Silverstein

Now I don’t want to offend anybody by making this opening statement, but I personally feel there are far too many “scene” kids in the world. That being said, there is always a tie to emo bands that those scene kids listen to (which is actually a great marketing ploy). Silverstein happens to be one of those bands. Luckily, they aren’t one of those terrible bands that emo kids tend to like. The band has a bit of post hardcore thrown into their emo sound, with a mixture of screaming and “emo-style” singing. The present line-up is Shane Told (vocals), Neil Boshart (guitar), Josh Bradford (guitar), Bill Hamilton (bass), and Paul Koehler (drums).

First on the album is “Sound of the Sun”. I was quite surprised when the song didn’t have an intro at all; it just kicked right into vocals. I was impressed with the vocals at the beginning though; Shane’s scream is similar to Alex from Atreyu’s vocal style. The distortion level used by the guitar is pretty interesting; it sounds good with high pitched notes, chords, palm mutes, the works. The bridge is pretty heavy, and is actually really similar to Atreyu’s style, which makes me wonder if the band listens to Atreyu on a regular basis.

“If You Could See Into My Soul” is third on the disc, and is also the single off the album, having a music video being played on Much Loud quite often. This track is one of the heavier tracks on the album, which really turned my gears. Any fan of punk, metal, or hardcore alike would dig this song. The bridge is definitely the heaviest part; a mosh-worthy track indeed. The gentle vocals in this song are strange in a way that they are able to pierce the air, but they don’t sound strong enough to do so. The lyrics are easy to sing along with, so it’s no wonder this was the song used for the video.

The final song is “True Romance”, which I think was a bad move on their part. The whole reason “emo” kids get made fun of is the whole “nobody loves me” idea, so this track is just fitting the stereotype. However, the song is a steady, “lighter” track, meaning it’s a song you can raise a cigarette lighter to. Also, I can see people of all ages listening to this song, considering my dad even said he liked it (that’s saying a lot).

All in all, the album was done pretty well. The sound quality is up to par with all major albums, and the album art catches a buyer’s eye (a “wonky” train with flowers growing from it). I give this album an 8/10.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Sound Of The Sun
02. Bodies And Words
03. If You Could See Into My Soul
04. Worlds Apart
05. My Disaster
06. Still Dreaming
07. The Sand Will Turn To Glass
08. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
09. Vanity And Greed
10. Love With Caution
11. True Romance

Run Time: 42:00