In The Silence traces its roots back to 2007 when guitarist James Burke decided he needed a creative outlet to write progressive and melancholic metal in the vein of Katatonia and Opeth. A record entitled Fair Dream Gone Mad is the fruit of his dexterous labour. Let’s see what it has to offer.
It has to be said that bands like Opeth and Katatonia are major influences indeed and a hint of classic Paradise Lost is never far away as well. With ‘Ever Closer’ and ‘Seventeen Shades’ the album is off with a solid and energetic start with Burke’s introspective vocals and his elegant and tasteful leads being the main attraction. However, as A Fair Dream Gone Mad progresses it becomes painfully clear that most of the songs are total Katatonia worship without any sense of self identity. Tracks like ‘Close To Me’ and ‘All The Pieces’ are meticulously crafted and professionally executed, but it’s just the sheer lack of originality that is their undoing.
If you like your metal introspective and moody with a slight progressive undercurrent you may want to check out A Fair Dream Gone Mad. In their defence Burke and Co have sufficient musical chops to overcome this lack of originality. What remains is a debut album with lots of potential, but In The Silence fail miserably at capitalising on it.
6.5/10
Raymond Westland