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Silent Fall: Otherwise (Retail Version) Melodic Heavy Metal, Power Metal Pitch Black Records February 2nd, 2010
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Review
Originally known as Winterland, having released one EP, the band has signed to Pitch Black Records and changed their name for the release of their debut full length album Otherwise. While the release does show some great potential for the band with their catchy, more melodic Heavy Metal and Power Metal tracks that fall just a bit on the lighter side, this fault does cause some problems on this album. Granted, these are few and far between, but it is evident that the band really focuses on the keyboards for this release, which a good Power Metal or Heavy Metal album cannot be built on alone and stand sturdy. The music on here is simple, but clearly meant to give off a rather powerful beauty, which in most cases it does well. The album starts off nicely with "Who is the Fool?" and "Kill for Life", which could easily be heard on any radio station that would venture into airing acts like Sonata Arctica in their current state. The keyboards utilized on this release really overpower everything on here, and for the most part that's a good thing. Tracks like "Haunted Sights" simply wouldn't be able to stand out on this release without them due to the rather hollow guitars, and in the case of this track, the galloping bridge into the chorus that seems very empty. This isn't to say the guitarist is bad, as the solos on here are really impressive, and if you were to strip away the keyboards from the slower ballad tracks like "One Cold Winter Night" or "This Could Have Been", you could see that the talent is there. There really isn't anything negative about Otherwise other then the aforementioned issues with the guitars sometimes sounding hollow. The band goes from faster paced material to ballad tracks with ease, and the inclusion of female vocals on certain tracks, but not all of them, is always a plus. The vocals, at times, can seem a bit monotone, but in the end suits the music very well and show some great strength in ability from going lower to higher, as well as the inclusion of other elements such as screaming vocals on the track "Play With Fire". Even the closing track "On Top of the World", which pushes nearly eight minutes in length, is well done and will hold your attention from start to finish. Retail Version: The retail version of Otherwise comes with the bonus track "Heroes", as well as a code to download another bonus track, "Who is the Fool? (Black Version)". This is actually surprising as it seems that labels everywhere are trying to push for digital downloads by offering bonus tracks when purchased through on-line retailers such as iTunes, or even their own label. Either way, the bonus track "Heroes" is well worth picking this version up from your local retailer, or ordering it on-line if they don't carry this one, as the song is well done and easily one of the most impressive tracks from the album. The bonus downloadable track "Who is the Fool? (Black Version)" is also worth it just to hear the versatility of the vocals. The song is a little harder then the version that appears on the album, includes a bit of a samba bridge into the verse after the first chorus, and the vocals used outside the chorus as supposed to be reminiscent of Black Metal vocals, but come off a bit more as something that you would find on a Mallcore release. Either way, the song still rocks and shows the band has talent outside of what you hear on the official track list of Otherwise. If you're looking for a very soothing and rather beautiful album to listen to, then Otherwise is it. At first, the hollow guitars and the vocals may steer you away if you're expecting too much. However, the more you listen to this release, the more it all falls into play and you become to understand the beauty and potential that this band and release have to offer, as well as two great bonus tracks that actually make the decision of which method to buy easier for the seasoned metal head who prefers something in his hand instead of a digital files on his/her iPod.
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