SIlver Dust – “House 21” [Single & Video Review]

Earlier this week, on March 23rd, Swiss metal scene regulars, Silver Dust released their first single and video “Forever” from the upcoming 3rd album House 21, due April 20 (If only they had managed to swing release on April 21 – perfection).

Recently having revealed their new costumes for this forthcoming album – as per their usual practice on previous releases, Silver Dust have now put their updated look into action for this latest video. House 21 was detailed by the band in a recent press release to be a concept album with 12 tracks. The story is about a WWII soldier that goes AWOL from his duties and winds up lost and alone in front of the mysterious “House 21” – which is filled to the brim with spooks and spectres to lead him towards his doom.

The single follows in a more commercial vein compared to previous releases, with a catchy but somehow familiar-sounding riff in the chorus and vocals more orientated to the mainstream by using English rather than the band’s native language French; however, it still manages to maintain a niche all of its own. As often is the case with this band, there are a few hints of electronic influence, especially on the bridge and percussion pieces scattered throughout the track; although the song is still almost fully rooted in the genre of metal. In terms of instrumentation, the bass in particular is simply breathtaking, with meaty and full tones, and the vocals are also on another level to previous releases; singer Lord Campbell further exploring his resonant highs and growling lows that listeners have not heard the likes of from Silver Dust before.

The video is superbly well-produced, however it manages to confuse slightly with its composition as it appears to be as though two songs have been cut and spliced together. One half is dark, Gothic and unsettling, whilst the other half is warm and almost cheery, including scenes with the vocalist. The video then further bewilders the viewer with the ending, also seemingly without context. These subtle nuances detract from an otherwise intriguing video that, in its defence, did seem to make more sense on the second viewing – and the little boy in the suit and the quaint white hat is most certainly the star of the show, with his cheeky grins and pure glee at being allowed to make mischief at his full potential.

With all that said however, the song is truly interesting and shows that Silver Dust still have some new cards to bring to the metal world’s table. House 21 is due for release on Escudero Records/Fastball/Soulfood on April 20, and stay tuned on these pages for a feature on Silver Dust for “Artist of the Month.”

Run Time: 3:24
Release Date: March 22, 2018

Stream the single below and hit the above URL to watch the video.