Paul asked me to review this, because he said he’s done all their previous releases and he wants a new angle. No worries. When I used to work for another punk webzine I seemed to get every Victory release ever for review and the sound of some of the bands had become a cliché for me. I reviewed ‘Discovering the Waterfront’ a few years back and it was a record that was a bit lost of me. This album, on a first listen, is surprisingly fresh. And it is on the band’s myspace in its entirety, so you don’t have to listen to my crap about it – you can go listen yourself.
There has always been simultaneous melody and a sense of brutality about Silverstein, but this selection of tunes benefits from a certain melancholy element that has been slotted in nicely between the usually soaring vocals and endless octave chords. It sounds, just maybe, like the band have been listening to a little bit less Thursday and a bit more Wilhelm Scream. Even a bit of Rise Against. Its used sparingly, but chuck in some punk rock ethics alongside Parkway Drive riffage and pop-punk sensibilities and you get the sense that the band have just thought about moving themselves from being the flagship band of one distinct genre, to a band who sit nicely between several genres.
I think this one will be a grower and I reckon I like the new, just slightly, marginally different Silverstein. Don’t expect something drastic – and I don’t think they will lose long term fans – but this one might bring a few people around who didn’t get them before.
Mike