{"id":27969,"date":"2013-03-07T19:04:14","date_gmt":"2013-03-08T00:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=27969"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:34:12","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:34:12","slug":"silencer-the-great-bear-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/silencer-the-great-bear-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Silencer | The Great Bear<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines<\/span>
\n– News Editor \/ Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Silencer\"Here\u2019s one that sneaked by us last year, but is very much worth another look. The Great Bear<\/em> is the third full-length release from Silencer, a Denver-based metal band that has been active since the late 1990s. Silencer is a tough band to classify. Thrash metal seems the easiest label, and thrash is definitely at the heart of their sound, but they\u2019re a very creative band and with this album they have a more avant-garde, almost progressive approach that makes for a very compelling listening experience.<\/p>\n

The Great Bear<\/em> is a concept album focused on the space race between the USA and the Soviets in the \u201850s and \u201860s, which seems like unusual subject matter for a metal album. Still, Silencer makes it work, weaving the story across this surprisingly short album (the eleven tracks span just 30 minutes). Honestly, the whole thing feels like one monster 30-minute song, and it\u2019s to Silencer\u2019s credit that it stays completely fascinating throughout, even during the handful of instrumental interludes. The way the thrashing riffs give way to almost doom-like heaviness and then slow down for tranquil moments is handled very well, and when the gruff (but not growled) vocals factor in it\u2019s like some otherworldly Testament\/King Crimson hybrid.<\/p>\n

This is a very surprising, very impressive release, and one that should hold some appeal to a good cross section of metal fans. Obviously there\u2019s a lot for thrash metal fans to enjoy, but The Great Bear<\/em> should also grab fans of the more melodic power\/thrash bands like Vicious Rumors and Heathen as well as more progressive minded bands like Believer and Alchemist. In a genre that\u2019s not often known for its creativity and innovation, it\u2019s great to see a band like Silencer that is not content to play by the usual rules, and is willing to stretch the boundaries and create something unique.<\/p>\n

Genre: Thrash Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nPatrick Russell (b)
\nAlex Simpson (d)
\nDan Lynn (g)
\nKeith Spargo (v) (g)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tSacred War
\n2.\tI Am Thunder!
\n3.\t1969
\n4.\tThe Great Bear
\n5.\tInsignia
\n6.\tStar City, Pt. I
\n7.\tStar City, Pt. II
\n8.\tOrders\/Noble Sacrifice
\n9.\tThe Roar
\n10.\tLight
\n11.\tThe First, The Last<\/p>\n

Label: Vanity Music Group<\/p>\n

Website: www.silencer.cc<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.75\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines – News Editor \/ Senior Columnist — Here\u2019s one that sneaked by us last year, but is very much worth another look. The Great Bear is the third full-length release from Silencer, […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[336,334,1101],"class_list":{"0":"post-27969","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2013","7":"tag-cd","8":"tag-review","9":"tag-thrash-metal"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27969"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27969\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}