Silent Angel returns to Japan with their Unyielding 2024 tour, marking the album's first anniversary. We spoke with band members Claudia Beltrame and Eric Poon about the journey and upcoming plans.
1. First off, congratulations on the Japan leg of
your Unyielding 2024 tour! What are you most excited about for this tour,
especially with it being the first anniversary of Unyielding, Unrelenting?
Claudia : Thank
you, Jon! It will be special for us to perform again in Kuala Lumpur a year
after the release, since we think we’ve been contributing significantly to
bring attention to the metal scene in Malaysia, that’s still made up mostly by
underground bands and still has a great potential to grow and reach a wider
audience. The most exciting leg will be the one in Japan, because it’s been a
long time since we went there and we can’t wait to approach our Japanese fans,
who are renowned for being quite warm and cheering towards artists. We are
surely going to enjoy our shows there!
Eric : Thanks for
wishes and this interview opportunity Jon! The Malaysian leg of the Japan tour
will serve as a springboard for us to build up our momentum for the Japan tour.
Since Silent Angel is the one and only female fronted Symphonic Power Metal band
in Malaysia, it’s safe to say that this genre is ultra niche. We have however,
built up some following since the release of Unyielding, Unrelenting and it’ll
be a good chance for us to do this show as a thanks to our friends and
supporters in Malaysia.
Personally, I am
most stoked about returning to Japan. On this side of the globe, Japan has
shown tremendous support for our style of music. Our previous tours of Japan
has shown us that Silent Angel’s music will flourish and be very well received
by the Japanese audience. It’s like a homecoming for me.
2. Silent Angel has a rich history, originally forming in 2000 and reforming in
2015. How has the band evolved musically and personally since its inception?
Oh, it has
definitely evolved and grown by leaps and bounds since our inception.
Musically, it has evolved to a point where it’s become a melting pot of various
musical elements while trying to stay true to the roots of power and symphonic
metal. It has become close to how I had envisioned it years ago, but there’s
always room to improve, mature and grow with the next release and so on. This
is also due to the fact that we have a solid lineup in which every member is
passionate about this genre
3. Claudia Beltrame, you're now fronting the band
as the sole vocalist on this tour. How do you approach bringing the band's
symphonic and power metal sound to life in a live setting?
I can count on
almost ten years’ worth of live shows with metal bands in my home country, so
even though I am very excited for my very first Asian tour, I am quite
confident about our upcoming live performances.This is probably the heaviest of
the bands I have been in, so it’s challenging for my voice but since I’ve been
preparing for some time, vocally and physically, I know that we all we’ll be up
to task and even more, we’ll definitely have a good time on stage together.
We’ll also be rehearsing before flying to Japan, so there will be time to
adjust every little detail.
4. Your album Unyielding, Unrelenting has
resonated with fans across the globe. What themes or messages from the album do
you think have connected most strongly with listeners?
Claudia : After
what happened globally in the last five years, especially the pandemic and the
Ukraine war, our fans could probably relate to the themes of keeping strong in
face of adversities and the uncertainty of the future, that are very explicit
in most of our tracks and are usually vivid in the power metal imagery.
Eric : The album
took many years to complete due to lineup changes and the subsequent pandemic
and war that halted progress for the longest time. But in the face of
adversity, we had soldiered on strongly to create and release an album that
we’re truly proud of. In the entirety of the experience has reinforced my
message to our listeners to never ever give up despite overwhelming odds and to
always keep the faith strong.
5. The band draws influence from Japanese metal, and you’ve toured Japan before. How
does the Japanese metal scene compare to other places you've performed, and
what makes it special for Silent Angel?
I have always had
deep admiration for Japanese bands for the longest time, particularly from bands like X-Japan and Galneryus. The
metal scene in Japan is awesome! From what I have experienced, they are very
helpful and supportive of each other and genuinely receptive and appreciative
of Silent Angel’s music. What makes them standout is also their extremely high
level of skill and musicianship, discipline and dedication to the craft which
makes them world-class musicians in my book. I have seen and shared the stage
with unknown bands and they deliver the same level of professionalism, skill
and showmanship equalling the level of world famous bands.
As I’m based in
Malaysia, a lot of the shows we have done in the past are centered in that
region. Symphonic Power Metal in Malaysia is a relatively niche genre which
leads to a smaller audience turnout at our shows. But, it’s slowly but surely
growing. However, Japan is a different story entirely. Our music thrives very
strongly in Japan. It goes without saying that Japan holds a very special place
in my heart when I think about doing tours and shows there.
6. Eric
Poon, you’ve been a key part of the band's songwriting and lyrical process. Can
you talk about the creative journey behind Unyielding, Unrelenting? What were
the biggest challenges you faced while crafting the album?
I have been
writing songs and lyrics for a very long time now. At this time of writing, I
would say that it’s coming close to 30 years that I’ve been doing this. Some of
the songs like Descent Into Infinity was written back in 1998 but I had never
recorded it until the reformation of the band. Most of the material in the
album was written between 2015 to 2020. For this album, as the sole songwriter
and lyricist as I had a certain direction of how I wanted the music to sound
like, I had to also step in as the producer and music director to guide the
rest of the band on how I visualized the flow of the songs like the drum
patterns and rhythmic flow. That being said, every member has the creative
freedom to work out their parts to best suit the music. I would say that a big
challenge is adapting the song and key to best suit the vocal range of the
singer and as we’ve had quite a bit of a lineup shuffle over the years, we’ve
had to change up the key of some songs by a fair bit to suit the vocal range of
a new singer.
7. You have a number of powerful endorsements from
brands like Blackstar Amps, ZOOM and MusicNomad Guitar Care. How have these
partnerships contributed to the band’s sound and performance?
It has crafted,
shaped has become the defining factor in the sound of Silent Angel. Prior to
getting endorsed by Blackstar Amps and Zoom products, we were experimenting
with different amps and effects but nothing was really working out during the
early days of the recording process. And by a stroke of good fortune, CK Music
(the Malaysian Distributor for Blackstar Amps and Zoom) approached me and asked
if I was keen to endorse these brands as they had seen some video snippets of
me playing their products. I immediately said, Yes! without hesitation and the
rest is history. The products from these brands are also accompanying us on our
Japan tour and beyond.
8. Silent Angel had to pause recording due to the passing of your bass player. How
did this tragedy shape the band’s resilience and influence the completion of
your album?
It was a huge
shock when I received the news from a friend. It was a very hard pill to
swallow, but knowing full well that the music must go on, we brought in Dauz,
who is also a monster of a bass player and a bonafide metalhead. In that very
respect, we maintained the bass tracks that was previously recorded by our late
bass player, Kelly, as a tribute to his memory and musical contribution to the
album.
9. With the symphonic power metal genre evolving
over the years, how do you ensure that Silent Angel remains fresh and
innovative while still staying true to your roots?
Claudia : We
believe that the catchiness of a composition can withstand the test of time as
long as it's arranged and produced according to modern taste. That way, old
songs and new can coexist in harmony inside the same album. That’s what
basically happened with “Unyielding, Unrelenting”.
We also think
that from now on the voice should be central to the composition process,
meaning it should be tailored to the current frontwoman to ensure an even
better overall sound and effectiveness.
Eric : Elements
of this genre of music ranges from a very high energy level that couples up
with strong expressions to melancholic and sorrowful emotions and that leads to
having the music written in a way that is melodically sound and is capable of
pulling at the heartstrings of the listeners. This style of music is very
guitar and vocal driven which benefits
from old school recording methods to draw out that raw feel and drive of the
music and refined with modern mixing and mastering techniques.
10. Finally, after this tour, what are Silent Angel’s plans moving forward? Should we
expect new music or collaborations on the horizon?
Claudia : We are
already laying the foundations for a new album, so you have to expect new music
in the future. We have plans to tour
additional countries and perform in some festivals. We’ll be updating our fans
on our social media so they can know what’s coming next.
Eric : Moving
forward, we’re working on new material for the next album and the plan is to
head into the studio next year to record after we sort out and finalize the
music and lyrical arrangement. At the same time, we’re also working and
discussing with some Japanese promoters on doing a second part of the Japan
tour next year just before we work on the second album. Also, we’re
consolidating our lineup and directing our focus in just having Claudia as our
sole singer as we believe that it would be more effective and efficient in the
long run.
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