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CANVAS OF SILENCE “As the World Tree Fell”
CANVAS OF SILENCE “As the World Tree Fell”
By Dark Starr
Some might call this album “heavy metal.” The mix of progressive rock and metal on the set works well no matter how you classify it, though. This is a dynamic and powerful set from start to finish that I would probably call metallic prog.
“Watching the World Tree Fall” comes in with atmospheric stuff. It launches out into powerhouse prog metal jamming as it continues. This is a smoking hot piece of music that calls to mind things like DREAM THEATER. It has some great twists and turns. The vocals join around the two-and-a-half minute mark and bring a different dimension. “Humanimal” is built on a monster riff. The tune is heavy with metallic fury, but it’s also got plenty of prog in the mix. The track works through a number of changes and modes. At times it leans more on the progressive rock angle. At other times it goes all in on the metal.
“Anthem for Ashes” is definitely more of a pure metal song. It manages to bring enough prog to keep it from becoming completely heavy metal, though. It’s another dynamic and thrilling piece of music. Classical music and heavy metal merge as the monster bearing the title “Drown” gets underway. It has some of the fiercest and more driving metal of the whole album. Yet the arrangement itself and its twists and turns land it in more progressive territory.
Heavy and fierce at times, “One With the Wind” also includes some of the mellowest passages of the whole disc. The mix on it isn’t far removed from epic metal, but I think it fits better under the metallic prog heading. No matter how you label it, though, it’s another effective piece of music. Another powerhouse stomper, “Wayfarer” has plenty of metal within a proggy arrangement. The thing gets incredibly powerful and dramatic before it’s over. It’s one of the highlights of the set for me.
The mix of prog and metal on “The Great Unknown” works really well. This is another monster of a track and another standout. The closer (“Garden of the Fallen”) comes in mellower with a real folk prog meets symphonic approach. That holds it as it builds outward. The song is nearly halfway through before it breaks out into metallic zones to bring the album to a close..
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