CROWDED SILENCE
Standard Edition
RELEASE DATE:
January 22, 2027
Label: Art Of Melody Music
Credits
All songs written by Michael Kratz / Kasper Skadhede Viinberg
All songs arranged by Kasper Skadhede Viinberg / Michael Kratz
All songs recorded at Komo Studio (DK)
All songs produced by Kasper Skadhede Viinberg
All songs mixed by Kasper Skadhede Viinberg
All songs mastered by Morten Maltesen at Audio Pilot (DK)
Torben Enevoldsen’s guitar parts recorded and engineered by Torben Enevoldsen at Funny Farm Studios, Copenhagen (DK)
Michael Kratz: Lead vocals, backing vocals, guitars, percussion.
Kasper Skadhede Viinberg: Drums, piano, keyboards, guitars, bass, percussion, backing vocals.
Torben Enevoldsen: Guitar solos on “Liar!”, “Umbrella” and “We’ll Be the Fire”.
Kenneth Bremer: Triangle on “Crowded Silence”.
Kasper Skadhede Viinberg plays Yamaha Drums and Centent Cymbals.
Michael Kratz uses Premier Drums and Paiste Cymbals.
Torben Enevoldsen plays Ibanez Guitars and Soldano Amps.
Thanks to:
My family – none of this would be possible without your love and support.
My wingman and musical partner, Kasper “Kawer” Skadhede Viinberg – you are very special to me!
My trusted ears and dear friend, Morten Maltesen.
Torben Enevoldsen for nailing those badass solos.
Kenneth Bremer for constantly reminding me that one more album is never enough – and for your friendship.
To all my friends – thank you for continuing to support my music.
And not least, Art Of Melody Music and the Burning Minds Music Group for believing in my music!
Special thanks to YOU for reading this at this very moment.
This album is dedicated to handcrafted music, played by real musicians!
Love,
Michael
Tracks
- Nothing To Prove
- Umbrella
- Time Thief
- We’ll Be The Fire
- Liar!
- One Truth
- Headlights
- Crowded Silence
- Better Not
- Borrowed Voices
- Flip The Coin
- Realize
Reviews
Lyrics
They hold up mirrors made of silver lies
Perfect bodies under perfect skies
But I’m tired of chasing someone else’s dream
Need a life that’s real, instead of what it seems
Every headline tells me who to be
Every scroll rewrites my history
But quiet truths are whispering inside:
Ordinary hearts they never have to hide
Let the noise just fade away tonight
We’re enough beneath this honest light
They draw their borders on the shifting sand
Sell perfection we can’t hold in hand
Everybody holds a map that makes us whole
Every stumble slowly carves another soul
So here’s to laughter in the crooked lines
To the small and unremarked designs
We are stories – and we don’t fit their frames
Still alive and proud to stand without their claims
Let the noise just fade away tonight
We’re enough beneath this honest light
Won’t live by someone’s standard, not built to be the same
Their polished expectations, they can’t define my name
Here I stand
In a discombobulated motherland
Where nothing ever goes the way we planned
And shifting with the changing tides that push and move
The fleeting noise can’t drown the steady drum
A quiet strength that tells me where I’m from
I’ll walk my own way home…
‘Cause I’ve got nothing to prove
The billboards fade, their glamour starts to rust
Their perfect stories crumble into dust
I have wandered their roads and felt the hollow sound
And I conquered the path where my own steps are found
Shallow trends can’t steal the ground I’m on
So much temptation, but I won’t get drawn
To the glory, – no spotlight to pursue
Just an honest heart that’s beating something true
Won’t live by someone’s standard, not built to be the same
Their polished expectations, they can’t define my name
Won’t live by someone’s standard, not built to be the same
Their polished expectations, they can’t define my name
Above the silent horizon,
The pressure will start to rise,
Faint electric whispers
Flickering through the skies.
Fragments of every tempest
search for somewhere to collide,
But the arc is waiting,
stretching high and wide.
Ou-wou, wou-wou-wou…
We stand unshaken.
Ou-wou, wou-wou-wou…
The night breaks open.
A signal comes from a distance
echoing soft and low,
Rogue and wandering forces
losing their aim and glow.
Ou-wou, wou-wou-wou…
We stand unshaken.
Ou-wou, wou-wou-wou…
The night breaks open.
Umbrella spans the heavens, and veiling the storms above,
A canopy made of starlight, forged in a quiet love.
Through the drifting static,
through the tremble and through the sound,
Umbrella holding the skyline,
keeps the chaos bound.
Under fading constellations,
the horizon will breathe again,
Umbrella folds in silence,
leaving only calm terrain.
Ou-wou, wou-wou-wou…
We stand unshaken.
Ou-wou, wou-wou-wou…
The night breaks open.
Umbrella spans the heavens, and veiling the storms above,
A canopy made of starlight, forged in quiet love.
It bends the wildest currents, it calms the restless rain,
A hidden arc that guards us, from steelborn storms of pain.
Umbrella spans the heavens, and veiling the storms above,
A canopy made of starlight, forged in quiet love.
Umbrella spans the heavens, and veiling the storms above,
A canopy made of starlight, forged in quiet love.
It bends the wildest currents, it calms the restless rain,
A hidden arc that guards us, from steelborn storms of pain.
Footprints fade on forgotten streets,
Midnight hums as the hours retreat.
Shadows stretch where the daylight dies,
Time slips past with a thief’s disguise.
Silent hands pick the locks of dreams,
Stealing gold from the in-betweens.
We build our walls, but they fall like dust,
Time takes all that we thought we could trust.
There’ll be no warning, no sound of keys,
Just empty rooms and distant memories.
Time’s a thief that you can’t outrun,
Steals your night and steals your sun.
Leaves you holding what you can’t keep,
Where the echoes linger, memories sleep.
So deep.
And the shadows whisper.
Old songs fade on a broken wire,
Plans collapse like a dying fire.
Every heartbeat, every breath,
Another step toward the hands of theft.
There’ll be no warning, no sound of keys,
Just empty rooms and distant memories.
Time’s a thief that you can’t outrun,
Steals your night and steals your sun.
Leaves you holding what you can’t keep,
Where the echoes linger, memories sleep.
So deep.
And the shadows whisper.
It waits in silence, wearing every face,
Tearing pages from the book that we chase.
No bargain struck, ‘cause mercy’s blind
Time will leave you behind.
Leaves you holding what you can’t keep,
Where the echoes linger, memories sleep.
Time’s a thief that you can’t outrun,
Steals your night and steals your sun.
Leaves you holding what you can’t keep,
Where the echoes linger, memories sleep.
So deep.
Time’s a thief that you can’t outrun,
Steals your night and steals your sun.
Leaves you holding what you can’t keep,
Where the echoes linger, memories sleep.
Every time
We remember what they said,
Can’t forget.
A paradigm
The weight of silence still demands
A helping hand
Behind the walls
Decisions being bought and sold
A stranglehold
Beneath it all
A single spark sets the dark alight
It’s burning bright
Come on and lift your eyes
To the sky
Then you will see the lies
Wearing suits and ties
They set the world on fire
Their desire
The truth became a liar
And they still climb higher
We are the ashes that they left behind, still glowing in the dark,
We are the voices that they couldn’t buy, the unforgiven spark.
They took our riches, then they stole our names, and called it something higher,
We are the ones who’ll always light the flame – we’ll be the fire.
From alleyways
Whispers to the crowded square
Please beware
The final phase
With every step the walls will shake
It’s ours to take
Come on and lift your eyes
To the sky
Then you will see the lies
Wearing suits and ties
They set the world on fire
Their desire
The truth became a liar
And they still climb higher
We are the ashes that they left behind, still glowing in the dark,
We are the voices that they couldn’t buy, the unforgiven spark.
They took our riches, then they stole our names, and called it something higher,
We are the ones who’ll always light the flame – we’ll be the fire.
Every broken vow of silence
Every wall will crack with kindness
Hands once empty, now are gifted
Our stolen dreams returned
We are the ashes that they left behind, still glowing in the Dark
We are the voices that they couldn’t buy
We are the ashes that they left behind, still glowing in the dark,
We are the voices that they couldn’t buy, the unforgiven spark.
They took our riches, then they stole our names, and called it something higher,
We are the ones who’ll always light the flame – we’ll be the fire.
we’ll be the fire
we’ll be the fire
we’ll be the fire
we’ll be the fire
My mind is left in pieces
He’s just a friend, well, that’s what she said
Every memory
Has become my enemy
And now I wonder if it all was just a lie
You took the best of me
Then left your dignity
At the door when you felt him deep inside
Said you loved me, but you ran astray
Took my heart and then you turned it inside out
I put my trust in a goddamn liar!
Kiss goodnight, then say you love me
(when I fall asleep you’re free to do what you really wanna do)
Turn around, unlock your phone screen
(a text from him saying that he is thinking about you to)
Lust and secrecy
A rush of dopamine
While you fantasize ‘bout being in his arms
No conscience to be found
My queen without her crown
Enjoy it baby, ‘cause the truth will soon come out
Said you loved me, but you ran astray
Took my heart and then you turned it inside out
Your severed heart put on a matinee
With curtains closed – I was on the outside
I can’t believe you’d make me feel this way
Disregarded, now my life comes crashing down
Knew it would break me, you just did it anyway
I put my trust in a goddamn liar!
Said you loved me, but you ran astray
Took my heart and then you turned it inside out
Your severed heart put on a matinee
With curtains closed – I was on the outside
I can’t believe you’d make me feel this way
Disregarded now my life comes crashing down
Knew it would break me, you just did it anyway
I put my trust in a goddamn liar!
Screens are shouting
voices never end
Headlines twisting
truth until it bends
Every scroll is louder than before
But we don’t know what’s real anymore
Every word we read, we’ve got to verify
‘Cause the truth gets buried where the rumors lie
One truth
Hiding in a thousand claims
One truth
Drowning in a flood of flames
One truth
We keep searching, chasing through the noise
Trying hard to find an honest voice
Echo chambers
Built on borrowed doubt
Everyone’s convinced
They got it figured out
But certainty
Is harder to defend
When the lies
Keep starting up again
Every fact we check, another shade of gray
It’s a maze where reason slowly fades away
One truth
Hiding in a thousand claims
One truth
Drowning in a flood of flames
One truth
We keep searching, chasing through the noise
Trying hard to find an honest voice
One truth
One truth
One truth
One truth
Hiding in a thousand claims
One truth
Drowning in a flood of flames
One truth
We keep searching, chasing through the noise
Trying hard to find an honest voice
Looking back to see
a kind of misery
Left behind somehow unfolded
There’s nothing there for me
Careless memories
Never tried hard to control it
Importance in your life
Is what you choose to keep
Complications in your mind
Set them free
Headlights
Lighting up the path, and it’s so bright
Headlights
Bring the hazy future into sight
Fading out of reach
Lessons I won’t preach
Every silence left unspoken
Turning back again
Tracing where I’ve been
Slowly drifting out of focus
Importance in your life
Is what you choose to keep
Complications in your mind
Set them free
Headlights
Lighting up the path, and it’s so bright
Headlights
Bring the hazy future into sight
Headlights
Lighting up the path, and it’s so bright
Headlights
Bring the hazy future into sight
He’s the loudest laugh in every scene
Still his eyes reveal what lies between
People gather, but they never see
The shadow under his company
It’s not in the absence, it’s being unseen
Lonely in the middle of everything
Hiding from anything
Stand tall
Get away from the fool that you’re keeping inside
Don’t fall into the crowded silence
Last call
Make a choice, free the voice from inside of your mind
You’re in, but not the only one
She’s the first to speak, the last to stay
But her words dissolve and drift away
No one feels the silence when she’s near
A presence that just disappears
It’s not just the distance, it’s being unknown
Feeling disconnected though they’re not alone
Consequence of overload
Stand tall
Get away from the fool that you’re keeping inside
Don’t fall into the crowded silence
Last call
Make a choice, free the voice from inside of your mind
You’re in, but not the only one
Stand tall
Get away from the fool that you’re keeping inside
Don’t fall into the crowded silence
Last call
Make a choice, free the voice from inside of your mind
You’re in, but not the only one
Stand tall
Get away from the fool that you’re keeping inside
Don’t fall into the crowded silence
Last call
Make a choice, free the voice from inside of your mind
You’re in, but not the only one
Stand tall – Crowded Silence
Don’t fall – Crowded Silence
Last call – Crowded Silence
Stand tall
Don’t fall
Last call
Dressed in velvet light
A thousand secrets in her eyes
hidden in her eyes
every word is a game
You wanna to know her, but you can’t
You can’t explain
She’s the spark that sets the quiet fire
A dangerous answer to a fleeting desire
She’s the one you can’t hold or forget
A puzzle wrapped in silk and cigarette
You reach for her but you might get caught
Wanting her is tempting – you better not
She’s a spark in the dark of your mind
Leaves a trace that you’re too scared to find
Every move is a scary thought, yeah
Loving her is tempting – you better not
Never tells it straight
Once you touch her
you won’t be the same
She’s a knife that cuts too deep
The kind of secret that no one
no one should keep
She’s the storm behind a gentle face
A fragile beauty you should never chase
She’s the one you can’t hold or forget
A puzzle wrapped in silk and cigarette
You reach for her but you might get caught
Wanting her is tempting – you better not
She’s a spark in the dark of your mind
Leaves a trace that you’re too scared to find
Every move is a scary thought, yeah
Loving her is tempting – you better not
She’s the one you can’t hold or forget
A puzzle wrapped in silk and cigarette
You reach for her but you might get caught
Wanting her is tempting – you better not
She’s a spark in the dark of your mind
Leaves a trace that you’re too scared to find
Every move is a scary thought, yeah
Loving her is tempting – you better not
Dreams are traded, soft and slow
Wrapped in colors, made to glow
Silent hearts in mirrored frames
Chasing halos, naming flames
Truth bends easy when it shines Golden words can blur the lines
Borrowed voices, painted bright
Selling daylight in the night
Perfect faces, out of sight
The more they hear the hollow sound
The less they will be found
Forever
Faith is filtered, framed in glass Moments staged to make ‘em last Crowds believe what feels like care While the silence hums beneath the glare
Every promise wears a crown Built of glass that’s falling down
Borrowed voices, painted bright
Selling daylight in the night
Perfect faces, out of sight
The more they hear the hollow sound
The less they will be found
Forever
If the mask forgets the skin Where does the truth begin again? Fame’s reflection fades away But the mirror wants to stay
Borrowed voices, painted bright
Selling daylight in the night
Perfect faces, out of sight
The more they hear the hollow sound
The less they will be found
Borrowed voices, painted bright
Selling daylight in the night
Perfect faces, out of sight
The more they hear the hollow sound
The less they will be found
Steps we take don’t draw in line
So where do we go from here?
Turns and cracks become design
Every drift, a new refrain
It’s whispering in your ear
Every loss, a different gain
Chance speaks without a sound, yeah
Seems like it’s turning around
We know we should go, but
Can’t walk away
Flip the coin, let it spin
See what life is hiding in
Every fall is a different start
Every risk can move the heart
Flip the coin, let it spin
See what life is hiding in
Now and then we’ll fall apart
But everyone’s a work of art
Lights ahead and roads behind
Soon they will disappear
Corners cut by time and mind
Somewhere far, the answers wait
In time they’ll be crystal clear
Written in the hands of fate
Every change becomes a sign, yeah
Maybe yours, maybe mine
We know the past is the past, but
We can’t look away
Flip the coin, let it spin
See what life is hiding in
Every fall is a different start
Every risk can move the heart
Flip the coin, let it spin
See what life is hiding in
Now and then we will fall apart
But everyone’s a work of art
Slowly
Fading
Into the good things we haven’t done
So we
Trade in
The dreams we kept from everyone
Here we are
At the start of what we thought would be the end
And yet so far
The world will still be turning
Coming in through the atmosphere
Coming out of the cracks in here
Inhaling the truth we know
Or at least we think so
The signs are there
Written quietly between the lines we read
But, do we care
Or chase the noise instead of meaning
It won’t be long before we realize
We see it everyday
‘Cause our happiness is jeopardized
In almost every way
There you go
You thought you made a promise to yourself
But here we are
At the end of our beginning
Coming in through the atmosphere
Coming out of the cracks in here
Inhaling the truth we know
Or at least we think so
It won’t be long before we realize
We see it everyday
‘Cause our happiness is jeopardized
It won’t be long before we realize
We see it everyday
‘Cause our happiness is jeopardized
In almost every way
We are the violent sparks from a fire that’s still alive and burning
The ground is shaking our feet
We hold our fragile hearts but the rising tide will keep returning
And now the time has come for me
It won’t be long before we realize
We see it everyday
‘Cause our happiness is jeopardized
It won’t be long before we realize
We see it everyday
‘Cause our happiness is jeopardized
Jeopardized
