Years after “Walk the Earth” released, it seemed that Silent
Force was staying quiet. “Walk the Earth” was a great album and a great
successor to “Worlds Apart.” Now after a long six years; they return with a new
vocalist and release the aptly titled “Rising from Ashes.” The new album sees
the band going in a much different, albeit more generic approach. It sounds
like a mash-up of Bon Jovi and Motley Crüe instead of balls out power metal. I’m
not knocking the band, I think they’re fantastic, it’s just the new direction
makes me scratch my head. “Worlds Apart” is by far my favorite album from them
and I don’t expect them to sound exactly the same on that album; but I feel
like they’ve lost their signature sound.
“Caught in Their Wicked Game” kicks off the album and it has
passion and great musicianship, it just falls very flat as a Silent Force song.
“There Ain’t No Justice” and “Circle of Trust” are two of the tracks that have
that Bon Jovi/Motley Crüe sound I mentioned earlier. The choruses in both songs
can easily be on “Slippery When Wet.” The tracks “Living to Die” and “Before
You Run” sound like they’re straight out of the eighties and they feel a little
uninspired. The lyrics in “Before You Run” are particularly corny. “You Gotta
Kick It” and “Turn Me Loose” are songs that have great guitar solos but
everything else is on a plateau. There aren’t any dynamics on these songs and
they’re just “there.” The choruses are very repetitive and very cheesy. The
words “you gotta kick it” do not belong in songs in this day and age; it sounds
like the name of a Mark Farner comeback album. “Born to Be a Fighter” has an
intro that sounds like a Nintendo game and it also happens to be my personal
favorite on the album. This song has an eighties sound, but it’s done with a
certain panache and the guitar work is pretty awesome. “Anytime Anywhere” has a
catchy chorus that actually does the rest of the song justice; I just wish it
didn’t repeat so much. “Kiss of Death” closes the album and it’s one of the
worst songs on the album and it actually makes the album more forgettable than
it already is. It’s probably the blandest song on the album in a spot where it
should be the grand finale song. Closing an album is just as important as
opening one, there has to be some sort of thought process to make it feel
complete. This album just feels like a collection of songs thrown together on a
disc.
I really hate myself for bashing “Rising from Ashes,” but I
just can’t bring myself to like or recommend it. Silent Force is a fantastic band with amazing albums; this
just isn’t one of them. The vocals are great, the instruments are great and the
production is great. How did it end up so bland and generic? I think I sound
like a nut when I basically say that it’s good but it’s not. The lyrics definitely
aren’t the best and the album feels like it has no flow. With all of its
faults, it does have some good parts too. The guitar work and solos are just
awesome. I know the die-hard Silent Force fans are going to eat this up because
it’s the first album in six years, but it really isn’t worth the listen. I was
trying to let it grow on me after multiple listens, but I only grew more and
more inattentive. As for newcomers, go listen to “Worlds Apart” and “Walk the Earth,” stay clear from “Rising from
Ashes.”
4/10
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