It’s spring 2023 and the preparations for the Rockpages.gr party are intensifying with Silver R.I.S.C. feverishly rehearsing the songs from the historic Greek groups, Raw Silk, Douglas, Trademark and Nok Aout, to perform them as perfectly, as you saw and witnessed at Kyttaro on May 26th, sometimes as a foursome with Rori Christopoulos and sometimes with the singers. Of course, during the rehearsals they also played their own classic songs, which would open the show. So, the dilemma was whether to play one of the new ones, which was “Cry No More”, or not. As soon as I heard them play it in the studio I told them there was no dilemma, that’s what they had to play. Even though I only heard it once it stuck in my head and I was thinking about the tune all week long, until the next rehearsal! So knowing that there was a great song in “Knot Over” I started listening to the album…
In every case of a band, or an artist recording after many years of absence (in the case of Silver R.I.S.C. 30) there are several questions, but the main one is this: what is the DNA of the band now, as it emerges from the members after so many years and their personal influences, musical tastes, experiences and evolution? During the first spins it seems that the swagger and the rock’n’roll feeling of “Anything She Does” remains in the band’s sound and attitude. The compositions are definitely heavier and more complex, almost progressive one could say. The playing is flawless and the performances are passionate. What I noticed is that in several songs there is a multitude of ideas running through. It takes more listens to digest all the elements that pass through your ears to appreciate them.
Of the total nine songs, “Anna” and “Trapped Under The Ice” are older and beloved songs that the band used to play in their live performances, the latter even appeared on their 1993 debut album, but here we have a different version than the original. The remaining six (I know “Cry No More” is an older composition too!) are new with “Wasted Tears”, which could easily have sprung from the ’90s, standing out on first listen. Listening to the album some more I picked out “Evil Waves” with its great bass solo and the groove-laden “Bad Person”, which took me somewhere in the ’70s…
I hope we won’t need another 30 years to hear new material from Silver R.I.S.C., and surely an extra challenge for them will be to work entirely on new material, without songs from the past.
