Sad Serenity - Tiny Miracles

Angry Metal Guy

Written By: Nameless_n00b_606

Perhaps more than any other subgenre of metal, prog requires work. Prog metal’s penchant for long, complex compositions can make an entire album feel like a chore, but the genre also dazzles with displays of virtuosic musicianship that prompt repeat listens. For prog metal collective Sad Serenity, German multi-instrumentalist Marcell Kaemmerer handles all the composing (music, lyrics, arrangements) and is responsible for much of the virtuosity, playing guitars, keyboards, and bass. Like their 2023 debut, The Grand Enigma, Tiny Miracles is a 70-plus-minute opus, comprised of what Sad Serenity describes as “6 mostly overlong songs of up to 23 minutes.”¹ Sounding more like a warning than an invitation, this description makes prospective listeners wonder if Tiny Miracles will provoke—and reward—sustained attention.

Abounding with virtuosic performances, Tiny Miracles sounds like Dream Theater, especially their early 2000s output (Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, Train of Thought). In his roles as Petrucci, Rudess, and Myung, Kaemmerer shines, crafting songs with chunky guitar riffs, bass-driven verses, and textural keyboards (“Tell the Moon”). Filling out the core of Sad Serenity is Greek vocalist George Margaritopolous, who reminds more of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (The Mars Volta) than he does Jame LaBrie when he belts the high notes. And though it would be hard to out-drum Mike Portnoy, Brazilian drummer Vinny Silva more than holds his own, effortlessly moving between machine gun double bass, double-time beats, and tight rim work (“Torn”). As a collective, Sad Serenity also benefits from contributions by musicians across the world, including Australia (violin), Croatia (transverse flute), and Kaemmerer’s native Germany (accordion). Björn von Känel balances all these elements in a deceptively airy mix. In its instrumental plentitude, technical prowess, and pristine production, Tiny Miracles sounds like a heavy metal symphony.

Tiny Miracles by Sad Serenity Official

Sad Serenity says that Tiny Miracles revolves around “the small, miraculous and too often overlooked aspects of life,” yet all but one track takes inspiration from the grandiose domain of literature. “Alter Ego,” an adaptation of Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, is the album’s shortest song and a banger, turning the dissonance-draped opening riff into a Tool-esque verse, sweet shredding, and some concluding prog nuttiness. “Torn,” the one song with no literary reference, is another (relatively) shorter track that slaps, twisting chunky rhythms and nifty riffs around an infectious chorus. Meanwhile, “A Cabin in the Woods”—the second longest track—sets a disjointed tone as the album opener; the placid verses and woodwinds evoke the naturalism of its source material (Thoreau’s Walden), but the pulsing synths and syncopated chugs aren’t exactly rustic. And then there’s “The Elemental Dance,” the obligatory multi-part prog suite. Sad Serenity’s version comes in five movements and is based on Goethe’s “Der Zauberlehrling” (“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”). It has impressive moments, but some movements resonate more than others; one must ask why Sad Serenity didn’t separate this 23-minute Gargantua into five digestible tracks for the digital album. Given the band’s statement that Tiny Miracles spotlights overlooked minutiae, it’s fitting that the ‘smaller’ songs demand the most attention.

There’s no overlooking the powerful pipes of George Margaritopolous. Tiny Miracles contains songs with traditional structures that allow Margaritopolous to drop some supremely catchy hooks. There’s the aforementioned “Torn,” and then there’s “Tiny Miracles,” which slowly amplifies its anthemic chorus before adding urgency to its final iteration. But for the most part, Margaritopolous sings recitativo-style narratives from Kaemmerer’s literature-inspired libretto.² In both “A Cabin in the Woods” and “Alter Ego,” shifts from third- to first-person perspective don’t clearly map onto compositional shifts. This may seem like a minor discrepancy, but it illustrates the dangers of favoring virtuosic yet functional vocals over vocal hooks—it puts pressure on the lyrics to carry more weight.

Having put in work to understand Tiny Miracles and its enormous compositions, I will say that Sad Serenity has a flawed but ultimately enjoyable sophomore album on its hands. The ‘shorter’ songs stand out the most, blending traditional structures with the jaw-dropping excursions that prog metal fans crave (“Torn,” “Alter Ego”). Conversely, the longer songs, in their grander narrative scale, contain fewer vocal hooks and sometimes meander (“A Cabin in the Woods,” “Tell the Moon”). Afficionados of the genre will garner appreciation from subtleties heretofore unmentioned: melodic modulations, mixed-mode chord progressions, etc. But to the metal fan in general, consider this a cautious invitation; Tiny Miracles is indeed overlong, but it does reward repeat listens.

Rating: Good!
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s CBR MP3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: sadserenity.bandcamp.com | patreon.com/sadserenityofficial
Releases Worldwide: July 25th, 2025

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