Search - Before the Dawn :: Soundscape of Silence

This album is sick!

Steve L. | New York | 12/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are few musicians who can consistently create masterpieces in a metal band essentially on their own. Well, Tuomas Saukkonen of Finland is one of those guys. Tuomas does most everything in creating an album - dark vocals, guitars, bass, drums, keys, etc. Sure, that's just for studio purposes...but damn! Also a prevalent member of the project is Lars Eikind of Norway. He has handled the clean vocals on recent Before the Dawn albums, as well as on Dawn of Solace (another project of Tuomas'), and also the band Winds. Lars also takes over the bass duties for live sessions and actually recorded the bass for this album. Between these two artists you can guarantee a solid album - and that's just what "Soundscape of Silence" is!



"Sounscape of Silence" is the 5th full length album in the past 6 years for Before the Dawn...wow! And it's not like Tuomas pushes out crap either. If anything, each album gets even better! Anyone who is already familiar with Before the Dawn knows what to expect - heavy, catchy guitar riffs, pummeling drums, and two other things: Tuomas' intense growls, and Lars' phenomenal clean vocals. "SoS" succeeds in meeting those expectations and then some! From what I can catch listening to this album, the bass lines have become a bit more prevalent as well.



So, on to the songs. I listened to the full album before it came out on the band's myspace page, and while I remember some of the tracks being amazing, others didn't floor me. Not so surprisingly, after I actually received the album and listened to it multiple times, these songs quickly grew on me. Fast favorites include "Dying Sun" (the first single), "Exile", "Hide Me", and one other track. "Monsters" is a slight departure for a Before the Dawn song. About half of the song is much more toned done than one would expect. This is not, however, a bad thing. Lars sings the verses while accompanied by acoustics and later some piano which works fantastically. Meanwhile, the choruses kick into high gear with Tuomas laying down some brutal guitar riffs and his intense dark vocals. Overall, I'd say that "Monsters" is my favorite track - though all of the songs are amazing. The closer "Last Song" is an appropriate track to end on - solid and almost tranquil.



I honestly don't know how Tuomas does it...how he puts out so much quality material on a consistent basis. It's not like he just has Before the Dawn that he's involved with either. Other projects include Dawn of Solace (think of a darker and slower Before the Dawn - highly recommended), The Final Harvest, Black Sun Aeon, and Teargod. He is the definition of what a musician should be - skilled, hard working, and dedicated. He'll surely be in the business a long time and I'll be sure to follow his endeavors with interest. I urge all of you to do the same!



For those who have the previous albums, definitely pick this one up! And for the newbies to Before the Dawn, be sure to check out the other BtD albums: "Deadlight" (2007), "The Ghost" (2006), "4:17 AM" (2004), and "My Darkness" (2003).



EDIT 7/26/09



Amazon has not had this album available for many months now, but I recommend anyone interested look elsewhere to pick this up. A quick search on google will net some good places to order from."