Saturday 28 January 2017

Quiet The Thief - Silent Screams (Album Review)


Release date: February 11th 2017. Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD

Silent Screams – Tracklisting

1.Numb 04:21
2.Wake Up The Dead 04:44
3.Been There 05:22
4.Hurricane 05:11
5.Feed The Wolf 05:01
6.Killswitch 04:40
7.Fade Away 04:59
8.Broken 04:19
9.Ballad Of Animal And The Red Rider 05:23
10.Take Me Home 04:33
11.Slow Running Train 04:35

Band Members

Stig Chell (Guitar & Vocals)
Neil Bailey (Lead Guitar & Backing Vocals)
Robert Hussey (Drums)
Gareth Harding (Bass Guitar)

Review

UK Hard Rockers – Quiet The Thief – debut album – Silent Screams – is a loud, raucous and highly confident record. Taking influences from a wide range of genres that combine for one loud wild ride.

Opening track – Numb – has shades of ZZ-Top running throughout with both the vocals and riffs. It's a very good track to open the album with as it's a true classic hard rock number. There's nothing groundbreaking here on this song but it shows that Quiet The Thief have something cool about them. The lyrics are your standard hard rock fare but it gives you a brief insight on what to expect for the rest of the album.

Second track – Wake Up The Dead – is another fast-paced track that allows Quiet The Thief create a more Souther Rock/Stoner kinda sound. It's one of the albums first standout tracks as the song moves with supreme confidence. There are a few moments of 80s classic twin-guitar style riffs. Stig's vocals are impressive though it's the riffs that hold your attention.

Third track – Been There – sees Quiet The Thief become more confident with their musical surroundings as they bring a “grungier” outlook to their music. This song has a slight depressing and moody feel to it before returning to the familiar Southern/Stoner Rock sound. Though I actually enjoyed the more sombre grungier moments as the lyrics have a bleak feel to them.

I will be here all day reviewing each of the albums 11 tracks so I will say that Quiet The Thief have written some very good songs indeed. As they take you on a rich musical odyssey. If you're a fan of Grunge, Southern Rock, Stoner, Hard Rock and good old fashioned Heavy Metal then you should check these guys out now.

Standout tracks to listen to are: Hurricane, Killswitch, Fade Away and Take Me Home. Hurricane is perhaps my favourite song on the album. As Quiet The Thief have written catchy lyrics that are paired with superb riffs.

For a debut album, the production is handled superbly well. Silent Screams will perhaps find it's audience with people who enjoy the Classic/Hard Rock scenes. Though the album does include moments of heavy Southern/Stoner Rock that give Silent Screams an addictive edge.

I feel that given a few more EP's or albums, Quiet The Thief have the potential to release something special indeed and perhaps play to a larger audience. Until then enjoy Silent Screams as it's a fucking beast of a record.

Words by Steve Howe