CEA SERIN - ...WHERE MEMORIES COMBINE - 2004

The literal meaning of cea serin is "what you are all about". Cea Serin uses this phrase to describe the mission they take in their music. Cea Serin's goal is to create progressive metal that captures what a human life is all about. Some of the unique elements to Cea Serin's sound are not there for music, but for emotional purposes.

Cea Serin's debut release "Where Memories Combine" is their epic "The Surface of All Things" (first four tracks) along with a shorter epic "The Scripted Sufferring" (next two tracks), and the bonus track "An Evening at the Suicide Cafe". "The Surface of All Things" is a unique composition. It's meant to be a journey through the human mind, and the different shades of vocal styles and the digitally mastered segues do just that. Cea Serin attempts to forge an intimate experience with the listener, and they succeed in doing just that.

Jay Lamm is the creative force behind this band. He plays bass, vocalizes, composes the digital drums, and records the atmospheric and lead keyboards. Lamm is also the composer. So how does the busy guy perform? His vocal abilties are extraordinary, he has so many different ways that he can attack a listener with his passion. He has the cleanest screams a listener could desire. His screams are the perfect musical expression of agony. They are realistic musical screams, not death metal styled screams. His clean voice is dramatic, adding a sense of depression to the music. Jay Lamm vocal contribution is by far his greatest performing contribution to the album. Lamm's vocal performance on the epic "The Surface of All Things" is one of the most complete vocal performances in progressive metal.

Lamm's keyboards are quite creative as well. Lamm is a master at switching from ambient atmospheric tones to lead analog tones when the whole band kicks in. The bonus track "An Evening at the Suicide Cafe" is a good mix between atmospheric and lead keyboards with an industrial yet jazzy timbre.

Lamm's bass playing doens't leave much to speak of. It's a groove performance, but it's hard to be considered a great groove agent when a bassist is playing to digital drums.

The digital drums composed by Lamm are among the best, but the only problem is that they are digital. One of the few negative aspects to this album.

Keith Warman is an excellent lead guitarist. Warman can hold and bend notes with great sustain. He uses the upper register of the next extensively with screaming melodies and precise lead work. There's some creative work with hand and pick slides throughout the album. Warman's lead work is the perfect instrumental compliment to Lamm's diverse vocal style.

Forrest Osterman is the rythymn guitarist. There's some punchy guitar rythymns but nothing to overpowering. The chordal structure isn't the most imaginative, but complimenting Keith Warman's range Osterman manages to build a wall of sound with his guitar tracks.

The production is good for such an obscure band. The digital drums are better than most, but many of us, myself included don't care for the digital drum splat. The guitars have strong tones that are just delicate enough to please a listener's ear. The vocals have excellent mixing. The effects are noticeable, but the variety of voices is.

Highly reccomended for fans of progressive metal searching for creative and artistic bands that break away from the genre's standard approach.

*The track list varies per label release. Heavencross and Nightmare Records include different bonus tracks on different continents.*
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