Then Comes Silence – Trickery

Trickery is the seventh studio album from Swedish post-punk/ dark goth band Then Comes Silence, but in many ways it can be seen as the first in a new chapter for the group.
But that’s perhaps no surprise, given that, in 2022, on the eve of their first-ever US tour, the band were suddenly and unexpectedly reduced to a thee piece.
Although musically dissimilar, the band, like Genesis some 45 years prior, decided to continue on as a three-piece, streamlining their sound to suit.
Original member Alex Svenson (vocals, bass, synths), Jonas Fransson (drums) and 2018 recruit Hugo Zombie (drums) performed live as a trio on US dates (supporting Vision Video and The Bellwether Syndicate), European tours and, then, in the studio for Trickery (with a handful of guest contributors).
But it should also be noted there is no paradigm shift here.
The wall of darkwave sound built around big beats, driving rhythm guitar riffs and textured synths are still in evidence, as heard to great effect on previous albums Machine and Hunger (having progressed from the industrial post-punk sound of initial trilogy of releases Then Comes Silence I, II and III) but there is certainly a leaner and slightly more focussed approach at musical play as a trio.
The power of three also manifested itself in the recoding process, recording the album in only three days in Kapsylen Studio in Stockholm.
It's a short studio stay ploy (based, one presumes, on having the songs ready to go with no time to overthink or over-arrange) that has paid dividends, because from the incessant rhythm, percussive effects and thick synth & guitar stylings of opener 'Ride Or Die' to pulsating, semi-atmospheric closing number 'Ghost House' twelve songs later, Then Comes Silence have delivered their best album to date.
And that’s because Trickery is both musically beguiling (through its retro-synth (a defining trait) and goth rock approaches) and post-punk purposeful – the darker, retro-synth sounds of 'Like a Hammer' and 'Never Change' for example, immediately recall late 70s/ early 80s dark-rock/ post-punk bands such as Joy Division and Bauhaus, while the heavy synth-pop of 'Feel The Cold' and 'The Masquerade' sounds like Depeche Mode and Ultravox, has they embraced the Goth.
Elsewhere the synth-rock swagger of 'Tears And Cries,' featuring Swedish electronic artist Emma Nylén (aka Emmon) on additional vocals, offers itself up as a highlight, as do the quartet of post-punk goth rockers 'Stiffs,' 'Blind Eye,' 'Dead Friend' and 'Stay Strange.'
The latter, which features Dusty Gannon of Vision Video on the chorus, is further enhanced by a weird, quirky and short breakdown that perfectly complements the song’s title, itself a rallying cry for the goth/ post-punk community (which Trickery both celebrates and embraces).
Produced by Alex Svenson with a shimmering and sonically strong mix from Tom van Heesch (Rammstein, Backyard Babies), the seventh album from Then Comes Silence proves the trio of Svenson, Jonas Fransson and Hugo Zombie still have a Trickery or two up their post-punk/ goth rock sleeves.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But that’s perhaps no surprise, given that, in 2022, on the eve of their first-ever US tour, the band were suddenly and unexpectedly reduced to a thee piece.
Although musically dissimilar, the band, like Genesis some 45 years prior, decided to continue on as a three-piece, streamlining their sound to suit.
Original member Alex Svenson (vocals, bass, synths), Jonas Fransson (drums) and 2018 recruit Hugo Zombie (drums) performed live as a trio on US dates (supporting Vision Video and The Bellwether Syndicate), European tours and, then, in the studio for Trickery (with a handful of guest contributors).
But it should also be noted there is no paradigm shift here.
The wall of darkwave sound built around big beats, driving rhythm guitar riffs and textured synths are still in evidence, as heard to great effect on previous albums Machine and Hunger (having progressed from the industrial post-punk sound of initial trilogy of releases Then Comes Silence I, II and III) but there is certainly a leaner and slightly more focussed approach at musical play as a trio.
The power of three also manifested itself in the recoding process, recording the album in only three days in Kapsylen Studio in Stockholm.
It's a short studio stay ploy (based, one presumes, on having the songs ready to go with no time to overthink or over-arrange) that has paid dividends, because from the incessant rhythm, percussive effects and thick synth & guitar stylings of opener 'Ride Or Die' to pulsating, semi-atmospheric closing number 'Ghost House' twelve songs later, Then Comes Silence have delivered their best album to date.
And that’s because Trickery is both musically beguiling (through its retro-synth (a defining trait) and goth rock approaches) and post-punk purposeful – the darker, retro-synth sounds of 'Like a Hammer' and 'Never Change' for example, immediately recall late 70s/ early 80s dark-rock/ post-punk bands such as Joy Division and Bauhaus, while the heavy synth-pop of 'Feel The Cold' and 'The Masquerade' sounds like Depeche Mode and Ultravox, has they embraced the Goth.
Elsewhere the synth-rock swagger of 'Tears And Cries,' featuring Swedish electronic artist Emma Nylén (aka Emmon) on additional vocals, offers itself up as a highlight, as do the quartet of post-punk goth rockers 'Stiffs,' 'Blind Eye,' 'Dead Friend' and 'Stay Strange.'
The latter, which features Dusty Gannon of Vision Video on the chorus, is further enhanced by a weird, quirky and short breakdown that perfectly complements the song’s title, itself a rallying cry for the goth/ post-punk community (which Trickery both celebrates and embraces).
Produced by Alex Svenson with a shimmering and sonically strong mix from Tom van Heesch (Rammstein, Backyard Babies), the seventh album from Then Comes Silence proves the trio of Svenson, Jonas Fransson and Hugo Zombie still have a Trickery or two up their post-punk/ goth rock sleeves.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ