Cry For Silence

The Glorious Dead

Written by: AP on 26/08/2008 20:13:14

If you're familiar with my review-o-graphy, you'll know that I was quick to jump on the metalcore bandwagon, and even quicker to escape it. This genre reached its meridian long ago. With every path now explored and processed, it's time to call it quits, bury the bitch and give in to other temptations. But, having endured such harrowing abuse (and we're talking years, how's that Joseph?), I feel the genre deserves at least a commending elegy, this review, and soundtrack, Cry For Silence's debut "The Glorious Dead". Ironically the band discontinued their career a few weeks after its release, with eight years of hard, unsigned work behind them. I'm tempted to say what a shame, because it does shine some light into the abyss that is metalcore.

What immediately stands out from opener "Nightmare" are Adam Pettit's vocals: not the usual growl blurt Tim Lambesis & co. like to dish out, but a high-pitch scream I've heard an entire one singer use before. He quit singing and plays guitar for Barcode now, so Pettit is by default what they call unique. Next, eardrums are put to test by the meaty tone of an eight-string guitar, which, to further the uniquity argument, hasn't to my knowledge been employed by other metalcore bands. Yet. Lee Malia and Curtis Ward have them now, but "Suicide Silence" isn't due for another month. But having bailed before these developments, Cry For Silence took their secret recipes to the grave, from whence other bands will now have to exhume them.

Musically, the eight years of hard work pay off. Alex Venturella and Steve Sear have a database of killer riffs most fret-boarders can only dream of. What this means is that they break the expected song patterns and where it sounds like they might go ahead and re-use the intro riff, they just let rip with a solo or three, or a riff that with its carefully arranged sweeps just sounds like a solo. And to revisit that vocal integrity, let me try to illustrate that for you: occasionally those screams become so frenzied it sounds like Adam's performing an exorcism. Maybe he is, in an attempt to extradite the demon from metalcore's soul, perhaps? Who knows.

Now, having said all that positive stuff about "The Glorious Dead", let's give it a friendly beating. It suffers from inconsistency, which isn't subtle enough to be ignored. While it's refreshing to hear a band employ the entire spectrum of their capabilities, from metalcore ("Il Sipario") to hardcore ("A World Benign") to whatever it is that Meshuggah plays ("Into the Sun") to instrumental progressive ("Beneath the Storm"), it isn't forgivable to write songs this good and then fill in the gaps with anonymous filler tracks that are about as exhilarating as golf is to watch.

So departs this genre, a subject to rape and abuse throughout it's prolonged existence. What little good it brought the remainder destroyed. Alas, this will be the last standing tribute to the few bands that got it right. But god damn what a tribute. That's it. May metalcore forever rest in peace. "Choo, choo! Here comes the metalcore train, next stop: oblivion."

7

Download: Nightmare, A World Benign, Il Sipario, Cold Unholy Shores, Into the Sun
For the fans of: Darkest Hour, God Forbid, Meshuggah
Listen: Myspace

Release date 10.03.2008
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