Frailty – Silence is everything… (2010)

Lastly from the Frailty promo pack we got in the mail a few days ago we have “Silence is everything…” another EP released by this monumental Death/Doom band from Latvia. In the same vain as on their “EP” release from 2009, we get a glimpse of the band’s excellent songwriting skills and abilities to keep this genre alive and well.

Starting of with “Wendigo” we get a solid dose of fast paced Death/Doom Metal with passages that reminded us of Anathema in their earlier days (“Pentecost” and “Crestfallen” albums). But with a heavier edge than on the band’s first full-length release and with some harsh almost Black Metal-like screams here and there.

The second track “Underwater” starts with crushing riffing and some keyboard undertones to keep things atmospheric enough. We noticed that on this EP the band’s drumming has gotten more elaborated and sounds way better than in any of their previous albums. The screams are also present and provide a nice backing track to the traditional growls of the band.

“Desolated Moors” is best song of this release, and being a 13 minute epic track we get a slower pace and a very Saturnus like riffing/vocal style. These elements are the ones that make us completely enjoy any release of this genre, and will surely make your purchase of this CD worthwhile. The atmosphere of this song is bleak and depressing, creating a monumental anthem for this genre.

Closing the EP we get “Doomed Halls of Damnation”, a live song that sounds as good as anything else the band has recorded over the time. In this track we have a more Funeral Death/Doom Metal approach to things, but is still as crushing as anything else we have heard from this band before. The weeping guitars through this song make this a very enjoyable 13 minute ride into the depths of the Frailty universe, a very worthy closing track for a release that builds up since the first song and culminates nicely with this monstrous composition. The clean vocals are very chilling and sound even better than on the band’s first release.

In general, we sure hope that Frailty gets the recognition they deserve over time. The band has put out three very solid releases over the course of 3 years and we can’t wait for the next one. Be sure to check them out on their myspace page, and support them by buying their crushing releases.

Release: July 25th, 2010

Country: Latvia