Review: “Out of the Silence” by Resonance

The music of Resonance is all about the brutal meeting of beautiful and technical melodies that are creating an unique approach to it. Three years after their debut EP “Day Of Days”, Helsinki Finland Metalcore quartet Esa Salminen on vocals, Petteri Peltomäki on guitars, David Forder on bass and Joni Huovila on drums have returned with “Out Of The Silence” via Inverse Records. All four of the band members are experienced musicians that have been associated with many bands and projects in the past and for their single “The One” they have invited Sara Strömmer of Fear of Domination for a guest vocal appearance.

If you had any doubt from the cover at that Resonance are a heavy band, then believe us when we say, the keeping DJent fuelled Metalcore verse of “Shattered Inside” hits like an artillery bombardment. Salminen delivers some absolutely… Well imagine a the sound of a Zombie ripping someone’s throat out. Salminen has the uncleans that are that Zombies call to his compatriots to come and feed. Peltomäki bringing to the cannibalistic dinning table some Polaris esq Tech-Metal infused Metalcore riffs and the odd burst of synth adds atmosphere. The issue of a slow down for clean vocal parts is there to be heard but not as noticeable after several listens as it is the first time around. “Drained” has a Black Metal opening of Meloncholic guitars and blast beats before moving back into the bands Tech-Infused Metalcore. The big DJent groove rhythmic patterns are the underpinning for swaths of lead work and you’re left wondering how it could be carried off live without a second guitarist or backing track. This one has a slick solo and while the group vocal shout is a big hit. “Another World” opens Resonance’s subscription to Synth Weekly while they strike a balance between the clean and unclean vocals while embracing the DJentisms with greater verve. It’s as if Dream Theatre had a baby with Heart of a Coward at times, such is the contrast in styles rammed into each track. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just a thing.

“The One” is the albums guest appearance with Sara Strömmer of Fear of Domination lending a bright clean female vocal to some Periphery inspired riffage. She does get her chance for her trade mark uncleans to bay for blood but for the most part this is a more ambient Progressive Metal track and they allow her vocals to dominate with Salminen barely getting a look in, something which is a joy because some guest appearances of late have been so fleeting you’d barely notice them. “Faded Memory” has a punchy opening before allowing the unclean and clean vocals to intertwine to create a good cop, bad cop vibe. The DJent becomes more of a dirge in places and what you’re left with is something that is perhaps more Progressive Metal than anything else. “Wasteland” picks up the pace with an injection of a bit more adrenaline before meandering into some progressive tech territory. A beautiful piano sequence offsets the early brutal grooves in fine style.

A programmed introduction to the album title track “Out of the Silence” makes way for some TesseracT ambience before the unclean demonic death call hits, punching through the music like fist through a piece of wafer thin paper. They take the contrast the opposite way to how they do earlier in the album with crushing vocals over more melodic guitar work and also use the uncleans as a backing vocal pattern to the cleans, giving the impression of a second vocalist. “Lie” is straight has a bludgeoning opening before fading into a more vibrant technicolor Progressive Metal playbook style. There is menace and atmospherics broken up by some virtuoso solo moments which would make for a good closer but instead they save that for the heavier opening of “Final Exit” which has some of the darkest unclean parts on the album. The clean chorus has sing-a-long ability… And then there is a Saxophone moment that is as good as it is unexpected. The powerhouse chugs of the final breakdown sequence is when the band are at their best but in truth this is a solid album full of moments of quality. The contrast between all the elements archives the necessary balance, the only issue being that you may have heard some of the ideas with some of the bands peers with the likes of Erra treading the same beautiful path [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. Shattered Inside
2. Drained
3. Another World
4. The One (ft. Sara Strömmer of Fear of Domination)
5. Faded Memory
6. Wasteland
7. Out of the Silence
8. Lie
9. Final Exit

“Out of the Silence” by Resonance is out 13th December via Inverse Records