Moaning Silence - A Waltz into Darkness

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MOANING SILENCE is a Greek Gothic/Doom band whose latest album, “A Waltz Into Darkness,” is their second full length; they also released an EP in 2017. I love a good Gothic/Doom album.  Doom is my favorite genre of metal and my first exposure to its many varied sounds was in the form of Gothic (Doom oriented or not) bands like MY DYING BRIDE, PARAMECIUM, TRISTANIA, and THEATRE OF TRAGEDY.  As one can imagine, I was excited when this promo came to me even though the band was mostly unfamiliar to me.

I’m happy to write that “Moaning Silence,” is a solid slab of Gothic/Doom that didn’t disappoint me.  Their style doesn’t deviant too much from some of the previously mentioned bands but that isn’t bad thing as genre tropes are okay if they are done with conviction, which this group has plenty of.  The vocal approach is the tried and true “beauty and the beast” pairing but I’ve always had a soft spot for that so despite how over used it is, this element doesn’t bother me in the least.

The album forgoes an epic or fancy intro (something I wish more bands would follow suite with) and go straight for the gold with the solid “Rite of Decay.”  The riffs won’t blow you away but they are solid and have a solemn, cathedral tone.  The dark melodies compliment those riffs well and sever as as  jumping off point for Eleftheria’s vocals, who often sings in the same rhythm as the music—which makes the songs catchy and free flowing.   The chorus became stuck in my head for days, a sign of strong song writing especially for such a morose genre.  Guitarist Christos provides the extreme vocals, which vary from a death growl to something in between that and rough cleans.

“Towards The Sun,” is a shorter track than the two before but no less effective.  Clean piano and Eleftheria’s vocals are the only instruments in the beginning and the two make a powerful combo.  The rest of the band joins in for a mid pace gothic doom romp that is simple but another track I found myself coming back to several times. “Songs For Winter,” is perhaps my favorite track on the album as the music just invokes the very imagery presented in the song’s title.   Mantis’ bass is strong throughout the album but he really holds down the fort here, especially in the more melodic parts during the spoken word passages.  I found this song to be heavy yet oddly serene and calming at the same time.

The album’s final track, “The Lights Of Alexandria,” and it is a great album closer, especially because it balances light and darkness so well.  Some of the album’s better riffs are in this one and the guitar solo in the middle is rather sharp.   The two vocalists singing together makes for quite the impact as does the sudden fury of the double bass. Fans of Gothic or Gothic/Doom metal would be doing themselves a disservice is they didn’t check to see what “A Waltz Into Darkness” had to offer and is highly recommended for fans of DRACONIAN.

Songwriting: 7
Musicianship: 7
Memorability: 7
Production: 7