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░█▒█ Artist ■ Wall of Silence █▒█░
░ █▒█ Album ■ Shock to the System █▒█ ░
░█░█ Year ■ 1992 █░█░
█░█ Release Date ■ 2013-02-24 █░█
█░█ Genre ■ Hard Rock █░█
█ █ Label ■ A&M Records █ █
█░█ Source ■ CD █░█
█ █ Type ■ Album █ █
█░█ Quality ■ VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █░█
█ █ █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ Background: Wall Of Silence are essentially the band The █ █
█ █ Works Part II. This is a much improved effort from their █ █
█ █ earlier life, no doubt helped by the production hand of █ █
█ █ Mike Slamer (of City Boy and Streets fame). Wall Of Silence █ █
█ █ have a hard edged sound so typical of many Canadian bands █ █
█ █ from the eighties. Bands such as Def Leppard, Coney Hatch █ █
█ █ and Haywire are reference points throughout, as the songs █ █
█ █ have an energetic quality about them, along with all the █ █
█ █ dramatics that would make it a great contender for melodic █ █
█ █ rock oriented radio. █ █
█ █ The Songs: it's hard not to compare Brian Malone's vocals █ █
█ █ with the great Carl Dixon (Coney Hatch). The initial █ █
█ █ pairing of 'Shock To The System' and the dynamic 'Edge Of A █ █
█ █ Heartbreak' are a good demonstration. Check out the awesome █ █
█ █ rocker 'Addicted', an album stand-out for me. Or the █ █
█ █ atmospheric 'Prove Your Love', which could have sat quite █ █
█ █ nicely on the Haywire album 'Don't Just Stand There' thank █ █
█ █ you very much. The other worthy track of note is 'Last █ █
█ █ Night', with it's hooky choruses' and happy-go-lucky █ █
█ █ presence. Every AOR album has a ballad or two.. Wall Of █ █
█ █ Silence don't let us down in this department, with the █ █
█ █ poignant 'It's Only Love' and the near 'power-ballad' style █ █
█ █ of 'Stop The Rain' bringing home the bacon. The band don't █ █
█ █ disappoint in the 'fast and furious' stakes either, with █ █
█ █ the rough-house 'Skin And Bones' and the melodic rage of █ █
█ █ 'Nobody's Hero' accelerating the metronome big time. █ █
█ █ In Summary: when one listens to this album relative to Mike █ █
█ █ Slamer's involvement, you can see how the first Steelhouse █ █
█ █ Lane was birthed. Quite a few similarites I reckon. A █ █
█ █ couple of other people who help out are Mike Shotten and █ █
█ █ Matt Gerrard, who would go on to form and release the █ █
█ █ monstrous Von Groove opus later that year. As for Messrs █ █
█ █ Malone, Huff, and Zaltz and co, they are probably working █ █
█ █ their magic elsewhere. Where that is I'm not quite sure. █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ --- █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ Canada always had a great tradition in Melodic Rock, TOTO, █ █
█ █ HONEYMOON SUITE, CONEY HATCH etc. etc. and WALL OF SILENCE █ █
█ █ are also one of the representatives, which joined the █ █
█ █ record labels in the late 80s/early 90s, in this case the █ █
█ █ major A&M. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to find █ █
█ █ some information on WALL OF SILENCE, so I'm sorry to say █ █
█ █ that I don't know whether "Shock To The System" had been █ █
█ █ the debut or there had been some following releases. █ █
█ █ Produced by Mike Slamer (CITY BOY, STREETS, STEELHOUSE █ █
█ █ LANE), one remembers bands like DEF LEPPARD, CONEY HATCH or █ █
█ █ others of this genre; the quintet offers just simple █ █
█ █ Melodic Rock with some very fine hooks, good melodies and █ █
█ █ impressive choruses, mainly balladesque or in midtempo and █ █
█ █ sometimes in a hard way, for example, they push the █ █
█ █ accelerator pedal in songs like "Skin And Bones" and █ █
█ █ especially in "Nobody's Hero". █ █
█ █ WALL OF SILENCE are able to make their songs dynamic and █ █
█ █ not too clammy, "Addicted", for example, is a first class █ █
█ █ Melodic Rock hit, the ballads "It's Only Love" and "Stop █ █
█ █ The Rain" are very fine, exactly like the previous called, █ █
█ █ more harder "Nobody's Hero" and the thrilling "Edge Of A █ █
█ █ Heartbreak". █ █
█ █ "Blood Is Thicker Than Water" with its chorus part █ █
█ █ remembers me of Christian music and I have found some parts █ █
█ █ of the lyrics, which are considered with Christianity, but █ █
█ █ this hasn't to be bad... █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ --- █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ Is this good? Well, actually this is fantastic. Not really █ █
█ █ known to the ôbig publicö I fear. Canada always had a great █ █
█ █ tradition in melodic rock, Loverboy, Honeymoon Suite, Coney █ █
█ █ Hatch, etc. and Wall Of Silence are also one of the █ █
█ █ representatives, which joined the record labels in the late █ █
█ █ 80s/early 90s, in this case the major A & M. █ █
█ █ 1992?S Shock To The System was the debut (and sadly, the █ █
█ █ only) release from Canadian melodic rock band Wall Of █ █
█ █ Silence. The band, which features members of the Works and █ █
█ █ Mannequin, played the kind of melodic rock arena rock that █ █
█ █ bands like █ █
█ █ Nelosn, Bad English, Alias and Giant made popular as the █ █
█ █ decade was getting started. █ █
█ █ Shock to the system, which was produced by █ █
█ █ Streets/Steelhouse Lane/City Boy guitarist Mike Slamer, is █ █
█ █ one of the genreÆs better albums, in the tradition of hard █ █
█ █ FM, with a substantial degree to layers of keyboards, █ █
█ █ impressive choruses while Brian MaloneÆs vocals soar with █ █
█ █ great intensity, that will leave you positively breathless. █ █
█ █ LetÆs talk straight to the songs started from the midtempo █ █
█ █ opener ôShock to the Systemö that perfectly matches what is █ █
█ █ expected of a good group of hard FM. Know-playing █ █
█ █ musicians, big performance singer and a huge chorus, give █ █
█ █ us a first indication of what will follow. Next track the █ █
█ █ thrilling ôEdge of a Heartbreakö, sees the guitars get back █ █
█ █ on the verses to help resurface the refrain, monstrous and █ █
█ █ backbone (it must be heard to be believed). ôLast Niteö is █ █
█ █ simple but effective with its hooky choruses and happy go █ █
█ █ lucky presence while ôBlood Is Thicker Than Waterö is a █ █
█ █ midtempo rock ballad quite worked mid-on which there are a █ █
█ █ lot of refined melodies. Special mention must be given to █ █
█ █ the awesome rocker ôAddictedö, an album stand-out for me. █ █
█ █ Ultra catchy as it is not allowed. On this one point, the █ █
█ █ Canadian band has surpassed the level of inspiration and as █ █
█ █ such, that really all of a hymn in power, should have been █ █
█ █ a big board if there was global even a little justice in █ █
█ █ the world of music. ôProve Your Loveö is quite atmospheric, █ █
█ █ followed by the high █ █
█ █ energy big rock ôSkin and Bonesö on which the keyboards █ █
█ █ sound veru bluesy and ôNobodyÆs Heroö is a moment of hard █ █
█ █ rock, is one of them and the warm voice of Brian Malone █ █
█ █ wonders. In the last two tracks especially they push the █ █
█ █ accelerator █ █
█ █ pedal into high gear. Every AOR album has a ballad or two. █ █
█ █ Wall of silence donÆt let us down in this department with █ █
█ █ the poignant ôItÆs Only Loveö, co-writen by Phil Naro and █ █
█ █ ôStop the Rainö, a power ballad with an impressive touchy █ █
█ █ melody. █ █
█ █ This is the kind of melodic rock that seemed to be █ █
█ █ everywhere in 1990-1992 and that labels like Frontiers, NTM █ █
█ █ and AOR/Metal Heaven have spent the last decade trying to █ █
█ █ recreate. ôShock To The Systemö is the only album of Wall █ █
█ █ Of Silence, and is very pleasant surprise in the field of █ █
█ █ hard FM, even if it seems straight out of the late 80s the █ █
█ █ songs are inspired, as he worked needs and production of █ █
█ █ Mike Slamer put them to their advantage. ItÆs ridiculously █ █
█ █ hard to find, but IÆd absolutely recommend ôShock To The █ █
█ █ Systemö, to just about any fan of the classic late █ █
█ █ 80s/early 90s AOR and █ █
█ █ melodic rock sound. If youÆre a fan of bands like Alias, █ █
█ █ Blue Tears, Drive She Said and Valentine, youÆre gonnaÆ █ █
█ █ love this one! █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ Band members: █ █
█ █ Brian Malone û lead vocals █ █
█ █ Jim Huff û guitar █ █
█ █ Stuart Zaltz û keyboards █ █
█ █ Scott Lucas û drums █ █
█ █ Tim Harrington û bass █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ Additional Musicians █ █
█ █ Mike Slamer û guitars █ █
█ █ Sascha Red Sky û backing vocals █ █
█ █ Mike Shotten û backing vocals █ █
█ █ Al Van Wart û backing vocals █ █
█ █ Matthew Gerrard û Bass █ █
█ █ █ █
█░█ █░█
█ █ 1. Shock to the System 4:58 █ █
█ █ 2. Edge of a Heartbreak 3:52 █ █
█ █ 3. It's Only Love 4:56 █ █
█ █ 4. Last Nite 3:47 █ █
█ █ 5. Blood is Thicker Than Water 6:18 █ █
█ █ 6. Addicted 4:05 █ █
█ █ 7. Prove Your Love 4:39 █ █
█ █ 8. Skin and Bones 4:26 █ █
█ █ 9. Stop the Rain 5:24 █ █
█ █ 10. Nobody's Hero 6:03 █ █
█ █ 48:28 █ █
█░█░ █░█░
█░█░ █░█░
█░█▒ + G R a v e W i s h + █░█▒
░█▒█▒ - est.2000 - ░█▒█▒
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