Kings Winter – Sonic Silence – The Unplugged Sessions Vol. 1

Kings Winter – Sonic Silence
The Unplugged Sessions Vol. 1
Out: February 12^th, 2022
Playing time: 22:31

The trend towards acoustic albums or EPs continues. The couple Jule and Tobias Dahs, known under the band/project name Kings Winter, have also recorded some songs unplugged. They chose two songs from the EP “Forging The Cataclysm” (2019) and three from the debut album “Edge Of Existence” (2021). The songs were arranged in the style of the “MTV Unplugged” series. Although that alone is no guarantee of quality. Instead, these series offered highs but also lows.

“Forging The Cataclysm” already shows that unplugged does not necessarily mean quiet. And it doesn’t necessarily have to spread a campfire atmosphere. The powerful and charismatic voice of Jule Dahs takes care of that. And a guitar virtuoso like Tobias Dahs naturally doesn’t do without guitar solos. Also the percussions have obviously got an electric kick. Surprise, the strong Metal number “Kingdom Of The Blind” with the roasting guitars heard in the original mutates into a majestic seeming ballad. It clearly lives from the twelve-string guitar. A touch of Southern Rock feeling comes up. The Power Metal banger also shows itself with a slightly different face. The unplugged version is still rocky. And the singer sounds less like Doro here than in the original. On the album, “The Next In Line” is a soulful to powerful Power Ballad. If you think you can’t put more feeling, more urgency into this song, the acoustic version will prove you wrong. The great stadium anthem “The Grand Delusion” also retains its anthemic character acoustically. It’s amazing that this can be done without electronic amplification.

I have heard quite a few acoustic albums lately. For the most part, the vocals were placed in the absolute centre. The instruments were often just accessories. Kings Winter impressively show that it can be done differently with “Sonic Silence”. Multi-instrumentalist Tobias Dahs brilliantly stages the individual instruments and shines with the one or other guitar solo. The voice of his wife Jule is then the icing on the cake for the individual songs. I would like to experience this unplugged session live one day.

Kings Winter – Kingdom Of The Blind (Unplugged) (Official Video): https://youtu.be/SWqANMFQFRE

Lineup:

Jule Dahs – Vocals
Tobias Dahs – Guitars, Bass, Percussion

Track list:

• Forging The Cataclysm
• Kingdom Of The Blind
• Crusader Of Today
• The Next In Line
• The Grand Delusion