Band:	Serenity Broken
Album:	Commercial Suicide
Style:	Alternative metal, Hard rock
Release date:	July 13, 2012
A review by:	BloodTears

01. Tattooed Heart
02. Shadows
03. Slip Up
04. Alone?
05. Our Hate
06. Right In Me
07. Another Fading Memory
08. Def
09. Deception
10. Beat It Outta Me
11. Sweet Mistake
12. Def [feat. George Kollias] [bonus]

When you name your album Commercial Suicide, you know what people are going to say... "We have been warned". But in a way the title feels more like it is trying to prove a point in the form of critique.

This is one of those bands that doesn't sound anything like they come from Greece. You would expect them to have grown up in Seattle. But Serenity Broken might just be your next guilty pleasure. Their hard rock/metal mix takes a dive into alternative and some things in Commercial Suicide sound familiar, and others sound a bit different. The grunge-influenced vocals/sounds might make you think back to the 90's, the breaks and sporadic screams might make you think about metalcore and a certain lyrical stance/confrontational attitude might make you think about Rage Against The Machine.

Serenity Broken sound as competent and effective as they are professional. The singer's melodic and expressive voice is a constant; it guides the song dynamics and also lends them corrosive fractures when it's raspier. This record is versatile, the band isn't afraid to try different things and a modern take on vintage styles. Nile's George Kollias also participates on the album's bonus track "Def", one of the most interesting and aggressive moments you will find here.

Somehow the band manages to create a debut album that brings me back to a time of simpler processes, more immediate riffs and in-your-face blasts; a time when I started listening to rock or metal without the prejudices I have now and the need to deconstruct what I hear. It's catchy, easy on the ear, heavy and fun. It even strikes a chord or two. In the end, it has the effect of a CD you get curious about upon first listen that continues to spin because every time you put it on it still has something satisfying to give you.

Most addicting songs: "Our Hate", "Def", "Alone?", "Right In Me" and "Tattooed Heart".