Misplaced Pages

"Serein" is a song by Swedish heavy metal band Katatonia. It is the second single off of their tenth studio album The Fall of Hearts. The song title alludes to the concept of raining without clouds being visible.

Background

The song was first released as the second single off of Katatonia's tenth studio album The Fall of Hearts on 3 May 2016. The song's official music video was debuted a week later exclusively through Billboard's website. The video features a man writing the song's lyrics in pen and paper in black and white video.

Themes and composition

The word "Serein" was described by guitarist Anders Nystrom to mean "when rain falls but you can’t see any cloud". (Alternatively defined to mean "fine rain falling after sunset from a sky in which no clouds are visible".) Nystrom says that the song title is meant to be a cryptic metaphor, and refused to describe what is truly being described in the context of the song. Frontman and lead vocalist Jonas Renkse described the song as "one of the more straight-forward songs on the album, very guitar-driven, quite upbeat but still packed with emotion." Loudwire noted the similarity to 1980's new wave music such as The Cure and The Mission, due to its "gentle strumming and a soft lead... Jonas Renkse’s soothing, multi-tracked voice... a slightly uptempo rhythm uplifting and pop-inflected gorgeous, understated lead work textures" A number of publications noted the song as sounding less depressing than most Katatonia songs. AllMusic described the track as being "uptempo, prog pop/rocker with ringing, wrangling guitars, fat kick drums and snare, and an anthemic bridge. Metal Injection described it as "pop-meets-doom "

Reception

The song was generally well-received by critics. Loudwire praised the song for its "gorgeous" lead guitar work and "larger focus on atmosphere and melody" than prior music from the band. MetalSucks praised the track for "melancholic melody, the vocal harmonies" and " a cool synth interlude in the middle that gave me the shivers", and concluding that it was a "solid entry into the Katatonia canon all around." The artistic style of the song's music video was also praised.

Personnel

Band

• Jonas Renkse – lead vocals, keyboards
• Anders Nyström – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
• Roger Öjersson – guitars
• Niklas Sandin – bass
• Daniel Moilanen – drums

Production

• Jonas Renkse – production
• Anders Nystrom – production
• Jens Bogren – mixing, mastering

References

1. "KATATONIA: Official Lyric Video for New Song 'Serein'". Blabbermouth.net. 11 May 2016.
2. ^ "The Fall of Hearts - Katatonia | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
3. "KATATONIA: "Serein" (νέο lyric video)". Metalhammer.gr.
4. "Katatonia releases new single "Serein"". Metalinsider.net. 3 May 2016.
5. "Serein". Napster.com. 6 May 2016.
7. ^ "Watch Clip for Katatonia's 'Serein' from Upcoming Album 'The Fall of Hearts': Exclusive". Billboard.
8. "Katatonia launch Serein lyric video". Teamrock.com. 11 May 2016.
9. ^ "New Katatonia Song "Serein:" Where Farts and Misty Rain Unite". Metalsucks.net. 3 May 2016.
10. ^ "Katatonia Release Catchy New Song 'Serein'". Loudwire.
11. "KATATONIA is Streaming Its Pop-Doom Track "Serein"". Metalinjection.net. 2 May 2016.
12. "Katatonia release hand-written video for "Serein"". Metalinsider.net. 10 May 2016.

• 2016 singles
• 2016 songs
• Katatonia songs