Streaming live from the Elbo Room(Chicago, IL): Silent Nightmare. "I Will Not Be Denied"

(4/6)
Venue: I can’t rate the venue as I wasn’t per se there, but it felt like the sound quality was a lot clearer.

Watching this show streaming was an interesting first for me. I was able to critique a live performance the way I do an album, but still get a sense of how the band plaid live. I really enjoyed it.

One of the joys of working with such a green band is that you really get to see them evolve.  I've been tracking Silent Nightmare seriously for about a ear and change (look this number up) and watching them go from where they were)(ago to now has been amazing. They have improved every time I’ve been exposed to their work. Even from last show they've improved

One part metal, one part opera, Silent Nightmare is a stripped down version of Northern European symphonic metal. It is a decidedly uncommon  sound that, especially in the US. It’s risky business pioneering a genre as a younger band and these guys seem to be braving the trials with minimal bruising.

Every time I write about Silent Nightmare, I rave about the lovely Tara Duhan. She is the opera train leading lady of the group with an absolutely killer voice. She actually has too much voice for the tiny little venues they’ve been playing (I’ve heard her clip out the speakers more than once, and that is not a bad thing). I cannot wait to hear her strut her stuff in a bigger venue where she has room to belt. Her range is substantial, peaking into the high end of the soprano range and dipping well into the alto range. Where Duhan trips up is projection, specifically projecting on the lower notes. She is strong on the higher notes, but needs more breath support on the lower and mid range notes. What she doesn’t always have in projection she makes up for in passion. It is very clear she’s invested in these songs and believes what she’s singing.  She’s still finding her sound in a lot of ways, experimenting with where to place the growls and where to croon. When she does hit her stride, I have confidence she will explode.
But, if you’ve been reading this blog, you have heard me go on about how talented she is.

The band really improved from last show, especially in the second half of the set. The beginning of the set was on par with the last show and started out a little uncoordinated, I felt like the overall precision really took itself up a notch in the last half (especially in their cover of the cranberries’ Zombie) letting drummer Tim Araujo and guitarist Aleks Jevtic really shine through. Bassist Sonja Petrovic’s talent was a welcome surprise, lending some bounce to the songs.  If they can make the beginning of their sets sound like the second half they will be playing far bigger venues.

I am very interested in seeing what this little band is capable of. Looking forward to more.

Good work guys.

Concert Review: Silent Nightmare, David Wilner Trio

Ultra lounge: (3/6) It feels like a bar, partly because it is one. Dark, but clean this little hole in the wall would be very easy to miss if you weren't looking for it. While the sound system was not the worst I've heard it really did not suit the main act. I suspect the lead vocalist's ridiculously wide range was too much for those speakers.

David Wilner Trio:(3/6) low production pop with heavy-handed metaphors and a an average voice. While it was far from horrible, I didn't find his music caught my attention. The music had a wholesome goody-good feel to it and a nebulously Christian feel. It was bland, but not bad. The keyboard work was decent, if forgettable.

Silent Nightmare (4/6): This little band has come a long way from their debut album back in 2011. They are a little all over the place, combining operatic vocals and nu metal guitar work. I feel like they are still trying to find their sound within a genera that is uncharted territory (there aren’t many operatic metal bands out there that aren’t symphonic). While they are much more cohesive than some bands I’ve seen, I think they really need to focus in and hone what makes their particular style.

Tara Duhan has a voice like a sultry angel and a range that puts most other artists to shame. She’s got the looks to match. While she is still finding her sweet spot, I’m confidant it is there. It is very clear she has both talent and training in spades. Duhan also has a lot more presence than most artists. I don’t think there was a single person in the room that didn’t have their eyes on her.

The music itself was oddly enough where the band got shaky. It took me quiet a while to figure out what was off. First off they haven’t quite gelled into a cohesive sound which will come with time. There were two big issues however. First the guitarist’s skill level varied greatly between songs, some songs he was solid on, others he was just plain off. (I think his g string wasn’t tuned right, I could be miss hearing). It wasn’t just the newer songs that were rough, either. The bassist was flat out subpar. She wasn’t terrible, just not on the caliber the rest of the band. The drummer was the savior of the low end. When the basest didn’t pull through, he was there to fill in the sound.

Fortunately for them, no one other than the critic in the audience was paying attention to the bassist. Duhan was a complete showstopper. Once she really hits her stride, she’s going to be amazing.  

Album review: Silent Nightmare -Awakening-

I picked up Silent Nightmare’s album Awakening at con several years ago and was reminded that I had it in my drawer in a series of very odd events (Nothing quite makes this young critic jump like the phrase “Wait you’re Arin Wolfe?” Thankfully it was only “I saw you at a con!”) It’s good stuff on the whole.

Vocalist Tara Duhan clearly has years of vocal training under her belt giving her a thoroughly sophisticated style and very technically correct sound. However, this is also her biggest weakness she is so focused on being correct that she loses a lot of the emotional content. She also comes off a little tight in places. That beging said, she has an incredibly powerful voice with a dynamic range spanning the majority of the mezzo-soprano range.

The guitar work is also solid as is the bass work. However, the balance is in desperate need of a rehaul. Hearing all of the instrumentation at the same level at once is cacophonous and distracting in a otherwise charming piece.

There is a cinematic feel to the work as well, it sounds as though it should be a video game soundtrack and it has that same produced sound on top of the dramatic sentiment

My favorite track is the acoustic version of “The Key” as a lot of the over produced sound is dropped and even the vocals are less technical and more passionate. I would love to see more like that track.

Overall it was a decent album. Solid all the way around.

(4/6)