Review: Within Silence – The Eclipse of Worlds
Maiden Theocracy
Slovakia’s Within Silence return in glorious fashion with their third, and perhaps most well-honed, collection of metal anthems to date. It has been a season and more since we were last graced with their molten metal mix of melodic and classic power metal with 2017’s excellent Return From the Shadows. That slab of metal was a marked improvement upon the band’s debut Gallery of Life (2015), and this new one is rife with new life, some personnel changes on drums (Peter Pleva) and a new guitar shredder in Marian Gonda to boot.
If asked how to best describe what is going on here from a style/sound perspective it would be easy to say, Iron Maiden meets Theocracy. And when you consider that Matt Smith (Theocracy) mixed this metal monster its not such a long leap to embrace the coalescence of American power metal meets NWOBHM vibe. Add to this the keyboards of Jan Cvercko, the artwork of Jan Yrlund and the mastering of Jacob Hansen and you have a picture of the collaborative power metal bliss on display.
Commanding Vocals/Shred-Worthy Guitars
Interestingly, Martin Klein is now on his third release with Within Silence and he has perfected his Bruce Dickinson-like mastery of commanding vocal leads. Perhaps, though, the biggest difference this time around is the guitar leads/solos. It appears that Marian Gonda has come to literally and figuratively “play.” He and Germanus share the soloing, and the dueling makes these songs just that more credible and shred-worthy.
Spiritual Warfare
Likewise, the overall sound quality and mix is superb as Within Silence weave through these 9 glorious songs depicting the collision of the physical and the unearthly realms. Hence, most of the lyrics depict struggles (battles) between flesh and spirit, heart and soul. The CD version features a 16-page booklet, glossy and well-designed typical of Ulterium Records, with lyrics/credits/photos and the artwork/imagery of Jan Yrlund.
Battle Hymns I
The opening mid-tempo “Land of Light” – a call to arms, so to speak – offers a taste of what follows with soaring melodic vocals, galloping rhythms, keyboard and guitar interplay and just enough dynamic contrast to avoid one-dimensionality.
Similarly, on “Divine Power” Within Silence channels the melodic power of Narnia with the exhortation to “Heed the guidance of the Prince of Peace.” The opening section features the “gang” vocals of Germanus, Martin and Kristian Klein which are frequently deployed here and on many of the tracks. The middle section features tandem solos from Germanus and Gonda with Varga’s driving bass guitar prominently up in the mix.
The title track represents the first of the two epic songs here. After a brief intro the driving double bass drum steps up the pace in traditional Euro power metal fashion. However, to his credit, drummer Pleva introduces enough variation on the kick to keep the song from becoming monotonous. Around the 5:50 mark, the waves of metal cede as Klein offers up a vocal solo of sorts, where in a live setting one could envision a moment of crowd participation!
Similarly, fans of Theocracy will love the pummeling “The Treason” which features plenty of pace and dynamic range singing from Klein ala Dickinson. The lyrics feature the age-old soul struggle to deal with the corruption of the soul, but the perspective of what transpires amongst the angels is refreshingly rich, like a Peretti novel.
“An army of angels falls from the sky/Losing the battle against my lies/Blasphemous treason has broken their wings/Drowned in the venom of my sins/Where’s the hope?”
Once again, the mix of the keys and guitars is wonderfully blended. Musical highlights here include the two guitar solos and the “big drum” ending which perfectly closes out one of the best tracks on the release.
Interlude of Reflection
Contrastingly, we have the power ballad “Storyline” which features an alternating vocal register for Klein (or two different singers?) along with the guitar solo of Germanus. The song represents an interlude of sorts from the battle fray as the lyricist ponders the course of his life and its impact on eternity. Beautiful and timely placed.
Interlude of Worlds
Interestingly, in many ways, The Eclipse of Worlds is reminiscent of Seventh Avenue’s Between the Worlds (2002), both dealing with spiritual warfare, angels and demons, etc. But where the music of Seventh Avenue was focused on speed, Within Silence balances power and riffs with melody and dynamic contrast.
Battle Hymns II
Not surprisingly, we find a song here included entitled “Battle Hymn.” Hmm… that opening guitar lilt sounds familiar. Fans of Iron Maiden are going to immediately draw a comparison to Iron Maiden’s “Blood Brothers,” but that is where the similarities cease with that iconic anthem, at least musically. The bass drum kick takes over after the short intro and pushes the tempo to the max for the next few minutes until the tandem guitar solos of Germanus/Gonda lead the way into yet another melody during the quiet section. Finally, the band kicks into high gear one last time for a triumphant reprise.
“The Guardian’s army stands by my side/I’m passing through the gate/My allegiance to the King and His throne/Will lead me to my grace…”
If metal albums still had hit radio friendly singles, then “The Broken Thorn,” with its compact duration and concise message of hope in the death and resurrection of Christ for the salvation of mankind from sin, would fit the bill. I would put it right up there with “The Treason” as the most impactful song on the album.
One of the more dynamic tracks, “The Mist” showcases the semi-acoustic guitar intro followed by crushing speed riffs and then backs down for the bridge section only to repeat it all again. Once again Theocracy meets Maiden comes to mind with this well-constructed collaboration of writing between Klein and Germanus.
To that point, one aspect of Within Silence which makes their music compelling is the collaborative nature of the song and lyric writing – the diversity on display here stands out from the masses of power metal outfits.
The album closer, the 12-minute behemoth “When Worlds Collide,” puts all this together – the melodic Maiden plucking, the galloping rhythms, the soloing shred (some killer work here), the thundering drums, the gang vocals, the dynamic contrast, the keyboards – into one epic finale. And if the music is a culmination of everything The Eclipse of Worlds has to offer up, then the lyrics are even more so a denouement of spiritual war.
I cannot believe what You’ve done with our hearts
That we could face the demons with the help of Your might
The last forces inside us are gathering
In Heaven’s light we will stay alive
I am coming for Your holy light
You are there
I am coming for Your holy light
Please God save me now!
Out of the Mist
Undoubtedly, Within Silence have crafted – both lyrically and musically – their finest work to date with The Eclipse of Worlds. Fans of Iron Maiden, Narnia, Hammerfall, Seventh Avenue and of course Theocracy will surely want to embrace this release even if they’ve not previously heard Within Silence. While a fair criticism would be that they share just a bit too much of their influences, fans of those bands can/should embrace the “emulation is flattery” side of the argument.
1. Land of Light (5:06)
2. Divine Power (3:28)
3. The Eclipse of Worlds (7:01)
4. The Treason (4:47)
5. Storyline (3:13)
6. Battle Hymn (5:56)
7. The Broken Thorn (3:22)
8. The Mist (5:21)
9. When Worlds Collide (12:18)
Vinyl Encore
Ulterium has gone over the top with The Eclipse of the Worlds releasing 3 vinyl versions – Black, Clear Gold/Black splatter (150 copies) and gorgeous marbled Silver/Black (150 copies). The jacket once again features the glossy finish, displaying the enthralling art of Jan Yrlund in 12×12 glory.
The song order has been modified from the CD version (see below) with “The Treason” moved to the top of Side B. Not surprisingly, these battle tunes are perfectly suited for the vinyl media, the mix here impeccably balanced at all volume listening levels with almost zero listener fatigue.
Side A
1. Land of Light (5:06)
2. Divine Power (3:28)
3. The Eclipse of Worlds (7:01)
5. Storyline (3:13)
6. Battle Hymn (5:56)
Side B
4. The Treason (4:47)
7. The Broken Thorn (3:22)
8. The Mist (5:21)
9. When Worlds Collide (12:18)
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