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Valinor's Tree - And Then There is Silence CD (album) cover

AND THEN THERE IS SILENCE

Valinor's Tree

 

Heavy Prog

3.17 | 27 ratings

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tszirmay
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Powerfully agressive in the Landberk/Anglagard/Anekdoten mode, these swedish musicians really stretch the envelope , combining the distinctive Scandinavian influences with their own very special take on modern prog. The at times strident and passionate vocals (pained one moment and seductive the next) are a notch above the rest, combined with the devastating bass guitar play, courtesy of Anders Lindgren really steal the show. Solid keyboards constantly flavour the flow with acoustic guitars crearing little islands of musical ponderance before Ola Sivefeldt suddenly unleashes a Frippian tinged lead blast when needed and some crunchy rythm work to boot. On "tell me a Story" and "Come Here" , the lads display a keen sense of drama, igniting the fuse leading to a real gem (a tad more commercial perhaps) , the mesmerizing "reaching for Angels" . This fragile and plaintive lament seduces immediatly, grooved by a dizzying bass rumble, caressed with some delicate piano tinkling and culminating in a chorus to die for! There is a very electro feel as well with gurgling synths and synthetic orchestrations that give this a very contemporary mood. . The next track, "Silence Within" is another monster , alternating soft pastelled arrangements with some judicious use of bombast, in order to stretch the emotional contrasts even further. Replete with hypnotic twists and turns, this fiery blast of melomania sears itself deep into the soul, exciting all the pleasure centers. Then, out of the blue, they have the daring to suggest a quasi-Brazilian bossa nova mode that blossoms into another sublime chorus led by Ola , kicking this tune into very high gear, blazing guitars and massed voices pounding away with no pity and , on a dime, reverting to a little "Rio" trumpet riff , very caribbean jazz, before blowing the roof off in a dizzying climax Whoa! This roller coaster ends on a mellow autumnal note, "Autumn Rain' with storm effects punctuating the melancholic mood, hypnotically serene like a walk in nature. Great record and deserving of unmitigated praise. 4 meatballs
tszirmay | 4/5 |

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