The second concern regarding the CD might be the title. I think most of us are familiar with another work entitled End of an Era and some of us might take offense at the use of that title by any group not named Nightwish. Well, I can’t speak to that distraction other than to say they seem to have a pretty good reason for the use of the phrase. The band dedicated this work to a lost brother musician, Forsaken Guitarist Daniel Magri. I didn’t know the guy but he must have made quite an impression, I’d love to have something this outstanding dedicated to me when my time comes.

Weeping Silence is from Malta, that’s located out in the Mediterranean, right off the coast of Italy for the geographically challenged. You might have noticed that there seems to be a lot of music coming from Italy and nearby locations lately. Must be something in the wine. This is actually the second release from the band. A previous title, Deprived from Romance, was released in 2000. A third title is scheduled for release shortly. This release was recorded in 2004 but not released until 2008.

There are only 6 tracks on this CD, and the first and last are only about a minute or so long. The middle 4, however, go for an average of 10 minutes each. Now make no mistake, there’s no headbanging stuff here, no screaming death metal, no angry speed guitars. There are also no operatic vocals. What there is. . .is some of the finest gothic doom metal I’ve ever heard, by some of the finest musicians I’ve ever heard. Now I admit, I’m a fan of the operatic vocal style which is not found here, but on this work, the vocals of lead vocalist Rachel Grech are pretty much perfect. She has a beautiful voice, one that works perfectly with the dark background and lyrics that serve to drive the music.

The band is comprised of 5 musicians in addition to vocalist Rachel Grech. They include Rapheal Grech and Mario Ellul on guitars, Angelo Zammit on Drums and percussion, Mario Cilia on keyboards, and Sean Pollacco on bass. Clearly, there is some classical training within this group, it can be seen in the composition as well as the presentation.

For all practical purposes, the CD begins with Deep Regret, which actually starts out with some serious guitar work. Weeping Silence does have some folks familiar with the heavy axe and they show it on this number. But WS is atmospheric gothic and the symphonic generally plays a more important part in the presentation than the guitars. The vocals are dark and dusky. The symphonic shows us the way and we are taken on a beautiful journey for an extended ride into the darker regions. The music floats over the lovely vocals and tells a gothic tale:

Tell Me Why drops it down a notch. Again, it’s a symphonic journey, a slower waltz but with an equally beautiful vocal component. However, there’s a broader display of that vocal. High notes are fascinating. You get a more pronounced drum line here as well, but this song is more vocal driven than the first. Some dramatic overlaying of that vocal leads us into more guitar work and the song digs deeper.

Crystal Images continues the format introduced in the previous number, but with a more pronounced keyboard line. That format leads to a more aggressive guitar driven sound as the song progresses. The guitar riffs can be catchy but they tend more towards the macabre, the darkness that is the signature sound of WS. There is a short section that features a Spanish guitar sound and it is perfect for this song. This is followed by a more metal sounding phase, the guitars go harder and faster, the drums drive the sound forward and Rachel demonstrates a hard metal vox, just to show us she can. The song then moves back to the ethereal motif where WS lives and we are carried along for the ride, a truly pleasant ride in every respect.

Darkness in My Heart takes us back to the more metal oriented direction with a strong opening by the guitars and the symphonics. There are some interesting adjustments to the melody as we move from one octave to another between phrases. The beat and tone are also adjusted and the song seems to wander from one direction to the next, although the wandering is quite comfortable. Rachel seems to plead with the vocals, her tale is one of anguish and the background musicians drive the message forward in a coherent musical charge. For an aficionado of the symphonic, this is a highlight of the CD, some truly inspired keyboard work that serves to highlight every other part of the presentation. The lyrics are equally as dark as the music that delivers them:

The final track, End of an Era, is only a little over a minute long but it deserves mention. It takes the form of an Eastern chant over a haunting background melody. It doesn’t last long but it seems to put everything else that preceded it in place. A perfect way to say goodbye, as this CD was intended to do, to a dear friend.

Weeping Silence may not be for everyone, I myself tend to appreciate the harder work on most occasions. But this is music that can’t be ignored. It’s not any one part of the package, the vocals, the guitars, and the keyboards, that make it the outstanding package that it is. Instead, it’s the total package, the interaction between the components that bring about a first rate work of symphonic gothic. And you know what, there are times when that’s exactly what we need. So bring on more of that "mellow ambient stuff".

9 / 10