Review Summary: Imagine the technical precision of Architects, the brutality and accuracy of Unearth coupled with an intuitive take on the whole metalcore thing and you'll get a rough idea of what this band has to offer.
The British metal scene has some pretty impressive acts to boast of recent. Bands such as Architects, Johnny Truant and Sylosis have all been making headway, all with very good releases under the belts and solid fanbases. Cry For Silence are a slightly lesser known act who fuse together technical metal, hardcore and metalcore but give it a fresh, intuitive twist. Allow me to introuduce their debut album
The Glorious Dead...
The album opens up with
Nightmare, a hard-hitting opener feauturing driving rhythmic riffs coupled with some sweet arpeggiated lead work in the chorus. Not short of halfway through the song we get a typical metalcore breakdown - not necessarily a bad thing but next to the rest of the song, it does sound slightly bland and unoriginal. It does pick up again however with some nice harmonized lead work. The main thing you notice first off with the band is that the guitarists are definitely very talented. Their 7-string guitar onslaught of riffs and technically proficient lead work is, for the most part, very impressive. Imagine melding together the brutality of Unearth with the precision of a band like Architects and you'll get a rough idea of what kinds of riffs these guys churn out. The drumming is solid and can't be complained about and the same goes for the vocal work, which is a mix of hardcore type screaming and mid range clean singing, mostly during the chorus.
A World Benign is the next track up and begins with some bass and drum work before exploding into one of the highlights from the album. Everything is very fast paced, right up to the utterly sick sweep picking (seriously fast) before everything momentarily stops, only for you to be thrust headlong into a hardcore-style riff. Again, about halfway through the song there is a very short little breakdown section but it certainly doesn't detract from the song. The drumming in this song is a tad more interesting than the previous track, with subtle use of double bass and the like.
Another highlight from the album is the title track. The riffs are frantic but somehow catchy at the same time and the vocal delivery is very passionate. All the riffs are very tight and well put together but the most remarkable feature of this song is the brilliant middle section. Everything quietens down to just simple guitar chords, a simple drum beat and some wonderful bass work. This builds into a rather epic guitar solo section, before the vocals come back in and the drums roll underneath. Then there is another guitar solo, very well phrased and exec uted. Easily the most appealing feature of Cry For Silence is the meticulous and technically proficient guitar work which is marvellous throughout the whole album.
The single from the album,
Cold Unholy Shores opens up with a particularly sporadic drum fill before launching into a right riff-fest of a song. Again, the pace is fast and the riffs are most notable. The main riff in particular is incredibly catchy and is likely to stick in your head like a harpoon. In truth, the rest of the album follows suit - tracks boast blisteringly fast and technical guitar solos, groove-laden riffs mixed in with precision and brutality, a solid rhythm section (with audible bass) and passionate vocal performances.
The Glorious Dead is a definite recommendation to those who like their metal to be technical, melodic and intricately put together.
Recommended Tracks
A World Benign
The Glorious Dead
Cold Unholy Shores
Into the Sun
This sounds interesting though...
