If you say Timo Kotipelto you’re saying Stratovarius at the same time. I like Stratovarius, so I was very curious about the third solo album of the frontman of the Finish band. Of course there are a lot of similarities between the solo work of Kotipelto and the great Finnish band, but it is definitely not a direct copy. The Stratovarius elements Kotipelto has copied are the crystal clear production and sound, both absolutely great.

Some songs indeed do sound like typical Stratovarius, though, like ‘Angels Will Cry’ and ‘Once upon a Time’, both up-tempo songs with high-pitched vocals, fast riffs and melodies with with quite a lot space for solos (be it guitar, keyboard or bass).
The keyboards (by Janne Wirman) are of great importance for the songs on `Serenity`, because of its typical sound (Hammond organ), listen to ‘Mr.-Knows-it-All’ with the typical John Lord sound of Deep Purple.

Most songs are melodic hard rock songs with commercial influences. Especially the choruses have a high sing-along level (‘Sleep Well’, ‘Serenity’). ‘Sleep Well’ is the first single off the album, and it sounds quite radio friendly. The songs ‘King Anti-Midas’ and ‘Mr.-Know-It-All’ are much heavier, with really heavy guitar riffs and even some progressive influences.
The last song of the album, ‘Last Defender’ is the most different song on `Serenity`, and therefore it is the most interesting. After the acoustic intro the song changes into an epic and bombastic symphonic, heavy hard rock song that takes over 8 minutes. It has a strong structure, heavy riffs and great melody. Even with eight minutes, the song is too short.

With `Serenity` the band Kotipelto proves to be more then just copy of Stratovarius. Songs like ‘Last Defender’ and `Mr.-Knows-it-All’ prove this best.