After reading Jay Wright's review of this album, I had to hear it myself. Female fronted Christian Rock bands are starting to take off, and keep your eye on the band Silversyde (signed to Raging Storm Records), because I have a feeling they"ll make it big soon!
"Run To You" brings the rock, with distorted guitars and some in your face drumming. With a voice like Dawn from Fireflight, lead vocalist Laura Jones begins to sing about running to God in midst of trouble. On the band's facebook they say their main focus is suicide prevention, and already in the first song, there is a message of hope. Laura's vocals (even a surprise scream at the end), crunching guitars and skilled drumming make this a top track off the album.
"Circus Circus" sticks to the rock, but the lyrics are my favorite, with messages straight from the Bible. "A fool says in his own heart, I'm giving up and there is no God. All your life you've played that card in this Circus, Circus". Those lyrics from the chorus are so true about many teens today. once again, we get a message of hope and forgiveness, with some great music. "Masquerade" starts off slow, with Laura softly sing, "I've lost control of all I see around me, I can't believe that you still love me, I hide my flaws amongst these pieces, shadows remain of what I can see..." then the guitars blast in, and once again we are given a rocker filled with hope! What I've noticed about Silversyde is they never dwell on sorrow. They present it, but always show the way to peace and happiness: Jesus Christ."Hear Me" has a Flyleaf vibe to it, with the song starting off with a soft voice that goes into a growly scream. Not the fry or high screams of Lacey Sturm or Sara Anthony, but it's refreshing to hear something different. This song is a plea to God for Him to hear, heal, save and change us. "That's not me, that's not who I am, I'm not like the rest of them...cause I'm Your's!" should be the anthem of our generation. "Complete" is a good song, the only problem I have is the intro music sort of sounds like "Masquerade", but that's just a minor quibble. "Complete" is a song of thankfulness to God for loving us the way we are, even though we are a mess. "It's not too late to break these chains" is a message young people need to hear, as we often think we've gone too far for anyone to love us. The ending is something different and unique. I like it. A lot.
Halfway through the album we come to "Breakaway", a song that acknowledges the need for God to change our lives. A decent rocker, "Breakaway" will please your ears with great lyrics and a nice sound. Laura extends her vocal range a bit on this song, and it sounds good. "Can't Let Go" is a beautiful song with a strong intro and great music overall. "But you take my pain and fill me with the greater peace" sums up what God has done in my life, and I love the lyrics to this song. Definitely a top favorite."The Silence" is another one of my favorites, with almost an old school sound to the music, but it's one of the best songs on the album. I know I've said this about every song, but the lyrics are strong and powerful, and give such a message of hope, The chorus says: "The silence is deafening, It brings me down to my knees (revealing the dark in me), Forgiveness it waits for me, In surrender". "The Silence" is packed with hope and God's love.
I really appreciate how blatantly Christian Silversyde's lyrics are. Most Christian Rock bands want to reach out to the mainstream, which is great, but the lyrical content suffers a bit. Not the case with Silversyde. "You Are There" fully acknowledges God's presence, and the chorus is worshipful. This song is more on the punk side, and I love the faster paced guitars. Great sound. "Love Song" is a great worship song, that I actually like. Usually I find worship songs cliche and the same thing repeated over and over, but this one doesn't suffer from that curse.
The last two songs are soft, acoustic songs that are absolutely beautiful. The simple acoustic guitars, piano and a few hints of tambourine capture you. "Hold On" says,"I’ll hold on to everything You’ve said, You said You’d never leave, And I believe no matter what they say, You’ll always be with me, I’ll hold on, I’ll hold on, I’ll hold on to You" and "Firewall" closes out the album by asking the listener why they are destroying their life, when there is a better way. Perfect way to close the album.
Silversyde is a very promising band. If you're a fan of Icon For Hire, Flyleaf, The Letter Black and Fireflight, you'll definitely like these guys. They're talented both musically and vocally, and they have killer lyrics that always bring a message of hope. Check out and like their Facebook, and be sure to buy their cd at their store, on Amazon MP3 or iTunes.
