Rewiev Danny King
Artist: Chinese Theatre
Title: The Silent Years
Label: Synthphony Records
Format: CD-r
Date: February 18 2009
This release is what is usually deemed to be the difficult second-album, and one released here by the Swedish-duo Chinese Theatre who with the exception of one-track feature the vocal duties of Martina Ramstedt for the first-time on a full-album, bearing in mind that their 2006 debut Voices & Machines featured a selection of guest-vocalists from within the Synth Pop scene itself, while The Silent Years features a dozen-tracks that include two-remixes and cover-versions along with the albums final-track being a short instrumental, while two of the tracks also featured originally appeared on the bands second-single, the Mirror Mirror EP released in May 2007, all do, in different versions to those featured here on an album that somewhat furthers the sound-n-style of the band itself by allowing a more EBM influence to seep through the clean, melodic Synth Pop, while the varied selection of tracks range from the somewhat surprising choice, but, largely excellent version of the Kim Wilde single Cambodia which features a harder-edge along with the additional backing-vocals of Richard from the Swedish-EBM duo Strangel who in-turn also provides the lead-vocals on the second cover-version, the excellent Ballerina, which, all do slower in pace and style also features a similar feel to that given to Cambodia, while equally excellent are the previously released Forever And Ever & I'm Leaving You Behind (also featured here as an instrumental-remix) with both featuring of a more mid-pace style, as does the excellent Bit By Bit which is also given a somewhat sparse and rigid People Theatre remix, while the very-good Hiding is also of note as Mirror Mirror stands out more on its chorus and both Elven Rings & Minimal Horror hold simple, but pounding EBM-style rhythms on what is despite the slight change in musical direction, a largely excellent album. © DK
Review by: Danny King
Rewiev link: www.myspace.com/eightyonesynth