Review by Alex on May 17, 2022.

The Silver Lining Between The Stars comes nearly 2 years later after the release of The Ultimate Multiverse, a compilation of past material that was exceptional to say the least; that album connected with me, bringing back fond memories of mostly video games. Chaos Over Cosmos managed to achieve this through the atmosphere and ambience they were able to weave into the music on The Ultimate Multiverse. There were many technical highlights, however it was the dominance of the landscape synth passages infused with the screaming and sung passages along with the drumming and riffing fireworks. However; here on The Silver Lining Between The Stars, Chaos Over Cosmos seems to have tweaked or slightly reconfigured the wiring in the vessel. The dominant factors are the drumming and riffing technicality, meanwhile even though the synth can be heard clearly and does offer some amazing highlights as on 'Violent Equilibrium' and 'The Last Man In Orbit', it takes more of a backseat and allows the explosive guitar work to take lead. Was this a good trade off? Yes, though at first I was taken back by this approach. I had to dig a bit deeper for the main reason I enjoyed Chaos Over Cosmos' music. And to be honest, having to do so unearthed a whole new layer of exploration eventually leading to a more potent immersion experience.

The band can still pull off some of the most ear-catching melodies you'll hear in technical progressive melodic metal, as heard on 'Eternal Return' that takes a giant leap into a crashing frenzy into chaotic technicality yet supported by the backing dreamlike keyboard synth. And what makes this even more enjoyable is the vocal usage that appears sparingly and only when necessary, hence the music gets a fair chance and ample time to breathe and marinate well. With this being done with great effect you'd find each song transitions gracefully such as the progression from 'Control Zed' to 'The Sins Between The Stars' that offers a pleasing touch of singing and acoustic variety; immediately contrasting the rest of the album yet inserting itself as a fitting component and compliment to the record. Hence there are some moments still that take a break from the technical fury to focus on the atmosphere but those moments are short lived however, somewhat still effective as they create different perspectives and avenues from which you can approach the music. It's almost as if it were linear yet presented alternate options to get to the conclusion. And though you may have preference of one aspect over another, Chaos Over Cosmos found a way to satisfy multiple musical criteria as far as balance goes, as well as being able to meet the main expectation of the listener, enjoyment. All in all, one could agree that the key attributes are still present in this project, though this time around its is indeed Chaos Over Cosmos.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10