SNOWFALL - “Cold Silence"

Escape Music

Rating: RRR

Review By Alan Holloway

Escape Music unleash yet another new European AOR band, this time hailing from Norway, rising from the ashes of Winter Parade (Tore Meli and PB Riise), along with Coldspell’s Perra Johnson. Definitely a winter theme with all these guys, but with experienced vocalist Lee Small at the front, do they stand a snowball’s chance in Hell?

“Cold Silence” certainly starts off in the best possible way, with “Don’t Drive Me Home Tonight” establishing itself as one of the catchiest pure melodic rock tracks I have heard this year. Great sound, great chorus, and Lee Small sounds powerful and confident. Follow up “Citadel Of Hope” has a lot to live up to, and somehow manages to keep the excitement going, proving to be a real upbeat stomper with a smooth solo in the middle. Elsewhere they shift from melodic rock to more bluesy based riffage, with “House Of Prayer” thumping out a lick that could have come from Joe Bonamasa. There’s a bit of a droop in the middle, with an okay ballad in the shape of “Heaven’s Not Up There” followed by “Jack Of Diamonds” and “Wolf’s Lair”, both of which tread water instead of surfing the waves. Luckily, after that there’s a sharp upturn in quality, with more smooth AOR layered with keyboards to die for.

This is a very good debut album from Snowfall, with some very sweet tracks and some that don’t quite make the grade. Lee Small doesn’t disappoint on vocal duty and there is plenty of good guitar throughout. Not quite up to four R status, this is nonetheless a quality release.

Band Website: http://www.snowfallcoldsilence.com/

"Don't Drive Me Home (YouTube):

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQQrHUBjJos