A potential for greatness
I don't mind admitting I'm very jealous of Sweden, they seem to produce bands of a certain quality with eerie regularity. It must be heaven to go out on a weekend and be entertained by a good band especially as the last local gig I went to was Zed Lepplin, a half assed Led Zepplin tribute band who finally gave up after they'd tripped the power for the ninth time that night. Sweden's latest offering is Moonlight Agony, a power/progressive metal act inspired by such acts as Evergrey, Dream Theater, Helloween and Symphony X, and so it doesn't really come as a great shock when band sound like all of the above.
Moonlight Agony, from what I've read, have been dogged with the member merry-go-round, which, can be detrimental to a band because the chemistry within it keeps changing. It certainly doesn't sound like this is the case as the music on 'Silent Waters' is of a certain respectable quality. 'Leaving Solitude' is a good up tempo song to set their stall out with, the production is meaty, the keyboards add a great back drop to the metal going on in front of it. David's vocals are likable if not containing the range or power of the likes of James LaBrie and the overall musicianship is very good. As soon as Moonlight Agony set out their stall the quality of the album neither gets any better nor does it dip in any places. The whole album is a piece of mature song-writing that is perhaps a little too close to its influences but very listenable non-the-less.
It's difficult to pick out stand out tracks for the reason given above but there are some really good moments. The guitar solo in 'Soulless' is crisp and fitting to the mid-tempo track, plus the chugging instrumental break down at the two minute mark in 'The Dark Era' makes the listening worth while and the orchestral section in 'Different Stories' is just plain brilliant. It is moments like this that make 'Silent Waters' appealing and one wishes that the band had expanded on them a little more for they are short, fleeting and worthy of so much more.
I think the phrase 'worthy of so much more' sums up the whole album. For all of Moonlight Agony's assets, I can't get away from the fact that each song lacks that killer vocal hook and melody to give it any real identity, instead relying on the great but short instrumental sections. This isn't really a band thing because this style of writing becomes more appealing after repeated listens, however, 'Silent Waters' does tend to keep within the mid to up tempo style of bands such as Symphony X and Evergrey, couple this with vocal parts that don't stand out straight away, then what you have is an album of good quality but has the potential to be something pretty special.
Any fans of the aforementioned bands should pick this release up for the simple reason that it's good. Their sound maybe too akin to their influences for some to stomach (I know what a fickle bunch metal heads can be sometimes) and dismiss them because of this, but this would be a shame as they are worthy of attention because their potential is huge.