Review: Silent Drive - Fairhaven
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| Label: Equal Vision Records |
9.519.840 minutes. 158.664 hours. 6.611 days. Or more than 18 years have passed, since SILENT DRIVE dropped their debut album "Love is worth it". Despite only releasing said album and an EP (which was more like a Demo to the LP), the band revolving around BANE-guitarist Zach Jordan garnered a small but passionate cult following. All those silent years contributed even more to the loyalty of their supporters. Every now and then SILENT DRIVE teased some progressions towards their next album, up to the point where you couldn't take it serious anymore. But then, in October of 2021, they reported that their second album "Fairhaven" will be out in spring via Equal Vision Records.
...and here we are. Finally! To me, it was a mere impossible thing to top "Love is worth it". But I'm probably no standard, cause the album of 2004 is one of my all time favourite records and one of the rare records that I'd call perfect. "Fairhaven" had a hard standing from the beginning, and quite frankly, I wasn't down after the first few spins. I respected it, but some tweaks they took left a bitter taste in my mouth.
But first things first. For the fact that these guys were on hiatus for nearly two decades, it's unbelievable how they managed to take their original sound into the present. This is no old-guy-revival where a band gets back together, trying to prove something and as a result totally offends their listeners. This still is SILENT DRIVE, no doubt. They cater to their crowd and they carried a loooooot of their trademarks into the now. SILENT DRIVE were about the match of the extremes, about the clash of the soft with the loud, the slow with the fast, the sensitive with the aggressive, about the natural blend of all those contrasts. And they're still masters of the game!
But now to those little "tweaks": It already stood out to me on the re-recorded version of "Mexican Standoff" (now "Dearly Beloved") and "Prescription for Death", but their lead guitarist seems to have gotten way into Progressive- or Symphonic-Metal in the last couple of years. This element is way more prominent in the guitar work now and also the breakdowns are more in the fashion of Metalcore, just like the one in "Prescription for Death". Personally I was more happy with the Melodic-Hardcore-/Pop-Punk-approach on "Love is worth it". While it's not gone completely, this element was tuned down in the favor of the Metal-stuff. It's not that I dislike it though. I'm a sucker for those mosh-y breakdowns! They're heavy as fuck and likeable enough in the vein of 2000s-Metalcore. Also, the guitar leads are pretty awesome and add more details, more depth to the whole style.
Another thing I disliked at first were some of the more mellow parts. Wide areas of "Abandon Ship", a few sites of "Regrets Only" or the entirety of "The Impossible Dream". Back then, SILENT DRIVE took a more Emo-route, now a lot of the soft parts are symphonic, classical, theatrically... but I guess that's ok, cause these guys got older nonetheless. What I'm trying to say is, that I appreciate this new site now. "The Impossible Dream" is a harsh break after "Prescription for Death" but the kind of ultra-contrast I adored on "Love is Worth" it. It's followed by "The Spirit", another fast and driving track. The mentioned "Abandon Ship" is one of the best songs these guys have ever written, the progressions are awesome and as a result this song is an epic. The transformation into "Peanut and the Radio Flyer", the most calm song on "Fairhaven", is perfectly executed and the track is a well-needed breather. "Unspoken Life" (the second old song from 2008's Demo) is next and it's the most simplest and purest song on the record. Here we are, in the middle of Melodic-Hardcore and Pop-Punk, but somehow it seems that I slowly grew into the new SILENT DRIVE. Compared to other cuts, "Unspoken Life" is kinda one-dimensional, although it adds another flavour to the album.
Now, buckle your seatbelts for the breathtaking ending stretch of the record. "Regrets Only" mixes the theatrically site of things with a bit of aggression, that seems suppressed and barely reaches the surface. It's a cool contradiction and totally SILENT DRIVE! "Blue Harvest" let's the aggression break through near the end, after the forgiving beginning. "God vs. I" starts off with Zach's screeching screams, which battle the harmonic singing, just like "back in the days". It's not really clear where the track is going, until we reach a surprisingly well-placed, and shockingly brutal, metallic breakdown. The song takes a spin one more time, get's hopeful and dives into deep Metal-riffing-territories. "God vs. I"'s progression is next level and as a result it may just be the best cut on "Fairhaven". The closer "I know..." seems to go a similar path as "Boyfriend Notes" did on "Love is worth it", but snaps in the middle and get's destructive with mosh-y riffing. They take a last heavy turn and throw out an anthemic singalong ("He's my friend, he's my alibi"), that has the potential to get stuck into one's head. It's a sweet way to end this tour de force of the last 15 minutes!
The thing with long-awaited records or comeback records in general is that they disappoint most of the time. Bands get older, lose their touch, grow out of their classic stuff or just get back for a sole reason: money. The anticipation within their fan base may be high, but in the end they fail miserably and hurt their own monument. Take AT THE DRIVE-IN or REFUSED as famous examples in Post-Hardcore. I honestly would've gone nuts for another SILENT DRIVE-record right after "Love is worth it". But that was 12 to 15 years ago. The announcement of "Fairhaven" made me happy but I didn't let my inner hype level break through and expected an average record...
This is were some kind of reverse psychology flipped over my feelings for this record. "Fairhaven" is way better than I expected it to be, and SILENT DRIVE clicked every box when it comes to a perfect comeback record. First of all, they stayed true to their sound, the dynamic of their songwriting and the clash of contrasts still is their big strength. Yet, they didn't copy their first record, and added a lot of new elements to keep it fresh. Another cool thing is that they seem to have just as much energy as back in the Mid-2000s, which is pretty much the biggest surprise. It's all happy end now. I'd love to see them live one more time, but for my part they could take another nap for 18 years, keeping their status intact.
"Fairhaven" may not top "Love is worth" it, but it's the best disappointment ever.
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