CoC : Silentium - Altum : Review

Silentium - _Altum_
(Spikefarm, 2001)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10)

Puzzling record, this. Not that it is all avantgarde or difficult to describe; in fact, originality is not particularly abundant here. Instead, what puzzles me about _Altum_ is the way the band tend to sound quite like bands such as My Dying Bride and EverEve, and then finish the album sounding like Tristania, without leaving much of an impression of what Silentium themselves really sound like. There should have been more regard to the structure and flow of the record as a whole, since the band's musical skill is evident as their silky, violin and keyboard-enhanced, romantic doom metal evolves. All things considered, Silentium's style hasn't changed much since their debut _Infinita Plango Vulnera_. They have matured somewhat, but still lack direction and still need better male vocals (although their current vocalist does show some improvement). _Altum_ is a somewhat inconsistent album, but Silentium are clearly a talented band and they do seem to possess enough skill to write a great album in the future. For the time being, however, they still need to find their own identity and some more consistency.

(article published 12/8/2001)