Silent Force - Infatuator

Year of Release: 2001
Label: Massacre Records
Catalog Number: MASS 299
Format: CD
Total Time: 59:39:00

Sometimes writing a review is hell. Not only is it important to try and explain to readers what an album sounds like, not to forget details that people might consider crucial, and to be as objective as the fickle human mind allows, but sometimes one is worried about making references to other music that readers may not be familiar with. Take, for instance, the title track from Silent Force's sophomore effort Infatuator. The moment Alex Beyrodt's chugging riffs explode into the foreground and D.C. Cooper's vocals go into registers that sound unmistakably like Rob Halford's, one instantly makes an association with the latter's legendary band Judas Priest and that band's juggernaut Painkiller. But what if the reader has never heard the aforementioned album?

Easy. The rules by which judgment is passed are changed. Suddenly the fact that "Fall Into Oblivion" and "World Aflame" often bring to mind that seminal heavy metal act, not to mention that there's a comparatively tame cover version of the take-no-prisoners "All Guns Blazing," loses importance in the eye of the listener. Hell, D.C. Cooper sounds exactly as if he could have been the lead singer of Priest during the band's halcyon years, and it's no wonder he once made the final rounds to replace Halford quite a few years ago, but anyone unaware of all this is hardly going to really care. After all, what Silent Force delivers in the end is a brand of ballsy pedal to the metal power that drives ahead like a bullet train headed right into your direction, and it does so with class, conviction, and strength.

What anyone familiar with Silent Force's previous offering will immediately notice upon first listen is the fact that this is indeed faster, harder, and more aggressive, but at the same time rather more predictable; sort of taking the song "Six Past The Hour" from the debut and using its foundations for the majority of the compositions this time around. There are the typical melodic power metal "We Must Use the Power" and "The Blade," among others, that have been done a million times before, and which will nevertheless be hailed as true masterpieces along with those other million songs by diehard followers of "true metal." And in truth the songs are quite well executed, but it takes more than just a decent riff and a breakneck rhythm to create something really worth listening to; otherwise it's just your basic run-of-the-mill song factory.

There are, of course, exceptions. There is a slight hint of Queensr?che mixed with the sound from D.C. Cooper's solo album on "Hear Me Calling" and "Last Time" that is absolutely magical, a situation that ironically takes place when the band slows down into mid tempo and allows Cooper to have his voice truly shine in its natural splendor; something that does not quite occur at other moments. Undoubtedly the best tracks on the entire album, they show exactly what all the hype surrounding this band is about, as the unit certainly knows how to write a good song in which melody and emotion become cornerstone elements. In the meantime, however, what Silent Force needs, just like most bands playing this sort of music, is a dash of originality. If you actually care about that, this album's probably not for you. If you are into power metal with sporadic progressive touches and don't really mind if it's served the way you are used to having it served every afternoon at five o'clock, however, this is definitely the way to go, as you're hardly going to find another band that does this with as much quality, power, and true conviction.

Similar artists: Judas Priest, Gamma Ray, DC Cooper, Helloween

Released in North America by the now defunct InsideOut Music America (IOMACD 2028); reissued in 2007 by AFM/Armageddon (AFM 133)

Tracklisting:
Infatuator (4:46) / Fall Into Oblivion (5:17) / Hear Me Calling (5:28) / Promised Land (5:03) / We Must Use The Power (6:09) / All Guns Blazing (3:26) / Trilogy: Cena Libera (0:26) / Gladiator (4:36) / The Blade (6:24) / Last Time (4:48) / World Aflame (5:25) / In Your Arms (6:03) / Northern Lights (1:48) / Bonus Mpeg Video: See Beyond

Musicians:
DC Cooper - vocals
Alexander Beyrodt - guitar
Jurgen Steinmetz - bass
Torsten Röhre - keyboards
André Hilgers - drums

Guest:

Inka Auhagen - vocals (12)

Discography:
The Empire Of Future (2000)
Infatuator (2001)
Worlds Apart (2004)
Walk The Earth (2007)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin DE

Added: July 29th 2002
Reviewer: Marcelo Silveyra
Score:
Artist website: www.silent-force.rocks.de
Hits: 2741
Language: english