There is something very special about THE SILENT WEDDING. the melodic Heavy / Power Metallers from Athens, Greece, who will self release there new, third “The Ego Path” full length on February 11th:
Since their very early days -same titled 2008 EP-, the band have managed to build a very specific soundscape of their own in which they wisely set their main songwriting basis. The result was always this emotionally driven melodic Heavy – Power Metal -with some Prog touches here and there- that was perfectly balancing between darkness and light. All the above features quickly shaped the band’s trademark, that made their sound perfectly recognizable around the globe. And while someone may think that this result was achieved through complex compositions (which we of course love but this is another story), I can assure you the THE SILENT WEDDING have managed to deliver some of the most catchy and memorable tunes that you can actually hear from a Metal band.
I am so happy that nothing of the above have changed on their new album. A release that highlights a fully talented band that is delivering some outstanding and dark reflected Melodic Heavy / Power Metal with Prog elements. The songwriting is the Alpha and the Omega in this actual release. THE SILENT WEDDING has some wonderful songs to share with you. Songs that you would simply love, or they would simply haunt you. The sure thing is that you would find very difficult to take them out of your mind. Seriously.
Let me first explain that the term Melodic Heavy / Power Metal for the case of THE SILENT WEDDING is used to mostly express a very specific sound arrangement that mainly focuses on the post-00s European wave that combines the two genres -Heavy and Power Metal- under a fresh and in many cases modern installment, while their Prog elements are reflecting the very same era. Bands like DARKWATER, HARMONY, WAKEN EYES and EVERGREY can be mentioned as influences / references as far as the band’s overall sound. Still the unique trademark of THE SILENT WEDDING stands above all, making their material to sound so different and personalized. I can recognize a song composed by THE SILENT WEDDING among a hundred songs similar or not similar to their musical style. There is also a lot of 90s stuff in the overall band’s sound -and in this album particularly, mainly due to the riffing- and this is something that I can only point as an extremely positive feature.
THE SILENT WEDDING mostly develop their songs based on the vocal and keyboard melodies which are the top and most important elements on their music. The solid guitar riffing is mainly used as a safe basis for the melodies of the lead instruments to be expanded, generating a little heaven made of vocals, keyboards and lead guitars.
Marios Karanastasis vocal approaching is the leading force on this entire new album -if you are familiar with the band you would agree that I am not pointing something new in here-. His vocal melodies are so wonderful, so deep and so emotional. They are transforming each and every album song into a little -or bigger- melancholic piece of art. His overall vocal expression is something magical. Straight from the soul. Technically speaking the guy delivers some wonderful ideas. For example listen how he finishes the overall vocal theme on the chorus of the first single / lyric video “Time of Darkness” and you would briefly understand my point. I so much enjoy the overall mood of the vocal melodies. They are highlighting a wide range of musical influences able to be combined on the band’s overall songwriting result.
The vocal melodies are perfectly balanced with the keyboard melodies and themes of John Thermos, often developing an extensive musical dialog, that brings to front a result of total a perfect harmony. Listen to the opening keyboard theme on “The Sea of Fate” track and how this particular theme drives the overall composition. This is beautiful, top class music.
Choruses are the most remarkable feature of the overall album. I simply feel that I can sing some of the record’s choruses without being able to stop. “Caught in the Web” -which is the album’s second single and video clip- has one of those choruses. And I can point that the chorus of “Time of Darkness” is probably the best one that the band has ever composed. Wise choices for singles, both those songs I must say.
The guitars are really shining within the whole album! Jim Katsaros has composed his most amazing pieces of music in this album. Take a closer listening to the amazing riffing of “Reveal the Rain” that carry an outstanding 90s Prog / Power vibe. Songs like this are not composed everyday let me tell you. However I think that that the absolute guitar peak of this album is the amazing work that has been done on the solo guitar parts. In perfect harmony with the vocal and keyboard melodies the lead / solo guitars are one of those three lead instruments that takes each and every song of this release in sky high levels.
I know that you love some more riffing excellence and in this case the song “Sinners in Disguise” would be one of your favorites. Still in 90s mood this song highlights some outstanding riffing that is enforced by the overall rhythm basis on bass and drums. Both Renos Lialioutis (also on the the Heavy Metallers THELEMITE) and George Kritharis have done an outstanding job on drums and bass. The overall musical installment of the band is very demanding as far as the rhythm section. Without a solid, heavy and into the point rhythm arrangement, the -key- lead instruments are going nowhere. Fortunately this is not the case for THE SILENT WEDDING’s new album and songs. Drums and bass are huge in here!
“Stealing the Sun” is a wonderful dramatic musical anthem. Its main verses are based on keyboards and piano. The vocals are reflecting a strange and beautiful darkness in this one. The guitars are building an gray shaded wall of sound through their heaviness, while the song’s epilogue part highlights a wonderful, dark and romantic 70s vibe. Yes there is room for such a vibe on THE SILENT WEDDING universe. Take an even closer listen to the majority of the vocal melodies and you will discover the very same vibe in there as well.
“Point of No Return” is perhaps the most Prog moment of the album. Why? Well because of the riffing and the overall song structure, the adventurous bridges and the outstanding rhythm section. Great tune.
“The Final Token” is blessed with an epic / pompous touch and can be simply described simply as one of the most beautiful moments of the album. The vocal melodies, those vocal melodies… And the piano… This piano… And the chorus… This chorus… Absolute excellence.
“The Ethereal Walls” is one of the most enigmatic compositions included in this very new release. Its chorus is simply wonderful. The drumming and the opening riff are trademarks in here, however there is a wonderful antithesis generated as the verse comes into the foreground. Someone would expect a verse on the similar Power Metal vibe of the opening theme, but what is offered here is a dark shaded melodic verse. As the song is driven to its middle part we can hear an amazing solo guitar theme -still the one on “Time of Darkness” is my favorite, but this one is excellent as well!-. As the song is reaching its final part, you should get ready for a wonderful final cresceando based on the chorus. Speaking about choruses (again) there is a great one on “The Song of the Dead”.
The epilogue belongs to the “Path to Nowhere” which is an acoustic instrumental composition that pretty much works as an outro theme. In here I got to point THE SILENT WEDDING knows very well how to handle acoustic parts on their music, (do you remember their acoustic medley featuring two originals plus a cover on DIO’s “Rainbow in The Dark”?). Well this is the ideal epilogue for the album. The specific song may be an instrumental one however I should make a comment about the lyrics of the album: Straight and into the point. They are creating images and carrying messages. Not just messages but truths. Spend sometime to read them.
The production is loud, heavy and crystal clear. It does justice to all the instruments and it highlights the orchestration of the overall release. If you spend some more time focused on the record you will discover some very specific sounds that have been used on many of the keyboard parts, the production help them sign.
The cover is great. It presents through a wise way the overall message of the album title. I miss covers that play such a mind game. Glad to see one on the spot again.
What else can I write? Here we got a wonderful record. It contains some deep, melancholic and emotionally charged music, expressed through a very specific songwriting that can be described with one single word: inspired. Let this music flow inside you and on the same time let yourself dive into the sea of this music.
The album will be self released by the band on February 11th. It will be distributed worldwide by Dutch Music Works.
See the discussion about the album in our forum pages.
