From Sacramento, California comes In the Silence, an atmospheric metal band that shows a lot of potential on their new CD A Fair Dream Gone Mad. When I say 'atmospheric metal', I mean it, as this band sticks in that style and never ventures either off into progressive metal or death metal territories, but their somewhat gothic sounding delivery really works and gives the listener a lot to offer. Guitarist Josh Burke, in addition to creating some impressive riffs and lots of textured chords, has a great clean vocal delivery, soaring on tracks like "17 Shades" and "Ever Closer" but never going too far into syrupy or crooning avenues.
While some references to Katatonia, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Anathema, and Green Carnation at times do pop up on A Fair Dream Gone Mad, In the Silence seem to be striving really hard for their own sound and style. I'd say they are just about there, as even though you do hear some influences & references to those bands, these guys are well on their way to steering their own destiny on the strength of their songwriting skills alone. "Serenity", "Endless Sea", and "Beneath These Falling Leaves" are all instantly memorable, with highly addicting choruses, and thanks to Burke's great vocal style, made even more enjoyable.
Sounds like this could be a near perfect album right? Well, not quite. Though there are plenty of highly enjoyable songs here, there's a sense of melancholy and bleakness that at times is just too much, and the listener can be left wanting something, anything, to kick things up a notch. "All the Pieces" attempts to do that, one of the heavier songs on the CD, complete with some crushing riffs in spots and tasty lead guitar solos, but it too also falls into the sea of dreamyness at times that seems to have befallen most of A Fair Dream Gone Mad.
Despite this, I can safely recommend A Fair Dream Gone Mad to anyone who loves melodic, atmospheric metal. The catchy melodies and soaring vocal hooks alone are reason enough to seek this one out, and let's see if over time In the Silence can inject some heavier and more upbeat passages into their songs which really should help take them to another level entirely.
Track Listing
01. Ever Closer
02. 17 Shades
03. Serenity
04. Beneath These Falling Leaves
05. Close To Me
06. Endless Sea
07. All The Pieces
08. Your Reward
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