With Then Comes Silence, things are really fast-paced and in constant motion. With an average of one album every two years since its formation, the Swedish band has no time to procrastinate: neither label changes (this one is released via Metropolis Records) nor line-up variations (the band is now a trio) are going to destabilise Alex Svenson and his associates. Trickery is proof of this: recorded in just three days (we told you it would be quick), the album illustrates their stability and unfailing confidence.
There's a certain discrepancy between all this unbridled agitation and the serenity of Then Comes Silence's music, which straddles the boundaries between cold wave, gothic rock and post-punk. The singer-bassist's voice is immediately seductive, often gentle but sometimes more sinister (on the heady Like a Hammer, for example, or Blind Eye and its more aggressive riffs, which are a great success), and each track is a model of efficiency.
Then Comes Silence has an infectious sense of melody, irresistible rhythms and a talent for concise tracks with unifying choruses. Trickery exudes a certain sense of celebration: the liveliness of Feel the Cold, the chanted choruses of Stay Strange, the mysterious, feverish intensity of The Masquerade, the rock'n'roll rage of Dead Friend... there's no shortage of anthems on this album. While Then Comes Silence is as masterful as ever, exuding a sense of ease and false simplicity, the trio are playing a new card: synthesizers have never featured so prominently in their music. We may put it down to the influence of Svenson's side-project, Neonpocalypse, but also maybe those of Emma Nylén (Emmon) and Gözde Duzer (Aux Animaux... could it be her theremin we hear at the start of Never Change?) who both took part in the recording. The electronics add that extra depth and sometimes dramatic emphasis (the gloomy melancholy of Tears and Cries, the very compelling and cinematographic grand finale of Ghost House, the ghostly touches of The Masquerade and its hushed spooky ambience, perfect for exploring a haunted house) while accentuating the festive energy.
With Trickery, Then Comes Silence has never sounded so convincing. It's punchy, elegant and packed with potential hits. The band well deserves its status as a 'cult young band' on the gothic rock scene. There's this respect for codes, but also this real richness, this singularity that characterises them and this balance between a dark universe and catchy tracks that are not devoid of light. The perfect album for dancing in the rain in the ruins of an abandoned funfair!
