Dark riffs, male grunts and female vocals

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, how are things in your world?

Thanks for the invite Randy. All’s well on my end, well wishes to you and your readers too.

I had a lot of fun listening to your most recent album Opus IV Oblivion. It kind of reminded me of the gothic metal bands I listened to as a teen. How would you describe your sound?

‘Opus IV Oblivion’ is probably the release which mostly reminisces the early to mid-90s Gothic-Doom Metal feel, from where the genre evolved. You are not the first person who dredged up memories of Theatre of Tragedy and others which so typically set the standard those days. There is no doubt that the members in Weeping Silence mostly remember those early days well, and have their roots in the bands of that time. Having said that, our record has a certain timbre of its own, bearing the mark of Weeping Silence, albeit not too distant from that of the 90s. We have moved away from the Gothic Metal sound, embracing the more melodic Doom Metal elements and marrying them to our earlier music. On ‘Opus IV Oblivion’ we dropped our guitar tuning to Drop-A, which made a difference especially on certain songs of the album.

For those unfamiliar with the release, the album was released in Autumn 2015 under Massacre Records.

What would you say, makes Weeping Silence’s sound unique?

Weeping Silence does not play a unique style of metal. In fact, we play a style that is not new to the scene. What we bring to the table is a sound that’s less polished than the female-fronted Gothic Metal bands of the turn of the century. We are keeping true to the earlier bands, with a heavier attitude, dark riffs, male grunts and female vocals, and since ‘Opus IV Oblivion’ more powerful and drop-tuned guitars.

Who are your main influences, and where do you find your inspiration?

Musically there are many influences. Being seven people does not help to keep our list short! In our play-list you’ll find everything from My Dying Bride, Tristania and Swallow the Sun to Muse, Pink Floyd and Dead Can Dance – depending on our moods. Music is also not the only inspiration. Literature and life experiences also play a part, especially in the lyrical content. 

Who does what in the band creatively?

The song-writing is a complex thing in Weeping Silence. A lot of the major arrangements are done collectively in the rehearsal room. Riff-writing is normally done by myself, Manuel and Mario. Though Alison wrote ‘Bury my Fairytale’ on the latest album. Diane and Dario do most of the vocal arrangements. Lyrics on the latest album were written mostly by me. The lyrics on the previous albums were written by Rachel, who sang on ‘For the Unsung’ and earlier releases.

It seems like things are going well for the band at the moment, you signed a management deal with Alpha Omega! How did this come to pass?

We met Alex Azzali in Malta at Metal over Malta Festival in 2016. We are discussing with them on possible touring in 2017 and 2018.

I was looking at your discography and noticed your first album was called “End of an Era”. Shouldn’t that be the beginning of an era? Where did the name come from?

That album was recorded after 8 years of being a band. The composition was slow and the band was finding its feet, with many line-up changes along the way. The lyrics were written by Rachel and the mood of those lyrics are mostly melancholic, dedicated as it was to a lost friend and brother. So, it’s an in-memoriam album. We decided to go for that album name, as suggested by Mario Ellul in 2005. ‘End of an Era’ saw the band move from an unknown local act to a signed band, at that time with Sleaszy Rider Recs (Greece). The release of the album also took some waiting, and it saw the light of day in 2011, 4 or 5 years after being recorded.

What will your year look like, tour wise? We know you will be playing the FemME festival!

So far we have a show in Belgium, followed directly by Doom over Gorinchem Festival in The Netherlands. These are happening, coincidentally, this weekend (which would be past by the time this interview goes to print). In March 2017 we will play the festival we host – Metal over Malta Festival – together with Civil War and Orphaned Land to name a few (www.metalovermalta.com). In September we will play FemMe (NL) as you correctly noted, which will be a blast for sure. There will be more shows this year, but they are still in planning stage.

When can we look forward to new material?

I think we’ll have enough material written by mid-2018, so I would reckon a 2019 release is in order. That’s a long time from now, but we must focus on getting the band on the road more, getting Weeping Silence into major festivals and tours. That’s how bands are made, at least at the moment.

Do you have any last words for our readers?

Thank you all for reading and dedicating some moments of your time to Weeping Silence. Check out our website and Facebook pages, and get listening! Thanks also to Metal on Loud Mag for the interview and support! See you around!

www.weepingsilence.com
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