There are no hard and fast rules that a style of music must evolve or else. In fact, there are no actual rules, which makes it so weird that so many have been established, even if unofficially. So, black metal didn’t need to change and it would have been just fine. But the fact that it did makes it that much more likely to survive into whatever future we have left.
European conglomerate Silver Knife, hitting us back with album two, a self-titled affair, is one of those bands that decided that working past the implicit boundaries is where their passion truly lies. Yes, they maintain a black metal structure and always have. But the amount of melody and effusive passion they build into the music takes it away from merely brutal and sends it into endless dreamscapes. OK, so they’re not the first to do that. But the way the band—its mysterious members go by D., H., M., N., and P., and their duties are not known—expresses their chaos can fill you with energy and vigor, and the way the world is headed, we all can use something to get us going again.
“Silver” gushes open, energetic and melodic, a force the band somehow manages to maintain pretty much through the entire record. Shrieks soar as the pace begins to slow a bit, letting the waters rise and threaten to break, which they do with ample force. The playing cascades as wrenching fury combusts, the guitars lathering to a raucous end. “Restless Blight” opens with drums ripping, fluid guitars splintering, shrieks rampaging through a fiery burst. Chaos echoes as new textures are added to the mix, a rushing and gazey attack that lets the growls choke and the tempo spike. “Techne” slips in with the bass curling, shrieks spitting nails, and strange speaking pulling you into a frigid gasp. The thrashing chugs as shrill screams peel back flesh, melodic fire breathing dangerously, and the carnage spilling into a sudden dream state that chills wounds before fading away.
“Transfiguration” is driving and catchy, a riff storm that brings a spirited spike, going full bore into a cooling atmospheric front. The barometric pressure continues to swell as the playing hammers even harder, washing over everything like a rising tide, a furious jolt carrying to the end. “Reticent Paroxysm” plasters, howls pushing, trampling over everything with abandon, an effusive stretch making your adrenaline spike. Screams gut as the playing gets mightier and more intense, washing away with bones. Closer “Triumph in Tragedy” runs 12:48 and fires up right away, throaty howls sinking in their teeth, a thunderous approach making it impossible to keep your balance as you withstand the attack. Guitars scuff as an immersive, calming section spreads out, working through pockets of darkness before a catastrophic gust. Screams batter as the melodies get more forceful, the emotional tumult blazes, and everything comes to a final rest in a fog halo.
Silver Knife’s second LP aptly is self-titled, because it feels like the band’s personality truly shines through on these six songs. This very much feels like it properly embodies the band and its mission, and as we navigate incredibly turbulent times, this record can serve as a sort of wick lighter, something to get underneath you and carry you over the madness. It’s impossible to absorb this record and not have it infect every cell, giving you something to soothe your own darkness as seek a safe place to land.
For more on the band, go here: https://silverknife.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://shop.amor-fati-productions.de/en/
Or here (North America): https://entropicrecordings.bandcamp.com/
For more on the label, go here: https://www.amorfatiproductions.bandcamp.com/
Meat Mead Metal 