SILVER MOUNTAIN „Breakin”

Origin: Sweden
Genres: 70's, 80's Metal
Status: Disbanded

SILVER MOUNTAIN (Named for the Rainbow song) is not a new band at all,thy are a Swedish heavy metal featuring members of Stratovarious and Hammerfall.

Hailing from the 80s, the band introduced us to Jens Johansson (founder and Keyboardist) and Anders Johansson (Drummer) along with Jonas Hansson (guitarist & vocals) and Per Standing (Bass). Four excellent musicians who gave us some great albums. They played a thier own style of Hard Heavy Metal in the old School way.

If you dont know the band this is a great opportunity for you because this is not a new album. SILVER MOUNTAIN with this legendary line up re-recorded their best songs plus some rare tracks from their past and they put them in this CD. So you can easily say that it is a tribute from them to themselves!

Silver Mountain showed a strong classical influence
and a sound that crossed Rainbow with the heavier NWOBHM style of the day. This was one of the earlier bands for the Johansson brothers (Jens and Anders), both of whom later enjoyed success with several other artists, among them HammerFall and Yngwie Malmsteen, who himself was also in an earlier incarnation of this band.

The band has dug up some unreleased and unrecorded numbers and are giving them a second chance in the studio and the results are now available as the current Breakin Chains masterpiece. Classic Old School moments of Rainbow dominate the disc with each track a real treasure but a few standouts do make themselves known.

“Prophet Of Doom” sounds like it could have come off the legendary debut Fifth Angel album. The underlying keyboard on “Before The Storm” gives the track a certain Deep Purple vibe to go along with some amazing shredding guitar work. The more you listen to “Breakin' Chains”, the further back to about 1984 you feel like you are being drawn.

The title track “Breakin' Chains” has an Iron Maiden meets Yngwie-era Alcatrazz sound. “Rider Of The Night” once again has a Fifth Angel sound until the keyboard solo. “A.S.W.A.S.T” sounds like the kind of song you could have heard on FM radio around 1981, quirky yet heavy. “Dance Around The Fire” has a very heavy Deep Purple sound in regards to the keys. Closing track “Millattack” is a relentless, high-speed, 3 minute instrumental wank-fest.

As you listen to this disc, you find yourself realizing how much of an influence Jonas Hansson and company have had over the years on other metal musicians. This release a case of what comes around goes around…in a positive way.

This re-issue is a wonderful look at what might have been had Silver Mountain stuck together. Neo-classical hard rock at its finest.

In my opinion it is a must-buy for all the 80s Hard Metal lovers that never had the chance to get familiar with them.

note: 8/10

Tracklist

1. Prophet of Doom
2. Before the Storm
3. Felo de se
4. Man of No Present Existence
5. Scarlet Pimpernel
6. Maniac
7. Axeman and the Virgin
8. Breakin' Chains
9. Rider of the Night
10.A.s.w.a.s.t
11.The Butterfly
12.Dance Around The Fire
13.Millattack

Line-up

Jens Johansson – Keyboardist
Anders Johansson – Drummer
Jonas Hansson guitarist & vocals
Per Standing Bass