Nothing screams Modern Metal more than chuggy/Djenty guitar riffs, thunderous basslines, and a percussive songwriting approach. On their latest EP “Despierta”, Moscow-based Post-Hardcore band Your Screaming Silence have created 5 tracks that balance being melodic with being heavy and rhythmic in a very likeable yet unpredictable way.
On the first track, Light Up The Fire, we are introduced to the record with a heavy and catchy banger. The bassline of the verses has a sense of hardcore familiarity. On the other hand, the melodic guitars (played by Evgeniy Lapshin and Artem Kurnosenko) have a futuristic and highly polished tone. Natalia Kryukova alternates between whisper screams and thrashy yells during the verses, but then she changes to soaring high distorted clean singing – a surprising yet very pleasant change. There are some synth sounds and background piano during the verses as well, which makes for a nice contradiction from the chunky guitars. The bridge is full of those synths, and Natalia’s screams peak as if she’s channelling her inner Chester Bennington. The solo and outro end the song on a (literal) high note that I loved so much.
The title track, Despierta, has an industrial (and trap-like) synth beat in the intro and the verses before thunderous drums join on the pre-chorus and chorus. Natalia does breathy haunting vocals at the start of the verse, followed by screams in the pre-chorus and then she sings the chorus in a chesty-to-mixed voice, which speaks volumes about her ability to beautifully switch between registers. The synth beat and melodies are the coolest thing about this track and they give it a very futuristic vibe, which I couldn’t get enough of. To top it all off, the guitar solo and outro end the song in a headbanging frenzy.
Remember Who You Are begins with a chord progression backed by some strings/orchestrations that set a very dramatic atmosphere. Once again, I’m blown away by Natalia’s vocal performance, as she sings the verses in a soft head voice and the chorus in a high heady mix and makes it all sounds so effortless. The juxtaposition of this soft voice with the chord progression and the dark orchestrations here really fits the lyrical theme of the person trying to remember themselves and rediscover their true identity. I love the symphonic undertones of this song and how they seamlessly implemented such an unlikely idea into their usual metalcore/hardcore sound.
One More Life is the most emotional track in the EP. Despite being heavy, the song is arranged like a power ballad, with a clean guitar intro, and sombre verses that depend on the vocals and drums building an emotional atmosphere with the bass. The chemistry between Oleg Slepuzhnikov on the bass and Roman Voronin on the drums during the verses reminds you that the song will bring a lot more heaviness later on. That bassline was the star of the song that truly tied it together and made the song great.
Feel Alive is when the band decide to show their post-hardcore heaviness in all its galore. The track is melodic, heavy, fast, and full of tasty riffs and licks that will make you headbang like a maniac. The riffage in here is beautifully technical, and the overall vibe is just pure metal madness.
In conclusion, this is a masterful and memorable record that you will replay for days and days after first listen. The heavy parts are nothing new to this band, but what will surprise you are the clean vocals and the lighter parts which were a wonderful surprise. This album is set for success and acclaim from metalheads worldwide that’s for sure, and I hope I can catch Your Screaming Silence on tour one day so I can re-live all the headbanging I did with them in my bedroom.
