Voices of Extreme – Break The Silence (2010)
I have to admit that I am not very familiar with the music of New York rock band Voice of Extreme. They just released their second album Break the Silence in August, and judging from the kick ass tunes on their latest effort, I will soon be in search of the band’s debut Hypocrite.
This Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden) managed band features industry veterans Don Chaffin & John Macaluso (ARK, TNT, Yngwie Malmsteen).
On the opening cut “Damned”, singer Don Chaffin offers up some powerful vocals that bring Robert Plant to my mind. The song has a Sabbath meets Soundgarden kind of vibe to it. The mixture of cool vocals, and kick ass guitar work makes “Damned” one of the many strong points on Break the Silence.
“Tell Me What It Takes” is the closest thing you will find to a power ballad in 2010. This song is pure melodic rock perfection at it’s best.
The great thing about Voices of Extreme is they aren’t afraid to mix it up. They bust out a heavy rocker with “Apocalypse”, and then roll right into the piano filled title track “Break the Silence”. “Apocalypse” is a song that I keep finding myself going back to over and over again. It is a heavy, almost grungy rocker with a very cool, almost danceable rhythm. I absolutely love this tune! “Break the Silence” teases you into thinking the band is going to break out another ballad, but instead it becomes a crafty mid-tempo number. John Macaluso’s drums truly stand out, and get your speakers thumping on this tune.
I have to admit that the song “Numb” didn’t do much for me.Rob Katrikh’s guitars are pretty good, but overall this song is a little too noisy for me. “Did It Again” is a move in the right direction. This song reminds me a of the recent George Lynch band, Souls of We. The major difference in the sound between V.O.X and Souls of We on this tune, are the vocals of Don Chaffin. Chaffin’s vocals are far superior to London LeGrand’s in my opinion.
“Hollow” is another song that for whatever reason, I just couldn’t get into. I guess I prefer the more melodic side of Voices of Extreme. Luckily, they follow this lackluster number with the awesome melodic rocker “Made of Stone”. Chaffin’s vocals are absolutely perfect on this song. AOR and Melodic rock fans ought to eat this up.
“Blown Away” is another metal-fueled, grungy rocker that is going to turn some heads, and some stereo knobs up. I love hearing Chaffin push his voice to the max on this tune.
The CD closes out with a cool rockin’ number “Sorry”. There are some really cool guitar tones in this song that I just can’t get enough of.
Overall, Break the Silence is a pretty cool release, and one that hard rock and melodic fans need to look into. Don’t miss this!
For more information on Voices of Extreme, please visit the V.O.X. website.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Damned
2. Tell Me What It Takes
3. Apocalypse
4. Break the Silence
5. Numb
6. Did It Again
7. Hollow
8. Made of Stone
9. Blown Away
10. Sorry
Voices of Extreme are:
Don Chaffin-Lead Vocals
Bob Brennan-Bass Guitar
Rob Katrikh – Guitar
Mike Khalilov – Keys
John Macaluso-Drums
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