| Track Listing 1. Silver 2. Pretender 3. Sister Love 4. Marianna 5. Christine 6. She Was Mine 7. Walk the Stage 8. Sergei's Revenge 9. Brother Kill Brother 10. The Writer 11. Far Behind 12. No More Tears 13. Silverous Point Music 2001 |
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S * I * L * V * E * R
| Track Listing 1. Silver 2. Pretender 3. Sister Love 4. Marianna 5. Christine 6. She Was Mine 7. Walk the Stage 8. Sergei's Revenge 9. Brother Kill Brother 10. The Writer 11. Far Behind 12. No More Tears 13. Silverous Point Music 2001 |
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| More Releases by Silver This is the debut |
Related Releases (members): MSG - MSG (1980) [Barden & Airey] Desperado - Bloodied but Unbowed [Torme] Ten - Babylon (2000) [Airey] |
| This may be just what the metal industry right now
needs: a flash of Silver. The band is what would be classified as a 'super group', yet
instead of being just a pet one-off project, it has been assured this is really a band and
the lineup won't disappear overnight. The future will tell if that pans out. Silver is
bringing modern production values and studio tricks to European hard rock with a swift
kick in the middle. Some of the effects to grace this cd are particularly spectacular,
dazzling twists to the sound spectrum that leave the listener quite breathless. Its a
constant surprise throughout since they leave no warning to what will be done next to warp
the typical conventions into the unexpected. Thankfully they are not a one trick pony and
don't rely on the often times bizarre but quite futuristic sounding special effects to
drive the disc, instead they offer up an overall formula that is pleasing to listen to yet
makes a great impact. This self titled piece of work is one of the few cds to come out
recently that is actually danceable. The surging energetic melodies are amazingly upbeat,
considering the pure unfuzzed heaviness growling around each song's musical structure.
Combine these elements with fantastic musicanship, a snazzy production job and addictively
memorable choruses that lift the song rather than tie it down and leave it to lie in
repetitiveness like so many bands do these days, and that leaves us with one worthy little
cd. As mentioned, this is a supergroup and they certainly know what they are doing, proving that this outfit is driven by some truly talented musicians. Bernie Tormé from Gillan, Dee Snider's Desperado and a brief stint in Ozzy's band after Rhodes' tragic death, handles the guitar with an expert's crisp precision and an uncanny heaviness that is lacking in grit but squeals across the board with a squeaky cleaness that adds much to the modern-esque futuristic stylings of the disc. All that skull crushing guitar that can be heard whizzing around in the background and the lighter fluid acoustic pieces that drift like chiffon scarves in the breeze of an early 90s music video are all Tormé. Keyboardist Don Airey is one of the finest in the business. Period. His credits should be enough to convince even the most skeptical. He's lent his skills to such timeless discs as Rainbow "Down to Earth", Ozzy Osbourne "Blizzard of Ozz", Whitesnake "1987", Judas Priest "Painkiller" and more recently turned in a stellar performance on Ten's "Babylon". His playing can also be heard on recordings by Brian May, Phenomena, Fastway, Helix, The Cage, Uli Roth, Cozy Powell and so many more. But aside from the music's neverending series of twisting turns, its Gary Barden that provides the band's greatest distinction. The English singer is known for being 'the voice' of the dawn of the orignal incarnation of MSG and taking up the reigns for the NWOBHM born Praying Mantis in the mid 1990s. Time and inactivity have not taken their toll on Barden's blues kissed vocals, in fact the long rests he has taken between projects has perhaps preserved his voice and have allowed him to make his appearance on Silver in fine shape. The edges are a little rough as always but his range lends itself well to the everchanging music going so far as to usher in a return of the Barden magic that can be felt on MSG classics like "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" and the wistful "Rock Will Never Die". Marco Minnemann is not as well known as the rest of these guys, but he comes from Germany and was snatched out of pounding skins for Illegal Aliens to play what he described as 'demanding rock'. Silver is creatively controlled by Michael Voss of Mad Max and Casanova 'fame', gives his all in an astounding production/mixing job and handles the bass as well. |
| 1.] "Silver" - The
crowning achievement of the disc, notable for its spectacular driving rhythm that is
simply one of the most addictive heard in ages with the energy of a nuclear explosion and
use of special effects to enhance the listening experience masterfully. These 'effects'
could be compared to the warped bending of sound as seen in techno music, and that pumping
backbeat is just infatuatingly delicious. A love song set to the perfect beat, slick and
ripe for the picking. "Silver" is a futuristic typhoon of shimmery silvery
sounds that are easy to sink into and and the perfect high energy number to open up the
disc. "Love me in silver, love me with angel eyes." 2.] "Pretender" - Funky! Danceable! And oh-so electric! "Goodbye goodbye goodbye leave me alone!" Barden swaggers with attitude while the sound effects seem to take over. Some of this stuff is so trippy and seems to come right out of the dancehalls but is used to spruce up what would be simply a heavy hitting AOR track. And oh Lord does it ever get heavy. The guitar is used to crush delightfully with dark and overbearing riffs and skillfull screams of defiance. Just when it starts to feel as if you are being beaten with the riffs they slide away into oblivion and the chorus pours back in. The chorus is a splendid piece itself, giving Barden an outlet to soar in the front of the gang backup vocals which are handled mostly by a female singer who truly gives the choruses a different, yet welcoming flavour. Absolutely irresistable. 3.] "Sister Love" - Hip hop flows through the speakers complete with a punchy back beat. Don't get discouraged, for a few more seconds of this unconventional twist reveals heavy rippling guitar and that is even swept away by Barden's lush vocals and wafting acoustic pieces that allows the backbeat to be reintroduced into the lurking foreground. Another splendid chorus takes wing here, rich and full with plenty of sizzly electricness to keep the metal fans in check. The feminine background vocals come sweeping over the soundscape while the lead emotes passionately on the surface. A deftly handled melding of styles. 4.] "Marianna" - This track pops up at the perfect time, a more straightforward approach at hard rockin AOR, settling comfortably inbetween these unique musical pieces. Unfortunately, since the boundaries have been stretched so far on the first few tracks, and will continue in this manner throughout the disc, this song seems less exciting and rather dull in fact when compared to the nifty effect-filled mixtures it has to compete with. Plenty is still here to recommend it, the fret burning guitar solo tucked away in the middle is a breath of fresh air, and the over-the-top European vibes are well performed. The lack of innovation does hurt it when all's said and done though. 5.] "Christine" - So many things are flowing together throughout this song, making it difficult to pinpoint the most outstanding features. The rippling guitar breezing through seems strange contrasting against the thick as nails electric riffing standing like an curtain made of iron chain to the backdrop of crystalline keyboard sounds. Piano weaves in and out of the mixture, a gentle reminder that this is a ballad of sorts and Barden's vocals are yearningly wistful at times and pouring out with a forceful conviction. The lighter moments are gorgeously delicate with those tougher riffs lurking behind urging the song forward. The vocal/guitar buildup towards the end while the music continues flying attached to the same rails is amazing... then it begins as it ends...bringing this breathtakingly unique track full circle. 6.] "She Was Mine" - Flirting with yet another direction, this one has a slight modern rock essence around it, if the violins cooing underneath the rowdy fuzzy guitar and up front vocals can be ignored. This modern illusion is shattered shortly with the arrival of the full fledged chorus that zips along with the force and elegant beauty of mid 80s Black Sabbath crossed with the finest of Yngwie's poppier efforts (well not "Heaven Tonight" poppy). Barden's Matthew Barlow-esque (Iced Earth) snarl of "give me the reign" is heart clutching! Don Airey's keyboard efforts are too fantastically executed to not be appreciated. 7.] "Walk the Stage" - One minute. That's all the time it takes to fall in love. A minute can change the world. A minute is all it takes for a piece of music to be felt so deep into the soul that it can be summed up with a single word: spellbinding. So it is with "Walk the Stage". Instantly recognizable as the gorgeous heart gripping opening to MSG's classic "Rock Will Never Die", this tribute to it is but a single minute of pure blissful ectasy. Gary has never sounded like *this* before and the stripped down setting lets so much raw emotion escape that its difficult to hold back the tears. 8.] "Sergei's Revenge" - Don Airey's in-the-spotlight contribution to the album is a gothic laden buildup to the following track... 9.] "Brother Kill Brother" - Bold bombastic hard rock in that sweet, sweet European vein. A bit of Sabbath, a dash of Yngwie, some of the aggressiveness from MSG's "Assault Attack" (the one that Barden didn't sing on), shake in the darker varied overtones of Reingold's "Universe" and slip in a smidgen of Brazen Abbot's over-the-top EuroRockiness and this is what you would get as a result of that mixture. 10.] "The Writer" - "Pyramids of Cheops!" wait... no its "Gates of Babylon!"... wrong again, but the influence of these two is imbedded deep into this track's soul, atleast here and there. Always expect the unexpected with Silver. The use of sitar is perplexing but gives the tune a Middle Eastern, Led Zeppelin-ish flavour. Other times it opens up to something of a mix of "Transistor" TNT in the distorted vocals and bits and pieces of Badlands. "The Writer" lacks those cool effects and pales in comparision to the rest of the disc. 11.] "Far Behind" - Barden changes his style once again. Is there anything this man can't sing? Carefully pronounced, each word slips out with a harsh calculated twirl before fading. The shaky bouncing electronically created bits in the background apply a futuristic shine to the tune. The distortion effects applied to Gary's voice make him sound a bit like David Coverdale. Airey's atmospheric synth straight from the 70s add to the unconventional individuality of the song. 12.] "No More Tears" - Peaceful flute ushers in a free flighted sense of tranquility, Barden's voice coupled with Tormé's mellow guitar set the stage for a relaxed calm ballad-esque setting. Only deviating from the norm with the uplifting chorus that yearns for the end of a tear soaked emotional state and the loose jam session feel of the guitar solo. The closing is medievally majestic indeed with the controlled drumwork and subdued flute. 13.] "Silverous" - This piece that compliments the pulsing opening track, "Silver", is its opposite in every way except for the basic premise and lyrical content of the song. A little over a minute in length, but like "Walk the Stage", its just long enough to steal one's heart. Gary truly soars on this track, excercising his full vocal prowess by revealing its emotional depth and delicateness that rivals the revelations experienced on "Walk...". The lapping acoustic and the shot-from-the-soul voice in the spotlight lure the listener into a lull into dreamland. Beautiful and captivating, the perfect calm moment to bring the disc full circle in a quiet yet emotionally intense closure. |
"Silver" the album can be likened easily to Reingold "Universe" in many various ways, but especially in the sense that they both sport a wide variety of styles and sounds that keep the audience interested but do not push the unseen boundaries to the point where it could backfire and cause the constant chameleon-like changes to become an irritant. Silver the band truly manages to bring a Sci-Fi and yes, futuristic feel to the already well-established sound of European hard rock by means of electronic keyboard effects and studio tricks that are extensively used in techno and dance music. But Silver's tampering of the genre doesn't end there, they make even hip hop overtones interesting and pleasing to listen to. Those that have become jaded with the current crop of melodic rock and metal will find "Silver" to be a refreshing offering, sporting a new array of innovative takes on the old tried and true formula. Most importantly however is the fact that the album never resorts to cheesiness and maintains a high level of class that makes it even more of a delight to listen to. So go ahead and partake, Silver is 'the' supergroup to bring fresh twists to AOR for the new millenium. Ratings and Wrap Up: |
