By Danny Contreras
A Place Where the Sun is Silent is a miserable excuse for an album. Unfortunately for Epitaph Records, the Raleigh, North Carolina natives produced a 16 song album for a niche that, while small, still hasn’t died out. This album is the epitome of bad; it is not pop but leans heavily towards it with many four chord songs, while also trying to appear tough with the rougher vocals that never truly fit into any of the songs.
The album is divided into two halves (three if you buy the deluxe edition which increases the song list to 24, please don’t); the first half is based on the first four levels of Dante’s Inferno, while the second is based on five through nine. They all follow a formula of simple song structure, annoying lyrics and on and off clean/harsh vocals. No songs stand out and the result is an overly bad effort.
“The Dark Wood of Error” and “A Forbidden Dance” are the album’s openers. The former is a two minute intro where the voices of the band members make the music and the main singer begins narrating a story. The latter is a power-pop song with easy to understand lyrics, even harsher vocals and no-catchy-tunes guitar playing. The bass is present, but very rarely.
The biggest slap to the face of music is song four, “Beyond the Sacred Glass”. It tries to be progressive, smart and catchy but it fails. Random time measures do not ensure a good prog song and neither does quick playing. It fails at being catchy because it failed at being progressive and smart. It’s too long and too annoying to be enjoyable.
The first half ends with “Lullaby of the Crucified,” an ironic song title because the album crucifies the listener. It is a more or less quiet song, which is why is titled “Lullaby,” but it is a bit boring. It doesn’t truly ever get off the ground, and the tempo won’t make anyone headbang, or hum along.
The second half only has two songs that can be reviewed as it continues being weak throughout. “Labyrinth” is an okay song, nothing special, but not entirely bad. It does rely on a simple structure, but it truly is catchy. Not to the point of annoyance, but nevertheless catchy. “A Gilded Masquerade” is another song that remains catchy but doesn’t stand out as much. It begins rather comfortably and picks up a little bit, but never makes you hyper. The chorus is catchy and so is the drumming; I wouldn’t blame you if I caught you air drumming.
Overall, the album shouldn’t be bought. If you’re a fan, you should consider your music choice. It’s not fun, it’s not catchy and it’s stupid. And while they’re playing to a niche, anyone outside of it will not enjoy this album at all. What I fear the most is the legions of fans thinking they know anything about Dante’s Inferno from this misinterpretation.
