Kalle Vilpuu – Silver Lining

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Hailing from Estonia, Kalle Vilpuu is a multi-instrumentalist who has some 30 years of experience with various local bands. With ‘Silver lining’, his first solo album, he released a collection of instrumental pieces, ranging from ambient to metal. The production is pristine and the compositions are top-notch quality.

Throughout the record, Kalle uses a broad range of keyboard sounds (haunting on ‘Anomalies’, alarming on ‘The Aliens (have landed)’, spine-tingling on ‘Interno’ and ‘Trappings’, or even bombastic on ‘In the back of my head’). His guitar solos are aerial most of the time but can also be more tumultuous (‘Anomalies’, ‘Unforgiven’). Various programmed beats give a more than welcome extra rhythmic dimension to the songs (‘Industrial nr 4′, ‘Trappings’, ‘Forgiven’, Silver lining’). Within the context of threatening guitar-drum assaults, violin samples add a touch of romantic nostalgia and tension (‘Anomalies’, ‘Interno’), while flute samples provide a pastoral feel (‘Unforgiven’ and its little sister ‘Forgiven’). Some sinister (pandaemonic?) horn samples also participate in the general tension of ‘Trappings’. A few tracks go completely out of the overall instrumental metal format, leaning towards other territories. They may sound out of place, but are actually quite enjoyable and show a different side of our artist’s musical world. First, we can hear chill out on the soothing ‘The touch of angel’ with its light echoing guitar touches. Then, on the blooming ‘Rosie’ where tearful guitar notes drop on a wall of scintillating guitar layers, it’s ambient music. Last but not least, the reflective title track, haunted by the spirit of Steve Hackett, retains a trip-hop vibe. Since it is an instrumental record, vocals are very spare. They contribute nonetheless to the serene moments (the heavenly female vocalizations on ‘Interno’ and ‘The touch of angel’), or on the contrary add to the tension (the painful male vocalization on ‘Forgiven’).

‘Silver lining’ is the work of a sensitive and talented artist, who blends briliantly technique and melody on one hand, serene and troubled atmospheres on the other hand, altogether to serve a music that speaks to the heart and the mind.

Tracklist:

1. Anomalies
2. Unforgiven
3. Interno
4. Industrial nr 4
5. In the back of my head
6. The Aliens (have landed)
7. Trappings
8. The touch of angel
9. Rosie
10. Forgiven
11. Silver lining

Links:

http://kallevilpuu.com/

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