Album Review | Silent Revenants – The Withering Of The Blue Flower

Silent Revenants
The Withering Of The Blue Flower
Label: Wormholedeath
Out: October 13^th, 2023
Playing time: 55:27

Silent Revenants hail from Germany, more precisely from Gescher in North Rhine-Westphalia. But when was the band founded? The press release says 2015, Encyclopaedia Metallum says 2012, and there are also different dates for the release of the album “The Withering Of The Blue Flower”. The press info writes October 13, 2023, but obviously the band already released the album last year in November on their own. So, this is probably a re-release via a worldwide label. Anyway, the first EP “Every Dream” was released in 2013 (Encyclopaedia Metallum), followed by the debut album “Walk With Fire” (2017). But that was already six years ago. In between, only the single “Storm Witches” (2019) was released.

The album starts with the title track “The Withering Of The Blue Flower”. At first, quiet vocals accompanied by piano and strings can be heard. But soon it changes into powerful Symphonic Metal. Speaking of vocals, Denise Schlahn has a pleasant voice that is in the mezzo-soprano range. “Searching For Eden” is a bit heavier with less symphonic epicness. Instead, it has many guitar riffs, driving drums and somewhat rougher vocals from Denise. But she also masters the higher pitches here, up to an operatic soprano. The melodic guitar solo is worth hearing. Rhythmic drums and calm vocals, that’s how “Flesh Golem” presents itself. Even when guitars and bass come in later, it remains rhythmic. In the background, bass player Hermann Remmers contributes discreet growls. “Embers” is initially violin heavy. The violin can be heard frequently later on as well. This makes for a strong folk edge. “Will-O’-The-Wisp” is a little reminiscent of Ballhaus music. “Cabaret” sends its regards. The singer’s powerful soulful voice is impressive. The bass sounds like a concert contrabass. But in “Siren” the guitars bang hard out of the speakers. Strings add epic bombast. On “Storm Witches” the guitars fry a bit more and are underpinned by violin and flute. Once again, folk influences become clear. The refrain can be sung along quickly. To round it off, you can hear a short guitar solo. According to the line-up list, the singer also plays bagpipes. And you can hear that on “Horizons”. In addition, there are guitar riffs and powerful, partly pressed-sounding vocals. But there are also quieter phases. And a “duet” of bagpipes and double bass. “Let The Dragons Fly Forever” starts quietly with piano sounds before you can hear powerfully played Folk Rock again. Again, there is growling. And a guitar solo is easily thrown in. At the very end stands the beautiful ballad “Orphaned Angels”. Denise’s vocals are accompanied by strings, flute and piano. From the middle, guitars are added, which then provide a little more power.

It is impressive what a top-class album Silent Revenants have produced on their own. The label deal with Wormholedeath is the well-deserved reward. Diversified songwriting and excellent musicians guarantee this sound. The melange of Metal, Symphonic and Folk is extremely successful. But the icing on the cake is definitely the vocal diversity of front woman Denise Schlahn.

Lineup:

Denise Schlahn – Vocals, Bagpipes, Whistles
Elora Dönnebrink – Violin
Marina Grave – Keys
Julian Kirschbaum – Guitars, Backing Vocals
Hermann Remmers – Bass, Growls
Julien Buchholz – Drums

Track list:

• The Withering Of The Blue Flower
• Searching For Eden
• Flesh Golem
• Embers
• Will-O’-The-Wisp
• Siren
• Storm Witches
• Horizons
• Let The Dragons Fly Forever
• Orphaned Angels