MY SILENT WAKE - SILVER UNDER MIDNIGHT

My Silent Wake returns with a brand new album entitled Silver Under Midnight. Following a re-issue of their classic opus The Anatomy of Melancholy, available through Bombworks, MSW delivers a release of brand new skull crushing material.

It should also be mentioned that a vinyl only release of their acoustic material was also produced, it’s a limited run so if you don’t already have a copy chances are slim that you’d find one. However it’s entitled, Acoustic Collection; good luck!

Back to the release at hand, Silver Under Midnight finds MSW in fine form. In the studio this time MSW consists of Ian Arkley providing brutal and clean vocals, guitar chaos, occasional keyboards, plus assorted percussion and bass guitar. Kate Hamilton provides bass and the traditional dulcimer. Mark Henry delivers the powerful back beats of the drums and the carnage of powerful percussion.

Silver Under Midnight is an album that defines atmosphere and mood. Starting with a brief intro that lasts under two minutes full of those folkish overtones that sets a startling medieval period, Midnight. It gives way to the full force of the imposing Destroyer, a track that imposes its will upon you with several mood changes while it crushes you with its Sabbath inspired riff.

Oblivion comes at you with it’s over whelming groove and sledgehammer timing. Ian’s brutal vocal delivery is in top form as it cuts through the musical carnage.  The tempo is almost reminiscent of early Seventh Angel. A pile driver has as much subtlety but that is one of the brilliant things about MSW, they can come at you with a locomotive and suddenly shift gears into silent dark foreboding encampment such as you’d find in a desolate forest.

Wars and The Last Man share this same ultra heaviness. Pounding doom and gothic metal that offers some heavy riffage while turning your brain into mush. Album closer Third Season moves through many atmospheric changes without losing any of its heaviness or sense of danger. Clocking in at over 14 minutes, this epic shines and demands an instant replay. No really.

The production is top flight and really from MSW I expect no less. The instruments have great clarity and definition without a huge loss in dynamics. These purveyors of gothic doom have seemingly mastered their art in the studio.

My Silent Wake again has delivered an exceptional piece of musical art. Making observations of the human condition without offering the simple trite response that so many do.  2013 has been the year of My Silent Wake and Silver Under Midnight should solidify that statement. Grab a copy.

9 axes

MY SILENT WAKE - THE ANATOMY OF MELANCHOLY Reissue

My Silent Wake for the uninitiated is the brain children of Ian Arkley, the former guitar player, vocalist of perennial thrash favorite Seventh Angel. However since the demise of Seventh Angel he has carried on in several other bands including Century Sleeper, Ashen Mortality and Paramaecium. All of the bands since Seventh Angel have fallen more into the category of doom metal.

Many fans will remember the rather bold lyrical stances taken on those Seventh Angel releases and if they were to come to these releases with those same expectations they would be disappointed in that regard. In light of those differences it can be said that the lyrical concepts discussed by My Silent Wake are of a more introspective and reflective tone. Questions are asked that don’t have neat and tidy answers, which causes one to think. Not enough thinking goes on at times, too much talking.

The Anatomy of Melancholy is actually a double album. First Volume is pure bone crunching gothic tinged doom metal, strong and powerful. Extreme vocals mixed with hauntingly crushing melodies, not for the squeamish. Heretic is such a strong song.
The other volume (The Last Volume) is just the opposite, an acoustic issue that is simply beautiful in a dark and foreboding way. Acoustic and classical guitars, mandolin, percussion, cello, clarinet, piano are played that should give you an idea of what to expect musically. Revolution is perhaps my favorite track here, wow. It just strikes the emotional chords and leaves a haunting melody behind. (Reminds me of a cold overcast day at the ocean, love it)

This reissue has been remastered by sound engineer Jeff Mortimer, who actually mastered the album originally. As I don’t have the original releases to compare to I will simply say, the clarity on this album is fabulous. It is heavy and powerful with some very solid dynamic range as there are plenty of subtle passages on first volume to contrast the bombast. The sound is huge or in a word EPIC!

Perhaps best described as gothic/doom metal (MSW uses this description themselves) but clearly that is not all they’re about. Straight from their website “The bands style could be described as gothic death doom, although it also includes more varied elements. Their influences are wide ranging but predominantly include early Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Trouble, Celtic Frost and of course Black Sabbath.”

My Silent Wake has done us a great service (along with Bombworks) in reissuing this album. This release is dark and foreboding with plenty of lyrical themes about life that can cause the average person to miss the point. I will simply say as I said before; My Silent Wake The Anatomy of Melancholy in a word, EPIC!

9 axes

MY SILENT WAKE - EL LUX PERPETUA

The latest album by My Silent Wake is the sonic equivalent of a pile driver slamming support beams into solid granite, slow powerful and consistent. Their recent effort is entitled Et Lux Perpetua, this group of doomsters from England is heavier than ever. Featuring vocals and guitars by Ian Arkley make no mistake that this record is one of the heaviest things this reviewer has heard this year.

With offerings here a bit shorter than some of MSW’s previous compositions, but don’t mistake for ‘compromise’ (you’re kidding right?). With more direct and tighter songs Et Lux Perpetua is directed right at those of us with a slightly shorter attention span, every song here clocks in between 5-7 minutes with one shorter than five and one slightly longer than seven.

The melodies continue to brood and explore the darker musical passages of music theory. Haunting chants appear throughout, but its Arkley’s vocal, which would tear plaster off the walls, that just is able to cut through the metal assault. Doom with some slight Prog type innovations, and I do me slight. My Silent Wake doesn’t attempt to redesign the wheel, but in their own way they make it their own.

Bleak Endless Winter appears here and again just like a blizzard brings carnage and leaves you smashed in its wake. Power rhythms and numbing riffage make this song a death blow if you’re not prepared. However the title track and opener delivers sonic punch that won’t be forgotten either.

Songs such as Graven Years, Death Becomes Us and Between Wake and Sleep will also the listener some solid headbanging entertainment. There are a few musical course changes here and there to offer a small and brief respite for you to catch your breath. You might want to do that quickly though, because the overkill of metal power will catch you off guard.

With solid production values, Et Lux Perpetua, offers atmosphere and strong metal sensibilities. The elements all seem to receive good separation and enhancement as needed. My Silent Wake has offered a solid platter of 8 doom inspired Opeth like songs that will fulfill even the most hardened metal head with glee.

7 axes

My Silent Wake & The Drowning - Black Light and Silent Roads

The elements of doomy goodness are presented here for our mutual edification. This split album of My Silent Wake and The Drowning presented by Retroactive/Bombworks records is an amalgam of the ethereal and the material. Black Lights & Silent Roads is the title of this rather heavy piece of musical fancy.

What we have is four songs by each group entity that sound like being lost in the forest on a dark and dreary night. No lights no moon no path before you but perhaps a steep cliff. Waiting for a coachman to rescue you and carry you to a nearby castle but none are in sight.

Not having heard either group before I must admit that my fondness for the My Silent Wake material is more embedded as opposed to The Drowning. However both groups have a penchant for composing moody and haunting melodies with enough dynamics to make one truly wonder if someone is looking over their shoulder. I would not advise listening to this material alone as it just seems to settle into a rather melancholy place and keeps the listener there.

Powerful guitars highlight my favorite songs; My Silent Wake’s “Bleak Endless Winter” sounds just like the title indicates. Bleak indeed, but enough authority in the guitar department to make you take notice; as the guitars complement the strength of Ian’s vocal. Magnificent. It would completely improper to not mention the twenty two minute epic ‘Rebirth.’

This falls into the category of epic, My Silent Wake have produced one long bit of whimsy that moves and sways like a stormy winter evening with the rain and wind to make you wonder if the power should fail what would you do. ‘Rebirth’ moves slowly building with different percussion and sounds that bring this creative effort to an emotional peak. Vocally ranging from extreme to the melancholic. If the name My Silent Wake is to make reference to the dying inside that we all live through daily, then it stands to reason that their songs are an outward expression of the pain and grief we often hold within.

The Drowning bring their own style of melancholy to the forefront, reminiscent of a funeral procession among horse drawn carriages. The long walk to the graveyard never had quite the accompaniment that The Drowning brings. Slow and heavy, more emphasis on the HEAVY part I believe. The songs are good, however I find my imagination returning to the My Silent Wake material. “Silent Epiphany” is my favorite performance from this side of the disc.

It might be because this is the most upbeat song on the album I’m not sure. Extreme vocals pretty much dominate The Drowning performances but that is their style. At times it doesn’t make room for the mellower dynamics that might add more punch to their songs.

So you might ask what does Black Lights & silent roads sound like really. The production is solid and deep. To describe the style of say My Silent Wake the band says this.

“Doom/death metal with Goth, mediaeval, folk, black, progressive and experimental elements. Our music generally appeals to fans of My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Agalloch, Katatonia, Anathema etc...Make up your own mind.” MSW MySpace.

The members of The Drowning had this to say….

"The Drowning are not just a general Metal based band, with the members all having there own influences, the bands inspiration has come from the darker ambient side of music with the likes of the above bands influence being heard in many of the The Drowning's songs.

The band have also incorporated the use of acoustic guitars and keyboard effects to create the darker edged atmosphere in most of The Drowning's tracks... which makes them hard to compare with bands from the same genre.

The heavier side of The Drowning comes from many of the Dark, Death, Black Metal band genres past and present which have a strong influence on many of the band members.” The Drowning MySpace.

This album is like the In Grief album I reviewed sometime ago. There’s enough on the surface to keep you interested but as you continue to listen the depth and insight of the recording makes itself known. These metal composers have put together a tapestry of fine euphonic thought that is not the norm. If melancholy is your thing than obtain Black Lights & Silent Roads quickly as this might be one of those gems that gets lost in the shuffle.

7 axes