In Silentio Noctis - Disenchant the Hypocrites
In Silentio Noctis – CD Review
Disenchant the Hypocrites
CD Info
2013
My Kingdom Music
3 tracks
English lyrics
Can you have black metal without harsh vocals? My most knowledgeable friends tell me that the answer is yes. An example is Finland’s In Silentio Noctis (“In the Dead of Night”), which bills itself as symphonic black metal and showcases the operatic vocals of founder Armi Päivinen with nary a growl or scream to be heard.
What makes In Silentio Noctis black metal rather than just symphonic metal? Above all, the answer is the rhythm section. The music is often driven by the machine gun drumming typical of black metal, though it also includes moments of orchestral peace.
The subject matter is also probably black. The promo material for the band’s new EP, “Disenchant the Hypocrites,” says that it deals with “the concept of hypocrisy of both God and his servants.” Unfortunately, I could not understand many of the lyrics while listening and could not find them on the Internet, so I cannot comment.
Regardless, the music and vocals on “Disenchant the Hypocrites” are epic and impressive, with satisfying riffs and percussion, beautiful orchestration, and effective contrasts of beauty and darkness. Armi’s vocals are operatic, though on the soft side of that, reminding me somewhat of her fellow Finn Heidi Parviainen. The rest of the band (all new since their previous album) support her very well.
The first song, “Chapter I: The Pit” begins with playful and beautiful orchestration before launching into urgent guitars, machine gun drums, and Armi’s vocals. Despite sounding like black metal, the song includes short violin solos and ends with piano.
The second song, “Chapter II: Of Deception,” starts epic, with orchestra, choir, and guitar. Then fast drums kick in before Armi’s vocals. This song features an exciting combination of guitars, violins, and drums.
The last song, “Chapter III: Haunted,” starts with urgent guitars and epic orchestration, with more horns than strings. It also includes fast galloping riffing a bit liked Iced Earth. The music opens up a bit toward the end to make space for some quieter vocals but then builds up again before an orchestral close reminiscent of the EP’s start.
“Disenchant the Hypocrites” should appeal to most fans of symphonic/operatic metal; no one should be deterred by the black metal label. The EP should also appeal to people who enjoy black metal’s rhythms more than its vocals. But obviously there isn’t anything here for people who love typical black metal voices. Overall, I rate it 8/10. Hopefully the band is able to follow up with another full album.
You can also listen to the whole EP on the band’s YouTube channel here.
