In 2023, when I reviewed Sad Serenity’s debut album, The Grand Enigma, I remarked that the band showed a lot of promise for future outings and, with their widescreen approach to progressive metal, the possibilities for Marcell Kaemmerer and company were intriguing. Sophomore album Tiny Miracles has not only lived up to my expectations, it has surpassed them.
The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Kaemmerer, Sad Serenity have become more of a “real” band with newcomer Vinny Silva replacing the programmed drums and George Margaritopoulos back on vocals. The trio have delivered a more polished effort that, while residing comfortably in progressive metal mode, dispenses with most of the genre’s more obvious tropes (frenetic double bass drums, shredding solos, near-operatic vocals) for a warmer, more natural sound.
The epic first track, A Cabin In The Woods, is Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” set to music. If you’re expecting gentle, idyllic sounds, you are in for a rude surprise. A menacing synth orchestra introduces the song, building slowly with the addition of a unison drum/synth beat that ushers in the metal guitars. In the heavier section, bright, percussive synths contrast with the minor key chords to build an interesting sound collage. Meter changes abound beneath the vocal lines. While not exactly breaking new ground, the quick changes in mood and dynamics give the song dimension, so its fourteen minutes never feel padded. This is thoughtfully composed music with intelligent lyricism, simultaneously harsh and melodic, electric and acoustic, hopeful but with reserve. Torn is more traditionally prog metal without feeling like a constant sledgehammer to the head, mostly due to a strong melody and the judicious use of sparkling keys. Self-actualization seems to be the theme here, with lyrics just murky enough to leave you scratching your head: “Break my shell and tear apart the erroneous conceptions of my mind”.
Tell The Moon also uses literary source material, this time Michael Swanwick’s “Án Empty House With Many Doors”. Synths once more open the song before inviting the guitars, drums and bass to lay a solid foundation. The synths retreat in the face of a heavy rhythm attack, exerting their influence from the background. Silva’s drumming throughout is clean, precise, and thunderous. This is not cheerful subject matter, as the protagonist feels “alive but dead inside”, lamenting that he is “killing myself oh so slowly”. Even so, the song is not without optimism, something reflected in both the music and the lyrics: “I make a choice, dismiss my grief / Knowing that you’re somewhere out there”. Hearkening back to vintage Queensrÿche, it feels both visceral and intellectual.
Alter Ego continues the literary theme, using Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde” as source material. This is the most relentless track on the album, the keys used sparingly in favour of the guitar assault. Margaritopoulos’ powerful voice is particularly notable here, his vocal approach being harsher than usual, ragged and rapid to great effect. The song barely manages the use of light and shade as might befit the subject matter; instead, it is all about the emergence of darkness and the toll it takes.
By the time we get to The Elemental Dance, the album’s twenty-three minute centerpiece, there are still a few more tricks left up Kaemmerer’s sleeve. Real strings and synths battle it out with a wall of bass, drums and guitars in a captivating instrumental opening section. Producer and sound engineer Björn von Känel uses ghostly whispers to create spooky atmospherics in the first vocal section of this song, which is based on Goethe’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”. The sound in general is beautifully uncluttered, so no matter what is going on, it can be clearly heard, as in the riff-heavy second section. The third section, another instrumental, cedes ground to the synths once more, but the rhythm instruments never let you forget that this is still a progressive metal album. When Andrew Huskey’s cookie monster vocals arrive in the following section, they do not feel gratuitous or forced to fit in. Rather, they are appropriate for the mood and message of the song. The final section delivers on the symphonic promise you knew was coming, all emotional, swelling synths riding atop propulsive drums and soaring vocals.
The title track, Tiny Miracles, closes the album with a rare moment of piano-led introspection before giving way to shifting time signatures over which the vocals and keys skitter and soar. Crunchy guitars, airy synthesizers, jackhammer drums and passionate vocals each give room to each other so the song never feels crowded by the surfeit of ideas.
Sad Serenity has managed to avoid the second album curse in fine fashion. Tiny Miracles is an album that builds on what came before while adding new ideas and colours. If you want flash in your progressive metal, this is not the album for you. On the other hand, if you like strong songs as the basis for talented musicians to add just enough icing to the cake to make it even more enticing, this might be up your alley. Tiny Miracles lives up to its name.
TRACK LISTING
01. A Cabin In The Woods (14:13)
02. Torn (8:23)
03. Tell The Moon (10:53)
04. Alter Ego (6:03)
05. The Elemental Dance (22:55)
06. Tiny Miracles (9:09)
Total Time – 71:36
MUSICIANS
Marcell Kaemmerer – Guitars, Keyboards, Bass
George Margaritopoulos – Vocals
Vinny Silva – Drums
~ With:
Andrew Huskey – Growls
Ellen Mross – Accordion
Aranka Stimec – Transverse Flute
Lathika Vithanage – Violin
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Independent
Country of Origin: Germany
Date of Release: 25th July 2025
LINKS
Sad Serenity – Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | Instagram
