Devil's Gate Music
Related Articles
Any comparisons that mention Enter Shikari usually have me reaching for the off switch with haste. We all have bands that have that effect on us, in my case it’s The Smiths and Enter Shikari… go figure. Silent Descent sound fuck all like Enter Shikari, so (for me at least) the comparison is dead in the water. Pendulum (in places) yeah, I’ll give you that one. ‘Turn To Grey’ is the latest album from the Brit trance metal outfit, and one that makes you scratch your head as to why they are currently unsigned. Apart from being a bit lengthy, ‘Turn To Grey’ is pretty damn explosive stuff. Maybe all the flavours on display are a bit much for those that like to compartmentalise their music, but if you feel like widening your horizons, Silent Descent could be the band for you. ‘Turn To Grey’ is complex in places, lots of tempo changes within songs, electronica appears in places where you might expect some pounding bass drums, orchestral arrangements appear where you might expect some shredding… oh, and Bjorn from Soilwork pops up on ‘Vortex’ with the stellar vocals that you would expect. The mix of electronica and metal works well, mainly because Silent Descent have not forsaken the golden rule of don’t skimp on the hooks. Even on the headswim that is the title track, there are hooks big enough to land the fattest of fat bastards floating by on a lilo. On ‘Rob Rodda’ there is enough synth during the intro to make David Guetta blush and realise that his memory card has been corrupted for the last few years and no-one has noticed, but just as you are waiting on whistles to blow, the band come in and blow that suggestion away. Catchy as hell with a great bounce to it. Rules get chucked out the window as Silent Descent raise a middle finger to tutters everywhere. While I don’t mind a bit of EDM in small doses, it’s the likes of ‘Sticky Fingers’ that really makes me sit up and pay attention. A soft keyboard intro gives way to a crushing groove that would have the crowd surging to the front. The vocals are a mix of softer clean vocals and harsher growls, but it’s the pounding drums that get the adrenaline flowing. ‘Paths Winding’ is much slower, and the change of pace works well. ‘Back To Where I Belong’ begins like it might follow suit with a slower pace, but quickly picks up momentum and turns into a towering few minutes. Avenged Sevenfold mashed up with some drum n bass? Maybe yeah. It works on so many levels, whatever you want to call it. A confident album that sets out to break the rules, and manages to do so easily. Available now. More information on how to purchase can be found here. Review: Oli]]>
