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Silent Force: Rising From Ashes

Guitar slinger Alex Beyrodt (Primal Fear, Voodoo Circle, Sinner) surely keeps himself busy these days; not only does he regularly squeeze in live and recording time with those three bands, but here he has once again resurrected his power metal act Silent Force after a 7 year break. Rising From the Ashes hits retail on AFM Records here in early 2014, and sees the guitarist joined by vocalist Michael Bormann, keyboard player Alessandro Del Vecchio, bassist Mat Sinner, and drummer Andre Hilgers.
Not much has changed for Silent Force over the years, as the formula remains practically the same, but in many ways that's entirely a good thing. Strong songwriting that highlights catchy hooks & melodies, powerful vocals, and sizzling guitar work that bridges together classic hard rock, power metal, and neo-classical shredding, all make up the sound of the band. While "Caught in Their Wicked Game" does its best to grab all the guitar freaks in the audience who just want to hear Beyrodt go to town, the band quickly follow that up with the instantly memorable "There Ain't No Justice" and "Circle of Trust", two wonderfully melodic hard rock/power metal tracks that feature killer choruses, driven home by Bormann's expert vocals. "Living to Die" again pushes hard the hooks, while "Before You Run" ups the ante on Del Vecchio's keyboards for a strong Rainbow/Deep Purple/Europe vibe. "You Gotta Kick It" and "Turn Me Loose" are uptempo rockers (the latter featuring some heavy duty guitar & Hammond organ riffs for all you Deep Purple fans out there) and "Born to Be a Fighter" sees Beyrodt unleashing some big riffs alongside Bormann's soaring vocals. I'm really digging the fist pumping anthem "Anytime Anywhere", a sort of Journey-meets-Whitesnake styled melodic heavy rock tune with a killer chorus, scorching shred guitar from Beyrodt, and loads of symphonic keyboards. The CD closes out with the crunchy "Kiss of Death", perhaps the heaviest tune on the album, which actually sees Rising From the Ashes open and close with the two hardest rocking pieces and all the ultra catchy fare sandwiched in between.
I'm thinking that Beyrodt is really enjoying the classic '70's/'80s melodic hard rock style he's brought to the table with Voodoo Circle, as that has really seemed to bleed through here on this new one from Silent Force as well. Though overall not a very heavy record, Rising From the Ashes is just so addictive and catchy that it's just impossible to ignore. Great memorable tunes, killer vocals, tight rhythms, wonderful keyboards, and sizzling guitar work...what more do you need. Welcome back guys!

Track Listing
1) Caught in Their Wicked Game
2) There Ain't No Justice
3) Circle of Trust
4) LIving to Die
5) Before You Run
6) You Gotta Kick It
7) Turn Me Loose
8) Born to Be a Fighter
9) Anytime Anywhere
10) Kiss of Death

Added: April 5th 2014
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 3809
Language: english

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Silent Force: Rising From Ashes
Posted by Scott Jessup, SoT Staff Writer on 2014-04-05 23:55:40
My Score:

Returning with a semi original line-up Silent Force are yet another in 2014 to make a comeback and what a totally impressive one it is. I was both surprised and disappointed by the absence of D.C. Cooper I've always admired his vocals and thought he was such a great component of Silent Force's sound. Each album has had something to offer with great melodic metal even going Judas Priest style on the powerful second recording Infatuator. Silent Force was a group with one truly talented line-up, and I for one really enjoyed every release.

Andre Hilgers is a virtual monster on the drums having proven himself previously with Silent Force and going on to replace the powerhouse Mike Terrana in Rage. Founder and guitarist Alex Beyrodt's stellar input is the key to why those prior albums were so good. The new recruits are also pitching in to ensure the quality we have to come to know from this band is upheld and that it is on Rising From The Ashes.

Rising From The Ashes is still in my regular rotation and has been for some time now as my interest hasn't diminished. I really hope this isn't a one off release and we continue to hear more fantastic melodic metal from Silent Force it would be such a waste not to. Rising From The Ashes is one of 2014's best releases it's just so consistently good every track is a winner, it's too hard to pick a favourite which is something that I can rarely say.

Silent Force: Rising From Ashes
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2014-01-25 11:05:52
My Score:

Between 2000 and 2007, Silent Force released four excellent, melodic Power Metal albums before the extracurricular activities of the band's guitarist and mainman, Alex Beyrodt, saw his time with Voodoo Cirlce, Sinner and Primal Fear (amongst many others) hamper any possibilities for further output. However seven years down the line and Silent Force are back! Or at least Beyrodt and drummer Andre Hilgers are, with a trio of newcomers now completing the line-up. Gone are vocalist DC Cooper (Royal Hunt), bassist Jurgen Steinmetz and keyboardist Torsten Rohre and in their places arrives singer Michael Bormann (Jaded Heart/Redrum), Beyrodt's Sinner and Voodoo Circle band-mate Mat Sinner on bass and the keyboard talent of the almost omnipresent Alessandro Del Vecchio. To be fair it is a collection of talent not to be sneezed at and Bormann did also sing in the band The Sygnet, who were direct predecessors of Silent Force. But why all the changes and lengthy layoff? Well Beyrodt himself says "The long break was necessary to rebuild the band and get rid of all false ascendancy", so make of that what you will...

What of the music? Well in truth the description Power Metal always gave the slightly wrong impression of this band, with a keener eye for melody and hooks the order of the day, while still infusing more foot to the floor snarl than most Melodic Hard Rock bands would dream of. The results always left Silent Force in a pleasingly hard box to categorise and so it proves with the aptly titled Rising From Ashes, which is even more melodic and less power. Yes big meaty riffs are the order of the day, but the keys are often wheeled right to the front of what is going on here and songs such as "Living To Die" certainly have as much of one as they do of the other, while "Circle Of Trust" is almost more MHR than Metal of any sort. If I had to suggest a likeness it would be to Eden's Curse, but more in ethos than actual sound.

However none of that is a complaint and with Beyrodt and Del Vecchio having an obvious, clear sympathy for what the other is doing, the likes of "Turn Me Lose" and "Kiss Of Death" both surge with a forceful power, while catching the ear and sticking in the mind. In fact "Turn Me Loose" owes as much a debt to Rainbow or Whitesnake as it does anything else and might even have been a great fit for Beyrodt's other outfit, Voodoo Circle. And that isn't a problem either! However the likes of "Caught In Their Wicked Game" also proves that if it is real double kick thumping fare you crave, then Silent Force can turn their hands (and feet) to that as well.

In the end Rising From Ashes sits comfortably between a variety of styles and attacks with impressive ease and in a way which should open it up to a wide variety of potential listeners. Silent Force are back and it is a very welcome return.

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