Silverbones – Brethren of the Coast (Stormspell Records)
Friday, 24th November 2023
This Italian power/heavy metal act Silverbones started in 2013 from songwriter/bassist Andrea Franceschi. They’ve released a four-song demo the following year and Wild Waves album in 2016 yet they have been silent for seven years until this second record Brethren of the Coast. Probably due to some significant lineup changes, including drummer Fabio Tomba, lead guitarist Eric Antonello, and vocalist Lorenzo Nocerino, this quintet now appears poised to continue their pirate-laden ways, living at the altar of classic Running Wild through this material.
Listeners can expect mid-tempo anthem-oriented arrangements, chock full of those muscular, cultural fueled riffs that put the Teutonic act on the map – cut from the cloth of Kiss, Judas Priest, and Thin Lizzy just set to heavier or more harmony-laden angles. When the group wants to push the speed meter, they temper things with some melodic or catchy rhythmic textures – the title track a great example of all facets to the Silverbones playbook, the shifting twin harmony to heroic lead break beyond the main musical hooks sure to fire up all metalheads. Notable Running Wild worshippers like guitarists Ced Forsberg and J1nSavage add their solo expertise to “Invincible Armada” and “Headless Rider” respectively, the former an almost eight-minute epic filled with sea-laden effects and quieter transitions as the music takes you on that marching journey ready to weather any storm. These musicians have studied a lot of the classic Running Wild traits and exploit them for all their worth – although Lorenzo as a singer has more of a higher pitched timbre to his range/delivery that differs from Ralf K. which sounds endearing to the dazzling guitars, bass, and drum parts on display.
While Blazing Stone (also on the Stormspell Records roster) is another Running Wild worship act, Silverbones seem to emphasize more of the anthem-oriented qualities for the group through Brethren of the Coast, trading off the speed or gallop aspects with solid mechanics, hooks, and endearing chorus payoffs. Grab that eye patch, find that pirate booty, and set sail on the seas for this is ideal power metal for those who love that classic sound.
