Album Reviews : Perseverance – Silence, Forever; Endless

Silence, Forever; Endless marks the second album for Melbourne based atmospheric black metallers Perseverance, an ambitious and varied concept piece that deals with madness and suffering, centering on the main protagonist in the story- Naomi, who loses her family under tragic circumstances. Silence, Forever; Endless is the product of a band who have clearly been through a lot in their short existence and this has certainly aided their direction and continued commitment to creating dark and violent music.

An ominous and moody piano piece signals the start of the record on the conveniently titled ‘Introduction’ track, before the pained shrieks of band vocalist Gareth Sansom (playing the part of the narrator) kicks the track up a gear, with the music definitely bringing comparisons to bands such as Tasmania’s- Ruins to mind. Piano once again is the focus as the track comes to a close, although this time it feels somewhat oddly out of place as the feel of the song seems to be directed in a more uplifting territory, a vast contrast to the rest of the track.

‘Mayday Hills’ showcases the band at their most intense and is perhaps the most traditional black metal sounding track on the album. Tremolo picked guitars, frostbitten screams, blast beats and double kicks dominate this track, the middle section of this track takes a sharp turn in direction however, as the story unfolds (the presenter taking center stage in the story on this track) with the aggression and ferocity previously displayed making way for a mellow acoustic section. The riff dominated outro rounds out what is surely one of the best tracks on the album.

A real surprise is the track ‘The Final Adeline’, an ambient piano driven piece sung entirely by a guest female vocalist (playing the tortured character Naomi in the story), the pain in the women’s voice is clear to be heard and it is certainly an interesting and huge change in both style and direction for the band. ‘ A Silent Rose in Voiceless Bloom’ is a slow burning, albeit much heavier number as melodic female vocals make way for troubled screams as the parts of doctor and the return of the narrator continue the story, with the intensity showcased in the track ‘Mayday Hills’ returning to close out the track.

‘Trauma’ is the most in your face song on the album; the vocals on this track are at their most possessed and tortured, especially on the first half of this track as the part of ‘Tall Man’ is played and the return of a more traditional black metal sound dominates the second half as the narrator once again returns. The concept is rounded out by the varied 10-minute plus instrumental track ‘Pendulum’. Interestingly though this is not the end of the album, as there is also a bonus track titled DSM-V. It is unclear if this song actually has anything to do with the concept on the album though, and the booklet that accompanies this release does little to indicate this [it’s a sequel to a track from their first album – Ed].

There is certainly a lot to admire in terms of the ambition of the band to create a release with substance and an interesting story (the album is definitely worth picking up for those interested in further insight in to the story of the concept and the lyrics alone). There are sections where it seems that the band has bitten off a bit more than they could chew in terms of musical direction however, with seemingly a lot more thought going in to the concept rather than the flow of the tracks present. That being said, Silence, Forever; Endless is for the most part a strong release from a band willing to push boundaries with their musical style.

Band : Perseverance
Album: Silence, Forever; Endless
Year : 2013
Genre : Black Metal
Label: Independent
Origin: Melbourne, Australia
facebook.com/perseveranceaus

Tracklisting:
01. Introduction
02. Mayday Hills
03. The Final Adeline (Ft. Guest)
04. A Silent Rose in Voiceless Bloom
05. Trauma
06. Pendulum (Inst.)
i. Spiritual Deconstruction
ii. Hopeless Dreamless
iii. Silence, Forever; Endless

07. DSM-V (Bonus Track)

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