When I was six years old, my mother took me into the local corner store—probably for a loaf of bread or something. While details are fuzzy, what I do remember is that as I passed by the office supply section, my eyes were immediately drawn to what is perhaps the single greatest piece of artwork I have ever seen in my life. There on the shelf before me was a tan pocket folder with the image of an airbrushed tiger stalking straight forward through a patch of tall grass. It seemed as though the majestic cat was going to jump off the page and devour my stunned face and, at that moment, I knew I wasn’t leaving the store without it. Flash forward some 45 years and I was met with the same feeling while trolling through the AMG promo bin and happened upon Silent Tiger’s sophomore record, Twist of Fate. I knew I wasn’t leaving Steel alone until the file was safely in my Dropbox. Where did Silent Tiger come from? And is their music even halfway as compelling as their aesthetic choices? Does it even matter? Let’s break the silence.
As we’ve established, Silent Tiger are a band that excels at album cover artwork. Their 2020 debut, Ready for Attack, saw their feline mascot stealthily emerging from the chilled, blue haze of a Bob Ross painting. Not to rest on the laurels of that bar-setting accomplishment, Silent Tiger crushed all other comers with the artwork to Twist of Fate. On this album jacket, there is no hesitation in the tiger’s step as it lunges out from what can only be described as the poster for an Asian action movie. Its eyes are thirsty for blood and its body is ready to strike. It’s safe to say, Silent Tiger isn’t fucking around. They’ve paid their dues and they’re ready to take on the world with this record. But then there’s the music…
What follows are ten tracks of some of the most cliched saccharine ear syrup you’d ever want to hear. I never realized just how insecure the 80s were until I heard them as regurgitated by Silent Tiger. The lyric sheet to Twist of Fate reads like a list of AI-generated musical tropes from Skynet that are best left forgotten like so many Terminator sequels. Seemingly, we were all holding on to our broken hearts, walking alone, keeping our dreams alive, and waiting for a new start.1 The music on Twist of Fate is a self-neutered soft rock that fancies itself harder than it is. Like Night Ranger without Brad Gillis, it’s more “Sister Christian” than “(You Can Still) Rock in America.” Songs like “Wings of a Dream” start out with a decent riff but quickly collapse into sentimental drivel with any remaining fire doused by the excessive 1984 keyboards. There’s almost a sense of tension between a guitar player who wants to rock and a singer who just wants to play some nice songs his mother will appreciate.
Silent Tiger has a curious origin. They were started by a Honduran guitarist and drummer and then joined by an American singer. Their goal was to pay homage to bands like Def Leppard, Europe, Bon Jovi, Ratt, Dokken and Scorpions but ended up sounding more like REO Speedwagon and Survivor. I’m somewhat of a YouTube junkie and the other day while I was watching a video about primitive survival, it occurred to me that the guy on the TV wearing a reindeer hide wasn’t that different than the dudes from Silent Tiger. Both are fascinated by how people lived during a different time. Where one coaxes fire out of a bowed stick, sinew, and knuckle bone, the other coaxes songs out of Charvel guitars and Roland synthesizers. However, when it comes to homage, you have to make it compelling rather than obnoxious. Exhibit A: the title track. “Twist of Fate” is essentially a remake of “Waiting for a Star to Fall” by Boy Meets Girl and no one needs that. At least throw some Ratt in the mix.
It’s truly astounding how many of these types of homage acts I keep finding in the promo bin. Maybe it’s my own 80’s insecurity that compels me to review them. There are few if any moments worth defending here. “Last of the True Believers” is almost good…until the singer comes in. Had I listened to Silent Tiger before committing, maybe I would have thought twice, but damn—that album cover!
Rating: 1.0/5.0 (5.0/5.0 for cover art)
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: Pride and Joy Music
Website: Facebook.com/silenttigerband
Releases Worldwide: November 24th, 2023
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