A question is mandatory: who the hell are Age Of Silence? And the even more mandatory answer is: they are the 32423423rd side project of Jan Axel Blomberg, or as you might call him, Hellhammer, who in 2004, in between albums, also recorded, with the assistance of members from bands such as Winds and Solefald, this CD where avant-garde metal and progressive intertwine.

Musically it features heavy guitar riffs but they are often overshadowed by Andy Winter's keyboard and Hellhammer's drums, which spray counter-times and other delights on the drums with great ease... Keyboards and drums are the strengths of this album and the band, also because in the mixing they are at a much higher volume than the guitars and the bass which, as usual, you can't hear even as a joke.

While this discussion applies to nine tracks, it does not apply to one track, "I No Longer Know If I Am Mad", because it's an acoustic song with only guitar and piano where instead of Lars Are "Lazare" Nedland (whom we will deal with later) the guitarist Kobbergaard sings with a distorted voice. It's also the shortest on the CD (2:28).

This is the real weakness of the group: the voice, I don't like it at all... it would have been a markedly better CD with a different singer, but not all bands can have Garm or ICS Vortex.
Anyway, good first for AOS... keep it up.....but with a different singer...

Having said that, here is the Line-Up:

Lars Are "Lazare" Nedland:Vocals

Kobbergaard:Guitar

Extant:Guitar

Eikind:Bass

Andy Winter:Keyboards

Hellhammer:Drums

Tracklist Lyrics and Videos

01   Auditorium of Modern Movements (03:36)

02   Acceleration (04:30)

03   The Concept of Haste (04:09)

04   A Song for D. Incorporated (04:58)

05   The Green Office and the Dark Desk Drawer (04:17)

06   The Flow at 09:30 am (06:25)

07   Of Concrete and Glass (03:14)

08   90° Angles (07:19)

It has been done!
The return is completed!
Now to grow fainter
To be buried in soft shades of jade

I used to like the rainfalls - to feel tender bites
of grey city water on my white, clean face
pure from the start - dirty to the end
drawing diagonal marks - shutting me into a private prison with bars of water on skin

The smell of wet asphalt always softened up a hard world
90 degree angles, shiny surfaces covered in dirt

and worn out streets leading from nothing to nothing
Who put us here anyway? Did I ever take the time to find out?
Did they ever bother to ask? Was it even an option?
It's been returned
I wonder if the dirt has forced its way through my skin by now

Feels like it's there - itching from the inside, weakening my flesh
I need a sunblock or a dirtblock - something to protect me
Nothing's ever gonna be the same again
I'm on the wrong... surface

Nothing's ever gonna be the same again
Nothing's ever gonna be the same again

Open up the shell, wash away the facade
Let me out or let me in

Open up the shell, wash away the facade
Let me out or let me in

Please just let me, Please just let me
Please just let me, Please just let me

09   I No Longer Know If I Am Mad (02:28)

10   Synthetic, Fabricated, Calculated (04:11)

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By emanuele

 The album moves on lines balanced between progressive metal and classical music, creating a musical "pastiche" which, although not particularly original, is easy to listen to.

 The album is not a masterpiece... the final result remains, in the end, satisfactory, although with some reservations.