PSILOCYBE LARVAE is a melodic doom/death metal band from Russia, who formed in 1996.  "Where Silence Dwells," is their fifth full length album.  This is my first time hearing the band but apparently this is their first album since 2012.  I can't speak on how it compares to their previous release but I can speak on this one and you know what?  I enjoyed the hell out of this album.  The band's sound flirts not only with melodic death and doom but also progressive and Gothic tendencies.   A lot of this album reminded me of PARADISE LOST as much as it does IN MOURNING.  Considering the impressive pedigree of those bands, I would say "Where Silence Dwells," nails down a variety filled sound that will appeal to a large portion of metal heads, not just ones into doom.

Their prog elements come in the form of their willingness to mix up their death/doom, such as in the begging of the opening track, "The Flame Of Dying Life." The odd yet potently eerie keys in the beginning set up the mood early on.  The keys grow more ominous as the guitars grow around the bass before the moody guitars set in.  I get huge OCTOBER TIDE and KATATONIA vibes at this point—the way their heaviness melds in with their atmosphere is very free flowing, going to one moment to the next. Vitaly's vocals are on point too-his growls and screams come with emergent fervor as he barks out the lyrics.  But his cleans are outstanding too-deep baritone with Gothic power backing them up.

"Ghost In The Room," begins with melancholic riffs that nail down a Gothic doom sound.  Vitaly, Alexey (bass), and Anton (guitars, as well) all three know how to pull off these various styles and how to incorporate them exactly when needed.   Because of this, clean portions with spoken word and soaring cleans like on this song, work just as effective as their heavier moments.  Emotionally charged is what this band is at all times. The melodic passage between 2:38 and 3:10 is both different yet complimentary to what comes after.  The song ends with sorrowful and sweeping keys.

"Dead Dreams," is rousing in the beginning, taking a more death metal approach but especially intense with the drums.  The first half the song is crushing and frantic but the keys and melodic guitars plus clean vocals that arrive later still let the band inject their melancholy without pulling the song too far in one direction. I liked the rising action of the guitars and vocals around the 2:43 mark as it moves back towards chunky riffs and hair raising keys to end the song. "The Fall Of Icarus," is a unique track due to the different approach of the keys and drums-is this even the same band?  Again, those prog elements expand their sound here and there.  I like how melodic and toned down the music is here but the vocals remain extreme; it makes for a diverse yet familiar track.

The title track is a solid way to end the album—it incorporates much of what makes the band so special.  The cleans here are higher pitched—I don't find them quite as effective as the more Gothic ones but they are still well done.  This song has a lot of ambient tones and it works within the parameters of their sound-these guys can do anything. PSILOCYBE LARVAE's "Where Silence Dwells," is an album that came out of no where but I'm glad I got the chance to hear and review it.  The diversity contained within it's overall melodic death/doom sound is contagious and makes for an interesting listen.