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In The Silence: A Fair Dream Gone Mad

Progressive Metal

3.5/5.0

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Sensory Records
by Craig Hartranft,  03.30.2013

Hailing from Sacramento, In The Silence's debut album, A Fair Dream Gone Mad began as a total DIY project. From recording to a modest amount of distribution, the band has basically put their own effort into getting their music heard. Now they get proper distribution, even worldwide, through Sensory Records.

In The Silence:: in the outdoors.

A Fair Dream Gone Mad is an ambitious recording, if only for the soundscape that In The Silence creates. The music is built upon layers of huge guitars creating an ambience somewhere between delicate and heavy, atmospheric and haunting. Guitarist Josh Burke's vocals, while straight forward, also offer a wistful, even dreamy, texture to the music. They sound like a darker and heavier Muse, but equally bombastic in many songs.

You get most of this sound from the start from Ever Closer through Serenity, with subtle variations only caught after a second listen. In my digital recording, there's a strange and abrupt ending to 17 Shades and beginning to the following Serenity. Rather awkward, it doesn't seem to be intended.

The album gets more interesting with Beneath the Falling Leaves, where the arrangement is more developed and intricate and the guitar solo is huge. An instrumental, Close to Me, follows this offering a more delicate and sophisticated side to the band. These are likely the two best tracks on the album. You have to wait until the end for Your Reward to return to something more akin to cleverness of Beneath the Falling Leaves. While certainly in the progressive camp, In The Silence seems more interested in creating a 'wall of sound' from large layers of guitar than developing overtly technical arrangements. But that may come in the future. Recommended.

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With A Fair Dream Gone Mad, In The Silence creates guitar driven progressive metal that can be both delicate and heavy, atmospheric and haunting.

Alphabetical Index

eviewing my archives, I was pleased to find that I have had the privilege to review every Lionville since their self-titled debut in 2011. Formed by Stefano Lionetti, a songwriter, singer and guitarist based in ... [ Read More ]