Beyond the Black play the sort of female-led symphonic metal that seems to get a bit of traction in Europe. Since Jennifer Haben formed the band in 2014, they have recorded five LPs that climbed the charts in her home country of Germany as well as those of neighboring countries. They’ve also gone on European tours in support of popular acts like Aerosmith, Scorpions, Korn, Saxon, and Within Temptation. Break the Silence, their sixth record, finds them at their peak. It’s a concept album revolving around themes of communication and connection. This concept materializes in the form of international guest collaborators— from Germany, Bulgaria, and Japan—and diverse languages—English, French, and German. Considering the poor reception symphonic bands like this have received on the blog (see Within Temptation), I can sense your skepticism. What Beyond the Black needs to break in order to win over this readership isn’t the silence but the mold.
Similar to Elettra Storm and Darkyra, Beyond the Black plays a form of symphonic metal that falls somewhere between hard rock and power metal, leaning a little more into the heavier stuff. Tracks follow a pretty standard formula with catchy choruses, above-average riffs, and plenty of solos. The symphonic portion is surprisingly muted, but it does add some emotional depth to songs like “The Art of Being Alone” or even distinctive hooks (“Let There Be Rain”). At the heart of the music is Haben’s vocal performance. Her voice has a poppy, clean character, and Beyond the Black forgo the beastly growls that typically balance out the beauty. This type of performance could easily become sterile, but she shows some range on tracks like “Ravens,” where her voice switches from somber to a soaring chorus that could find a home on the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. Her strength is most apparent on the finale, “Weltschmerz,” a gentler, symphonic-led tune that allows Haben to take charge with a moving performance.
Despite the mostly close adherence to the same formula from song to song, Beyond the Black add enough variety to keep things from growing stale. Collaborators help in this regard, and they have two really good ones. Chris Harms (Lord of the Lost) lends his charismatic baritone on “The Art of Being Alone,” an entertaining bit of gothic metal that includes rather dramatic symphonic instrumentals and keyboards. My favorite track, “Let There Be Rain,” gets a boost from its collaboration with The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices, a cheerful all-female choral group, as well as a nifty symphonic hook that puts a smile on my face. Break the Silence has a consistently high energy throughout—reaching near-thrash levels on “The Flood”—but a few songs break up the pace to avoid monotony, such as the more sober, arpeggio-driven “Ravens,” and the melodic adult rock of “(La Vie Est Un) Cinéma.” The consistently catchy hooks that permeate this varied record highlight just how talented this group is.
Unfortunately, some nagging issues and a weak-ish back half keep this from reaching the heights of fellow symphonic/pop group, Lord of the Lost. “The Flood” is a terrific tune hampered by an unfortunate decision to include prominent robo vocals that are more grating than cool, or whatever they’re meant to be. The two songs that follow, however, sink the record even further, as they lack any hooks to raise them above the fray. One of these is an unfortunate waste of the talents of Asami (Love Bites) in a bit of synth-pop on “Can You Hear Me” that had me wondering if I was listening to a cover of a Pink tune. The last couple of tracks do end Break the Silence on a stronger note, with the catchy chorus of “Hologram” and the aforementioned showstopper of “Weltschmerz.” These keep the record safely in the solid territory despite a brief weak streak.
Admittedly, I had no prior history with Beyond the Black, but based on the time I spent with their previous two albums, Break the Silence is a marked improvement. This is yet another pleasant surprise in the realm of symphonic metal released by the larger metal labels, along with last year’s two Lord of the Lost records. If this genre is in your wheelhouse, or you’re a fan of Beyond the Black’s prior work, you’re in for a treat. Fortunately, Break the Silence proves to be better than the soulless dreck that often floods this genre. It has heart, a powerful message, and, best of all, good music.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Website: Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Site
Releases Worldwide: January 9th, 2026
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