Silent Knight – Full Force
Silent Knight is Australian Power Metal. Formed in Perth, Western Australia, in 2009, Full Force is their fourth full-length album. As a five-piece band, they fit the perfect Power Metal bill, using a dual guitar attack that is made to thrill, a bassist who can shred, a drummer with astonishing speed and accuracy, and a vocalist who can handle the melodic crooning and the belted power with equal skill. Modeled a bit after the classic German Power Metal bands of the 80s, these guys have an updated sound and style that borders on both Speed and Thrash Metal, all while staying true thematically to the Power Metal genre. It is a delicious blend of Aussie musical cuisine!
https://silentknightband.bandcamp.com
Band Members:
- Stu McGill – Rhythm Guitars/Backing Vocals
- Dan Brittain – Vocals
- Cameron Nicholas – Lead Guitars
- Cameron Daw – Bass
- Dan Grainger – Drums
Full Force will be Self-Released on September 23, 2022.
Tracklist:
- Blood In The Water
- Full Force
- The Last Candle Burns
- Dark & Mysterious Times
- Screaming Eagle
- Into Oblivion
- Awakening
- Create A New World
The album starts with a serious power metal riff, a thundering rhythm, and a few quick guitar fills. The chugging riff is excellent, and the speed is perfect for this style of music. There is a beautiful shift in phrasing for the chorus, followed by a quick set of leads to bring us back to the next verse. Dan delivers the lyrics fast, with accuracy and good enunciation. The proper guitar solos are solid as can be with combined and separate sections, showing Stu and Cameron can work together or play off each other with equal measure. “Blood In The Water” is a great way to begin this album.
Next, we have the lightning-fast title track, “Full Force.” The drums on this one are freaking amazing. The variable rhythm pattern on the double bass is so precise! Dan (not the singer, the drummer) really steps up his game on just the second track. The fact Cameron (bassist Cameron, not guitarist Cameron) can keep up is a testament to his skill. This song is everything the title says it is, a full-force onslaught of power metal with the melodic kick for the bridge. It’s like they decided to put on a master class in how Power Metal is done!
Getting back to a more melodic riff, “The Last Candle Burns” is a killer mid-tempo, for these guys, song with excellent drum work. Everybody in the band is awesome, but this drummer just catches my ear. His style, his ability to change the tempo, or just shift his phrasing within the riff, is impressive. In “Dark And Mysterious Times,” he has different patterns for the intro, the bridge, the verses, and the chorus. Even when the riff remains the same, he can change and get away with it. He’s maintaining tempo, just with a new pattern.
“Screaming Eagle” has one of the best riffs on the record. I think this is about a military unit based on the lyrics. The guitar work just fits the whole theme of the song beautifully. There is an early solo that just barely fills a few bars but hits just right. The longer solos later in the song have a few killer pace shifts, going from melodic to speedy within a really short timeframe.
“Into Oblivion” and “Awakening” are both fast, frenetic, and fearsome in their power. The vocals are just as good here as earlier on the record. The delivery goes from rapid-fire in an almost speaking tone to belted at the higher end of Dan’s range. Present through all of this is some excellent bass work. Sometimes it feels like a third guitar; others, it takes the rhythm duties from the drums and handles the tempo duties.
“Create A New World” finishes the record off with a melodic intro and a great riff/rhythm combo. Those planned pauses add a punch to this track that the others don’t have. There is something about that hesitation before the riff kicks back in that hooks me.
Silent Knight is a well-honed band that plays badass Power Metal. Their compositions are tight and full of catchy hooks. The music is entertaining and even a bit insightful. The lyrics range from angsty rebellion to military glory to outright defiance of those who try to put them down, you know, the things Power Metal is best at expressing. This band can hold their own against any Power Metal band from any country. They definitely deserve a massive AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE (OY OY OY).
MZ Ratings:
- Musicianship
- Guitars – 9
- Rhythms – 9
- Vocals – 9
- Songwriting – 9
- Production – 9
- Overall – 9.00
