From Bandcamp, “Silver Knife” feels vast and urgent in equal measure, the riffing continually cascading, always dangling on the precipice of hope and hopelessness, with the rhythm section surging and swaying with a fluidity that's mesmerizing to behold. The vocals illustrate that hypothetical precipice with blanching emotion; where lyrics may not be readily recognizable, the howls annunciating those words clearly convey their meaning. More than anything, “Silver Knife” stunningly shows SILVER KNIFE grasping the reins of black metal traditionalism with one hand and, with the other, guiding the journey toward treacherous, risk-taking terrain that remains utterly compelling no matter which path your journey originates.

The album has five songs, and “Sliver” is first. Out of the gate, the tones are aggressive and thick, but the vocals are very somber, and paint a picture of utter hopelessness. Approaching the half way point, there is a little reprieve, but it doesn’t last long. “Restless Blight” has a similar, depressive sound that is fueled by layers of guitars, pounding drums, and tortured harsh vocals. The desperate sound seems to grow deeper as the song moves along, to the point that you are teetering on the edge of blackness, and once you take a step forward, there is no turning back. “Techne” has another despondent sound and the vocals rage with torture. Through three songs however, the band hasn’t done a lot to distinguish the album so far, they sound is quite similar.

“Transfiguration” has a nice combination of aggression and despondence, and there is another short lived reprieve that features meaty bass notes. But again, the song are starting to blend together too much. “Reticent Paroxysm” might as well be a continuation of the previous song, because it picks right back up with a similar pace and sound. The tortured screams are noteworthy, but the band isn’t straying from their path at all. “Triumph in Tragedy” closes the album, and it clocks in at just under 13 minutes, with again, a similar pace and sound. They really drive home the depression for what seems like weeks, even months, but the song once again isn’t anything further from the core of the album. Overall, although their musicianship was strong, too many of the songs sounded similar, and that killed the vibe on the album for me, and is my chief complaint.