“En Alemania, los españoles son bien conocidos por su pasión”
Después de doce largos años de silencio, Silverlane edita su tercer disco y desde Made in Metal nos acercamos a la banda para que nos cuenten detalles de todo este tiempo y de su nuevo disco.
MiM: ¡Hola chicos! ¿Cómo están? Gracias por aceptar chatear con Made in Metal.
"In Germany, Spanish people are well known for their passion".
After twelve long years of silence, Silverlane releases its third album and from Made in Metal we approach the band so they can tell us details of all this time and their new album.
MiM: Hi guys! How are? Thank you for agreeing to chat with Made in Metal.
S: [Chris]: You’re Welcome, we thank you for the opportunity!
MiM: How do you feel after twelve years of inactivity?
S: [Chris]: Well in fact there was no real inactivity during the past twelve years. We were still in contact writing songs, and talking to each other, but occupied by other tasks we did not really find the drive to finish the record in an adequate timeframe. Mostly for personal reasons. Family, kids, and all this stuff. But in fact, we feel great again. You know: What is a musician without his/her music? So it was only a matter of time until we really quit everything or get back to business again. And we chose to go with the second option and real drive inside the band.
MiM: His latest record was “III - Inside Internal Infinity” (Drakkar Entertainment, 2022), released on January 28, is an album with amazing sound and incredible strength. What is the disc about? What is the musical concept of the album?
S: [Tom]: I’m sure one fine day we’ll create a wonderful concept album. I always wanted to do a continuation of Operation Mindcrime etc. On the other hand there’s so much stuff and unfinished business in my head that needs to be handled. A concept has mostly one issue - one Theme. That’s not enough. On “III” every song is its own universe - maybe we should see “III“ as a multi concept-album :-) intrinsic: Love, hate, vengeance, passion, and joy extrinsic: opportunities, chances, hope, faith, clearness, friendship, family.
MiM: Excellent cover design. Who was in charge?
S: [Chris]: Thank you very much! We worked together with an old and very close friend of the band. Pedro Stöhr (@antidot.jpg) did the whole graphic stuff in close connection with us and we are very happy with the final result! Glad you like it! I personally know Pedro from school times and he once also was part of the band as a musician in the very beginning when we started making music. But then we took separate ways musically.
[Tom]: We came up with a lot of ideas over the past five years or so. Pedro, that poor guy, had to deal and filter these loads of creativity. It went through a few stages but in the end, the vibe he created was exactly what we wanted to project.
MiM: How was the process of recording and musical production of the album?
S: [Chris]: We never stopped meeting during those years. There were several sessions where we worked on the new material and decided which way to go with it.
MiM: Tom Klossek shows himself very well in this new record production of the band. What could you tell me about it?
S: [Chris]: Tom is a professional through and through and I thank the whole universe that our ways crossed the right time when we were in search of a new frontman! He has years of experience and is by far the most professional singer we have ever worked with. This is not only about his ideas and how he pushes and focuses on new song ideas, it is also about the work in the studio where he is prepared to deliver his part without any doubt with every single take that we do! And last but not least he is a great guy and became a good friend over the years as well.
MiM: “Above the Others” (Drakkar Entertainment, 2010) is an album that left an excellent taste in the fans of the band. How do you see it? What memories do you have of those times?
S: [Chris]: Oh well, I remember hard times for the band in connection with that particular album. You know, we returned from some live activity after the first album and started with the new stuff. Full of energy and a lot of ideas for the production. We really wanted to go the second step. The production went great and also the product was great. But unfortunately, our singer quit his job right after the record was released and our merch shirts were printed. This was a huge punch in the pit of the stomach for us remaining members. And we really required some time to recover from that. Then we started to search for a new frontman and that nearly took us one and a half years. In fact, we never had the opportunity to tour with ‘Above the Others”. Nevertheless, it was received very well by the fans and a lot of people remember it as what it is: A great Metal record!
MiM: How was it touring and giving concerts with renowned figures such as Lordi and Doro Pesh?
S: [Chris]: It was like a kid’s dream came true. This was what we have done all that for. And it really felt great to play these great stages with those great musical colleagues. I really have a lot of beautiful memories connected with that touring activities and I really hope that there will be far more to come now in connection with the new release.
MiM: I like “Medusa”, “Soul of Tears” and “Life to die” for songs. What can you tell me about them?
S: [Chris]: Hm. What can I tell you? First of all, yes, I also like them. But for me, it is not really about explaining our songs. Let’s do it vice versa! What is it that you like about these songs? Which emotions come up when you hear them? How do they personally move you? This is what it is about when it comes to our music. You know it always depends on the mood that you are in. Some songs make you cry when you hear them because they remember you of a girlfriend or a relationship that had to quit. Some songs feel like a kick into your butt and make put the pedal to the metal when you’re driving in your car on the road. Music is emotion, not explanation.
[Tom]: Imagine reading a fat Book of five hundred pages and trying to write just a few words about it. Well it's easy when it’s a bad book … I actually always found it really awkward hearing artists explain their works. Why? Isn’t it exactly this point what Art is all about? Art is a key that shouldn’t fit in every hole … But what an experience when it opens the door … But one thing I can say about all our songs. They are mostly driven by love and unfulfilled expectations. Break down each problem in this world to its very core: and you’ll find love.
MiM: How did the idea of collaborating with Patty Gurdy on “Fur Immer Und Ewig” come about?
S: [Chris]: The idea for the song came from Simon and Tom came up with the idea of the female voice for the duet at some point while recording the song in the studio. We all liked the idea and since Simon was traveling with Patty, he showed her the song and she really liked it and thus agreed to record the song with us. We felt that her voice, whom we knew from “Patty Gurdys Circle”, would fit perfectly with our song here.
MiM: What plans do you have to promote this Album? Concerts or tours scheduled for this year?
S: [Chris]: Well we’re still kind of impacted by the pandemic situation. Thus we already had to postpone some of the few booked shows that were planned. We really hope that we can do a tour in the German-speaking area in the next few months and that we can hit some festivals in the summer. But at the moment it is really hard to get slots since they all postponed the lineups from the last years when the appointments were canceled. We will see.
MiM: Finally, I wanted you to feel free to share a few words with your fans and our readers?
S: [Tom]: In Germany, Spanish people are well known for their passion, temper, and love for good Rock and Metal-Music. From friends I heard about unbelievable great live shows where you guys were going crazy, partying and shouting along to the songs, and so on. Folks: we were working really hard on that album. We wanted to create a perfect Metal-album. And honestly: just for Metal-Maniacs like you. That’s a fact … (Well a little bit just for ourselves too :-) ) We can’t wait to play for you alive. And maybe have a couple of drinks with you after the show :-)
MiM: It has been a great pleasure to talk with the Power Metal band Silverlane. A big hug from Cuba!