It is one thing to present an album full of clever hooks, pounding breakdowns, and breakneck speed.  In our beloved genre of Heavy Metal, there are a plethora of bands that subscribe to that formula endlessly providing the masses with suitable soundtracks for motivation and even all out debauchery.  It is an entirely different feat, however, to create music that moves one to look inward.  In our society today, we are bombarded seemingly by some menacing subliminal force with all manner of ways to make life easier and though there is much to be said for convenience, it seems as if every app downloaded further kills another parcel of our soul.  Thankfully, there are still bands out there willing to bare their naked beating hearts with honest music unafraid to open the lines of communication with what dwells within each and every one of us.  One such band that I have thankfully had the pleasure of being exposed to is Italy's SILENCE THEREAFTER.  Their debut release, "Hollow," is a three-song E.P. without a label but with a strikingly tangible soul.

From the very first opening moments of the album, it becomes clear that the band pen their songs with a just amount of feeling.  The first song, simply labeled "Intro," sets a somber, forlorn mood with a simple piano motif accompanied by the sound of falling rain.  This idea works exceptionally well as it transports the listener to another realm entirely.  One immediately travels back to a time of solitude perhaps mulling over a fateful decision to be made.  Regardless of the circumstance, however, it effectively presents a pointed atmosphere that irresistibly causes one to succumb to inner thoughts.

Over the course of the next two songs, "Wings of Misery" and "This World of Lies" respectively, the band increases the intensity markedly.  There is an acute interplay of light and dark in the way each thirteen-minute song juxtaposes ideas between a yin of precise Atmospheric Black Metal and a yang of ethereal, evocative expression.  There often is no warning heeding a transition as the music effortlessly flows along.  The "heavier" parts have a thick, heavy fog of minor-key drive exercises with hefty chords accompanying tremolo picking while the softer parts can be sublimely ornate, simply beautiful.  One can hear the influence of classic-era ANATHEMA alongside WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, the most suitable comparison that could be mustered.

Simply put, this is an E.P. of three songs that blend together creating a solid, stout arch.  While they can be enjoyed individually, it is recommended to play the release through in its entirety.  Listening to "Hollow" is like effectively opening synapses that travel to the brain, perhaps to that wondrous enigma known as the pineal gland itself.  One indeed feels as if having completed a journey after listening to this album and thankfully, it is a journey that begs to be promptly repeated.  The three songs have undoubtedly created a craving for me as this is certainly one of the most captivating and promising debuts heard yet this year!