Sometimes
I have a difficult time with a band simply because I don't feel any inspiration
at all. You know what I mean: That band that has all the skill in the world, but
for some reason they never choose to explore. The new release from Silent
Voices, "Reveal the Change", is disappointing to me on this level, I think.
Don't get
me wrong. This band has talent. However, they never offer anything out of the
standard Dream Theater-esque prog metal.
Now, I must
quickly point out that this band doesn't showboat. They aren't fighting each
other for solo time or anything. However, we get the standard caterwauling
vocalist, the complex guitar work, the atmospheric keys that never do much, and
the drumming that feels, well, just there. The bass is mostly missing in action,
as is usually the case with these bands. You can hear it slightly better than
other bands, and it does seem to have character. However, the mix just
eliminates it for the most part. That's a real shame.
As I said,
this band doesn't showboat all that much. That, at least, is a good thing in my
book. The band does exhibit feelings of unity and oneness. They
play together, for the most part, and they do have compositional skills that I
feel outweigh many bands. They change their tone, too, such as the interesting
change from standard prog metal in "The Fear of Emptiness" to a darker, lower
feeling in "No Turning Back". The changes are subtle, however, so don't expect
wild swings in style. This is standard prog metal, after all.
There
really isn't much to say, honestly. If you've heard one DT clone, you've heard
them all. Remember, I hate using that term, but it's pretty inescapable with
this band, even though they've been around since the mid-90's. Their sound is a
bit tired and old, but still enjoyable, and I must say that I enjoyed this album
more than Dream Theater's latest. Anyways, this album won't be any kind of
epiphany to you, and it won't surprise you. However, if you enjoy this type of
music, you'll love it.
