Review: The Silence Broken – The Pendulum Effect

Artist: The Silence Broken
Album: The Pendulum Effect
Rating: 10/10

Music is an art form. It’s a way to escape from the harsh realities of life and find yourself lost in another world. More often than not, music is a way of the artists within telling their personal stories and letting you into their world. It is for this reason that an emotional connection is so easily attainable with an art form such as music. Rochester’s hard rock/metal outfit The Silence Broken are here to tell you their story with The Pendulum Effect. The road to the release of this album (released in December) was a tough one, as the band’s vocalist had to undergo a major surgery shortly before the original release, which resulted in a chain of events that caused the album to be released close to 2 years behind schedule.

The Pendulum Effect isn’t for the faint of heart but it is meant to show that, no matter how many times you get knocked down, you can always get back up. The album’s fiery, electronic-laden opener “Just to Watch It Burn” and gives a good precursor into what you’ll hear throughout the album. Vocalist Nik Humphreys has a vocal style that reminds me of Brock Lindow but with a little less of an eclectic nature to it. A good range of both clean and screamed vocals, easily able to convey mass amounts of emotion and get the listener interested. I think one of the most interesting things about this band, though, is their use of electronic elements and keyboards… there’s no doubt that it’s a cornerstone in their sound and it doesn’t drown it out or sound out of place. Rather, it seeks to emphasize the atmosphere that surrounds the notes that are laid over it. While Humphreys focuses more on the melodic side of the musical spectrum, the band lays in some metal style instrumentals that keep it heavy, yet bouncy. “Blankets and Wires” might be one of the most prominent examples, as Humphreys tends to stay in a mid-range with his vocals while the electronics build up the band before unleashing on the chorus. The bridge explodes with his screams before the final chorus comes in and has his clean vocals go back and forth, as if he were having an argument with himself. It makes for a really intense listen. Revival vocalist Matt Dalberth brings in his talents on “The Lesser of Two” which sees the band going in a more mid 00’s metalcore direction. This is one of the very few times I’ve heard a band use a vocalist in more than just one section and his addition to the fold brings in a new focus on how talented the band is, as this is almost an entirely different playstyle from the rest of the album. “Meet Me at the Horizon” is more of a modern metalcore track and has an awesome opening to it. Lending their vocal abilities to this track are Felicia Lape and Bianca Dyrland (ex-ARIA), creating a beautiful and harmonious bridge and ending to one of the album’s highlight tracks. The album’s closer “No Clothes After Midnight” is more than the title suggests and begins with bassist John LaMere getting a shining moment with a humming and catchy bass line. The use of electronics to end the album, sounding almost choral with Humphreys vocals echoing over and slowly building into his screams, is almost euphoric. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect way to end an album like this… or any album, for that matter.

The Silence Broken is a band to watch in 2017 and it isn’t just their versatility as musicians that is going to catch your ear. The band, collectively, have woven a tale of what it’s like to battle addiction, depression, heartbreak, etc and always find yourself rising above the odds. This is their way of telling you that there is ALWAYS a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it’s the faintest speck and you have to squint to see it. Do yourselves a favor and pick up The Pendulum Effect by clicking one of the links below, go out and see the guys at a show and get lost in perhaps one of the most emotionally atmospheric albums I’ve heard in years.

Buy The Pendulum Effect
Physical | iTunes | Google Play | Amazon

The Silence Broken on Social Media
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The Silence Broken are:
Nik Humphreys | Vocals
Jones | Guitar
John LaMere | Bass
Myka Yott | Keyboards
Michael Barnes | Drums