Silent Memorial – Cosmic Handball

Releasedate: 14-08-2009; Label: Limb Music
By: Sofie Bergen

Silent Memorial is a band from Switzerland, their album “Cosmic Handball” is released in 1998, being their debut. About 10 years later, they released a new album “Retrospective” and their label re-released “Cosmic Handball” to celebrate the success of the progrockers.

“Cosmic Handball” starts with an instrumental track. It’s begins peaceful and then rolls forward to a more glorious piece of music. As soon as the second track started you get a prototype of any prog-rock song smacked in the face. Long, virtual solo’s. Virtual? Well, let’s say these bring you in science fiction kind of atmospheres. Surreal. Fits the genre, but perhaps a little hold back would be better. It starts to bore after a while. Towards the end of the album, the ego’s can bind together more and can we enjoy a song as “Cosmic Tornado” who gives space to all of the musicians. Feels like there is something to breathe. Before it felts more like a inner band struggle for attention. The melodic texture of the songs are often quite strong a clearly there, but not in such a way that it starts being irritating. If there is a conclusion to be made, it won’t be that Silence Memorial is that band that brings something unique. It won’t be a new hype, but it has rights of existence. Not too bad, but not a new greatness either.

Line up:
Mike Andersson – Vocals
Christoph Baertschi – Guitars
Chris Haenggi – Keyboards
Sugar Burns – Bass
Diego Rapacchietti – Drums

Links:
Silent Memorial MySpace