Dependability is an overlooked trait in music. As exciting as innovation is, bands can prove just as important and special with few surprises in their sound; cliché perhaps to say, but AC/DC are case in point. Over an eight-album career, Silverstein are another example of a band with a reliable but recognisable sound throughout, their brand of emotive post-hardcore always maintaining a youthful vibrancy and intensity. Latest album Dead Reflection (Rise Records) follows this trend for the most part, and even reveals a couple of new tricks up their sleeve.

The album’s opening brace sets the tone for familiarity, ‘Last Look’ and single ‘Retrograde’ in particular showcasing their Hardcore roots alongside huge, anthemic choruses; showcasing the immediacy in their sound and those two tracks will surely becoming firm fan favourites. Around a quarter of the way through, the tone begins to shift, with a more pop-like sheen and the rough Hardcore edges virtually stripped away, without dropping pace but still married to towering and impassioned passages. ‘Aquamarine’ seems to begin this transition, with Shane Told’s shouting vocals only appearing towards its end. It’s a subtle dynamic shift which won’t throw fans off balance, but it’s definitely a noticeable nuance. The album’s close, ‘Wake Up’ is much more atmospheric in comparison to its opening and shows some stirring signs of further creativity.

Many a band has hit levels of greatness without reinventing the wheel of their own sound, and Silverstein have been a fiercely sturdy outfit sonically, and Dead Reflection once again does not represent a major departure. To say it is simply more of the same, however, would be very unjust, as they have clearly shown some signs of fine tuning and expansion whilst still sounding true to form and character. In some ways this album is a brave move for the band and one that works very well for them: it won’t lose them fans, nor will it convert non-believers, but it is a very strong addition to their catalogue without just being yet another Silverstein album.

7.0/10

CHRIS TIPPELL