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Biografia : Silent Force

Harder - faster - more melodic: this straightforward, yet very eloquent formula applies to the new recording by the German-American metal band, Silent Force. Infatuator, the new offering by the group surrounding vocalist D.C. Cooper (ex-Royal Hunt) and guitarist Alex Beyrodt (ex-Primal Fear), documents the group"s tremendous development as a tight unit that has continued to grow together in the course of their eventful history. "Our tour with Stratovarius, the successful concerts in Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, the Czech Republic, and America have not only welded the band together, they have also helped us to develop musically," explains Beyrodt, under whose auspices the thirteen new songs on the new album were composed, arranged, and produced.

The result is a record that not only sparkles with an almost tangible energy, but also with its tight, transparent and at the same time multi-layered songwriting. Unlike Silent Force"s debut and its material that had been written almost exclusively by Alex Beyrodt, the tracks on Infatuator were created by the whole band in a communal effort. After their tour with Stratovarius, the five musicians, Beyrodt, Cooper, drummer Andre Hilgers, keyboarder Torsten Röhre and bassist Jürgen Steinmetz, who joined Silent Force as a new addition last summer, ensconced themselves in their rehearsal room at the beginning of 2001 and came up with a whole range of gripping metal tracks, a good dozen of which can be heard on "Infatuator."

The current album features numerous highlights, like the title track, which is based on a word creation by Cooper and defines Silent Force as a true-blooded metal band. "Infatuator" was composed directly after the release of "The Empire of Future" and passed its baptism of fire at numerous concerts. Then there is "Promised Land", a particularly fast and at the same time intricately arranged track, and a number of songs with more complex structures, like "In My Arms," a burning ballad that was written a few days before the recording sessions commenced and offers an impressive counterpole to Cooper"s voice thanks to the Finnish guest vocalist, Inka Auhagen. The focal point of the album is a trilogy of almost 15 minutes playing time that centres on the Roman empire - like a small concept piece within an album that may sound very consistent musically, but in fact deals with a lot of different subjects. The track "The Calling" for example is dedicated to D.C. Cooper"s brother, who died in a tragic traffic accident. Infatuator is rounded off by a spirited cover version of the Judas Priest classic "All Guns Blazing," that has been a constant component of the Silent Force live repertoire since their very first tour, earning enthusiastic reactions from the audience night after night. As a special bonus, the band present the "See Beyond" video clip, as featured on their original debut in Japan, plus footage of their Wacken appearance, sequences from the Stratovarius tour and successful shows in Paris and America.

The great success of their debut album, The Empire of Future, has encouraged Silent Force to also rely on the assets of the predecessor in 2001. Alex Beyrodt produced the album at the House of Music studios in Winterbach, supported by engineer Achim Köhler (Primal Fear, Sinner, Brainstorm, among others). The only change was the production of the vocal parts, which Beyrodt"s friend, Rage guitarist and producer Victor Smolski, took care of at his VPS studios. Smolski also contributed the classical intro on the Roman empire trilogy, which he recorded in Minsk together with his father and the White Russian Symphonic Orchestra. The cover artwork is based on the popular Silent Force logo and was once again designed by Axel Hermann, who also came up with the cover of "The Empire of Future." There can be no doubt about it: not only does Infatuator continue where "The Empire of Future" left off, it is also certain to propel Silent Force another step forward in terms of popularity. Their debut album has already earned the band lots of positive reviews, Beyrodt and Cooper were invited to perform an acoustic tour in Japan, the whole band embarked on a tour of Europe alongside Stratovarious (which gave D.C. in particular a chance to prove his exceptional position as a world-class vocalist), going on to perform in front of an enthusiastic audience at the sold-out La Salle des Fêtes in Paris and as headlining act at a festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, before demonstrating their brilliant live abilities at the 2001 Wacken Open Air festival.