Band:	Mourn In Silence
Album:	Until The Stars Won't Fall
Style:	Symphonic metal
Release date:	October 2012

01. Custos Mortis
02. Beginning Of Ruin
03. Winter's Breath
04. Where The Sun Can't Shine
05. Heart Of Madness
06. Un Lacrimoso Rivo
07. Severance
08. A Secret Grief
09. Until The Stars Won't Fall

At first listen this seemed a pleasant, extreme symphonic metal album. However, in a short amount of time it unfolded to reveal a wealth of secrets and treasures in a very unique fusion. Harsh male vocals lead this symphonic, gothic, death hybrid - that is plain enough to hear at the outset. But what else have we discovered? These epic tunes have yet more tales to tell.

Death and black metal aspects are the first to reveal themselves. Combined with the rhythms and melodies, this creates a nice gothic feeling on some tunes, and possibly a melodic death feel on others. What's a bit more hidden is the actual melody and its subtle majesty lurking under the extreme metal. One highly virtuosic guitar graces these songs with excellent leads and solos. I hesitate to say there is even some power metal shining through the cracks in the walls. After a few listens, one may hear this brand of "epic" in the guitar melodies of the first few tracks, and in the composer's subtle use of major keys despite the predominant dark feeling all around.

The songs are complex and show off the multifaceted band. "Beginning Of Ruin" repeatedly ventures into a dark gothic atmosphere of spooky minor keys and intense rhythms, yet always returns to its home base of epic, almost valiant major keys. Valiant, like some riffs wouldn't be out of place on your favorite Viking metal album. Mourn In Silence is just so adept with subtle melodies for also incorporating so much black and extreme gothic metal in the mix. What other riches lay hidden still?

So, yeah, it's just harsh male vocals. There is a female guest vocalist lightly assisting on three latter tracks but she is only supplementing a few harmonies for the highly adequate growls and screams of the male vocalist. For a symphonic metal album of any kind it's really refreshing to entrust the soaring melodies to the keyboards and guitars; they surely do justice and add their own flavor and timbre, which a singing voice just couldn't produce.

Above all this is just epic. Nothing is straightforward here yet it's so cohesive that may of the treats and changes are easy to miss. They may be subtle and pass you by at first listen. Don't let them escape. See what you can discover.