Mike Le Pond`s Silent Assassins Strike Hard Superb New Album "Whore of Babylon" Out Now
By Brian Aberback, Community Contributor
We recently had the pleasure of speaking with singer Alan Tecchio.
The superb new offering from Mike LePond's Silent Assassins is a unique
and dynamic blend of melodic traditional, power and speed metal that is
always engaging and sure to delight headbangers of all ranks. The disc,
"Whore of Babylon," is available now through a number of platforms -
see
http://hyperurl.co/MLSAWhoreOfBabylon…
The third album from the band led by the astoundingly talented Symphony
X bassist LePond and featuring seriously heavyweight vocals from man of
all bands Alan Tecchio (Level Fields, Watchtower, ex-Hades, ex-Non
Fiction, ex-Seven Witches) shows a group that has grown into a lethal
unit. LePond plays all guitar sans leads, which are handled admirably by
Lance Barnewold and Rod Rivera. LePond's Symphony X bandmates Michal
Romeo and Michael Pinnella also take part. Romeo contributes drum
programming, orchestration and mandolin while Pinnella plays piano and
organ.
"Whore of Babylon" is a diverse album with many moods. It
includes intense, breakneck speedsters like album opener "Dracul Son,"
which bursts out of the gate with a fiery riff and a trademark Tecchio
scream, and the whiplash-inducing "Ironborn." Impressively, the band
does not trade melody for speed on these tracks. There are also majestic
power metal numbers like the Celtic-influenced "Night of the Long
Knives" and "Power of Steel" and the churning "Ides of March." Tecchio
gives way to Mindmaze singer Sarah Teets on the moving "Champion."
The album's standout tracks include " Telltale Heart," based upon the
Edgard Allan Poe short story on which Tecchio does an excellent job of
conveying the protagonist's growing paranoia and raises the bar on his
already otherworldly vocals in the chorus. Epic album closer "Avalon"
features LePond's inimitable bass work.
The band's namesake puts
his mesmerizing stamp throughout the album, leaving listeners in
disbelief of his immense talent. LePond is a master of the instrument,
playing 4 and 8-string bass. His punchy, elastic, fluid style is
especially evident in his solo on "Champion" and his intro to "Avalon."
Also check out his nimble fretwork on "Tell Tale Heart" and "Ides of
March." Furthermore, LePond wrote all the music, melodies and lyrics for the set.
Overall, "Whore of Babylon" is a fully realized album from start to
finish. Whether you prefer listening on headphones and dissecting every
part or blasting it on your stereo while cruising down the highway,
"Whore of Babylon" fits every bill.
We recently had the pleasure of speaking with singer
Alan Tecchio.
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