In terms of blending metal subgenres, Kill The Silence’s ‘The Final Word’ makes a bold statement. The track’s very heavy intro fuses the sheer force of groove metal with the complexity of prog, resulting in something that appears to pull in different directions, yet sounds incredibly tight. It takes all of a few seconds for guitarists Sam Rickerby and Daniel Ridding to make an impact, and the huge and dirty tones recall great work by Chimp Spanner, as well as the slightly more commercial sounding later works by Lamb of God, before introducing a classic sounding hardcore vocal; the kind that would normally sit with music closer to a hardcore punk sound. By the time the audience gets to grips with that, Kill The Silence switch gears to demonstrate more of a melodic streak, taking things from a techy/post-hardcore stance further into a world of sophisticated emo tones, allowing plenty of space for a genuinely powerful vocal from Jason Walsh. The way he uses his voice to soar, even when the rest of the band are tackling some rather sharp edges, sets up a superb contrast, and it’s that contrast that makes ‘The Final Word’ not just interesting, but genuinely thrilling.

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