The Silver's sophomore album, Looking Glass of Hymnal Blue, is a testament to the band's evolution and refinement. While their debut, Ward of Roses, introduced a unique blend of atmospheric goth, post-black, and progressive metal, Looking Glass of Hymnal Blue takes that formula and tightens the screws, resulting in a more polished and cohesive listening experience. Personally, I think this album is a significant step forward for The Silver, showcasing their growth as musicians and songwriters.
One of the key strengths of Looking Glass of Hymnal Blue is its balance. The album seamlessly weaves together gothy atmosphere, darkly sparkling melodicism, and stormy theatricality, creating a compelling and dynamic soundscape. The band's ability to ground these elements in anguished extremes, coupled with the harrowing howls of vocalist Nick Duchemin and a hyperactive barrage of blast beats, frantic riffage, and steely aggression, is truly impressive. What makes this particularly fascinating is how The Silver manages to maintain this balance without sacrificing the raw energy that made their debut so compelling.
The opening title track sets the tone for the album, unleashing visceral bursts of turbulent axework and frantic rhythms, while dueling harsh and clean vocals showcase the band's mastery of contrast. Some almost Opeth-esque bluesy guitar work and a beautifully delivered clean vocal passage cap off a stellar introduction. Longer form epics, such as the nearly nine-minute-long "Two Candles," demonstrate the band's crafty skill in handling weighty compositions, intermingling urgent, savage ebbs with soaring cleans, mellow passages, and colorful guitar work. It's an ambitious, frequently gripping journey that encapsulates The Silver's strengths and individuality.
The band's proggy inclinations come to the fore on Looking Glass of Hymnal Blue, deviating from conventional writing and maintaining a rich infectiousness. Hooks bore into the soul and lodge in the memory bank, making the album a compelling listen from start to finish. Musically, the album straddles post-black, prog, and doomy realms with aplomb, maintaining cohesion, beefing up the technicality, and pushing forward Matt Knox's confident, compelling clean vocal melodies. This may not work for all listeners, depending on tolerance for Knox's vocal style, which generally dips less into the spoken word theatrics that were occasionally a stumbling block on Ward of Roses.
While the album is largely successful, there are a few moments that fall short of the hefty standards set by its counterparts. Only the shorter, bluesy later album cut "Twilight of Love" falls short of the hefty standards of its counterparts, though it is a solid song regardless, feeding into the colossal power, violent throes, and affecting melodies of closer "My Lone Dark Lantern." Looking Glass of Hymnal Blue adds intriguing twists and layers to an already cool formula, largely levelling up from the sophisticated, exciting promise of their debut. Crafting another accomplished, beautifully produced album, The Silver avoid the dreaded sophomore slump, taking minor creative risks while both expanding and consolidating their unique sound.
In my opinion, Looking Glass of Hymnal Blue is a significant step forward for The Silver, showcasing their growth as musicians and songwriters. The band's ability to refine their formula without sacrificing the raw energy that made their debut so compelling is truly impressive. Taking their time with this second opus, the payoff is grand, and The Silver's welcome return suggests this project is here for the long haul.
