Melbourneโs Paul Louis Villani pushes sonic and emotional boundaries, and his latest EP The Other Side of Silence, proves just that. Released on August 25, 2025, this six-track offering exorcises grief, desire, and transformation, drenched in heavy riffs, haunting ambience, and unflinching honesty. Known for threading the aggression of metal with experimental textures, Villani once again reminds us that silence, for him, is never an optionโitโs all or nothing.
The record kicks off with โCan I Be Your Secret?โ, a gritty confessional that wastes no time tearing down the walls. The vocals come like a deep, smoky desiring siren, urgently confessing their desires while asking for the partner, โCan you be my secret? Can I be your whore.โ Then comes โFighterโ, where blistering riffs meet doom-laden blues hooks. The vocals get more reflective as they sing, โItโs hard to be a fighter when you are weak at the knees.โ
But itโs the closer, โStuttering Veritiesโ, that feels like the magnum opus. Nearly seven minutes long, it opens with slow, heavy ambience before exotic melodies slither in, twisting around like serpents in the dark. The track evolves dramatically, at one point tender and lullaby-like, at another, roaring with vehement male vocals and grinding guitars. The female voice then returns with aching poignancy, pulling the listener through one last emotional tide. Itโs operatic, unpredictable, and utterly cathartic.
All in all, The Other Side of Silence is a turbulent but rewarding journey, dark, jagged, yet strangely uplifting. Villani has staged confrontations with the soul with this record, leaving you changed on the other side. Check it out on Spotify.
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Review by: Naomi Joan