SILENT CALL - review added 25th March 2010
Album Review: Greed (2010)
For fans of: Prog Metal... and excellent vocals
Silent Call - Andi Kravljaca on vocals, Daniel Ekholm on guitars, Patrik Törnblom on keys, Tobbe Moen on bass, and Mikael Kvist on drums - hail from Stockholm in Sweden. They released a 4-track demo Divided at the start of 2007, and a debut album Creations From A Chosen Path - featuring Göran Edman and Daniel Flores - in the middle of 2008.
Greed, the follow up to that release, once again features the mixing and mastering skills of Martin Kronlund. The artwork is by Mattias Noren.
Silent Call's sound covers hard rock and metal, all marinated in a strong progressive sauce. This isn't hardcore prog that's inaccessible, self-indulgent and merely technically impressive. It's a mostly-mild take on prog that adds to the music and gives it plenty of character. Think somewhere between Coldspell and Vindictiv and you'll have the idea. The performances are first class, especially Andi Kravljaca's charismatic vocals.
The songs themselves vary in quality. They are all beautifully produced, but catchiness and that 'repeat-play-factor' comes and goes throughout. 'Every Day' starts proceedings. It takes a while to get going, when it does it's perfectly respectable. Same goes for 'I Am My Nation'. Some of the guitars are stupendously heavy.The ballad 'Through The Endless Night' is in a different league though. It's easily the best track on the album and a true stunner by any measure.
'All That Might Be' has a heavy, groovy underlying riff that gives the track plenty of spunk. 'Dream Tomorrow' is a bass-licious fantastical entry that throws metal-music and folk-lyrics in the melting pot. It's strangely moorish. 'Turn The Tide' is a leftfield take on heavy rock too. 'Unbreakable' has a chuggingly brutish start but fails to head anywhere that exciting.
'Falling From Grace' is held together by plenty of phat riffs. Some of the guitar sounds really are awesome. 'When The Angels Call Your Name' has a great title that promises much...and the epic music backs it up. The chorus is catchy, the progressions are memorable and cleverly orchestrated. 'The Wages of Greed' is boisterous and impressive. Final entry 'Clavain's Tale' is a semi-acoustic number that again boasts a stunning vocal performance.
Greed has a very good sound propped up by a bucket load of fantastic musicianship. Not all the compositions are great, but criticising an album that sounds this good seems harsh. Silent Call have produced a real grower that needs time to fully appreciate. It's worth the effort though.
Check out... 'Through The Endless Night'.
Track List:
01. Every Day
02. I Am My Nation
03. Through The Endless Night
04. All That Might Be
05. Dream Tomorrow
06. Turn The Tide
07. Unbreakable
08. Falling From Grace
09. When The Angels Call Your Name
10. The Wages of Greed
11. Clavain's Tale
Label: Escape Music
Artist's website(s): Silent Call , MySpace
