The Cd that got me into FW and prog metal. Saw "Silent Cries" on MTV's Headbangers ball (when MTV actually played music) and was enamored with Ray Alder's voice instantly.

What were they thinking with this album? While Alder is a colossal singer, Arch's unique vocal melodies are sadly missed and everything else that made their previous releases so unique among the plethora of other USPM bands is missing here as well. The only thing that hints at the prog masterpieces their their later releases would become is the obvious center (master)-piece "The Ivory Gates of Dreams". Other than that it just sounds like a somewhat more sophisticated solid 80s thrash/speed metal album. The horrible hollow 80s underground thrash metal production, that sounds like they paid a random kid on the street 20$ to mix it in his basement, that somehow manages to sounds even worse on the remastered version, certainly doesn't do it any favors either. The John Arch albums and their later releases sure as hell aren't famous for their amazing production either but something about the way it's done here especially annoys me. IMHO (let's be honest it means hubris-filled opinion) their worst album to date.

Not among their best but it's a nice transition album from the Arch era to the pure prog era from Perfect Symmetry and on. Ivory of Gates of Dreams and In A Word are my favourites