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Silent Winter: Empire Of Sins
Silent Winter - Empire Of Sins Album Art

Silent Winter: Empire Of Sins

Power Metal
3.5/5.0

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Pride & Joy Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 17.03.2021 | Released: 26.03.2021

The roots of Greece's Silent Winter dates to 1995 with a quick start and a short run that lasted only six years with two demos produced. Then, in 2018, guitarist Kiriakos Balanos reformed the band with all new personnel, and an EP, The War Is Here, appeared that same year. The following year Silent Winter dropped their debut long player, The Circles Of Hell which, according to the label one-sheet, was well-received. Now the quintet returns with their sophomore follow-up album, Empire Of Sins, my first experience with Silent Winter.

Silent Winter - Click For Larger Image

Silent Winter

And with my first experience, my comments about Silent Winter and Empire Of Sins should be relatively brief. The band plays, essentially, fast and heavy, melodic power metal, featuring assertive vocals, twin guitar harmony, and some terrific guitar solos. The Silent Winter song recipe is rather simple: start with riffs and rhythm, perhaps some sharp guitar leads, then drop in the power metal gallop and groove, and then all things lead to more inspired guitar solos.

While this is predominant throughout the album, you'll hear variations on this theme. Hunter's Oath features a spoken word introduction before the guitar line rips in and the power metal revs up. Mirror has this large orchestrated choral opening, suggesting something different is coming, perhaps more symphonic metal or an epic metal anthem. It's neither. Silent Winter tricked us. It's more bombastic, fast and heavy, power metal.

A rather epic ballad does arrive with Where The River Flows which feature fine bass, acoustic guitar, and piano to start, with a large guitar solo to follow, before the arrangement softens for the vocals. Wherein in vocalist goes from subtle smoothness to raging intense in the course of two minutes. He can be a real screamer and so difficult to either understand or enjoy. (Personally, I didn't care for his vocal style all that much.) The album wraps up with the familiar: more power metal as Silent Winter destroys Belinda Carlisle's Leave A Light On. Nasty. But the guitar work is pretty cool (as it is across the entire album).

All in all, with Empire Of Sins Silent Winter offers metal fans a large platter of guitar-forward, fast and heavy, power metal with rabid, assertive vocals and a few interesting musical twists just to mix things up (or trick you up).




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The Bottom Line

With Empire Of Sins Silent Winter offers metal fans a large platter of guitar-forward, fast and heavy, power metal with rabid, assertive vocals and a few interesting musical twists just to mix things up (or trick you up).

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