SERENITY IN MURDER hailing from Tokyo, Japan were formed in 2009. They play a mixture of symphonic melodic Death Metal and melodic Metal and released four full-length albums so far. Album number five is called “Timeless Reverie” and it has a length of about 42 minutes. The album was released via German Death and Black Metal specialists Apostasy Records. The start of the album is epic and bombastic with thunderous guitar riffing and the orchestrations. After the intro to “God Forsaken”, the track becomes frantic and hammering with blast-beat thunderstorms, devastating guitar riffs all played at crazy pace. The vocals are growls and they vary around the median of the guttural range. The orchestral arrangements are at times prominent with the brass leading the charge. “God Forsaken” is an excellent opening track giving the direction for the things to come. The track is the official video release, and the YouTube link is provided below. “Matrix” focusses more on melodies. It is a mid-tempo track with a few fast parts. The melodies are slightly melancholic at times, where the vocals follow mainly the melodies. Vocalist Ayumu has clean vocal support during the chorus parts of the track. The highlight is the very contributing lead guitar solo. “Blue Roses Gracefully Fall” has a quiet start but it does not take long for the bombastic orchestrations and choir to take over. The mid-tempo track has punishing guitar riffs and aggressive growls during the verse parts. The chorus part is quite busy as the orchestral arrangements are very prominent, driven by the brass, and they are accompanied by the Metal instruments. The melodies are dark throughout the track. The break leads to an excellent lead guitar solo.

“And The World Awake” is a melodic mid-tempo track with focus on the melodies, which have a certain catchiness and with some traces of the melancholy. The orchestral arrangements are less prominent and more in the background. The track is mainly driven by the guitars and there is a lot of lead guitar contribution throughout, combined with some thunderous riffing. “Never Defiled” starts heavy and powerful with orientally inspired melodies, leading into a fast verse part with tight Thrash Metal guitar riffing and crunching basslines. The bridge introduces a bit of chaos alongside the chorus parts. The break for the lead guitar solo keeps the tempo fast, and the lead guitar solo including the twin guitars are second-to-none. “Never Defiled” ends with a huge breakdown. It is a crushing track and one of my album favourites. “A Dance Of Sorrow” keeps the tempo high but with more focus on dark and melancholic melodies. The orchestral arrangements are led by the strings, and they are quite dominant at times. Trademark of the SERENITY IN MURDER sound are the lead guitars with the solos, and “A Dance Of Sorrow” does not make an exception with an excellent solo delivery.

“The Flames Ablaze” continues with the melodic Death Metal attack. The track is played at mid-tempo, and the melodies are catchy and easy-to-listen to. It reminds me at times on the lighter ARCH ENEMY songs and surely “The Flames Ablaze” would make it to any of their albums. “Revolt” continues with that sound at mid-tempo. While the verse parts are crushing, the chorus parts are a bit softer and focus on catchy melodies where clean vocals contribute in addition to the growls. The orchestral arrangements are hardly notable, there are some strings in the background. After the 90-seconds instrumental inter-lude “Past: Timeless Reverie”, the album continues with the 2025 version of “Noticed This Is The Betrayal”, which has been originally released on their “The Highest Of Dystopia” album from 2015. Ten years later, the new version is fresh, dynamic, and a more modern delivery compared to the original. The album finishes with “Hope: Timeless Reverie”. It is an orchestral composition mainly led by the strings, where the guitars, bass, and drums are in the background and become a bit more prominent only during the last part of the track. It is an instrumental and a quiet song. Altogether a good way to end the album.

SERENITY IN MURDER deliver a very good and interesting fifth full-length album. “Timeless Reverie” is a multi-faceted album with many different layers. It is mainly a symphonic and melodic Death Metal album, where the guitars and the orchestral arrangements drive the characteristic and unique sound of the band. All is kept very well together by an excellent vocalist, who gives the sound of the album a different dimension. The album is well produced. “Timeless Reverie” is crushing, melodic, and bombastic at the same time, and offers a brought variety of different songs. Melodic Death Metal, melodic Metal, and symphonic Death Metal fans will be delighted with the new release of SERENITY IN MURDER.