ALBUM REVIEWS Silvertung (But, At What Cost??!)
If you need a blueprint or guideline to create great hard or progressive rock, I would think Silvertung would be one of the bands to keep in mind. In 2013 with the release of Devil’s in the Details Silvertung sprang out of Maryland with a terror. Their sharp guitar work, harsh vocals, and tough internal depths of their songs made a lot of people take notice.
Since that release they have a lot of touring and more albums under their belt. The experience grows and so it seems, does the talent. They have shown in their recordings that they can handle a wide range of styles. With the previous release of Lighten Up, they proved that they can strip down the metal and distortion. They pulled off a very intimate view of some selections that you thought could only be heard heavy.
I guess the joke is on me. After that deep and intimate release of Lighten Up, I figured the band would decide to go emotional indie rock and switch the whole program. Nope, they come back again full throttle with an even more progressive sound than they have ever brought before. This just re-iterates the continuous growth in the band.
(But, At What Cost??!) is a whole new way to look at the band. If you have been through their whole catalog and loved it I don’t want to scare you. This is another step in the right direction. The musicality is still them. But this album is more aggressive. More powerful. More focused. Experience and the drive to move forward took over in the song writing.
The guitar work in this whole album is precise and lucid. There are enough riffs, twists, and turns to keep you motivated on every song. The solid rhythms are stable and keep each selection flowing. There is more of an industrial influence in the backdrop of the album that compliments the production. Speed’s voice is both impassioned and commanding. Key songs from my take would be “Feel Inhuman”, “Dodging Bullets”, and “Done My Best”. Not that there is a song on here that did not impress me. This band has always impressed me.
