Scream Silence- Aphelia

ARTIST: Scream Silence

ALBUM: Aphelia

LABEL: Plainsong Records

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 6-20-07

Scream Silence are one of the better bands from Germany's newer gothic scene, bringing a sense of drama and emotion to what are essentially solid, straightforward rock songs. The group's new CD opens up with a piano line reminiscent enough of the Bauhaus classic "Who Killed Mr. Moonlight" to pay homage without sounding like a direct rip-off, then launches into the slow but richly evocative ballad, "My Eyes." While it's true that Scream Silence do have the occasional moments of overly dour intellectualism, as on the ungainly-titled "My Tenebrous Illusion," lead singer Hardy Fieting has a vocal range that's broad enough to appeal to a variety of tastes within the goth scene; on the progressive "Harvest," he's bleakly emotional, like the moping love child of Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan and The Mission's Wayne Hussey, but on "Kerosene" and the delicate, acoustic-oriented "Riders" he adopts a brooding baritone with just enough of a vampire feel to win over fans of dark metal acts like HIM and Type O Negative. The musical arrangements also display a nice variety without diverging too far from the classic gothic rock formula; "The Vitriol" blends big guitars with ethereal pianos, while the softer "Unspoken" adds a touch of violin; the hard-driving "In Every Sin," on the other hand, adds just a touch of perky keyboards to an otherwise bass-heavy groove that recalls the Sisters of Mercy. Three bonus tracks recorded at recent live shows further highlight the band's musical versatility; the recording quality is pristine and the musicianship is tight enough to be mistaken for a studio cut, but the extra dirty Hammond organ on "Harvest" and the fuzzy guitar squall of "Consolation" give things the deliciously raw energy of a great concert performance. Fans of groups like The Last Dance, Love Like Blood, and Fields of the Nephilim will definitely want to check out Scream Silence.

Visit the group online at www.screamsilence.com.