It is in Switzerland that we go with the group 'Silver Dust' which will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2023 and which will release its fourth studio recording 'Lullabies', after 'Lost in Time' in 2013, 'The Age Of Decadence' in 2016 and 'House 21' in 2018. I admit it, it was with this fourth opus that I discovered them, and, after a first listen, they offer us an original style close to gothic metal and, on several occasions, I made the parallel with 'Therion'. And like 'Therion', they also have the distinction of performing in costumes with steampunk and Victorian influences (see video here).. But it would be reductive to compare them only to 'Therion' because they also bring other atmospheres ranging from rock to metal, the whole being generally bathed in a theatrical atmosphere. On the menu of this opus, 10 direct titles with durations of about 4 minutes and the orchestral cover of 'Forever' from the album 'House 21'.
After the introduction 'The Pact' which highlights orchestral arrangements and grandiose choirs in a disturbing atmosphere, 'Emeline' continues in a gothic atmosphere with catchy rock, the vocal arrangements bringing a certain grandeur to this title, then, 'Follow Me' also shows a very catchy face and mixes sounds of electronic keyboards, saturated guitar riffs and a vocal performance of 'Lord Campbel' bringing this dark side to the whole. With the mid-tempo 'Eternity', the language of Molière is used and continues with this original fusion between electronic sounds and powerful and heavy gothic rock, an atmosphere found in the slow tempo of 'Stand By Me' which follows. Follows 'I'll Risk It' which is much more dynamic and certainly the title giving off the rawest energy, accentuated by the growls of 'Lord Campbel', then, the single 'There's A Place Where I Can Go' (see the video above) softens the tone for the album's ballad in which 'Lord Cambell' shows yet another, much more delicate register. Make way for a catchy rhythm with 'Animal Swing' with an original construction highlighting a very expressive and demonstrative atmosphere with a remarkable break in intensity in the middle of the title, which makes it, for me, one of my favorites of the album, and 'Burlesque', which follows, continues in this communicative theatrical atmosphere. And to end on a high note, 'Echoes of History' deploys all the ingredients of good gothic metal with catchy melodic lines and we find choirs à la 'Therion' and the orchestral version of 'Forever' concludes the album with some great new choirs.
In summary, the Swiss of 'Silver Dust' are releasing a very pleasant album to listen to and 'Lullabies' should make happy all lovers of melodic gothic rock/metal... | |
