SNOWFALL - Cold Silence (2013)



SNOWFALL took their name from the cold lands of Norway, founded by bassist PB Riise and guitarist Tore Meli after the dissolution of their previous band Winter Parade who have previously released two fine albums. They struggled along without a vocalist for awhile before hooking up with British sensation Lee Small (Shy / Phenomena), whom Riise had worked with in the past. The latest addition to Snowfall is a man used to all things Cold as well, none other than Coldspell drummer Perra Johnson.
There seems to be a seasonal theme in this band, but I assure you their debut "Cold Silence" is a quite hot Melodic Hard Rock album.

Musically the Snowfall sound like a mixture of British and American '80s Melodic Hard Rock, with AOR passages and a noticeable edge on some tracks.
Opener "Don't Drive Me Home" sets the tone of the album, which regardless of the title, is a killer driving melodious rocker with awesome keyboards, shooting guitars, an extremely catchy chorus and dynamic instrumentation.
"Citadel Of Hope" then goes all the edgier with solid riffs and a good bit of pace, all the stronger for it. Love the intro, the hitting drumming and Lee's bluesy vocals. Lee Small gives what I consider to be his best performance ever (and I know plenty of you enjoyed his recent solo effort).
There's other great tracks with the aforementioned style as "Stampede" and the bouncy "House Of Prayer" interspersed with more straight classic melodic rockers such as "Wolf's Lair", the AORish "I Won't Be Lonely Anymore", "Oscillate" or "Jack Of Diamonds" plenty of energy and creativity.
"Heaven's Not Up There" is a superbly crafted midtempo ballad, in places sounding like the very first House Of Lords, while "The Vesper Bell" is a slow tune rich in textures and atmosphere.
Bonus track "The Chosen Few" is a good melodic rock song in the ol' style with a nice melodic line, yet a bit dull in comparison with the main album strong songwriting.

"Cold Silence" is an excellent classic Melodic Hard Rock album inspired in the late eighties, with several significant characteristics.
The first is Small's powerful vocal delivery which ranges from a rockin' bluesy approach to soothing passion in the calmer moments. The second is the rich guitar work by Tore Meli delivering a crunchy set of riffs with a killer sound set-up. If you want guitar solos, both varied and soaring, you got it here.
All is complemented by a tight bass playing, flashing drumming (great snare sound!) and lovable keyboards. Finally, production, mixing and mastering by Swedish wonder Martin Kronlund is enthusiastic and vibrant.
In short, "Cold Silence" is a winner, with solid and mature melodies (no party songs listed here) in the best British / Scandinavian style. Surely, 'one of the albums of the year'

01. Don't Drive Me Home Tonight
02. Citadel of Hope
03. House of Prayer
04. Heaven's Not Up There
05. Jack of Diamonds
06. Wolf's Lair
07. I Won't Be Lonely Anymore
08. Stampede
09. Oscillate
10. Alexandria
11. The Vesper Bell
12. The Chosen Few (bonus track)

Lee Small - Vocals (SHY)
Tore Meli - Guitars
“PB” Riise - Bass, Keyboards
Perra Johnson - Drums

Disponible sólo a los usuarios