The Swedish band Moonlight Agony was formed in 1999. The music can be best described as dark symphonic power metal with a touch of progressiveness. From 1999 till now the band had gone through a lot of line up changes. In 2007 Moonlight Agony releases their second album (Silent Waters). Musically the emphasis has moved into heavy power metal with a lot of double bass drums, fortunately there are still progressive and symphonic influences though. The changes of speed in the songs are often quite sudden, therefore the atmosphere in the songs can be very reversed. For instance you have a fast power metal part with lots of double bass drums on one minute and only piano and vocals a moment later. David Ã. Kesson (vocals) sings very powerful, it sounds rather forced. At the quiet moments when he is slowing down, he sounds a lot better.

It’s obvious that the band is a huge fan of the progressive masters Dream Theater and Symphony X. Especially the songs ‘Leaving Solitude’ and ‘Soulless’ are a great mix of the music of both bands (listen to the solos) with great progressive riffs, strong melodies and fine symphonic influences.

The choruses of ‘Soulless’ however are filled with a wall of very fast bass drums. This causes those parts to reach towards death metal.

Mainly the choruses are up tempo with a lot of double bass drums, during the instrumental parts and the verses the band puts the emphasis on great progressive music varying from heavy progressive parts to cappella singing. Most of the power metal choruses are a combination of fast double bass drums and symphonic keyboards (‘Through the Desert Storm’). The minis point of Silent Waters is that because of the use of lots of double bass drums in the choruses the songs somehow seem to sound like each other, therefore you have to listen to the album several times. Then it is clear that there is enough to enjoy.

On ‘I’m alive’, ‘Different Stories’ and ‘Solemn Waters’ are absolutely great progressive parts. Unfortunately these parts are too often shaded by the double bass drums. With some less high speed moments the album would sound even better.