Serotonal were formed in Liverpool, in 2004, by former Anathema and The Blood Divine vocalist, Darren White along with guitarists Gary Hill and Jon Francis-White. They spent the next few years developing and honing their sound into the behemoth that we now hear! In 2007 they were joined on bass by Andy Heath and more recently were joined by drummer Wayne Denny.
Following a couple of years of touring and playing festivals in Europe and closer to home in the UK, alongside such illustrious names as Queensrÿche, Nazareth, Katatonia, and My Dying Bride, Serotonal cut their debut full length release – ‘Monumental – Songs Of Misery And Hope’, released through Union Black records.
I’ve seen the ‘Doom’ tag thrown around in reference to Serotonal by many people but I just don’t see it. Yes, Darren White was the original singer in Doom pioneers Anathema but that’s about where the similarities end. There may be a melancholic feel to a few of the tracks on the album but on the whole the ambience is far from what you would call ‘Doom’. I would go so far as to say tracks such as “Wasteland” has an almost happy feel to it. Whereas, ‘Self Control Seizure’, ‘Now It’s Over’, ‘Chaosmind’, ‘Hinge()’ and ‘Natureality’ are pure and simple, balls out metal songs that will rip your face off!
Serotonal are also keen to show their ambient side too with tracks such as ‘Unseen’, ‘Isolated’ and the immense ‘Monumental’, proving that Serotonal bring a whole lot more to the plate than just ‘Doom’ metal!
‘Monumental – Songs Of Misery And Hope’ is a debut album that will not disappoint. Take a listen yourself or go and watch Serotonal play live and you may be pleasantly surprised!
