The End Of Silence

After several years toiling in the underground, the Rollins Band signed to Imago, a new label with major distribution muscle. The End Of Silence was released in February 1992, less than six months after they’d gained many new fans by opening the inaugural Lollapalooza tour. The songs were more overtly metallic than their previous work, though Rollins himself still bellowed the lyrics like a drill instructor. The album is front-loaded with four almost radio-friendly anthems, which are followed by a string of long, slow, and ultra-heavy art-doom dirges. By the time it ends, you’ll feel like you’ve spent the last 75 minutes bench-pressing twice your own body weight, but thanks to the self-help-ish lyrics, you might experience a personal breakthrough or two, too.