Silveth – The Elemental

Silveth – The Elemental / 2007 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.silveth.com /

“Storm” shows that Silveth is an act that has no desire to finesse their fans. The metal that the band puts forth is full of shredding guitars, splashing drums, and growled-out vocals that never bend or break. The band can scale back their intensity but never budges on the intricacy present in their music. “Storm” shows that the band can keep listeners’ interests for well over five minutes, and Silveth does it by throwing in differing approaches and metal influences.

Rather than just allowing the guitars and vocals to be a focal point of their music, Silveth ensures that each and every band member has their time in the sun during “The Elemental”. “Stone Gazer” is a step up for the band as the song shows that the band can change up the time signature and overall arrangements of their music and still create a cohesive sound with their music. The band operates with the same set of influences during “Stone Gazer” that they did during “Storm”, but there is more melodic thread that weaves its way through the track. The fury put forth by the drums acts as a perfect counterpoint to this new-found harmony, and pushes Silveth into an even more impressive style. Even when the band scales things back to that point where a guitar and vocals are the only major points of the track, with the drums kicking in at certain point, one can still hear all the fury and energy that marked Silveth’s music previously on this disc.

I am not sure why Silveth is not on Candlelight or Southern Lord at this point; the gut-churning, skull-splitting metal that Silveth bombards individuals with during “The Elemental” has to be some of the most honest and intense that I have heard during this year. The five tracks on “The Elemental” may together only take up twenty-five minutes but the impact that Silveth will have on listeners is immeasurably. The band could easily add four or five more songs to “The Elemental” and not run into any problems. If you are a fan of metal, be it the death metal that Silveth does, the gloom metal that they touch upon, or any other style of the heaviest of art forms, a purchase of “The Elemental” is necessary.  Check out Silveth before they are on tour with Hydra Head bands and playing Norwegian musical festivals.

Top Track: Spheres

Rating: 7.2/10