TYSTNADEN – Sham Of Perfection

Many Italian bands tend to be rather specific when describing themselves and their style of play –- icon band Rhapsody’s Epic Symphonic Hollywood Metal being the most notable. Tystnaden are no different, and claim to present Melodic Dark Metal With Angelic Female Vocals –- a spot on description, and one that will probably stick in an increasing amount of Metalheads’ skull interiors after hearing their 2006 full-length debut, Sham of Perfection.

A listener’s first embrace of the disc … well, “First Embrace,” reveals a dark and gloomy atmosphere, bearing clear resemblances to a band like Evergrey, proving that the obvious ties this band has to Sweden (their name even translates literally as “the quietness” in Swedish and the band lists their main influences as Dark Tranquility, In Flames, and Sentenced). The next track bears the interesting monicker “Münchhausen Syndrome,” and is nothing but powerful joy -– a fantastic vocal melody and chorus where Laura De Lucas frolicks and shines. Her voice is powerful and filled with emotion, making a nice impact to the dark, uncompromising sound of the rest of the band.

One of the album’s winner tracks is “Tystnaden” itself. When naming a track after the band, bands usually prefer it to be something special, describing, and thoroughly likeable, and this one is every one of those descriptions through and through –- a mellow number, it succeeds in sounding completely independent and fully original. From the beautiful cello introduction and interlude, to atmospheric keyboards, to some very nice vocal melodies and a good chorus. If sounding remotely like anything, the mood brings back memories of the Norwegian Prog prodigy Conception’s eerie moments.

“Metaphora” is a return to the world of today (some modernized elements spewed from the fingers of Lorenzo Frascaroli) and its darkness (catchy at that) before nostalgia and blinding musicality once again take a step forward. The terrific piano intro of “The Foolish Plan,” the definite peak of the album, delivers a track packed with great vocal work from both singers, groovy riffs, and yet another great chorus, making a downward turn inevitable. By no means being a bad song, «Hamlet» doesn’t have what it takes to maintain the high level of the album demonstrated thus far. It lacks the deep imagination of the previous tracks, and stands out as the closest the band has been to standard Metal -– the vocal “duel” between De Lucas and Frascaroli (reminiscent of Nightwish’s “Kinslayer”) is nicely done, though.

Luckily, this wee disappointment is wiffed away almost instantly after when “The Joke” kicks in. This song is no such thing, but an impressive Metal number exhibiting some great musical work from the entire band, sounding extremely homogenic and self-confident. Same goes for “Rewards,” another groovy piece where the guitarists get the chance to roam around for a while, and they sound utterly comfortable. There is preciously little guitarist ogling within this album; the melodies and atmospheres being the prioritized items, but yet enough for the public to recognize Federico Grossi and Cesare Codispoti as talented musicians.

Another intriguing intro is presented to start “The Vanishing” (these guys really know how to get the listener’s attention); a song bearing much of the same characteristics as the aforementioned “band hymn.” The ending chapter, “Pride vs. Intellect,” stands out as a compilation of all the great parts of the album -– another great piano intro, more lovely vocal melodies, more nice guitar riffing, and the sincillating rhythms courtesy of drummer Alberto Jezzi makes a worthy finish for an album packed with passion and panache.

Tystnaden are a highly competent ensemble. There are no clear instrumental chieftains stealing all the glory, but instead an extremely homogenic and well-rehearsed crew of communicative musicians. They’ve had since 1998 to develop this degree of familiarity (with a few notable replacements and additions along the way); but still, the years have made this band mold and given them a great musical understanding. Each member plays an equally important role in the band, with one exception — Laura De Lucas’ soaring vocal lines are simply essential to the band’s distinctive sound. While Lorenzo Frascaroli’s accomplished growling provides a nice counterweight, the two vocalists represent polar opposites and thus bring completely different moods to the scene. The clean style of De Lucas suits the band’s melodic alibi … an alibi that deserves recognition. If they avoid any meaningless turns along the way, everything implies that these guys will be able to reach true Perfection. There’s nothing to be ashamed of here, that’s for sure.