Band:	Dungortheb
Album:	Waiting For Silence
Style:	Technical death metal
Release date:	February 2008

01. Lethargy
02. Another Way To Die
03. Intended To Fall
04. Addicted
05. Waiting For...
06. Silence
07. Only Way To Die
08. N.D.E.
09. Trip Into Obscurity

A brief history lesson: J. R. R. Tolkien's creation of Middle-earth included Beleriand, a northwestern region that included Nan Dungortheb. This valley was coincidentally situated near Ered Gorgoroth, though Dungortheb have nothing in common with the notorious black metal outfit, nor do they play fantasy-inspired power metal.

A long story short: Dungortheb are a French band that play a highly technical form of somewhat thrash-influenced death metal. The members are obviously familiar with using their respective instruments, each with a general understanding of melody and aggression without abusing either. Formed in 1996, Dungortheb have gone through line-up changes and different labels, recording a few demos along the way before unleashing Waiting For Silence in the dying months of winter 2008, almost five years to the day after their debut album. This album speaks wonders about the band, not only in terms of talent but simply the level of dedication it took to finally achieve something of significance.

This is a diamond in the rough ladies in the gentleman. The kind of diamond Tiger Woods' caddy is entitled to for reminding the pro golfer that over-using your wood will only get you into trouble. Of course he meant on the field, and that's precisely where Dungortheb deliver. From "Lethargy" to "Trip Into Obscurity", these guys offer a quality listen that spans just under the 40 minute mark, catches and hooks abound. Not too short, not too long. Goldilocks would be proud.

Waiting For Silence provides just about everything you could ask for in an album. Put it this way: when you feel an overwhelming sense of anger directed at your neighbor's dog for waking you up at 2 in the morning, a track like "One Way To Die" will cure the rage you feel coursing through your veins. So much so that you'll loop back into being incredibly irate, thus the inevitability that you will destroy something comes back into play. Until of course your shuffle kicks in and "Waiting For..." begins to play, calming you down instantly so that when you explain to the police that Sparky merely suffered from a great fall, the endearing look on your face from the amazing melodies in your mind will charm the officers into believing you and sending you back to bed with a kind good-night.

Alas, that is my only problem with this album: song placement. Some tracks such as "Silence", which are more groove-oriented, would be better suited for the beginning of the album while the more aggressive songs could have been distributed more evenly as opposed to stockpiling them at the end. Great shrieks and growls, quick and varied drumming, melodic guitars played by guys who love to shred... This album just shot a 9 under par on the front 9!