Artist: Platitude
Label: Metal Heaven
Release: 2006
Rating: 4/5
Platitude are an interesting hybrid of progressive metal, power metal and melodic hard rock. With their third studio album, “Silence Speaks,” they’ve raised the bar on the musical expression they’d reached so far. They’ve grown both in terms of songwriting and in how convincingly they deliver their latest material.
First and foremost, this is a band with an outstanding sense of melody. The opener Tell The Truth is the kind of song that’s the perfect example of a track that gets under your skin right away, from the very first listen. At its core it’s a typical, by-the-book hard rock riff, while the progressive elements come from the keyboards (the Vanden Plas flavor) and the occasional broken rhythms in the transitional passages. The power metal feel and prog leanings of the record are also down to the production itself. It’s crystal clear, with pronounced depth and a superb balance of instruments in the mix. Above it all, though, the most convincing thing is the vocals of Erik “Ez” Blomkvist, who is powerful at every height of his range. On top of that, he’s emotional and incredibly adaptable in any situation. Convincingly subtle in the softer passages.
The band develops its songs in a seriously dynamic way. The instrumental mid-sections are, as far as the strength of the melodies goes, perfectly polished. The guitar solo always plays the central role in them, but Platitude never overdo it with some pretentious solo-trading showboating that would break the red thread of the songs. Quite the opposite! They’d sooner trim the instrumental part down than cut across the smooth flow of a song with it. Everything is subordinate to a primal feel for melody and to the compactness of the songs, every last one of which can boast proper anthemic choruses. On top of that, Platitude effectively bring drama and melancholy to life in their songs. At times Blomkvist even comes close to the magic that the great Jorn Lande (Jorn, ex-Masterplan) is able to conjure up, and at other times he recalls Edguy singer Tobias Sammet. Blomkvist has a voice that’s ideal for delivering and emphasizing the melodies offered by both melodic hard rock bands and modern power metal bands. A fine example of an interesting cross between prog metal and power metal is After The Storm, which in the pre-chorus runs very similar to the basic riff of Soundchaser by the German power metal band Rage, then a progressive passage follows that pours the track into a classic melodic hard rock chorus in the vein of TNT. That chorus is then quickly steered back onto power metal rails by the double bass drum pedal, which the drummer on “Silence Speaks” is by no means shy about using. From here on, it hardly needs spelling out that Platitude like to use several different time signatures in their basic rhythmic foundation.
Platitude are, in short, an interesting hybrid across three musical genres that carry the attributes the biggest bands in the business pride themselves on. That means a sense of punch, high mood factor, technical polish, and big melodies that hit their atmospheric peaks in anthemic, singalong choruses. Platitude are definitely one of the hottest rock spots on the map of Scandinavia among the younger generation of bands, alongside Mind’s Eye or Bloodbound! Say you combine the prog elements of Vanden Plas with the modern power metal breath of the “Masterplan Jorn Lande era” or Angel Dust! Even then there are so many gaps that you simply can’t find the right comparison. The simple fact is this: Platitude have (to everyone’s great delight and approval) found their own recognizable niche! “Silence Speaks” is an outstanding musical achievement in terms of songwriting, and in terms of maturity too. Scandinavian perfection and a sense of melody that’s simply innate, that Platitude carry in their blood, come together on “Silence Speaks” in the best possible combination. This one’s for everyone looking for technically flawless command of instruments, songwriting that bows to big melodies at every turn, high atmosphere, and poisonously effective, catchy listenability!
Lineup
Erik “Ez” Blomkvist – vocals
Gustav Köllerström – guitar
Kristofer von Wachenfeldt – keyboards
Patrik Jansson – bass guitar
Andreas Brobjer – drums
Production
Platitude
Track list
1. Tell The Truth
2. Silence Speaks
3. Nobody’s Hero
4. Empty Inside
5. Fear (It’s Over Now)
6. Don’t Be Afraid
7. Falling Down
8. After The Storm
9. Walk With Me
10. You
Album length: 42.30
