Austria’s metal scene isn’t quite as well known as the one in Germany, but in recent years, there has been a steady surge in the number of bands coming from there, with many of them gaining recognition with fans around Europe.  One of those bands is Serenity, a Symphonic metal band that is becoming better known with each album.  Their latest album Death and Legacy is their most ambitious album yet, and Metal Psalter was granted an interview with vocalist Georg Neuhauser and guitarist Thomas Buchberger to talk about the band and the new album.

Peter: For those who don’t know about Serenity, would you mind saying a few things about the band?

Georg:  Serenity is a symphonic metal band based in Austria which was founded in 2004 and now consists of Georg Neuhauser (lead vocals), Thomas Buchberger (guitar), Mario Hirzinger (keys), Fabio D’Amore (bass) and Andy Schipflinger (drums). We released three albums so far and toured through Europe several times with bands like Kamelot, Threshold, Edenbridge and Morgana Lefay. Our sound could be described as a mixture of movie soundtracks with heavy guitar riffs, huge choirs and thundering drums. Somewhere in between Nightwish, Kamelot, Symphony X and Sonata Arctica.

Peter: In the last year, the band experienced a lineup change.  Would you like to give an explanation for the change?

Thomas:   We always knew that this kind of music was not absolutely the right thing for Simon (Holzknecht). He always was more into much, much harder stuff. So it was not unexpected for the rest of the band. Still we got some trouble then as we were right in the middle of the recordings for “Death & Legacy” and I had to do the bass recordings on my own. A bit later Fabio joined the band with unbelievable enthusiasm. Georg got to know him during the recordings for his guest vocals on the latest Fairyland release. So it ended up in a positive way for us.

Peter: Serenity will have a new album out in Death and Legacy.  What can you say about the album from a production standpoint?

Thomas:  We spent lots and lots of effort into this release, which can be heard not only in the songs themselves, but also in the recording & mixing quality as well as the historic concept, the lyrics, the artworks, etc. There is always some room left for improvements, but to date this is our most ambitious album by far!

Peter: What are some of the themes on the album, and how, if at all, does the album cover convey those themes?

Georg: As the album is based on a historical concept dealing with important persons such as Galileo Galilei, Sir Francis Drake, Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Queen Elizabeth I and many more, we made sure to get this concept to the listener. So not only do the lyrics deal with those persons, but also the band pictures and the whole cover artworks are part of this greater idea. For example, the cover-artwork reflects an angel of death, a beautiful woman with a sword and a crow as a symbol for caducity. She’s holding the book including the sand of time where every legacy from the mentioned historic figures is written down. Each band member represents one of those people. For example Mario our keyboard player performs as Galileo Galilei, Andy our drummer looks exactly like Albrecht Duerer in his famous self portrait.   

Peter: The video for “The Chevalier” was released in conjunction with the album’s release, and features Ailyn from Sirenia.  How was the video shoot, and how did the collaboration with Ailyn come about?

Thomas: After a long time of organization and writing the storybook, the whole video was shot here in Austria right where we live, so it was quite uncomplicated for us to get to the settings. Still, it was hard work to find fitting places. When we are on tour, in the studio, or even on a film set, we always have a lot of fun.  For Ailyn, we met her at a SERENITY gig in Spain and got to know that she was a big fan of our band, so the rest can be seen as history. She travelled over here two times for recordings and the video shooting. We really became good friends and everything worked in an easy and friendly way without any problems.

Peter: In addition to Ailyn, Serenity enlists the vocal talents of Charlotte Wessels of Delain and Amanda Somerville.  How did each come about and how did they fit with what the band wanted on Death and Legacy?

Georg: When we were on tour with Kamelot the second time in 2009, Delain was part of the tour package as well. We had a lot of fun together and noticed that we even have the same producer in Oliver Philipps from Germany, so it was really easy to realize the collaboration with Charlotte and we’re happy with the result.  It’s also perfect that we’ll go on tour with Delain in April/May throughout Europe! We knew Amanda from the Avantasia albums and met her on tour with Kamelot, too.  She only wanted to hear the song in advance, but after some minutes, she replied and agreed to do the duet with me. 

Peter: If you could have dinner with one historical figure, who would it be and why?

Thomas and Georg:  Definitely Giacomo Casanova because there would be a lot of women surrounding us.

Peter: Are there any plans for shows in support of the album?

Thomas: Yes - we will hit the road together with Leaves’ Eyes in April and continue our touring activities with Delain all over Europe for one month! After that, we’ll play some festivals in the summer and hopefully, we’ll be on the road again in Autumn.  In March, we’re doing a headlining tour in Austria, and you can check all the dates on www.serenity-band.com!

Peter: Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thomas and Georg: Watch out for Death and Legacy, and hopefully you’ll see us on tour as soon as possible!

Serenity

Interviewer: Peter

February 28, 2011

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TO THE TOP

(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

Formed: 2001
Wörgl, Tyrol  Austria
Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Progressive Power Metal

CURRENT LINE-UP:

Georg Neuhauser:  Vocals
Thomas Buchberger:  Guitar
Fabio D'Amore:  Bass
Mario Hirzinger:  Keyboards & Vocals
Andreas Schipflinger: 
                                   Drums & Vocals

DISCOGRAPHY:

Words Untold & Dreams Unlived
                                                        (2007)
Fallen Sanctuary (2008)
Death & Legacy (2011)