Avtor: Peter Podbrežnik
Izvajalec: A.C.T.
Založba: Inside Out Records
Izid: 2006
Ocena: 3/5
Swedish art rockers A.C.T. are definitely coming along nicely in their development, even if their musical language doesn’t bring anything particularly new to the table and they faithfully carry on the tradition of sophisticated prog rock set out by their role models like Saga, Queen, Rush, ELO, It Bites, and so on. After just a few spins of ”Silence”, their fourth album, I could hear a clear step forward from the previous album “Last Epic” (2003) as well as from the debut “Today’s Report” (1999), even though the basic formula of their sound stays unchanged. The debut was already at an enviable level of quality, but I never would have thought this little band from the Swedish city of Malmö would get this far. With “Silence” they pulled off something that’s almost unimaginable for the kind of music they play: they landed at a lofty number 4 on the home charts. So what’s the recipe for their sudden success after years of considerable obscurity?
Like most modern Swedish prog rock bands, A.C.T. stand out for solid technical chops, a tuned-in and sharpened sense for writing most of their material, and excellent production. Once again the keyboards and vocals are top-notch; my only gripe is with bassist Peter Asp, whose contribution often stays in the background behind the other members, partly because of how the album was produced. The band’s sound is once again very rich and dynamic, and no single instrument ever sticks out for some long solo expansion where an individual shows off their skills.
Overall, “Silence” is a very melancholic album. The band has upped the number of tracks with violins, uses more orchestral passages than ever, and the end result is pretty damn good. Their sound is also even more melodic than before, and after a few casual listens you might even say they’ve simplified things to please a wider crowd. Yet after closer listens, the experienced listener realizes that almost every track has a complex structure and plenty of progressive elements, even if it isn’t prog rock in the true sense of the word. Once again they’ve managed to balance their flirtations with prog, pop and melodic metal. Maybe in places you miss a bit more energy, since amid all these ear-pleasing melodies you forget about a sharper punch, say on guitar. Even though Ola Andersson is an excellent guitarist, on this album he’s somewhat sidelined in that respect. There are a lot of songs on the album, a whole nineteen, so I’ll single out only the most interesting ones. The opener “Truth In Pain” is a tasty piece with good dynamics, excellent guitar carrying the verses, and an interesting interplay between keyboards and guitar at the end of the song. “Puppeteers” features female backing vocals that build the atmosphere. “This Wonderful World” has plenty of good orchestral arrangements, a great chorus, and an outstanding flow. “Out Of Ideas”, where some funk elements come through too, has a tasty guitar solo. “Hope” could be briefly described as progressive pop metal that plenty of fans of all three genres could enjoy. Anyone who isn’t bothered by the fact that Herman Saming, with his fairly unique and unusual way of singing, sounds like a grown adult one moment and like an eight-year-old the next will enjoy its artful melodics. “Into The Unkonown” is another very good piece which, like most of the other tracks on the album, leans heavily toward pop, but thanks to the vocals, a fairly raw rhythm line and outstanding guitar passages it also contains many elements that are otherwise typical of progressive metal. The epic “Useless Argument” flirts a bit with Queen’s musical language. Most of the other tracks have their own specific, interesting moments but don’t really stand out from the well-worn formula of pop with progressive elements. There are no boring tracks that are there just to fill space on the album. Tracks eleven through the closer form the epic, quasi-conceptual suite “Consequences [The Long One]”, which contains quite a few of the album’s high points. “Memory To Fight” is, for instance, one of those pieces that’s definitely worth the price of the album on its own.
If you liked their previous albums, you’ll like “Silence” too. Once again, praise goes to both the keyboardist and the guitarist, the tasty melodies, the bombastic vocal harmonies and the well-conceived arrangements. A.C.T. have a certain special charm that makes them interesting and unique even to a broader circle of music fans. The album will be enjoyed above all by those prog rock fans with a wide musical spectrum who aren’t bothered by the broad bridge between prog and pop, as well as by genre-agnostic listeners, while fans of mainstream music will still find it too demanding. I’d also advise prog purists not to waste their time exploring it. With “Silence”, A.C.T. have once again proven that they’re a unique band with their “progressive pop” and that with such an approach they can look forward to success (at least in musically developed countries) in the future as well.
Zasedba
Herman Saming – vocals & backing vocals
Ola Andersson – electric & acoustic guitar, vocals & backing vocals
Jerry Sahlin – synthesizer, vocals & backing vocals, vocoder
Peter Asp – bass guitar, bass synthesizer, bass pedal
Thomas Lejon – drums & percussion
The Acting Orchestra:
Tomas Ebrelius – violin
Hanna Hajslund Hansen – violin
Catharina Holm – viola
John Löfgren – cello
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Kenny Sahlin – additional lead vocals (2)
Martin Hedin – angry buyer (11)
Produkcija
Martin Hedin
Seznam skladb
1. Truth is Pain (4:09)
2. Puppeteers (4:13)
3. This Wonderful World (4:20)
4. Out of Ideas (4:47)
5. Hope (4:29)
6. Into the Unknown (3:55)
7. No Longer Touching Ground (4:11)
8. Useless Argument (4:49)
9. The Voice Within (3:55)
10. Polish, Reduce, and Enlarge (3:55) *
11. Call In Dead (2:51)
Consequences [The Long One]
12. Silent Screams (1:58)
13. Introduction (0:51)
14. The Millionaire (2:10)
15. Joanna (3:09)
16. A Father’s Love (2:32)
17. Memory to Fight (2:43)
18. The Diary (3:10)
19. A Wound that Won’t Heal (4:32)
20. The Final Silence (1:36)
Trajanje albuma: 68:15
