Language of Silence is the sixth studio album by Numb, released on November 24, 1998 by Metropolis Records. The album was conceived previous to the band's fifth album Blood Meridian but could not be released due to legal issues concerning Numb's label in Europe.[1]
| Language of Silence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 24, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | Chindogu (Vancouver, BC) | |||
| Genre | Electro-industrial | |||
| Length | 61:29 | |||
| Label | Metropolis | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Numb chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Language of Silence | ||||
| ||||
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Alternative Press |  [3] |
AllMusic awarded Language of Silence four and a half out of five stars, commending the ominous atmosphere and saying the "synth sounds have been sharpened without losing any of their viciousness, while melodies have matured, forming a new blend that allows the complexities to show through in a way they have not in previous Numb releases."[2] Alternative Press gave the album a positive review, saying "dancefloor consciousness abounds on Language" and that "Numb have cultivated their affection for noise."[3] Michael Mahan of CMJ praised Language of Silence, calling it a "sonically intimidating" album "with mountains of guitar feedback, waves of synthesized chaos and a lion's share of aggressive, angst-ridden vocal terrorism."[4] Ink 19 called the album a masterpiece without shortcomings.[5] Critics at Last Sigh Magazine called it the band's masterpiece, saying "Don Gordon and David Collings come together once more to terrify their audience with the brutal reality of what occurs in everyday life through their undeniably intense and fast-paced beats coupled with a vengeful stream-of-consciousness lyrical rage of such intelligence and imagination it rivals the writings of James Joyce himself."[6][7]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by David Collings and Don Gordon
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Respect" | 5:59 |
| 2. | "Suspended" | 5:02 |
| 3. | "Deviation" | 8:04 |
| 4. | "Illumination Rounds" | 4:27 |
| 5. | "No Remorse" | 5:47 |
| 6. | "Closer" | 8:06 |
| 7. | "Defiler" | 6:14 |
| 8. | "Benthos" | 4:35 |
| 9. | "Immolate" | 6:40 |
| 10. | "Distorted Relations" | 6:34 |
Personnel
editAdapted from the Language of Silence liner notes.[8]
Numb
- David Collings – lead vocals, instruments, production
- Don Gordon – instruments, production
Production and design
- Ken Marshall – engineering (1, 2)
- Tim Oberthier – engineering (3–10)
- Farben+Formen – cover art, illustrations, design
- Craig Waddell – mastering
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 1998 | Zoth Ommog | CD, LP | ARTY 15 |
| United States | Metropolis | CD | 54102 | |
| Bulgaria | 1999 | Zoth Ommog/Wizard | CS | A 006497, WZO 200.530 |
References
edit- ^ Christian, Chris (May 7, 1998). "Interview with Numb – FENIX, Seattle, WA". Sonic Boom. 6 (4). Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ a b Kavadias, Theo. "Numb: Language of Silence > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ a b columnist (August 1999). "Numb: Language of Silence". Alternative Press: 84.
- ^ Mahan, Michael (February 15, 1999). "Numb: Language of Silence". CMJ New Music Monthly. 57 (605). CMJ Network, Inc.: 29. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ Galban, Jorge C. (April 9, 1999). "Numb: Language of Silence". Ink 19. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ Alexander, Kim Ann (March 13, 1999). "Numb: Language of Silence (1)". Last Sigh Magazine. Archived from the original on February 15, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ Alexander, Kim Ann (March 13, 1999). "Numb: Language of Silence (2)". Last Sigh Magazine. Archived from the original on February 16, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ Language of Silence (booklet). Numb. Hesse, Germany/Media, Pennsylvnia: Zoth Ommog/Metropolis. 1998.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
External links
edit- Language of Silence at Bandcamp
- Language of Silence at Discogs (list of releases)