Genre: Symphonic Metal/Metalcore
Label: Artery/Razor & Tie
Date of Release: April 30, 2013
SOLID SYMPHONIC METALCORE
It’s
common for modern bands to fuse the epic sounds of symphonic metal with the
heaviness of metalcore, including Winds Of Plague, Make Them Suffer, and in
this case, Dead Silence Hides My Cries. After forming in 2009 from Minsk,
Belarus, this quartet released their debut full-length “The Wretched Symphony”
in 2011, and has obtained a rather large following ever since. After being
signed to Artery Recordings, a label associated with bands such as Chelsea Grin
and A Bullet For Pretty Boy, the group would unleash their second full-length
in 2013, “The Symphony of Hope.”
The
musicianship is displayed generally well in this album, as well as the mixing. The
aggressive vocals, while a little strained at times, showcase some great
ferocity, while the harmonized clean singing does a great job in streaming
potent melodies. The guitars help in this respect as well, and they also fare
well in terms of delivering both light and heavy riffs. On top of that, the
drums keep a nice, solid framework for the rest of the music. They also sound
great, thanks to the production, which is also carried out very well. The
mixing makes everything sound large and crisp, with each piece of the
musicianship clearly playing their roles. However, at the same time, it also
maintains a great sense of atmosphere to grab listeners. Both the
instrumentation and production function quite well here.
Like
before, Dead Silence Hides My Cries throws in our way a fusion of symphonic
metal and metalcore in order to create a record that touches both the heavy and
epic sides of the metal genre. All in all, this formula is executed nicely in “The
Symphony of Hope,” but it does have a few shortcomings. The first problem is
that the music is generic as far as melodic metalcore goes, especially in
tracks such as “My Hard and Long Way Home,” though that track is still rather
decent. Secondly, the tracks sometimes feel as if they have no true climax or
pay-off, an example of this being “Hate Unleashed.” It has such great buildup
with nice hooks thrown in the mix, but it feels as though there is no true
finale. This may be because of the music’s occasional lack of dynamic shown
with the unending loudness throughout some of the tracks. As a result, it can
tend to get a tad repetitive and flat.
However,
problems aside, there is still much to take pleasure in in this album that
should nevertheless be checked out. There is a large amount of memorable hooks
peppered on throughout the release, and the songs are structured very well,
containing much flow. The songs are also quite distinct from each other, so
each one offers something different from the last in terms of mood and sound,
making way for an eventful listen. On top of that, the way the orchestral
effects are placed in the music is very smart. As opposed to haphazardly
slapping the synthesizer onto the tracks to try to deliver their effect, the
band puts these segments at the right times to make the songs more impressive. In
fact, this is best showcased in the song “Who Are You, Mr. Brooks,” which is
also the most enjoyable one out of the tracklist. It has the most memorability,
and it certainly brings out the best that this album has to offer. Despite the
issues depicted earlier, there is plenty to like in this release.
As
a follow-up record, “The Symphony of Hope” is a nice step up from the previous
album. The musicianship is quite stellar, and the mixing does great in its
explosiveness as well. On top of that, the symphonic metalcore itself is
nothing short of solid, and there is at least a handful of moments that will
grab you upon the first listen. The problems with this album, while significant
and distracting, don’t actually stop this album from having any enjoyability.
Fans of symphonic metal and hardcore will definitely take a liking to this very
decent release.
Score: 7.5/10 (Solid+)
