Review | Silent_Skie_s – Dormant

Napalm Records

When I got my hands on `Satellites’ the debut of Silent_Skie_s late 2020, I was completely sold, to say the least. I had not expected the surprising sound that gents Tom S. Englund [Evergrey] and Vikram Shankar [Redemption, Lux Terminus] had put down when I first put the record on my turntable. For me, everything about this release was right, from artwork, to music, to packaging of the product. Consequently, the debut album still regularly makes its spins in my home.

RECIPE

Now we are already on the threshold of the release of their third work ‘Dormant’. Have the gentlemen changed their recipe? No, actually not. As on the second album ‘Nectar’, they remain true to their formula of piano melodies, keyboard sounds and the warm vocals Tom knows how to produce. Of course this is music that has little in common with the average hard & heavy record we normally review here. Many a metal fan will not be happy with this set of atmospheric music. But the ones with a wider view, can absolutely enjoy Silent_Skie_s efforts.

BLUEPRINT

Though I must admit that the formula is so slowly in need of a little upgrade as far as I’m concerned. The vocals and keyboards are still of a high level, but the tried and tested blueprint of the first two records is clearly audible and adds little new. Something that unfortunately makes the songs too similar as far as I’m concerned. The addition of some acoustic guitar here and there could lift the songs to a higher level. There is only so much variation you can achieve with just keyboards, piano and vocals. And a Cello part here and there plus a drumbeat on a few tunes.

BONUS

So the 10 new songs are absolutely Silent_Skie_s worthy and well executed in the familiar way, but sometimes it seems as if all the songs blend into each other and have little identity of their own. The covers of Bruce Springsteen ,,Dancing In The Dark’’, Iron Maiden ,,The Trooper’’ and Linkin Park ,,Numb’’ included as a bonus are nice, but not really surprising. Yes, they have been given the typical Silent_Skie_s arrangements and in that respect Englund and Shankar have very much succeeded in giving these songs their own twist. Whether they are their best songs, I wouldn’t say that.

SILENT_SKIE_S – THE CONCLUSION

‘Dormant’ by Silent_Skie_s has therefore become a fine album, with their typical recognizable sound, but cannot blow me over as much as the formation’s fresh and surprising debut album did. The album is definitely recommended to fans, but don’t count on any real surprises. Something I personally find somewhat unfortunate. Yes they managed to create their own sound, but they are allowed to color outside the lines sometimes as far as I’m concerned.

Release date: 1 September 2023