 Title - ‘Serart’ (Serjical Strike/Columbia)
Artist - Serart
I will be frank. The first time I listened to Serart I was not especially pleased. I found the music outlandish and bizarre to an excessive degree, and thought it was Serj Tankian just trying to expand on his famed eccentricity. However, being an avid System of a Down fan (Serj's metal band, if you've lived under a rock for the past 3 years), I gave it another listen. This time I absolutely loved it! Let's make this clear: THIS IS NOT SOAD! Rather then assault metal, it is an artfully crafted collection of Armenian and other world folk music with a unique SOADy edge. For the person who loves world music (as I do), this is definitely something to check out, as it is for SOAD fans. Ideally, you like both, since elements of both come through strong in the final product. Most of the songs are not in English, but rather, I'm presuming Armenian, the home language of the two featured artists, and the few that are in English are more poetry with a Middle Eastern or African back beat then songs. But, there is no denying the high quality of the compositions and bizarre sort of catchiness of the chants and melodies.
Gary Stevenson
www.ColumbiaRecords.com
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