"FLY ON" REVIEWS
RUTA 66
Silverflame are a six‑piece from Girona led by the formidable vocalist Sheila Endekos, and they fit comfortably under that label we call retro.
A parallel could easily be drawn with Barcelona’s The Mothercrow — not just because they also have a woman fronting the band, but because of their shared devotion to the seventies. Yet Silverflame, instead of leaning on orthodox hard rock or proto‑metal, gravitate more towards classic American rock, blues and soul. A bit like The Black Crowes, really. Listen to the opening track “Some More Blues” (full‑throttle gospel‑rock) or the title track, and you’ll see exactly what I mean. The record, with a crisp production where everything is measured and in its right place, flows like a mighty river; at times more soulful (“Here For Nothing”), at others more Southern‑tinged (“The Skin Of The Snake”), hard‑rocking on the punchy and hook‑laden “Nighttime Lover” (with a solid guitar workout), and closing the album in a swampy, blues‑drenched mood with “Snake”.
But if there’s one song that sums up everything this sextet does so well, it’s that tour de force called “Echoes Of The Void”, where soul and American rock collide and erupt like a head‑on train crash (pay close attention to the Hammond organ work and the twin‑guitar interplay). A second and confident step forward from a band waiting to be discovered by the devoted American‑rock faithful. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Text: Xavi Martínez
GRAVELROAD 76
That is, precisely, the feeling that will come over anyone who listens to the new record from the Girona-based outfit. We are referring, of course, to the title chosen this time around, to the sense of freedom captured in, for example, “Here For Nothing”, the second of the eight tracks that make up Silverflame’s follow-up album. We are alluding to the act of dreaming while wide awake, to the blissful state of relaxation savoured in evocative moments such as “Echoes Of The Void”, a sublime spell steeped in reminiscences, influences and pacts. We are referring to the search for shelter and the finding of refuge, as happens with “The Skin Of The Snake”, one of those songs that burrow into the subconscious with full intent, since its construction brings together several elements and just as many reasons that urge you to keep pushing forward along this thorny path of ravines, bends, slopes and, why not, placid coves. We are referring to inspiration, to the vital importance of rock n’ roll in our system, to the personal enrichment gained through the wealth of artists who have schooled us with their lessons across time and space. In “Fly On”, one might well picture many of those figures, and we ourselves have our suspicions — but in this multi, super or mega-populated sphere, there are as many references as there are reverences, so let us better focus our attention on the true protagonists of this story: Silverflame.
Perhaps their debut, aptly titled “First Flight” and carrying an interesting body of work, did not make the impact they might have hoped for — or at least that is our impression. We will not call it unremarkable, as that would be a disservice to the truth, and in some ways it would underestimate the worth of a band that brought forth a sturdy firstborn and that, moreover, within their main stomping ground enjoys a loyal and devoted following. That is where we first came across them — or to be more precise, that is where the first word of the quintet reached us, after they put out the album and played a run of shows in the area. One of those took place at a festival that sadly had to pull down the shutters in that year of misfortune and hardship: the Calella Rockfest. Anyone who knows or has some notion of the ethos of that now-defunct Maresme event can get a feel for the band’s direction — and if we add concepts such as American rock, psychedelia, progressive blues, seventies rock or Southern rock, we begin to capture part of the musical essence of a group with just the right lineup to carry their project forward. Two emphatic guitars wrung for all they’re worth by Jep Vilaplana and Jordi Turón, the essential rhythmic tandem of bassist Javi Galván and Jordi Vila on drums, the indispensable organ contribution from Fran Esquiaga, and the breathtaking vocal cords of Sheila Endekos — a singer of the purest breed. There you have the complete package. Their suggestion, their character and their identities. Do you need any more details?
If their debut showed promise, their second outing will have the crowd throwing in the towel, such is the depth of its impact. All it takes is pressing play and feeling the driving force of “Some More Blues”. All it takes is stepping into the dimension of a no-nonsense introduction, following the lead of a lively tambourine and the groove it lays down — and any doubts will vanish as the instrumentation and the central gospel choir pull you into an irresistible vortex. The blues assists, the soul insists, the audience assents and will undoubtedly keep on assenting, because its nearly four minutes pack instinct and temperament in equal measure. The title track, “Fly On!”, demands that feet and hips start moving, as its sensual energy and exciting nature — woven through funky accents, insistent lyrics, solid performances and a ceremonial atmosphere of enthusiasm — will spark collective ecstasy or a momentary individual escape. We have already noted that their behavioural handbook includes different models that all answer to the same pattern: Rock n’ Roll. Blazing guitars — not for nothing are they called Silverflame — intrepid rhythms in the vein of “Nighttime Lover”, where they flirt with harder rock territory, an all-encompassing Hammond that is central to every moment, and an impetuous lead voice that, in the romantic “Forbidden Innocence”, carries you straight to nirvana. A true snake charmer. And speaking of which, it is with the acoustic and unhurried “Snake” that they bring the record to a close — one that, almost without thinking, you find yourself playing all over again. You know the drill: Fly On.
Text: Rafa Robledo
CIUDADANO ROCK
Playing American roots rock in Spain, caressing the seductive contours of the seventies and psychedelia — not to mention the wild jolts of Southern rock — and expecting anyone to pay attention is an act as naïve as believing what so many people said during the pandemic: that we were going to come out of it as better human beings. Naïve, yes, but I must admit also rather endearing. And undeniably admirable.
I was unaware of the band’s first album, released in 2018 under the title First Flight, which I have now discovered thanks to hearing about this new record. Fly On is an album of American roots, as I said at the outset, one that brings together many of the different strands of rock: soul, psychedelia, Southern rock… something that cannot be pulled off convincingly without the necessary background and a set of musicians capable not of recreating a style, but of making it their own — in a way that feels believable, authentic — which is what I find most difficult to achieve and, precisely, what Silverflame manage to do on this new record. They have a fundamental asset in the voice of Sheila Endekos: suggestive, emotional, seductive and full of grit. And they have songs with a life of their own that you listen to without ever feeling that their appeal has been exhausted by the time they end; on the contrary, these are songs that seem to renew themselves with every listen.
The sound is superbly achieved: the guitars of Jep Vilaplana and Jordi Turon seem to have been pulled straight from the desert dust of a ZZ Top music video, Javi Galván’s bass slithers like a reptile between the rocks of Texas, and the richness of Jordi Vila’s drum strikes resounds as though the kit were wedged in the middle of the Colorado Canyon. To the whole they have added a few coins found at the feet of an abandoned skeleton, in the form of the keyboards for which Fran Esquiaga is responsible — and once you have heard the record, you find it impossible to imagine the songs without them. But what deserves the most applause is that they have managed to make every song soar and sustain itself, gliding with the naturalness and innocence of a child. Their eight songs bet on honesty and conviction, on an all-or-nothing plunge into a land that is not naturally their own, yet whose roots they have managed to transplant into a space where, through care, perseverance and love for what they do, they have grown shoots this beautiful: this album.
All the richness, the stimulating power and the joy that this music generates is present from the very opening of “Some More Blues”, into which gospel-style call-and-response choruses slip their way through a composition with a distinct The Black Crowes flavour. They modulate intensity as though they had half a dozen records already under their belt in the admirable “Here For Nothing”; the turn that comes past the halfway point of “Fly On!” is like taking a perfect curve on the way down a mountain pass — though for open road driving nothing beats the powerful and wonderfully varied “Echoes Of The Void”, one of the album’s finest moments, in which, if you scratch the surface a little, you find traces of what Deep Purple or Uriah Heep were doing in the early seventies. Nor do they fall short when they venture into harder rock territory, as in “Nighttime Lover”. They brush excellence with a magnificent ballad carrying country undertones, in which they achieve something close to the impossible — nailing a song with a classic feel, the last two minutes of which are vibrant, with a chorus I love for its simplicity: “Forbidden Innocence”. Silverflame’s songs have substance, a development and a progression that grows without losing density; their notes and chords conjure an evocative atmosphere.
One is left lamenting two things about this album: that it has not benefited from one of those productions of the old school that would have made it shine as it deserves, and that, according to the band’s own announcement, the record is being released in digital format and in a limited vinyl edition available only at their live shows.