the Richard I concept for a few minutes, because even though its written from the perspective of Richard while he’s imprisoned, its lyrics are vague enough to be malleable to anyone and anything. Neuhauser is such a gifted songwriter, he’s bound to deliver a gem per album at least, even when the rest of the affair is a surprising misstep. I’ll take it, and while I won’t recommend Lionheart as a must own, I’ll be happy to wait an extra year or so for a far greater Serenity album next time around.
November 13, 2017
The running theme in power metal used to be ‘crusader’s crisis of conscience’ (see ‘Script for My Requiem’, Angra’s entire Temple of Shadows album, Maiden’s ‘Montsegur’ etc.). That makes this simplistic lyrical take even more dissapointing. Double so in days when idiots march with ‘Deus Vult’ on banners.
November 14, 2017
Yeah, agreed. Without getting political in the slightest on the blog (though I am on Twitter, unapologetically so), what really struck me about the lyrics here WAS the simplistic take on a pretty complex character. And I’d probably let this slide if its just any old band, but Georg’s scholarly background is in history. Sabaton offers up more varieties of perspectives in their records than Lionheart does for Richard I. And I’m convinced in my belief that a well rounded perspective would have made for a much richer musical experience than what we’ve gotten here (or what we’ve come to expect from the band’s past records). Blind Guardian’s Nightfall in Middle Earth is a damn near perfect (questionable interludes aside) concept power metal album, in which there’s only ONE(!) song about swearing revenge on Morgoth (because as anyone who’s read The Silmarillion will attest, they could’ve easily fallen into the trap of writing more of them. That album runs the gamut of moods and emotions, stories and perspectives, its why its so compelling and so musically diverse by necessity.
November 13, 2017
I’ve never been a big fan of these guys. This is actually the first album I’ve really enjoyed by them. I found most of the songs to have very catchy choruses, which is the first thing I look for in a good power metal song.
November 14, 2017
I wonder if now that you’ve found your point of entry with the band’s discography, if your outlook on their older albums might change in time if/when you revisit them. Works for me sometimes!
November 14, 2017
I’m quite surprised how quickly you passed this up, Pigeon.
Like you, I’ve followed these guys for years, listening to every album they’ve put out. I can honestly say this is the first album since Fallen Sanctuary where I haven’t put the album down and said to myself, “it was enjoyable, but it’s second rate Kamelot/Delain”.
I wasn’t completely enamoured with Codex Atlanticus, in large part due to the keyboards drowning out everything bar Neuhauser’s vocal melodies, but I thought new guitarist Cris Tian’s riffing was harder edged than anything Buchberger had pumped out over the last two albums. I was also pleased they dumped the beauty and the beast concept they had running with Delauney; both steps in the right direction.
Six albums in, with Lionheart, I finally consider Serenity to have established their own identity in the power metal world. The guitar work has finally stepped up to drive the band, and Neuhauser has also stepped up as more of a frontman/rockstar – his vocal melodies have never been catchier, nor have they been more focused. Almost gone are the vocal runs trying to be overly emotional; he seems to have a new found confidence in delivering his lines (even my dad – ever hard to please – walked by my stereo and remarked “good singer” to a band he’s previously balked at)!!
Which brings me to your review – your main complaint seems to be that the music wasn’t enough to overcome your disappointment with a fanciful, politically incorrect take on the crusades. I say rubbish to that – did you pick this up to hear a slick album or take a history lesson? Does the children’s classic Robin Hood become less enjoyable because it depicts a highway bandit as stepping up and fulfilling Richard’s benevolence whilst he was away in the crusades? You’ve sung (Norwegian black metaller) Ihsahn’s praises a few times on this site – should his work be considered unpalatable because his best works were actually performed with convicted arsonists and murderers?
Don’t get me wrong – you’re perfectly within your rights to dislike an album – but I’d encourage you to separate the fantasy from the politics and give it another listen, especially given your previous high regard for this band =)
November 14, 2017
My issues with the subject matter were secondary to what I felt was lacklustre songwriting covering the majority of the album. That most of the album failed to catch on with me made me suspect that it was one of those situations where a concept dictated the musical direction almost entirely. I think the band could have written a better, even great album on the subject of Richard I, but only if they didn’t craft a ton of songs around his inspiring crusaders to glory/heroism. One or two is okay, expected even, but almost every song covers that very topic in some way. Because it’s a concept/thematic album, the lyrics do matter far more here than on a regular album, and clearly they had an impact on Georg’s songwriting sounding so similar track to track. It’s not surprising that “My Fantasy” ended up being (to me anyway) the most interesting song on the album —– not only for its amazing hook, but because the lyrical perspective of the song (and narrator) was drastically different from the rest of the record.
I don’t require Serenity to write about the Crusades in a politically correct manner, that they represent the opposing side of Saladin (even though Kingdom of Heaven was interesting precisely because it offered those dual perspectives), but I do expect Serenity’s take on the subject to be interesting: And that requires showing a multifaceted approach, showing a three dimensional character and being a little more true (as AMG pointed out) to the actual history. I’m not questioning Georg’s MA credentials and expertise, but I wonder why he chose to make his interpretation of Richard I so Dragonforce-ish, so high fantasy like for most of the album (the shining warrior on the hill archetype). I probably wouldn’t have minded so much if the songwriting held up but for me it falls flat —- no judgement on the other guys in the band, they delivered a solid performance, and so did Georg vocally.
I listened to Codex Atlanticus quite a bit, and in retrospect I think I loved Georg getting to stretch his vocalist wings a bit more there. His voice is a huge part of the draw in my love of the band, so I’d actually like to see him go back to a more indulgent, emotive mode to showcase his voice far more than he was able on Lionheart. I gave Lionheart the benefit of a few weeks of consistent listens, and was dismayed to find it wasn’t sticking —- I hate writing critically about a band I love but if I did it for Maiden and Blind Guardian, well, no one is exempt.
November 15, 2017
You’d think that a history professor could start by actually finding a less “mainstream” historical figure to write about. Preferably someone from his homeland, not England.
November 15, 2017
Sabaton did do a whole concept album on Carolus Rex, Swedish king extraordinaire, so —- its a fair criticism. I’m sure Austria is littered with interesting historical figures. In fact, I’m going to backtrack a little on what I wrote in the review and say yes, I think a Serenity soundtrack to Kingdom of Heaven would’ve been far more interesting and likely more musically conducive. Something that featured songs from the Saladin perspective or from the besieged Jerusalem citizen’s perspective. Anything other than nearly a dozen songs being paeans to one man’s glory and heroism.
November 15, 2017
We studied the history of Austro-Hungarian Empire in Russia here when I was in junior high. I never liked history lessons back then, so I don’t remember much, but there was some sort of a revolution that was later suppressed… quite a topical issue I’d say. Way less trite than “holy wars”, if anything.
November 15, 2017
http://www.metal-rules.com/metalnews/2017/11/05/serenity-interview-with-georg-neuhauser/
@ pigeon and mustakettu85
If you haven’t read already, check this interview out with Neuhauser… Even the man himself states lionheart wasn’t a nice guy, but it wasnt going to stop him going full power metal on this record!
January 17, 2018
Sorry I missed this comment the first time around, yeah that was a pretty interesting interview. He actually did address the full on aspect of this album, which is surprising, I guess I just disagree with him here on what makes me love a particular Serenity album. No biggie though, a band this good will likely do something I’ll love in the future.
Gotta say his revealing how he drinks Jagermeister every day, a couple cups —- that’s surprising even moreso. Shocking even. Most singers would get far away from alcohol if they’re trying to take care of their voice. But if it works for him hey go for it. Jaeger is nasty imo though.
March 16, 2018
That interview just about explains why Neuhauser continually fails to impress me as a singer. Not just Jaeger – the bigger question is, if he’s telling the truth and those “cups” aren’t some tiny Austria-specific cups, do his university employers know he has an alcohol problem that big? – but that “I don’t do any training”, and “I have forgotten everything about playing the piano”… umm yeah. Lovely example for the kids, Herr N.
Taken in moderation actually, Jaeger (like other traditional European bitters) does have certain immune-boosting properties because of all the herbs. But that’s a couple of teaspoons per, well, a cup of hot tea.
November 20, 2017
Yours was the first review I decided to read as its thanks to this blog I discovered Serenity.
I agree it’s perhaps a step back from the last two albums but they were stellar releases.
It does appear, certainly after the first few listens to be a more generic power metal album.
So case in point as L.Roy mentioned, the lyrics fit perfectly and it’s disappointing to see political correctness creep into media reviews of escapism metal records. Had they done the album with more light and shade which personally like yourself I would have preferred I believe the subject matter would have been more questionable?
Just to add, they are playing one date in London with Visions of Atlantis and Sleeping Romance.
November 20, 2017
Well, I don’t agree that I wrote a politically correct review, nor even that Angry Metal Guy’s review was politically correct. I think my take on the album was honest in suggesting that the album would’ve been more musically varied if the themes/mood of the album from song to song were more varied. That means not every song trumpeting the glory and heroism angle of Richard. Would it have resulted in subject matter that was more questionable? Perhaps, it might very well have resulted in a controversial album for reasons altogether different. But more importantly, it would resulted in a more interesting album, which is the only thing that really matters. You’re taking to a guy who’s written reviews for Burzum albums… being politically correct within the context of a metal album isn’t my litmus test for what I’m willing to listen to.
January 16, 2018
There is a heck of a lot of nuisance that Angry Metal Guy does not take into account for that slaughter. First you cannot look at this through modern eyes. It doesn’t work that way. Secondly Saladin massacred many captive Christian knights a few yrs earlier. He has no room to talk in that regard. Thirdly Saladin was stalling so his forces could be more fortified. Richard could not spare soldiers to look after these captives nor the food to feed them. He just could not wait and he did what he had to do. Yes it was gruesome, but probably necessary if he wanted to achieve victory. War can be hell as they say. I hate Monday morning quarterbacking in regards to history from long ago. This is clearly not a black and white case. It annoys me to no end where ppl wag their fingers at Richard without knowing the entire context in what was involved.
January 16, 2018
I guess historical depth and details considered, the question to ask aloud as listeners of this album is would the music have been better if it had more songs reflecting these topics? I went back through and re-listened to this album just now since I’m stuck at home because its actually snowing (!) in Houston and I gotta say that my feelings on it haven’t changed much. “My Fantasy” is a spectacular song, and there are some other nice moments, but largely I feel a sameness permeating this album that has never been a problem with other Serenity records before.
January 16, 2018
I didn’t realize the lead singer was a history professor. Very cool. I liked the album. I get tired of people criticizing Richard when Saladin did something similar. I don’t fault either of them BTW. The Crusades were bloody affairs. Definitely not as noble as some would think. I would gone another route for a subject. Maybe something that isn’t as well known, but that might not sell records. I like the mention of Sabaton. Love them and their energy at concerts. You get a work out watching them live. Probably going to see them in a couple of months at one of my favorite venues here in town. And yes the word should be nuance in the first sentence. Not sure how to edit that. I didn’t think the first reply went through.
January 16, 2018
There is a heck of a lot of nuance that Angry Metal Guy does not take into account for that slaughter. First you cannot look at this through modern eyes. It doesn’t work that way. Secondly Saladin massacred many captive Christian knights a few yrs earlier. He has no room to talk in that regard. Thirdly Saladin was stalling so his forces could be more fortified. Richard could not spare soldiers to look after these captives nor the food to feed them. He just could not wait and he did what he had to do. Yes it was gruesome, but probably necessary if he wanted to achieve victory. War can be hell as they say. I hate Monday morning quarterbacking in regards to history from long ago. This is clearly not a black and white case. It annoys me to no end where ppl wag their fingers at Richard without knowing the entire context in what was involved.