The Silent Rage is a power metal band from Greece formed in 2006 by guitarist Nikos Siglidis, releasing to date two E.P.s – ‘The Silent Rage’ (2009) and ‘Harvester Of Souls’ (2011) – and two full-length albums – ‘The Deadliest Scourge’ (2016) and ‘Nuances Of Life’ (2023).
Throughout their career, the band have shared a stage with the likes of Rage, Grave Digger, Primal Fear, Sabaton and Blind Guardian, along with so many others. The Silent Rage‘s style of metal is primarily power-based, with elements of classic sounding traditional heavy metal thrown in to make the band sound just that little bit heavier! And the blend is one hundred percent barnstorming – the new album, eleven songs and fifty fast-paced minutes of headbang ability! Getting underway with ‘The Serpent Lord’, the band are immediately into their stride, pounding the ground hard, shaking buildings to their foundations and ripping the fabric of space and time to shreds! An immediate like, ‘The Serpent Lord’ is an infectious barnstormer that’s going to turn heads wherever it’s played and heard. ‘Code Of Destruction’ doubles the pace and power of the album’s opener, hurtling forth at full tilt and banging heads hard! The band have delivered an exciting and appetite whetting double salvo – grabbing listener’s attention and keeping them hooked for what’s to come!
And what’s to come is the melodic majesty of ‘Carve Your Rage’ – emanating a more “heavy metal” feel than the power metal one of the two previous songs. Add the iconic “foot on the monitor” gallop of traditional heavy metal, and The Silent Rage have a crowd favourite in the making here. Just imagine the scene – a sea of frenzied metalheads all banging their heads in unison with fists raised high in the air!
Fucking awesome – I wanna be there! With ‘Nuances Of Life’ now in full flight, the band power on with unbroken intensity and pace – ‘Crows Fly Back’ a fast-paced and furious headbanger of a tune! The Silent Rage have kept the pedal to the metal since the album began, and are intent on not lifting it any time soon, ‘Another Fallen Dreamland’ powering on with might and menace! The band are in a feisty mood, taking a wander around every corner of the power metal genre, with the occasional step into heavy metal land to deliver a crushing blend of both styles. The speed of ‘Another Fallen Dreamland’ is incredible, reminding me of bands such as Helloween and Iron Savior – two of the greats in power/heavy metal history.
Rising high in the air, the smell of old school is very strong, ‘Scarlet Dawn’ pounding hard as the band maintain the phenomenal intensity of the album up to this point. The Silent Rage are a relentless metal machine, churning out infectious and head bang-able songs like it’s the easiest thing in the world – which I’m sure it isn’t, as any musician will attest! Every song so far has clocked in at under five minutes in length, making for a fast-moving album of immense excitement – ‘The Man In The Mirror’ is the first song to exceed five minutes! And display yet another increase in pace and power, the band as fit as the proverbial butcher’s dog, keeping the hammer down and the smiles on the faces of listeners very wide indeed! And keeping the pace very high, ‘Exhaling Fear’ rockets into life, turning in one of the heaviest, yet most melodious performances on the album. The band really are in top form here, with both the intensity and infectious levels remaining unbroken!
And as we enter the album’s final third, the band still ooze energy, pace and power, ‘Ghost Of A Wayward God’ resonating with the classic guitar sound of the iconic NWOBHM evolution – the band continuing their sensational romp around the genre of power, heavy, and traditional metal. Clocking in at over six minutes, ‘Black Monday’ is the longest song on offer, and the band reduces the pace and power to minimal levels – introducing balladry and a hymn-like nature.
The more mellow and serene atmosphere starkly contrasts everything that has gone before. The Silent Rage shows a different side to the band – one I would normally not agree with, for ballads are rock songs not metal ones! But as is the trend with modern day (and in particular) power metal albums, ballads have become the norm, and positioned towards the end of the album, ‘Black Monday’ does offer a breather from the breathtaking roller coaster ride of ‘Nuances Of Life’ – the title song ‘Nuances Of Life’ bringing the album to a close with a bout of melodic heavy metal to please every single metalhead everywhere.
Overall, a barnstorming barrage of pace and power, ‘Nuances Of Life’ is an exciting and exhilarating album of immense head bang ability.
TRACKLIST
The Serpent Lord
Code Of Destruction
Carve Your Rage
Crows Fly Back
Another Fallen Dreamland
Scarlet Dawn
The Man In The Mirror
Exhaling Fear
Ghost Of A Wayward God
Black Monday
Nuances Of Life
The Silent Rage: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: Scarlet Records
Category: Album
Country: Greece
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
