16/05/2014 16:31
Written by Kerry Northover for
Chaotic Silence is a young five piece progressive/Djent metal band hailing from Purmerend, The Netherlands and their music has been described as a 'dynamic mix of progressive and melodic death metal, revolving around groove and harmonic melodies'. They formed in 2011 as a melodic death metal band, influenced by Djent and modern metal genres which really gives their sound a refreshing flavour. Chaotic Silence released their first single 'Into The Light' in 2013, and on the 4th of April 2014 they released their debut EP 'Transitions'
Chaotic Silence is:
Bas Philippus - Drums
Jelle Terpstra - Guitars
Stefan Schouten - Vocals
Eloy van Nieuwenhoven - Guitars
Sjoerd Oostra - Bass
'Transitions' is certainly a fitting title for Chaotic Silence's debut EP in the way the mood and the styles can change seamlessly in the one song, and also from one song to the next. Not only is it a journey of styles but there is clearly a lot of thought and emotion put into every song that will bring you into their world.
The EP begins with the track 'Beyond Infinity'. It starts off with a very atmospheric and haunting guitar which soon breaks into a tasty riff. It then settles into beautiful harmonies and prog rock goodness before showing you some death metal vocal influences. This track dances around several metal genres but it all fits together very well. It sways from serenity to raw power and emotion. This is the kinda track you play in the car, driving a long lonely road. Your eyes fixed on the horizon. You're contemplating the mysteries of life while in the distance, a storm is coming... this is the feeling you get from this song, I'm really liking this. You just have to hear for yourself... youtu.be/aAZ2vWhCW3U
Track 2 'Into the light' immidiately grabs you with heavy windmill enducing riffage. Beginning a lot heavier than the previous track, this song combines heavy melodic death metal and hard rock in a way I have never quite heard before. Chaotic Silence have certainly found a way to combine metal genres in such an effortless way. No rough edges, it just gels together and flows nicely.
'Transitions' the third track and also the title track on this album starts off very hard prog rock but then the main chorus has such a groovy little riff, I was really rocking out to those bits! I could hear a little bit of Meshuggah in this one. The heavier bits in this song have the heavy vocals, and when the song mellows in other parts the vocals have a certain youthfulness and pureness that adds so much depth.
Track 4 'Fields of Vision' starts off with a dreamy feel, reminiscent of Tool or The Butterfly Effect. The guitar fades in with a hip shaker of a riff and those pure, from the heart vocals soon follow. Again, this track has a clever mix of heavy and pure, and has one of those epic guitar solos that I can picture being played on a cliff top with the wind blowing through the hair while a helicopter films him doing so.
The final track is 'Kaleidoscopic Carnival' which starts with a tasty swaying riff and goes back and forth between calm and brutal. Another great example of how this band can combine so many moods and styles, you don't know what's going to happen next. Great way to end the EP!
I like the use of vocals to convey the mood in each song, with the clean vocals on the more relaxed parts and the heavier death metal vocals when the music gets heavier. The EP is well mixed and is best listened through headphones to truly appreciate all the many layers present throughout each song. Overall, I'm quite impressed with Chaotic Silences debut EP 'Transitions' and it's sure to please the ears of a wide range of metal heads across several genres. If their debut EP is this good, then we can definitely look forward to what they can do with a full length album in the future.
I give Chaotic Silence's debut EP 'Transitions' a solid 8.5/10
Check them out on Bandcamp, you can also purchase this EP for only 5 euro (or more) here:
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Thanks for reading my review, hopefully it leads you to discover something new!
