Cry For Silence – The Glorious Dead

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Cry For Silence have been kicking and clawing through the UK hardcore and metal scene for the better part of seven years before landing on the roster of the upstart Visible Noise label. The London based quintet specializes in a killer blend of intricate riffing, glorious guitar solos and anguished vocals. Front-man Adam Petit’s vocals are so frenzied that he often sounds like he’s going through some kind of exorcism rather than actually singing lyrics. Combined with the melodic fret board runs, it makes for an off-kilter yet fine pairing. On “Nightmare” he goes from a standard hardcore sneer to a momentous chorus where he injects enough melody in his attack to balance out the aggression. This one is a mindfuck of a song! Its refrain of “I’ll be the stranger in your nightmares,” rang out in my head long after the disc stopped playing!

Although the band isn’t anywhere near the first band to do this kind of stuff, Cry For Silence definitely hover over many of their competitors. Years of honing their songwriting chops have proved to be the strength here. It’s clear that guitarists Stephen Sears and Alessandro Venturella have the kind of skills where they could have easily thrown in 30 riffs in every song. Thankfully, the young guitarists keep things tasteful this time out. Their gorgeous harmony leads on the power-metal flavored “Beneath the Storm” should silence any critic who would dare dismiss this band as just another “metalcore band.” If this band can get on the right tour, I wouldn’t be surprised if they get on the cover of Kerrang! this year.