| CD REVIEW My Silent Wake |
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Band: My Silent Wake British formation My Silent Wake, the main band of front man Ian Arkley (of Paramaecium / Ashen Mortality / The Other Window / Century Sleeper / Seventh Angel-fame), recorded the third studio album at the Kewsound Studio with producer / engineer / mixer Steve Allan, who also contributed as session musician (e.g. percussion). A Garland Of Tears lasts for fifty two minutes, which corresponds to seven hymns. Indeed, the average duration of the songs if over seven minutes. The album is slightly different from the band’s former stuff, but both former recordings were different from each other too, yet with a certain recognizable sound. That’s the case too when it comes to the musical intelligent of the album. My Silent Wake bring a form of Doom / Doom-Death Metal with an oppressing atmosphere and a massive yet organic sound. The slow hymns contain some nice surprises, like a few tempo-changes (listen for example to the few short Black / Thrash-parts in Wilderness Of Thorns), some (semi-) acoustic moments and the addition of unusual instruments, such as recorder, didgeridoo, clarinet, tambourine and mandolin (sometimes giving it a folkish / ethnic touch). Even though this band has its own face, more than once my thoughts go to My Dying Bride, both the current one as well as the old one. This goes for a few, sometimes experimental, riffs, for example, yet also for the enormous vocal variety: clear and harmonious vocals, mesmerizing voices, death grunts, blackish screams and female vocals. Even though this album can’t easily be compared to both former ones, I dare to say that this one is My Silent Wake’s strongest one to date. A Garland Of Tears is highly recommended to fans of both Death Metal-oriented Doom (My Dying Bride, Necare, Swallow The Sun etc.) as well as Epic / Traditional Doom (Solitude Aeternus, Candlemass, Trouble), yet also fans from bands as Opeth, Paradise Lost, Umbra Nihil or Moonspell will appreciate this convincing album. 85/100 Ivan Tibos. |