Silence in the Snow : " Levitation Chamber"

When reviewing post -punk the first thing I ask of the the band is what are you doing  that is not Joy Division or Siouxise. The vocals are going to be the challenge as they are on the Siouxsie side  More so on the up tempo songs like the second one , though there it is offset by the pummel of tribal drums. The synths create a some what uniform sound at times. There is a simple drone to verse of "Crystal Spear" , the chorus to this song is really cool and paves the way for me to not mind the Siouxsie thing. The drumming is consistently great like the flourish of double bass on "Garden of Echoes" it gives the song a little more heft than your typical post-punk that leans into disco beats.  I fell like the mix while crisp could have the guitars pushed further up and the vocals might fare better sitting back against the guitar. This works really well of Gold's new album.

"In the Dark" does have the guitar changing it up a little and providing some cool moments, the synth also breaks away from the normal drone. This album is not the darkest post-punk I have heard. The mood is sullen and introspective for sure. It feels like a deep blue rather than pitch black.  Though "Cruel Ends " is marginally darker than the other songs up to this point. It feels like storm building in the distance. The synth sounds help contribute to "Dread The Low' which is clearly a song about depression with the lyrics 'happy in my heart / I don't understand / the waves come crashing in". This might be the album's best song.
 
I get that the Siouxsie thing might be a key selling point for some. For me it's how it works against that and their attempts to be their own person I find more impressive. I will give this album an 8.5. I think it's a good thing the post- punk revial has died down and I am not getting a huge deluge of this kind of thing. Granted some of it like this band have gone more underground, so I am not getting worn out by it like I am getting worn out by the whole death doom thing this year. Anyways if you want atmospheric post-punk with great drumming look this kids up.