Artist: Then Comes Silence
Title: Hunger
Genre: Gothic Rock
Release Date: 1st July 2022
Label: Nexilis / Metropolis Records
Album Review
One of the more successful new-wave of old-wave bands to peddle a brand of doomy, gloomy modern Gothic, Sweden’s THEN COMES SILENCE have a knack of refining and improving their sound quite effortlessly. They know instinctively what they’re good at, but refuse to get their boots stuck in the muddy tracks of those who have gone before, creating an almost playful take on several genres, all kicked-up into one. By album number five - ‘Hunger’ - the strain must be telling, but if it is, they’ve hidden it well.
And there’s certainly nothing timid or apologetic about the explosive dark-rock opener ‘Tickets To Funerals’ which burbles along with a scowl and a growl and sounds like SHE WANTS REVENGE doing a glam-rock THE CULT while snarling a bit of BILLY IDOL from the wings. ‘Rise To The Bait’ is similarly spirited and popped full of bleak melody and chorus, ‘Cold From Inside’ slowing things a tad but losing not a shred of intensity - and that seems to be the key. Intense is good, but it can swallow its own arse on occasion. THEN COMES SILENCE are masters at nuance, knowing exactly when to slip a major chord in to soften the melancholy blow.
‘Worm’ writhes about wonderfully, a total band effort, everyone having their part to play in this wriggly and complex tale of the hook that lost the worm. ‘Weird Gets Strange’ and ‘Pretty Creatures’ thunder along magnificently, ‘Close Shot’ understated and deceptively effective, and closing track ‘Unknowingly Blessed’ layering up from a skeletal intro into a full throttle rock romp, complete with unashamedly generic riff and swagger. Good stuff.
This is an accomplished piece of work, taut and well balanced, with the song-writing itself pushed to the front instead of left cowering in the shadows and afraid to show itself. And that’s always a mark of a band who aren’t just at the peak of their game, but know they are and want you to know too. Things march on very nicely for THEN COMES SILENCE.
Tracklist
01. Tickets To Funerals
02. Rise To The Bait
03. Cold From Inside
04. Worm
05. Chain
06. Weird gets Strange
07. Days And Years
08. Blood Runs Cold
09. Pretty Creatures
10. Close Shot
11. Unknowingly Blessed
Line-up
Alex Svenson – Vocals, E-bass
Jonas Fransson – Drums
Mattias Ruejas Jonson – Guitar
Hugo Zombie – Guitar
Website
https://thencomessilence.eu / https://www.facebook.com/thencomessilence
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10
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