Silent Mass – ‘The Great Chaos’ [Album Review]

Impelled by the otherworldly voice of singer-songwriter Ammo Bankoff, Silent Mass’ new album, The Great Chaos, transports listeners into the outer, cryptic areas of consciousness, channelling thoughts of awareness, self-forgiveness, disquiet, and tilted emotions.

Silent Mass began as Bankoff’s solo project. After the 2020 release of “Total Recall” as part of the compilation Do You Feel That Way Too? A Tribute to Adrian Borland & The Sound, Bankoff and guitarist Robert Duncan moved to New York City to join drummer/producer Alex Posell.

Blending elusive elements of post-punk, shoegaze, dark dream-pop, and goth, Silent Mass dropped two singles, “Rose + Crown” and “A Cold War City” in 2021.

Entry points on this new eight-track album include “Black Wing,” at once full of shadows accented by luminous, drifting guitars atop a primal, syncopated rhythm. Bankoff’s spectral vocals imbue the lyrics with the dove-grey haze of distance, vaguely reminiscent of Dolores O’Riordan.

A personal favourite because of its tribal rhythm, “Land of Heart’s Desire” highlights the ethereal vocals of Bankoff, like a Siren wishing she was somewhere else. It’s a voice both elegant and edgy, a voice that beckons listeners into a faraway realm.

Silent Mass, courtesy of Silent Mass

The dystopian feel of “A Cold War City” summons up murky memories, as if floating across an ashen landscape full of titanic ruins. Misty, tendril-like tones infuse the harmonics with a clinging milieu that refuses to be discarded.

“Illusions Of Sorrow” reveals the sad musings of an introspective Medusa, meditating on her gloomy fate. Vibrating textures ride a dread-laced rhythmic pulse as Bankoff’s brooding, ghostly vocals evoke a delicious, cloying ambiance of extra-suspensory perception.

There’s a luscious, moody, interdimensional sensation to The Great Chaos, eliciting an eerie, alluring attraction.

The Great Chaos Track Listing:

1. Rose + Crown
2. Black Wing
3. Land of Heart’s Desire
4. The Great Chaos
5. Pale Shade
6. Nest Of Flowers
7. A Cold War City
8. Illusions Of Sorrow

Run Time: 37:20
Release Date: June 20, 2024
Record Label: Independent