DECREE MOMENT OF SILENCE ALBUM METROPOLIS (USA), MINUSWELT (WORLD) RELEASE: APRIL 6, 2004 (USA), APRIL 5 (WORLD), 2004 REVIEW: MARCH 26, 2004

After leaving Front Line Assembly a while ago, Chris Peterson turned his full attention to his Decree project. After the experimental and somewhat improvised debut album, Chris wanted to take this band to the next level. Thus he acquired help from new members Ross Redhead and Sean Lawson.
And indeed this album is a lot more developed and structured than the debut. Don’t expect FLA or Will, because this is something else (although some hints can be heard from both). This is more about wreaking havoc on your speakers and creating a sonic nightmare. Sometimes so intense it hurts. The overall soundscape is immense, with enormous width and weight to it.
“Moment of Silence” is also varied, with chaotic breakbeat tracks next to fiendishly scary dark ambient pieces. The opening track “Violent Reckoning” is a bit reminiscent of Ministry, while the closing track “Severed” wouldn’t seem too out of place on Skinny Puppy’s “Last Rights”. My favourite track – which is the title track – starts off with suspense, slowly building and building until it suddenly breaks out with distorted screaming, ambience and powerful rhythms. Magnificent.
However, I have some gripes, mostly with the breakbeat tracks. They lack sufficient “punch”, the beat is just mixed too low and they don’t give me the “release” I’m looking for. Could have been much more. And “Forced Wide Open” is downright annoying.
This is a difficult album, in the way that you have to listen to it several times to get to grips with it. And in fact it’s still growing on me. I don’t expect to listen to it every day, but that’s not the point either. It is, however, a frighteningly caustic and evil collection of songs that will tear your speakers and soul apart, when you’re up to it.

JOHAN CARLSSON