Death of Awe

The long-awaited full-length album from Silencer was on my list of most anticipated releases of the year, and when I first heard the announcement of it finally coming out, it was some exciting news. After all, this one has been at least seven years in the coming, going through all various permutations that the band's sound and, coincidentally, its lineup went through, and culminating in this 37 minute slab of aggressive, brutal modern thrash/death hybrid that is as far removed from the two EPs the band managed to release in the last few years as those EPs themselves were removed from a certain four-song tape whose existence is quickly becoming a legend in its own right.

With the bar set this high, it would have been easy to be disappointed - not this time, however. To put it simple, "Death Of Awe" thrashes like there is no tomorrow through all of its eleven (nine, if you discount two back-to-back instrumental tracks in the middle) tracks, and this is a good thing. A very good thing, as a matter of fact.

True, some of the band's old fans might be put off by the fact that the riffing is much more aggressive, the tuning is much lower (to where at times it is almost reminiscent of Nevermore), the drumming would make Darkane proud, and the vocals are mostly of the death metal (or, as is the case with new breed of thrash, death/thrash) variety, with only a few clean vocal lines on the album - but just as much as it further distances Silencer from their roots of yesteryear, it also has the potential to expand their fanbase tenfold as there are more things that a fan of more aggressive music might like here. And those old-school leanings, they are still there, albeit toned somewhat down at times. The title track probably approaches the older Silencer sound the most, and would not have seemed out of place on "Structures" or alongside "Apollocide" on "Found On The Sun" release. On more than a few parts of "Signal To Noise" there are frequent nods to the more melodic past of the band, and said parts do pop up here and there just when you least expect them.

On to the songs themselves. Silencer have always known how to write a good tune, and they excel once again on "Death Of Awe". The songs tend to be aggressive, fast, yet not without some good sense of dynamics, and with some smart, strategically placed hooks that work. While it is hard to pinpoint the standout tracks, it is more of a testament to the album's overall quality and merits of individual songs than a sign of a flaw. This happens to be the kind of an album where different people are bound to have different favorites, and no single song is anything less than very good.

Personal favorites would be "Mnemodrone", the title track, "Signal To Noise", "Transport", and "The Harvest", but then again, I am a fan of old school leanings that show up in these tracks the most; followers of "more brutal than thou" thrash would still find something to like about these as much as they would enjoy all-out assault of "Earth Rule Murder" or "Fracture". By now, Silencer has developed a distinct style that melds traditional metal melodies and song structures with modern thrash riffing, frenetic death metal drumming, brutal vocals, and crushing production. As long as the band manages to continue furthering their style without falling prey to overemphasizing one of its aspects over the others, the future looks extremely bright for Silencer.