Metal Underground.com

There's something pleasantly early-'90s about Voices Of Extreme's "Break The Silence." For those too young to remember, the early '90s brought tumult to the hard rock field, with grunge dealing a near-fatal blow to the hair-metal scene and thrashers like Metallica and Megadeth earning greater mainstream success. The end result was that acts like Van Halen and Guns N' Roses wound up writing heavier and more introspective songs than had been the case in the past, while not entirely abandoning the grooves that had been their trademark.

Voices Of Extreme may have been born in New York in 2006, but the album's standout track, "Apocalypse," has such a Guns N' Roses feel (complete with vocals from Don Chaffin that eerily evoke Axl Rose) that you could almost believe it was an outtake from "Chinese Democracy" — well, other than the fact that it isn't insanely over-produced. That feel is also quite present on "Did It Again," which is propelled by a dynamite groove from drummer John Macaluso.

Guitarists Nick Gertsson and David Mercado also impress, with excellent solos on tracks like "Hollow" and "Blown Away," which, though fairly short, leave quite an impression. There are also some excellently weird moments like the U2-ish guitar lines that thread through "Sorry" that create a unique sound.

Some of the album's quieter moments, particularly the ballad "Made Of Stone" and "Tell Me What It Takes" feel a little over-produced. The band does a good job of blending rock riffs with balladry on the piano-laced "Break The Silence."

There are also a couple tracks that just don't add much to the mix. "Numb" doesn't have much by the way of guts, while the opener, "Damned" takes a little too long to get to the admittedly catchy chorus. That said, neither detracts overly much from what is otherwise a good-verging-on-great disc.

If you're looking for something loud in the early-1990s hard rock vein, Voices Of Extreme's "Break The Silence" will fill the bill quite nicely. There are plenty of catchy hooks, powerful vocals and killer solos — and do you really need much more than that?