Remain In Silence: ...And The Soul Goes On

Pioneers of the dark wave scene, Germany's Remain In Silence have lay (in the studio at least) dormant for over three decades. The band who formed in 1983 confined to a few live shows here and there after their record label folded on releasing their third album back in 1987. An unexpected reissue campaign recently led to a tour of Spain, where the drive to reawaken the band returned in full.

...And The Soul Goes On is the result, a dark wave (think new wave, but, well, darker) piece also presenting a slightly progressive, arty side. With a vibe still thoroughly steeped in the 80s and a suitably sparse electro led make up, it's only the excellent production that confirms this isn't a re-found vintage recording; singer Andreas Gimpel landing somewhere between Colin Vearncombe of Black and Morten Harket of a-ha. While his partner (for there are only two in Remain In Silence) in gloom Andreas Buchwald brings the surprisingly catchy glint this style needs to retain the interest through his sharp, incisive guitar contributions.

Emotional and dense in construction, if there's a criticism of ...And The Soul Goes On, then it's that the overt darkness simply can't let go or offer any respite, leaving the dank feeling to verge on overwhelming as "Higher Heaven", "Hope & Fear (Revisited)", "This Silent Sea" and "A Distant View" have you grasping for some hope within the despair. However that isn't the purpose of Remain In Silence and you have to give them credit for their downright refusal to alter their dark vision. The lack of compromise leading to an extremely cohesive collection of music.

It would have been easy for Remain In Silence to have done just that. I can't hand on heart tell you I've found their unerringly bleak outlook to fully hold the attention across fourteen tracks of similar fare, however it's heartening to hear a band stay true to their musical and lyrical beliefs. If you share their passion for dark wave, this is worth checking out.

Track Listing
1. Rain
2. Fragment #1
3. All Forgotten Times
4. Every Little Thing
5. Fragment #2
6. The Hunters
7. Hope & Fear (Revisited)
8. A Distant View
9. Fragment #3
10. Wrapped In Ice
11. Higher Heaven
12. The Soul Goes On
13. This Silent Sea
14. Endless Sea

Added: August 20th 2016
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Remain In Silence on Facebook
Hits: 1364
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]