ALBUM REVIEW: BREAK THE SILENCE BY BEYOND THE BLACK

Reviewed by Cecilia Pattison-Levi

Release date 9 January 2026

German symphonic heavy metal band Beyond The Black have been carving an impressive musical path since their formation as a band in 2014. The band: vocalist Jennifer Haben, guitarist Chris Hermsdörfer, guitarist Tobias Lodes, drummer Kai Tschierschky, and bassist Stefan Herkenhoff are releasing their sixth studio album ‘Break The Silence’.

The album has an upbeat yet emotional core. The epic melodic soundscape has the recurring imagery around the destructive and purifying idea of water, the metaphors of birds, and the human desire to fly. The lyricism, has a haunted atmospheric core, that reflects the themes of inner strength, resilience and the urgent need to reconnect in a divided world for “when we fly/we are unstoppable/like ravens”.

The album has that signature sound from the dual vocalists, but it is predominantly Jennifer Haben’s gorgeous and powerful voice that underpins the lyricism. Her vocal performance on this new album is nothing short of impressive. On the instrumental side, the album has a very defined sound from the drums of Kai Tschierschky’s while the guitarists control the riffs, the melodies and those big solo slots.

The album opens with ‘Rising High’ with a chant and an upbeat melody about rising above the world’s control. The lyricism asks the listener to let their “spirits fly” on the “wings of hope”. As Jennifer Haben sings of her dream to “spread my wings and fly away”. The title track ‘Break The Silence’ is a huge emotive song that asks the listener to “scream out the evil you’re facing”. Then, ‘The Art Of Being Alone’ (featuring Chris Harms from Lord Of The Lost) is both powerful and fragile. The lyrics address the themes of mental health, self-empowerment, and the journey toward self-awareness. The dual vocals on this song are beautifully done, as the voices mesh so well together.

The next three songs really hit home the imagery. There are choral voices that lead in the song with a chant as Jennifer Haben’s voice joins in, as ‘Let There Be Rain’ (featuring The Mystery Of The Bulgarian Voices) brings the big drums and vocal dynamism like the “eye of the storm”. The image of water purifying the Earth and people, and “their memories”. Then, the deeply emotional song ‘Ravens’ focuses on the smartest bird and the ideas of loyalty and resilience, “we are birds of the feather”. Rising together through darkness, “we kept the flame”, bound by shared spirit and freedom, symbolised by ravens soaring high. ‘The Flood’ brings the imagery of water back.

The song ‘Can You Hear Me’, featuring Asami from the Japanese power metal band Lovebites, is an upbeat mix of pulsing synths and crashing guitars. It is a captivating and anthemic duet, being sung in both Japanese and English. Following are the chiming synths and big drums lead in atmospheric vocals before ‘(La vie est un) Cinéma’ with its bittersweet melody as the lyrics. The dark synths start ‘Hologram’ with the drums coming in with vocal layering, “it’s about a spark of truth” and “trying to escape” the “smoke and mirrors” complete with a fantastic guitar solo.

The album closes out with ‘Weltschmerz’ (Melancholy), and the song has that world weariness in its floating and atmospheric drum beat, dark synths, and haunting vocals. It’s great to hear it in German. The song does have English verses for those non-German speakers.

‘Break The Silence’ is a tight and complete album full of vision about escaping the bonds that tie us down, and encouraging the listener to break free and fly.