Serpico formed in 2006 in Pori, Finland. Shallow Mistress is their debut CD.
The band is Kalle Vee (lead vocals), Mika Muinonen (guitars, backing vocals), Antti Fager (bass, backing vocals), Kimmo Hautamäki (guitars, backing vocals) and Jani Serpico (drums, backing vocals). Shallow Mistress is a pleasant enough album of melodic heavy rock in the vein of ’80s music related hair bands. The music is well played if unremarkable but there are some catchy riffs and arrangements to be had. One of the most interesting aspects of the album are the vocal arrangements. All band members sing and Vee’s lead vocals are pretty decent, accent and all. At times the vocals add a fair amount of bombast which helps to set the band apart from their contemporaries. Of the twelve tracks one of my favourite is the catchy “(I’ve Got A Hard On) Drugs” featuring a pretty unique vocal arrangement and memorable riffs . The string arrangement in the mid tempo rocker “Tie Us Down” is another highlight along with Vee’s unique vocals. His voice takes a bit getting used to but the more I listen the more I like. Overall, Shallow Mistress is a pretty solid effort. It didn’t blow me away but the band do what they do quite well. Let’s hope Serpico continues to grow with their next one.
1. Intro (0:28)
2. Oriental Clash (4:15)
3. Documents (5:12)
4. (I’ve Got A Hard On) Drugs (4:07)
5. Supernatural Outlaw #1 (3:58)
6. Cozy (6:22)
7. Tie Us Down (4:41)
8. Mosquito (5:01)
9. Cabare (4:06)
10. Shallow Mistress (5:01)
11. Always? (3:40)
12. Outro (0:36)
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