Burn in Silence

While rarely discovering a true trailblazer, Prosthetic has acquired a reputation for releasing only the upper tier of the admittedly oversaturated and increasingly desperate metalcore genre. Burn in Silence display technical ability well beyond their years, and have clearly put effort into making their debut a memorable one. In addition to the undeniable speed and intensity of the playing, keyboards are incorporated expertly, and not in a gimmicky sense such as Bleeding Through or Horse the Band. The synths often betray a progressive influence, and come across as a professional, necessary element of their sound as opposed to a last-minute inclusion. Burly breakdowns make their appearance, although the overall tone of Angel Maker is decidedly metal — if anything, Burn in Silence appear to be metalheads making a stab at the "core” market, which is infinitely more effective then the other way around. The clean vocals in particular, are powerful and almost operatic — none of that throaty, tuneless whining business. The atrocious layout and lyrics are a detracting factor — the faux film poster layout is clearly derivative of Soilwork, a band who Burn in Silence already owe a fair bit to, and the lyrics seem rushed and laughably angst-y. Nonetheless, for something with a bit more musical depth and precision than the latest Unearth or Poison the Well knockoffs, look no further.