Review by Paul Monkhouse for MPM
Still glowing from their triumphant appearances with Saxon and U.D.O., Northern rockers Untamed Silence are starting to make waves and with this new album you can see exactly why.
Blending raw rock elements, big hooks and a little sprinkling of magic, the quartet managed to impress the mighty Biff Byford enough to get personally invited to open for the metal legends.
Whilst certainly carrying a more melodic feel than the Barnsley bruisers, there’s certainly a lot of muscle here and the quality of songwriting , along with some sterling performances, especially by vocalist Debbie Wade, sets the band apart from a lot of contemporaries.
Where the album scores the biggest is their ability to throw curveballs into the mix, the little touches that pepper the release taking it out of the ordinary and give it the quality of something to explore. Certainly, numbers like ‘Long Time Dead’ and ‘The Game’ are made for radios and huge halls but even at their loudest moments there’s always something different going on. It’s easy to be caught off guard with the stately start to opener ‘Nowhere’ but when things kick in with rushes of adrenaline and things start getting punchy then all bets are off.
Throughout, the fretwork of David Jones brings a razor sharp and deadly feel to the whole, his ability to go from huge riffs to the most subtle of nuances nothing short of impressive. Drummer Ryan Wayne Smith and bass player Nigel W Bennion are no slouches either, their power and groove bringing the Led Zeppelin-ish dynamics of ‘Rise’ to life something that may break down walls.
Never afraid to flex their muscles, there’s a central thread running through everything here but with the almost Prog Rock touches on ‘Monster’ and the heartbreaking ballad ‘Disintegrate’ this is way more than your standard band finding a style and sticking to it fervently.
Before its pensive end, the trio of ‘Hardship’, ‘The Power’ and ‘Deadspeak’ are foot to the floor rockers that will see you dancing around the carpet in your front room, furiously playing air guitar. Highlights are many, but the sheer emotional power on the aforementioned ‘Disintegrate’ and the hard hitting ‘Roses’ is enough to make a stone angel weep.
Whether Untamed Silence continue to follow in the footsteps of Biff’s crew and go on to play some more huge stages is in the stars, but for now the aptly named ‘The Great Majority’ is here for all to enjoy. An album that both demands and deserves all the attention it can get.
https://www.untamedsilence.com
Feature Photo by Neve Saltmarsh Photography
