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Gods Of Silence: Neverland
Gods Of Silence - Neverland CD Album Review

Gods Of Silence: Neverland

Melodic/Heavy/Power Metal
4.5/5.0

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Rock Of Angels Records
Review: Craig Hartranft
Added: 31.08.2017

The Swiss band formerly known as Kirk has become Gods Of Silence. Formed back in 2000, Kirk delivered two albums under that name, 2003's The Final Dance and 2014's Masquerade, which I gave a favorable review. Then last year, citing musical differences with Kirk, vocalist Thomi Rauch jumped ship. Wanting to press on, the remaining members found a new singer in Maxxwell's Gilberto Meléndez. At the same time, with such a dramatic change, the players opted to also change their name to Gods Of Silence. Whether rebranding yourself after 16 years is a good thing is yet to be determined. I barely remembered Kirk, even though I did review their last album. Potentially, it may not matter.

Gods Of Silence Band Photo

Gods Of Silence

Now Gods Of Silence drops Neverland, their first album under their new name. As it stands, musically speaking, nothing has really changed with the band, whatever its name may be. As Gods Of Silence they still play melodic heavy metal, notably spiced with a little power and progressive metal. All the essential melodic metal elements are here: strong melodies and harmony from the guitar lines and vocal arrangements; an abundance of blistering guitar solos; solid groove, or speed as necessary, from the tight rhythm section; and a nice dose of keyboards for atmosphere and ambience. Vocalist Meléndez sings melodic and clean, but has a raspy raw timbre to his voice at times. (I'll miss Thomi Rauch, however. He was an exceptional vocalist.)

When all these elements intersect in song composition, GoS delivers some solid tunes. Here's some highlights. Phoenix offers a proper mixture of power metal speed, eager rock groove, good melody, and a catchy chorus. Something both quick and heavy comes with Neverland, yet the song also has a fine melody carried by the vocal arrangement and a sprinkling of bright synths. Then there's All My Life where the bass line leads the song before synths and drums fall in line before developing into a notable metal anthem. Finally, there's the song Demons which has an epic beginning from a combination of synths and drums. These, in turn, lead into an equally powerful melodic metal anthem where Meléndez gives a passionate, and cleaner, vocal performance.

All said, Gods Of Silence's Neverland is a fine return to form for the band formerly known as Kirk. Not skipping a beat with a name change and a new vocalist, Gods Of Silence delivers an impressive and entertaining album of melodic heavy metal. Recommended.



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The Bottom Line

All said, Gods Of Silence's Neverland is a fine return to form for the band formerly known as Kirk. Not skipping a beat with a name change and a new vocalist, Gods Of Silence delivers an impressive and entertaining album of melodic heavy metal. Recommended.

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