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THE DEAFENING SILENCE
The somewhat unusual name of this Scottish band was inspired by a French film director of the 1920's by the name of Abel Gance!
Liking the sound of the name, they made a minor spelling change, and started playing together in the early 1980's - at the height of the 'neo-prog' revival. Despite some pretty solid recordings they are perhaps best known for having provided Pallas with a replacement vocalist, after the departure of Euan Lowson, in the form of Alan Reed. Although back then they were keen not to portray themselves as a progressive act in the mould of Marillion or Pallas, they made no bones about the fact that their music at times reflected the sounds of the later progressive rock period.
Initially the band had only four members but by the time this CD was released, in the mid 90's, they were a five piece outfit with only bassist Hugh Carter surviving from the beginnings. The other members were
Christopher Forsyth - vocals, Robert Wilson - guitars and b/v, Stuart Clyde - keyboards and vocals and, finally, Colin Johnson on drums and backing vocals. Worthy of note however is that original keyboard
player Hew Montgomery is credited with having written music and lyrics to 'The Radical Departs' as well as contributing to a number of other songs on the album.
'The Deafening Silence' has a fairly good mix of styles and, although there is much that derives from the neo-prog arena, there are also some unique touches that make this something more than a straightforward early
80's clone.
Keyboard, guitar and bass work are all given ample chance to come into their own at different points and the vocals, although a little rough edged at times, are generally well suited to the sound the band produce.
Musically the keyboard sound comes over very strongly on many of the tracks with a very showy, flowery style - so common place among neo-prog outfits.
This is particularly true in the case of tracks like 'Look at Me Now' and 'Serendipity' which just seems to invite comparisons to the likes of early Marillion or Pendragon but, despite the domination of the keyboard lines, the music seems to have an edge to it that makes such comparisons acceptable.
One of my favourite tracks is one I have already mentioned, 'The Radical Departs'. This seems to harken back to the days of Procol Harum and Forsyth's vocals are very close indeed to Gary Brooker in terms of
both sound and delivery. The tones of the hammond organ emphasise the connection and Hugh Carter pumps out a solid bass line that underpins the whole piece in a classy but unfussy manner. This is an
excellent track by any standards, and comes across very well indeed!
The album's title track has more of an AOR angle to it and is a solid mid paced number with a social conscience, dealing unashamedly as it does with environmental issues. Again, Carter's bass work is very much
in the picture and there are some nice piano and acoustic guitar touches that give the track a degree of subtlety.
For me there is only one weak link on the album. 'Hold the Moment' is a fair enough rock song which seems to never really get going with any conviction, and I feel that it doesn't really suit Forsyth's vocal style.
'Stranger in Your Heart', on the other hand, is another rock style song which is fairly slow, but seems to develop well.
From slow beginnings there is a gradual increase in pressure to the point where the percussion cuts in and we are treated to some magnificent soaring guitar work, from Robert Wilson, which is uplifting to the extreme. The use of backing vocals in the repeat chorus sections toward the end of the track also works well, although the track could perhaps have benefited from a definite ending rather than a fade to finish.
The best of all, to my mind, is the last track, 'It's Different Now', which is the one I tend to play for a quick fix. The blend here is quite astounding.
The track starts out with a tinkling 'musical box' sound that repeats over and over and which is initially joined by electric guitar and, by the time the bass and keyboards cut in as well, the track is starting to sound a bit like 'Xanadu' by Rush. The vocal line however seems to be very blues based, and when following the vocal line and listening to the sweeping hammond organ sound I'm put in mind of Rod Stewart's 'Stay With Me'. The combination may sound odd ... but my goodness, it works!
Whether intentionally or not, Abel Ganz's music seems to sum up much of the vitality that was present in the golden days of the Marquee Club in London's Wardour Street, in the years before it closed and, despite any
shortcomings this album may have, I have become very fond of the sound that has been created here. After all, if we accept that in the 80's bands were copying the best of the 70's, then there is no reason why
bands of the 90's should not be allowed to draw from their predecessors from over a decade before - particularly in this case, where the band were actually part of that movement!
Not without it's faults, but certainly worth checking out all the same.
Simon 9th July 2000
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