The heavier nature must be thanks to the producer of the record, Niclas Engelin. You might recognize this guy's name, he is the guitarist for both In Flames and Engel, two considerably heavier bands in the Swedish music scene. His influence is very much noteworthy, with the riffs having some extra weight, and the drums being more aggressive. Even our favourite Gothenburg singer Ralf Gyllenhammar is affected, pushing his voice to the cracking point more times than ever. Man, I just love his manly, crispy vocals.
This added spark of heaviness gives us a bunch of songs that are really nice, catchy bangers. After a small little intro, the party begins with "Winners", a fast mauler that is just what the title says, a winner. Its attitude and relentless beat gives the album the perfect kick start, and the momentum just keeps on going with the groovy "Libertá", the simple and tough "Barrage", and the incredibly sing along friendly "Lawbreaker". A really nice quartet to open up an album with
After that though, the album hits kind of a slump, starting with the most boring track of the record, "Fire" (in which former Turbonegro singer Hank Von Helvete makes an appearance), followed by the title track and "The Answer", both okay songs that are no real highlights though. The final two tracks "Grave Digger" and "Burn" ends the album in a really nice way, with "Grave Digger" as a fun stand out, going with a more "tongue in cheek" style, a kind of corny track that is just too groovy to hate. Just the chorus line is brilliant.
Grave Digger
Leave me, I'm alive
Do I look dead?
There is however a major flaw with "Silent Killer", it is too short. Not only is the album, with its mere 32 minutes, too short, but individual songs are too short as well. All songs vary between 2,5 minutes and 3,5 minutes, and several of them are missing something to really make them complete. Either an additional chorus would have been nice, or maybe an added solo could have been the final piece to the puzzle. This is unfortunately not a new problem for the band, but it has not been in this quantity in a single album before. It just feels unfinished.
Despite its flaws, "Silent Killer" is still a fun, enjoyable little hard rock album from Mustasch. It may not be their best effort to date, but it is certainly one of the more memorable ones, with several killer tracks and a heavier style that I think the band should continue on with. Some homework is needed though for how to write complete songs, but it is something they can take their time working on. It may not be silent, but this record is mostly a killer, and that is not too bad at all.
Songs worthy of recognition: Libertá, Winners, Grave Digger, Burn
Rating: 7/10 Barrages
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