CD Info

2010

Self Released / Italy

6 Tracks

English Lyrics

Act I is the initial release of French Symphonic Gothic troop Silent Opera. The sound is a fine interpretation of the Beauty and the Beast approach, with the symphonics being delivered by Frank Stocker on this CD, and now by one of my favorite keyboard musicians, Laura Nicogossian. Vocals on this release are delivered by lovely blond songstress Laure Laborde and are positioned against the death vocals of Steven Shriver. I know we’ve heard this kind of music before, but this is one of the better sounds I’ve heard in this style of music, and the writing and lyrics are beyond what we can typically expect. It’s right up there with what you get from the top Scandinavian bands, in all respects. There’s another release upcoming I understand, so expect more from the band in the near future.

There’s not a lot out there about the band and what’s out there tends to be in French, especially interviews. I know Laura speaks English but, maybe not the rest, so I’m not overly acquainted with personal facts or tidbits of information that might provide background information. But the music is in English, the lyrics that is and they are a big part of the music, some really solid Gothic in the finest tradition of that art form. I’ll spend some time with that component. Videos are a little scarce as well, some on their websites including here.

I’m a little unsure what to call this, an EP, a full release, or something in between. There are only 6 tracks, but they’re pretty well developed, at least the last 5 after a short classical introduction. That "Intro", is one of the best of it’s kind I’ve heard, you know, a lot of Gothic bands tend to do this, let you know you’re in the Gothic arena. This one is, of course, mainly a keyboard production, however, we do get a bit of that classical female vocal, and damn, it’s sure nuff a good one. I sometimes wish they’d extend these little classical selections, this one goes a little in that direction but I could see a vastly extended version, one that moved to include the rest of the musicians and continued what is a truly lovely musical entity into a fully developed track. Oh well, just me brain wandering.

The next 5 tracks provide that B & B musical, solid Gothic and interesting musically from both an instrumental and vocal standpoint. The band has some solid instrumental folks beyond Laura, guitars are thundering, drums keep us moving with a solid beat. You won’t find anything here you’re not comfortable with. The first track is Black in Despair and it gets things moving. The song makes use of the entire group, all instruments are moving full speed ahead, both vocalists are doing their thing. And what you realize rather quickly is that these vocals are almost developed as a conversation. The lovely operatic female lead is interspersed with the death metal and the two trade licks in telling their Gothic tale. And it’s a dark one:. We begin with the female vocal, a spoken vocal, following a crushing guitar line that quickly includes the symphonics:

However, as the song continues, we get something of a conversation, both vocalists taking turns telling the story, first the female:

Followed by the male death vocal:

The music is interestingly developed and becomes quite complex at times, there’s almost a jazz fusion sound to it. But, when the guitars take over, it’s solid Gothic metal, in all its glory and fury.

A Time of Mechanical Horses takes a softer direction; the intro is more like that Intro piece that started out the CD. All keyboard delivered at first, but eventually evolving into a "Joint Operation" as we said in the military. But there are still some really interesting keys as the track continues. The vocals continue that "interaction" approach, however, here, we get some duets with both vocals singing together, an approach I have always been fond of, at least when you have strong vocals and we definitely have those here. This is one of those tracks I would have liked to get more information about, it appears to tell a sad story about a man condemned to entertain in the darkness of solitude, broken by his land. Again, the interaction begins with the female lead:

Directed by the sands of times
Wooden horse dance in the night.
"Story of a man broken by his fatherland..."
 
Followed again by harsh male:

Condemn to play in chaos of jails / His talent, his soul will never cross these walls
These nasty walls coated with scorn, blame and shame / Condemn to entertain the ones who’ve been enclosed.

The Fall seems to be oriented towards the female lead although there are parts for both vocalists. This one just seems to emphasize the beautiful. The song, however, is about madness, it just gives madness a relatively beautiful interpretation. Well, I guess you could take that perspective in some circumstances, I’ve certainly known some beautiful nut cases, both clinically and otherwise. Married a couple of them.

Lost Souls begins with a sound of thunder, followed up by marching feet and the sounds of armies on the move. It’s the armies of the doomed. Not a pretty interpretation of our place in reality, but one that seems to capture the Gothic message as well as any. Again the dialog begins with a beautiful female lead:

We walked together through this world / Downfall is all we have seen
We advance like one man, one soul / A river running to Desolation’s Ocean.

The harsh vocal continues the description of the journey:

"Here we are chaos behind us / Nothingness ahead, our fate is sealed.
We shall not turn over, no faith anymore / We’re the orphaned people, the sacrificed sons."

Again, the female vocal is devastating, as good as anything in the genre.

Lapse of Memory is the final selection. It’s an 8-minute selection, again comprised of multiple sections. Lyrically, the best of a strong set list and one that us old 60s radicals would have been proud to call our own. It’s a story of remembrance; a story of war and the tragedy it brings to all who participate, directly and indirectly. This is a bit of a deviation from the Gothic direction, but hardly a topic undeserving of mention. The band handles the message in a highly appropriate manner, the stage is set early:

Well said, never heard a song with lyrics more worth listening to.

Silent Opera certainly has the tools to continue the journey, strong in so many ways. The new release should be interesting if this is any indication. Maybe we could even get a little in French, work for me.

9 / 10

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