Nameless Feeling is a band who, on the surface, flaunt a style of metal music you won’t often (like never) find spinning in my stereo. That said, their sound must have found a chink along the masonry of my narrow mind, because it resonates with me. It has to do, partly, with the melancholy of the guitars (which I am always a sucker for) and partly with the vocals of Nate Carey. Cue segue. Which brings me to the blog at hand, Eau Claire’s Silenize. A point of interest/entry for me into this band is the fact that Nate plays guitar and lends some of his vocal talent to Silenize, who are rounded out by Chase (lead vocals), Seth (bass guitar), and Greg (drums), and who are currently polishing up material for a demo. I took a listen to all five tracks, currently posted and awaiting your ears here: www.myspace.com/silenize. Overall impressions were the following: they’ve got the croon/rasp balance down, though I was not annoyed the way I often am when metal bands play “peek-a-boo” with their testicles; and there’s a surprising (and welcome) amount of diversity scattered throughout the songs. “The Weak” has a seductively sad hook when it moves, whereas “B-Syndrome” is all drive and breakdown, replete with an appropriately coarse chorus line. “What I Deserve” gets precipitously close to “rap metal” before a cool, Slayer-like riff (Slayer circa 2006, think the ending of “Skeleton Christ”) stabilized my blood pressure. The track also boasts a deceptively simple but effective tribal beat build up. “From It All” almost has a ballad-like quality before Chase’s razor throat slashes all to bloody hell. From there it’s “The Phoenix,” more “rap metal” flirtation before sonic salvation (seriously, guys, my heart can’t take these false scares). Keep in mind, too, that these are demo tracks. And while the harsh tones sound awesome, the cleaner parts are a bit thin, something that should be ironed out before the demo gets in the hands of venues and, perhaps, your grubby mitts, if you’re lucky. Silenize has got my attention, and I am looking forward to further investigating their sound live. How about loosening up the page space, Volume One, and giving these upstarts an interview?