Symphonity - Voice From the Silence
Limb Music Products
Symphonic Power Metal
11 songs (53:12)
Release year: 2008
Limb Music Products
Reviewed by Kyle
Archive review

I’ve been on a complex music kick for the past few days, but even then, there is always time for some good ol’ power metal. But really good power metal isn’t all that easy to come by these days, and considering the fact that I’m a rather picky person when it comes to music, my situation is even worse than most people’s. For a power metal band to succeed in my ears, it’s gotta have lots of hooks. Lots and lots of epic, supremely melodic, and ultimately cheesy hooks. Hooks like that AMAZING keyboard melody at the beginning of Sonata Arctica’s Weballergy. Dammit, I would vote that melody for president if I could! But I digress. Yes, there are many great power metal bands out there, but it takes a special and rare kind of band to write the type of music that will pull you out of any sort of funk with only a few glorious notes, and new Czech symphonic band Symphonity has managed to capture that magic wonderfully, despite sacrificing almost all traces of originality in the process.

Featuring the vocal talents of Dionysus and Luca Turilli veteran Olaf Hayer, Symphonity’s debut Voice From the Silence is a perfect album if you’ve been looking for a new group to scratch that melodic itch you’ve been having. It’s best described as a mix of Stratovarius’ neoclassical tendencies and Edguy’s heavy-yet-melodic power metal, with a symphonic element thrown in to give the music a needed punch. This stuff isn’t very deep, but it is highly enjoyable, and easily accessible. VFTS effortlessly manages to stay fresh through its entire running time thanks to diverse songs, but they all share a commonality in that they’re highly melodic. Want some fairly straightforward heavy / power metal? Listen to Give Me Your Helping Hand or Bring Us the Light. Craving some complexity? Try the neoclassically widdly Salvation Dance on for size. Feeling in the mood for something a bit slower? The Silence trilogy should be right for you; parts one and three serve as intros and outros, respectively, but the centerpiece song is very Stratovarius-like, reminding me of something that might’ve appeared on Polaris. Olaf Hayer, in fact, often sounds similar to Mr. Kotipelto, but lacks the same range or intensity. He’s not a bad singer by any means, but I’ve never been much of a fan of him, personally.

The rest of the members, however, are very talented; drummer Martin Skaroupka occasionally switches things up with a brief fill or progressive switch-around, Libor Krivak impresses with his solo work on a regular basis, and Tomas Celechovsky gives a surprisingly audible and groovy performance whenever a slower song rolls around; listen to the half-ballad, half-rocker Searching You if you need proof of that. Ivo Hofmann covers keyboard duty, and though he occasionally harmonizes with Krivak on a solo, he’s mainly put in place to create the epic and symphonic atmosphere that Voice From The Silence so lovingly expresses. Every song is fantastic, but the best are Gates of Fantasy and Evening Star; both are very fast and very uplifting, and the latter in particular shows off a blissful yet weepy central melody that just needs to be heard to be believed.

Is Voice From The Silence an original album? In almost every single respect the answer is a definite “No”, but many songs do have effective and unconventional bridge sections; Gates of Fantasy’s bridge has a distinctive Latin flair, while Evening Star’s is very slow and passionate, and features part of a Mozart piece to boot (seriously, Evening Star is SUCH an excellent song, even with its ridiculous and utterly cliche ending). But even with these small stabs at originality, the sum of Symphonity’s parts is made from, well, parts that have all been done countless times before. However, if you’re the type of metal fan that can’t get enough speedy, cheddar-tastic power metal, then this is absolutely for you. Voice From the Silence is an album that drips an atmosphere of fantasy and adventure from every pore (but you may want to ignore the stereotypical lyrics, let alone the ludicrous and slightly porny album cover) and that is targeted at a very specific audience. And if you happen to be a member of that audience, then, well, you’re certainly in for a treat.

Killing Songs :
All, but Evening Star slays!
Kyle quoted 85 / 100
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