SILENT WINTER – Utopia

Since reforming in 2018, Silent Winter have been on the rise with the successful release of their EP The War Is Here, and continue to put out some well-polished heavy metal with the release of their third full-length album Silent Winter – Utopia on No Remorse Records. The band initially formed in 1995 in Volos, Greece, drawing their influence from German power metal bands, but had to disband 4 years later. Fortunately for metal fans they were revived, and are still creating very good power metal with guitarist Kiriakos Balanos at the helm, writing the music and lyrics.

Lyrics

For a look at the lyrics, we can get an idea of what Kiriakos Balanos was trying to convey:

Silent Shadows

Do you hear me, inside your walls?
I am screaming, for my life
Can you feel me, Hidden in the shadows deep?
Voices stifled, and torn apart
Lost in longing, lost in pain
Do you see the tears that fall?

Silent Shadows, silent hearts
In the darkness, worlds apart
Am I lost within your dreams?

Silent shadows, silent Screams

The lyrics might refer to a person in a relationship, who feels so ignored and trapped that they don’t exist. They’re losing their sense of worth, as they plead to their other to see them as a person, to listen to them. The song effectively creates this over all sense of being lost in plain sight, if you just look into the shadows.

Production

Silent Winter – Utopia was recorded and engineered, mixed and mastered by Steve Lado (Sacred Outcry, Sunburst, and Need) at Kalovidouris Sound & Light Studio, Volos, Greece. The album has a slick, well produced sound, with every element of the music having it’s place. Hats off to the writing and arranging of Kiriakos Balanos, as the finished product sounds great with cool riffs and catchy melodies throughout.

Final Notes

From the operatic screams of Mike Livas, to the tight twin guitars of Kiriakos Balanos and Vaggelis Papadimitriou, the killer rhythm section of John Antonopoulos on drums and Vaggelis Tsekouras on the bass, and the huge keyboards of Maria Mosxeta, Silent Winter – Utopia has everything a melodic power metal fan could want. Top tracks include “We Burn The Future” with its’ classic Helloween-esque rapid fire drums and high vocals, “manifest of God” with it’s ripping double guitars and driving beat, with a feel harkening back to early Iron Maiden. Overall, this is a very good album, and fans of Stratovarius, Helloween, and Gamma Ray (as well as many others) should find lots to enjoy.

Lineup

• Mike Livas – Lead & Backing Vocals
• Kiriakos Balanos – Guitars
• Vaggelis Papadimitriou – Guitars
• Vaggelis Tsekouras – Bass
• John Antonopoulos – Drums
• Maria Mosxeta – Keyboards

Unity – Tracklist (CD – Digipak)

1. We Burn The Future
2. Hellstorm
3. Hands Held High
4. Reign Of The Tyrants
5. Manifest Of God
6. Reborn
7. Heart Is A Lonely Hunter
8. Silent Shadows
9. Utopia

Check out the video for “Silent Shadows” by Silent Winter off of their new album: Utopia