UNSILENCE INTERVIEW WITH LYCOS ZINE (ENGLAND) 2000.
1/ Hi Kieron! How's things with Unsilence at the mo?
Hello Sam! Things are cool with us at the moment. We recorded our MCD
two months ago and we're happy with it. By far our best recording yet!
We've been taking it easy since but now we're starting to make preparations
to release the MCD in January. We're also looking for a new guitarist
and getting a web-site organised.
2/ You have just finished recording a new MCD right? What can you tell
us about it? What will it be called? Have you decided on track names and
suchlike? How different is it to your previous release?
We recorded the MCD during September at Academy studio. It was engineered
and produced by Mags and Mark Brooks. It looks likely to be titled 'Transfiguration'
and contains the following tracks: "Our Final Autumn", "The
Gallery", "Once were Embers". We are pleased with how the
MCD has turned out. As well as production and playing, I would like to
say that the main improvement is in the song arrangements. We spent some
time trying to hone them up and changing parts where needed. I would also
say that the material is heavier and more aggressive, but also more melodic
and atmospheric. We are releasing the MCD ourselves, as we're sick of
labels fucking us around. We should have it out by January.
3/ You
are also looking for a new guitar player as well? What happened there?
We sacked
out guitarist Paul Gemmell just a few weeks before entering the studio.
His playing wasn't quite up to it. He was slow at learning stuff, which
placed extra demands on me. There was also some personal stuff. (I did
all the guitars on the MCD). We have already auditioned a guitarist who
is quite promising. We should be auditioning s few more. We are going
to keep things open for a short while before we decided on who to take
on. We need to get the right person and not make the mistake we made taking
Paul on.
4/The
most immediate association I make with Unsilence is Noise, but presumably
that's not the interpretation you put on it? Why the name and what does
it mean?
I suppose
the name Unsilence could be open to a number of meanings. To me it means
awakening the deeper emotions which we expressing our music. We originally
thought of 'Unsilent' but we thought that somebody else would also think
of it, so it became 'Unsilence'.
5/
You don't seem to think much of the metal scene in your local Bolton do
you? Like to tell us about it?
I guess it's
all right compared to other places. There are people into it, but it's
more mainstream stuff. There are some people into the underground. There
is also X Records here, which has a really good underground section. But
as you know there's a greater concentration of bands here (or members
of bands) like Subvexation, Nightmare Visions and us. Also there's a couple
of friends who have a band called Body Harvest which should be gigging
soon. They play more groovey death metal. Only our vocalist and myself
live here. Our drummer's from Saddleworth and our Bassist lives in Oldham.
We usually say we're a Lancashire band.
6/
And what is your opinion of the UK scene in general?
It is as
good as ever, though I haven't heard too many new bands lately (nice to
hear someone not slagging it off for a change - Ed.). I think The Enchanted
and In Dying Grace show promise. There hasn't been any bands breaking
through in the way MDB, Anathema or COF did a few years ago.
7/ The
UK is/was known for supplying some very big name doom bands, MDB, Paradise
Lost and Anathema to name a few. What do you think of the more recent
releases of these bands and can you comment on the evolution of the doom
metal style?
Although
a lot of people have slagged Paradise Lost's recent direction, I thought
that One Second was quite a strong album. I found it darker than some
of their preceding 'metal' albums. Gothic is still their peak (Damn right
it is! - Ed.) I've yet to hear their new album. The last MDB was also
very good and retained a lot of their style despite being different. Their
new one is supposed to be right back to their roots so it'll be interesting
to see how they pull it off (pretty well really - Ed.). Anathema also
do what they do well. I prefer certain songs of theirs more than others.
It seems that some Doom type bands are moving away from their metallic
roots but maintaining their melancholy. For us, the positive thing about
this is that it gives us more room to do our thing. No matter how we progress,
we'll still be a heavy guitar based band.
8/ You
think there is any chance of you becoming 'just another British doom band'?
We are concerned
that we may be perceived as such. But as long as we write and play to
the highest possible standard and try to create our own vibe, then we
should be right. That is the key really, to create our own vibe. We could
have all the same things like doomy melodies (or avoid them). But it's
how we make them our own that counts. I would say we're more than just
a doom band. We have influences in Death metal, black metal and Heavy
metal, etc.
9/ Your
previous album was supposed to be released on Seven Art Music in Italy,
but it didn't happen. What actually went on there?
We recorded
our first album 2 years ago (97). But then Seven Art underwent problems
with distributors and things were caused by their naiveté, such
as giving top much to their main band Having Tears and Withered Flowers
at our expense. The deal was terminated a few months ago and Seven Years
Music has ceased to exist. We may put the album out ourselves on a small
run. It depends on what interest there is and what money we have. But
the MCD is really more important now.
10/
I hear you filmed a live video to promote the Choirs of Memory album,
(the one that wasn't released - Ed.'s note) which is somewhat unusual
for a band with few releases. Did it ever see the light of day?
It's not
quite how it sounds. When we supported The Blood Divine in Bradford during
January '98, Purity Cries were on and their guitarists girlfriend was
filming their gig and I asked her if she'd film ours, which she did. The
quality would be a good bootleg at best, but filmed through 2 cameras.
But she didn't edit it and we've yet to see it. I would have sent it to
Seven Art and they made a thing about how they'd have used it for promotion.
11/ Who
writes the lyrics in the band? Is there a recurring theme to them?
They're mainly
written by Andrew (vocals), but I've started but I've started writing
some. There isn't really a recurring theme. We just write based on our
observations and emotions.
12/ Last
words?
Thanks for
the interview. See you soon!