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Go to: 'Reviews - New Albums' then choose 'Winter - December' Issue WEEPING SILENCE is not a new band as it dates back in 1995. After two demos the guys from Malta have decided it was time for a debut album. “End of an Era” is the name and doom metal is the game. What impressed me from the start is the female vocals which really create a dark gloomy atmosphere like the style of the band demands, but also the power in some tracks with the heavy guitars and the hard pounding drums which are really something! The album consists of eight tracks with a total of forty three minutes which will please everyone and will offer dark moments of listening. Enjoy and get lost in this Maltese silence.
Score: 7/10
Malta’s WEEPING SILENCE come announced as Doom Metal of the romantic side, I would say that very catchy Gothic Metal with doomy note hits the nail on the head pretty well, complete with violin and more or less fragile female vocals and after two demos in 2000 and 2003, they signed with Greek Sleaszy Rider Records label for their full-length debut “End Of An Era”. Best known member of the band is former FORSAKEN guitarist Mario Ellul, but despite the comparably slow tempo, there are no similarities between the two bands.
The style of WEEPING SILENCE is way more mellow and puts a lot more emphasis on atmosphere than anything else, with lush keyboards preparing the ground for the slow and measured Gothic Metal, where the guitars are mostly used as rhythm instrument, while the keyboard and violin take the lead more often than the six strings, which in those instances are very unobtrusive. That Rachel Grech’s voice is clear and at times almost fragile only strengthens the feeling that you stand in front of a structure of crystal that could collapse any moment, but has this serene beauty that is just mesmerizing. While listening to this, I’ve come to the conclusion that WEEPING SILENCE could without problems stand between WITHIN TEMPTATION and AFTER FOREVER, as they undoubtedly have been strongly influenced at least by the former.
The songs stay very much in context of the album, meaning that variety is not necessarily the biggest asset and that is at the same time the biggest problem of “End Of An Era”, as the songs are all pretty long (up to 10+ minutes) and have a tendency to sound a little same-y after a while, which is sad, as the songs per se are not bad at all. Coincidentally the most fragile reading title, “Crystal Images” actually shakes things up the most and even goes all the way up to some double-bass and it shows that some more dynamics work wonders in the WEEPING SILENCE sound, because it makes things somewhat more involving.
In the end I am not quite sure what to make of the album, as said, looking at single songs, they are good, but over the course of a whole album, things look a little differently, because it just sounds too much the same. So not a bad album by any means, but overall not enough variety or depth to keep the attention for longer than a few spins, the potential is there, though, so I would definitely not rule out the Maltese, not least as two of the six tracks are over five years old, so I’ll keep an eye on WEEPING SILENCE and see, if they can progress with their second strike.
Score: 6.5/10
Weeping Silence are a female fronted metal band from Malta. As we all know there are no shortage of female fronted metal bands these days. We here at the webzine get countless albums, demos, and various tracks from all over the globe. Many of these bands are lacking in substance and creativeness. That's why "End of an Era" was such a refreshing change. Many of the promos we get end up in a pile that are never touched again after a few listens. This album I just found my self picking up again and again. "End of an Era" has a enchanting feel to it, that allows you to focus and be able enjoy the music without being overloaded with bombastic symphonies and over the top soprano vocals. Weeping Silence put me in mind of one of my favorite bands "The Gathering" they have that same sort of deliberateness and calming yet inspiring approach that I find intoxicating. I greatly enjoyed the melodies that the musicians created, and I find female vocalist Rachel Gresh to be a true talent with a voice that I really think made each song. I am very pleased and happy to welcome Weeping Silence to our musical family. Certainly hope to hear more from them in the future. Great album!!!
Listening to the album, End of an Era by Weeping Silence, is like a trip I took to Kansas. I can remember on the way back taking a route that would lead us to St. Louis. On this particular highway was a stretch where for as far as you could see in any direction was nothing. Flat prairie ground with the occasional hill. Bleak, cold and totally isolated is what you felt while passing through there. This is what you have with Weeping Silence. This album, which is rich in beautifully orchestrated atmospheric music with a gothic feel, leaves you with a yearning to seek out a loved one as you are swept into the lonely soundscape that is created and much like that stretch of road I talked about, the music is very much on a single plane with very little hills or valleys.
Weeping Silence is a band that I have a hard time calling metal as their press releases suggest. They are a very progressive group with some metal undertones. Their main course of electronic orchestration and moody symphonic melody is punctuated with some dynamic guitar work, but for the most part it is the keyboards that form the character of the band. This is not a bad thing by far. The mood is perfect for the melancholy vocals of Rachel Grech. She has a voice that brings out the sadness and morose side of the album.
For fans of the group Renaissance, here is a new band that will blend in very well for you. For people that want a rich, lush musical experience, this is also an album to have. When you hit those times when all you want around you is a set of headphones, pick this one up for sure.
This is a group that has a lot of promise. The record company sent me a sample of their next album along with this one and I can tell you now, I can't wait to hear it!
Added: December 26th 2008
Score: 4/5
Weeping Silence is a band based in Malta and "End Of An Era" is their second work after "Deprived In Romance" in 2002.
The new album lead by the ethereal vocals of Rachel Grech, is an excellent sample of melancholic/atmospheric slow metal that reminds intensely of “The Gathering”s’ “Mandyllion”.
In this album there are 4 songs, each of them more than 9 minutes long, an intro and an outro. It’s a slow album with lots of acoustic parts and keyboards that seem to come from a distance. It’s like a sweet dream. Although its’ songs are long and the slow tempo is continuous you can listen to it very pleasantly because of its’ great melodies. To aid this there are few solos, violins, choirs, which even in their simplicity they impress with their harmony and lyric. It’s an album that will offer you lots of relaxation and melancholy, especially if you are in a “strange” mood. It’s not accidentally that the album is dedicated to the memory of a lost friend of the group.
Score: 8/10
Nati nel 1995, i maltesi Weeping Silence sono oggi in sei e, dopo aver esordito con il valido demo autoprodotto di 4 tracce "Deprived From Romance" nel 2000 tornano (inaspettatamente?) con un nuovo lavoro dato alle stampe da Sleaszy Rider. I nostri, evidentemente appassionati di doom anni '90 inglese ma seguaci anche di gothic metal sdolcinato sono fautori di un genere piuttosto accessibile, cantato interamente con una leggiadra voce femminile molto presente che ad esser sinceri ricorda più i Cranberries dei The 3rd And The Mortal, e ricco di episodi quasi ambient: basti ascoltare le estranianti intro e outro 'spiritiche' in stile Sopor Aeternus. Cambi di tempo ma niente colpi di scena o evoluzioni spettacolari, tuttavia in questo lavoro la serenità è garantita da tappeti di tastiere e dai vocalizzi della cantante, che sembrano rassicurare l'ascoltatore portandolo lontano da questo mondo di tragedie su un percorso lineare fatto di dolci melodie. A questo proposito parlerei di un retroterra forse involontario di symphonic metal evidente nelle continue aperture, che conferisce al sound un che di positivo. Ciò, se da un lato libera i nostri dai pantani di certo doom vischioso e farraginoso, dall'altro elimina quasi del tutto la carica negativa e oppressiva connaturata al genere stesso: per farla in breve, la tristezza c'è ma potrebbe essercene di più. Comunque non male.
Score: 7/10
Het Griekse Sleaszy Rider Records bracht deze plaat uit. Weeping Silence is een Score: 73/100 Printed Reviews - Right Click and Select Save to Download Review |
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