The Silver's sophomore album, Looking Glass of Hymnal Blue, is a testament to their musical prowess and artistic evolution. While their debut, Ward of Roses, made a powerful impact with its unique blend of atmospheric goth, post, black, and progressive metal, Looking Glass of Hymnal Blue takes a more measured approach, refining their sound without sacrificing the raw energy that made them stand out. Personally, I think this album is a masterpiece of balance and craftsmanship, showcasing The Silver's ability to masterfully weave together contrasting elements and create a cohesive, captivating listening experience.
One of the key strengths of Looking Glass of Hymnal Blue is its ability to balance the harsh and the melodic. The album opens with the title track, which sets the tone with a visceral burst of turbulent axework and frantic rhythms. What makes this particularly fascinating is how The Silver manages to combine these intense, aggressive elements with more melodic, clean vocal passages, creating a dynamic contrast that is both captivating and emotionally resonant. This ying-yang combination is expertly crafted, especially when combined with progressive arrangements that flex the band's strengths and unorthodox charms.
In my opinion, the longer form epics on the album, such as the nearly nine-minute-long "Two Candles," are some of the album's highlights. The Silver handles the weighty composition with crafty skill, intermingling urgent, savage ebbs with soaring cleans, mellow passages, and colorful guitar work. It's an ambitious, frequently gripping journey that encapsulates the band's strengths and individuality in one momentous epic. Elsewhere, the band's keen balancing act also shines on shorter, punchier songs, such as the aggressive, percussive-heavy surge and pristine melodics of "Memorias," or the violently thrashing assault and blackened intensity of "Tendrils."
What many people don't realize is that Looking Glass of Hymnal Blue is not just a continuation of their debut, but a subtle evolution. While the elements of surprise are tempered, the album only marginally sacrifices the rawer edge of Ward of Roses, compensating through a stronger, more confident melodic presence and tighter songcraft. The Silver's proggy inclinations come to the fore, deviating from conventional writing and maintaining a rich infectiousness, where hooks bore into the soul and lodge in the memory bank. This is a testament to the band's musical maturity and their ability to push forward while staying true to their unique sound.
A detail that I find especially interesting is the improved clean vocal lines, which play a more integral role on this album. The emotive, addictive punch of Matt Knox's clean vocals soaring through the album's jagged, bleaker terrain adds a layer of emotional depth and resonance to the dense material. This is particularly evident on the album's closer, "My Lone Dark Lantern," which feeds into the colossal power, violent throes, and affecting melodies that cap off the album.
If you take a step back and think about it, Looking Glass of Hymnal Blue is an ambitious, genre-splicing beast, straddling post, black, prog, and doomy realms with aplomb. The band maintains cohesion, beefs up the technicality and ripples guitar fireworks, and pushes forward with confident, compelling clean vocal melodies. This may not work for all listeners, depending on tolerance for Knox's vocal style, which generally dips less into the spoken word theatrics that were occasionally a stumbling block on Ward of Roses. However, for those who appreciate the band's unique sound and musical prowess, this album is a must-listen.
In conclusion, Looking Glass of Hymnal Blue is a welcome return for The Silver, suggesting that this project is here for the long haul. The band has crafted another accomplished, beautifully produced album, avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump while taking minor creative risks and expanding and consolidating their unique sound. The payoff is grand, and the album's intricate rhythm section, robust basslines, pulsating rhythms, and intricate drum patterns demand attention. Overall, this is a testament to the band's musical maturity and their ability to create a captivating listening experience that will resonate with fans of extreme metal and beyond.
