Formed in Miami, Florida, USA in 2008, Melodic Death Metal quintet SILENMARA have come back fighting with a polished EP "A Darkened Visionary" that promotes their fight for musical freedom. Having fought through hurricanes, family deaths and constant delays on the production of the EP, SILENMARA are now ready to unleash their masterpiece onto the world and look forward to reclaiming their fan's hearts. The EP contains six tracks.

"God Particle" leads off the EP. Right out of the gates, the melody is high. I have always maintained that it is harder to write memorable melodies than it is to chugg on a Death Metal riff repeatedly. But, the genre is Melodic Death Metal, so expect both. The vocals are very deep and guttural at first, but the cleans push a good deal of melody into the fold as the track shifts here and fro, never content to rest on one path. This is the sign of sophisticated songwriting for sure. "Bed of Lies" is next. A chaotic opening eventually gives way to some sweeping moments of melody that remind me of the Swedish giant SOILWORK at times. Once again their bag of creativity is deep and they pull from it often, especially in the guitar work, which is really fantastic.

"Visionary" has a great opening riff...the kind that just hits you instantly and sucks you in. Soon it gives way to a maddening pace of crushing guitar riffs and varied vocal offerings that are sometimes done in unison or one after the other and back. A big chorus drives that satisfying feeling that you get after a big meal, and you just want to say "ahhhhh" with a smile of content. A superb guitar solo that fits in so well with the melody lines is like the icing on the cake. If you're craving a straight up brutal sound, give "Rampallian" a listen. Suspenseful notes in the background at times seem to give life to the punishing evil from the vocals. The chord progressions are pretty unique here too, connecting in ways that you might not expect. That element of surprise is always welcoming to me among this intensity.

"Locust" is yet another song with imaginative and distinguished guitar work. A great riff can do wonders for a song, but laying on it for too long can be boring. What they do here in this song in particular is the antithesis of boring. It is lively, exciting and enticing, and the complexities are strong, while being fun to listen to at the same time. "The Black" closes out what was for me an outstanding EP. It is an aggressive but sweet-sounding song that really digs deep into the heart of what makes this genre so great. The emotional melodies at the end are absolutely sublime. I read some accolades that drew comparisons between SILENMARA and out brothers in Sweden who created the genre, and these accolades are not undeserved or exaggerated. The difference between being good and being great can lie in intricate areas of music, theory, and intelligence that many aren't able to unlock. SILENMARA have clearly unlocked them on this exceptional new EP "A Darkened Visionary."