Serotonin - Motiv

Angry Metal Guy

Written By: Nameless_n00b_89

Serotonin is a Dutch black metal band hailing from Nijmegen in The Netherlands, one of the ten happiest countries on earth. Bearing a moniker of the human body’s “happy” chemical, the irony is funny and intriguing. These points and the fact that I’d never heard of Serotonin before had me exploring previous releases. Debut Antiphon was self-released in 2012 and suffered from pedestrian packaging, poor production, and a lack of editing, resulting in a bloated and amateurish affair that didn’t instill much confidence in me. As I worked through the following two albums, I found minimal improvement besides their newfound ability to self-edit on 2021’s Fracture,¹ the band’s first for Narcoleptica Productions. So it was, with subduedly tempered expectations, that I approached Serotonin’s fourth album, Motiv.

Despite label claims, Serotonin doesn’t dabble in the avant-garde as much as it plays a straightforward variety of black metal. Borrowing more from Ofermod and Shining than Botanist or fellow Netherlanders Grey Aura, Serotonin doesn’t push boundaries or smash genre tropes with Motiv. The more orthodox approach does work in the band’s favor, as sole instrumentalist and backup vocalist Sander Hordijk capably tremolo picks and riffs his way through Motiv’s seven tracks, only cracking when things stray into more atmospheric or slightly technical areas. Complimented by the ferocious vocal performance of Martin Perescis, who also manages percussion and programming, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say Serotonin has improved greatly over the sins of their back catalog in nearly every way.

Motiv by Serotonin

Motiv sheds much of the weight plaguing Serotonin’s previous efforts by clocking in at a slim 36 minutes. The opening track, “Climbing the Colossus,” entices with fast-paced tempos and ear-catching riffs, providing a glimpse into Serotonin’s potential. I found no fault in the highlights “Garrote in D,” with its sustained, mid-paced guitar nod to Ofermod plod and excoriating vocal performance,² or “Kanishibara,” sung solely in the band’s native Dutch and based on the Japanese concept of sleep paralysis, as it was full of wall-of-sound riffs and vocally froggy croaks that conjure Thaumiel–levels of cool.

Despite advancements, some elements of Motiv keep me from fully jumping on the Serotonin bandwagon. Though the mix and master provided by Magnus Andersson and Greg Chandler adds a noticeable level of warmth to the overall sound of Motiv, the drums come off as cold and impersonal, even out of sync at times with the rest of the music (“Spike Wave Discharge” or “Glioma Psychedelica”). I hope the addition of new bassist Nathan Gibbs will allow Hardijk to focus solely on his guitar technique, which I found weakest during the awkward tremolo noodling that starts “Glioma Psychedelica” and the amateurish, out-of-sync attempt at atmosphere that opens the last track, “Leidmotiv.”

While Serotonin’s Motiv didn’t deliver on the promises of its promo blurb, a wise person once told me, and I’m paraphrasing here, “Great, you didn’t get what you expected but was what you got worth a shit?” That question had me re-evaluating my critique. I spent an excessive amount of time with Motiv, more than some will spend in their lifetime.³ I finally realized what the band had done was deliver a pretty decent slab of mostly straightforward black metal. While Perescis’ vocals are by far the star, everything from the production and songwriting to the cover art and even the logo has been vastly improved. I’m excited to see where Serotonin goes from here and who knows, perhaps their next effort will be the perfect dose of Prozac I need.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s CBR mp3
Label: Narcoleptica Productions
Websites: digitalserotonin.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/serotonin
Releases Worldwide: September 2, 2024

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