Review Summary: The progressive math metal heads are building a steady fan base from their self-recorded, self-promoted and self-produced debut effort and all for the right reasons.
Nashville Suicide Mission may be unknown in many circles but without a label to help gain the notice of the metal community they have pushed forward anyway. After touring with names such as Meshuggah, Burnt By the Sun, Premonitions of War and Between the Buried and Me they have gained a small and yet devoted group of fans.
The Silver Lining shows much promise of a progressive, math metal outfit and with only a few flaws makes for an interesting and enjoyable listen.
After a small introduction filled with eerie tones and heavy breathing, listeners are absorbed into the
Nashville Suicide Mission recipe. Driving rhythm sections and pounding riff lines are the very backbone of the music before being accompanied by screamed, yet decipherable vocal passages. These vocals are often in time with the music behind them, giving the album a more intense atmosphere and enjoyable feel. However it’s not all screamed, there are at times where crooning cleans have the listeners’ attention and add diversity as well as interest to the music. For the most part the music is driving, intense and heavy but there is also some light to contrast with the dark and this can be found in the track ‘Sin King’. Yes, the track is predominantly heavy with only a slower paced tempo matched with the cleans and a thin guitar riff running behind it, but this shows an intelligence behind the heavy to make a more enjoyable listen that heightens the albums playback value.
As for the albums flaws, the debut is seventeen tracks long and clocks in at just over an hour and twenty-seven minutes. While the material is good, it does create a small drag towards the latter half of the album. Also decreasing the albums potential is the rather poor production. For a self-produced effort its quality might actually be quite commendable but when seen on the world’s stage, it leaves some features lacking.
The instrumentation presented by the band shows great levels of creative ability. Each member knows what they are doing. From pounding drum lines that compliments the music rather than throwing in endless double bass and blast beats provide much of the backbone for the guitars and bass to build on. The guitars provide crushing riffs and tasteful leads that run behind the vocals greatly. Knowing when to tone things down or raise the bar with their intensity. A great example of this can be found in ‘Testify’ where the track ranges from heavy to smooth and progressive before leading back into the heavy where the screamed vocals compliment the tracks themes with “I can see your lies, I can see your lies”. The vocals match the music almost perfectly and with a better production listeners would only see that improve, especially with the clean sections. Positively the bass guitar can be heard throughout the albums length thickening the bands texture as it hugs the guitars rhythm lines. When all this is combined it re-affirms the band’s creative intelligence without being overly technical.
Nashville Suicide Mission shows great amounts of energy coupled with an intelligent writing process that will see them build a loyal fan base.
The Silver Lining is a rather enjoyable and interesting debut effort that may take a while to fully absorb but is sure to see them hit the world stage and maybe even a record label. Listeners will enjoy the driving riff lines with the highly progressive elements that are thrown in over the length of the album. Overall this is a welcome addition to any metal collection.
