Avant-Garde and German Metal trailblazers Pyogenesis return once more with stories inspired by the 19th century, finally bringing a curtain on the century which changed the world in so many ways. The journey initially began in 2015 with “A Century In the Curse Of Time” setting the scene, laying the rails and helping the Teutonic steam machine charge forth. “A Kingdom To Disappear” followed in 2017 and three years later, at the dawn of 2020, the journey reaches its final destination. Once again the conceptual themes and ideas which rose to prominence in the 1800’s take centre stage. Marxism, Darwinism, Freud and his views, the land of Bohemia, Tyrannical leaders and the birth of classic horror all surface amongst the 40 minutes of expressive and immersive music, loaded with freshness and familiarity.
It is hard to talk about this album without consistent references to the other two releases which make up this trilogy, so in getting that out of the way, the overall sound is the same – the harsh guitars with a fierce bite and low end, the relentless rhythmic pounding of the bass and drums and Flo’s expressive and unique vocals which go from cleans to roars with minimal fuss. All three albums feature a lengthy, grandiose final track which takes up a significant chunk of the running time, and all the albums have their moments of explosive groove to melodic and atmospheric expression. So, if you’re not interested in the finer details of this release, stop right here.
For those who continue on, it starts in a similar manner to the other releases; with an explosive, hook laden metal assault. “Survival Of The Fittest” deals with Darwinism in its lyrical content. High paced riffing, infectious vocal hooks and a “woah-oh-ooh” ending all work well in catching your attention and “Mother Bohemia” jumps right in. Again, the pseudo-death metal buzzing and fast paced riffs drive the tracks on. Aggressively edged and in your face, the ferocious sections come and go throughout the track, leaving space for some well timed and arranged chorus sections and again, it bears familiarity to some of the previous musical moments in the trilogy.
“I Can’t Breathe (Prologue)” and “I Can’t Breathe (Monologue)” are where the Avant-Garde elements finally surface and wrest control from the metallic approach. Clever use of backing components like organs, pianos and string arrangements help give an added dimension to the gentle sounding guitars which help expand the musical land it is drawing you into. Both of these tracks could just be one single track, the only difference is that the first one doesn’t feature the big anthemic chorus which opens the second track. Loaded with emotion and passion, it’s a fantastic double header which captures you from the first seconds and refuses to release you until the end.
“High Old Times” is a short blast of raw energy in rock form. With a simple but catchy pulse, it helps bring the album out of the exploratory double header before it and directs it towards “Modern Prometheus”, a track which features vocalist Chris Harms (Lord Of The Lost). A track which brings touches of traditional Euro-Metal is delivered with some Neue Deutsche Hӓrte flair a-la In Extremo. With a big atmosphere and plenty to provide, it is executed with minimal fuss, balancing the aggressive metallic approach with the expressive gothic touches. “WIll I Ever Feel The Same” is similar to ‘Survival Of The Fittest’ in how it catches your attention and brings back the energy one more time before the finale: “The Capital (A Silent Soul Screams Loud)”. 14 minutes of Progressive Avant-Garde which acts as both a conclusion to the album and the trilogy. To cover it minute by minute would only scratch the surface of this epic track, so to cut it down to a more manageable level; fantastic synergy between orchestral arrangements, choir like synths and dynamic instrument sections which shift though phases of clean, distorted and acoustic. Thought provoking lyrics with a powerful and emotive delivery which helps them have a massive impact, expressive lead sections and a fantastic drawn out conclusion to the tale which kicks in around the 10 minute mark and features some fantastic expressive sections to close it all.
In all “A Silent Soul Screams Loud” is a solid album. Standing alone, this release is certainly for those with an acquired taste, but the moments of metal punctuated by proggy and avant-garde flashes of creativity should suffice enough to satisfy a casual listener. As a part of the bigger picture in terms of the trilogy, it is the strongest of the three releases by a significant margin and a fantastic way to wrap it up, making it a fitting end to a fantastic musical experience!
(8.5/10 Fraggle)
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