GRONHOLM – Silent Out Loud (2011)

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Another good album from Scandinavia hit the stores this month. Grönholm, from Finland, are releasing their second album “Silent Out Loud”.
For those who have heard their first album ‘Eyewitness Of Life’ compositionally rooted in early progressive rock, this new CD is much more riff oriented, with a hard rock / prog metal approach and some down tuned guitars.
Also, the second half of the album features some prog nuances with acoustic and orchestral arrangements.

Opener “Cross Of Mind” is one of the highlights, a pulsating hard rocker with solid guitars and a catchy refrain almost with a melodic rock feel, typically European.
“Distorted Eyes” has a dark atmosphere but it is pretty commercial, while “Under My Star” is more dense with some classic British metal overtones.
“Vanity” has an intriguing progressive intro but then collapses under a heavy melancholy not completely convincing. Marco Hietala (Nightwish) sings here and does not seem to be comfortable.
But the band get back on track with follower “Out From the Nest”, an interesting prog rocker where innovation merges with melodic sensibility for a true musical treat. The guest vocals of legend Billy Sherwood (Yes, Circa) are beautiful adding to the verses an enchanting effect.

Another good one is the catchy “Race Is On”, a lighter yet still up tempo piece with some modern proggy AOR touches.
“Giant Step” is an instrumental tour de force led by Gronholm’s guitar work; it’s certainly a fine expression of his song craftsmanship.
Two short pieces follow. “Set The Stones” offers passionate vocals over simple acoustic guitar while on “Dawn Of the Dream”, Gronholm takes up the acoustic guitar alone with superb results.
Finally, “Away” tunes out the heaviness present in the earlier part of the album, and builds upon piano over an symphonic motif. It’s a beautiful piece, and likely one of the best tracks on the album.

Except a couple a tracks not completely convincing, “Silent Out Loud” is a a very listenable album. The songs are all quite immediate, and have enough of a repeat value that it’s enjoyable past the first few spins.
Mika Grönholm is a gifted musician and he really knows how to write some thrilling musical moments. Markku Kuikka has a dynamic vocal range and really complements Mika’s aggressive style of playing.
The production chores are skillfully handled by Janne Tolsa (Tarot) and Mika Grönholm himself. The rather dry sound gives the album a proper impact and propels the music forward.
“Silent Out Loud” is an entertaining and varied release that should appeal to people with a taste for well-written Euro melodic hard / prog metal.
Good one.

01 – Cross Of Mind
02 – Distorted Eyes
03 – Under My Star
04 – Vanity
05 – Out From The Nest
06 – Race Is On
07 – Giant Step
08 – Set The Stones
09 – Dawn Of A Dream
10 – Away

Mika Grönholm – Guitars, Basses, Synth, Backing Vocals.
Tom Rask – Drums
Markku Kuikka – Lead Vocals

GUEST MUSICIANS
Billy Sherwood (YES, Circa) – Vocals
Marco Hietala (Nightwish, Tarot) – Vocals
Zach Hietala (Tarot) – Guitar solo
Janne Tolsa (Tarot) – Synth solo
Michael Henneken – Backing vocals
Jasse Merivirta – Piano, Synths

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