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Black/Thrash is the current genre of metal fast approaching oversaturation which makes standing out a challenge, one which Germany's Witching Hour have accepted without hesitation. Their third album is called ...and Silent Grief Shadows the Passing Moon, a title worthy of black metal if ever there was one. The music is old-school thrash that is surprisingly melodic even though it is often played with a frenetic energy that threatens to spin the songs out of control at any moment. Where Witching Hour separate from the pack is in the vocal department. The singer employs a tortured howl that lies somewhere between the proto-extreme beginnings of Venom and Celtic Frost and second-wave demonic screams. It is a unique approach, but it also suffers from being a "one-trick-pony," in that the vocals sound pretty much the same on every song. There's little variation or range which means it gets a little tedious by the end of the album, though the riffs continue to kill. Don't let that stop you from checking out ...and Silent Grief Shadows the Passing Moon if black/thrash is your thing. Witching Hour have come up with a sound different from every other act out there, and that's a good thing.