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Waking
The Dead...With Dead Silent Slumber
By Tate Bengtson
Like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse engaging in all-out brawl
with Apollo, the Greek god of music, the sonic attack of Dead Silent
Slumber is simultaneously warmongering and grandiose, a dramatic
epic communicated in that most violent of languages that is extreme
metal. Toxic melodies and funereal atmospheres collide headlong
into the seething mass of relentless Swedish death metal that is
Dead Silent Slumber's full-length debut, Entombed in the Midnight
Hour (Hammerheart Records). A solo project masterminded by Naglfar
vocalist Jens Rydén, it is a slab of menacing heavy metal
that establishes itself on a firm musical foundation with its energetic
musicianship, excellent production, memorable songwriting, and the
overarching thematic exploration of the concept of raising the dead.
When asked why he decided to start Dead Silent Slumber and how this
new project will affect his relationship with Naglfar, Rydén
states that "Naglfar is my main band, and Dead Silent Slumber
is my main project. You see, both are equally important to me. I
decided to start a solo project in 1997 because I felt that I had
lots of musical ideas that would never fit [with a] Naglfar song.
In the meantime, I also rediscovered some older stuff that I had
written for Naglfar, [which was] never used. So I decided to use
that stuff as well. Later in 1998, I came up with the name Dead
Silent Slumber and at the same time I really started to put energy
into writing songs [for Dead Silent Slumber]." Part of the
reason why Rydén began work on this solo project was to "be
able to do everything on my own, the way I want it to be."
Rydén describes Dead Silent Slumber as a mixture of many
musical styles, which he boils down to the phrase "symphonic
horror death metal." In contrast to the black-death assault
of Naglfar, Dead Silent Slumber hammers the ears with "slower,
more atmospheric death metal," which deftly incorporates various
styles of extreme music into its charbroiled core. Bolstered by
a keyboard-driven frenzy of rhythmic and atmospheric violence that
is reminiscent of Samael circa Passage, Dead Silent Slumber unleashes
a series of tunes which feature an extremely tight level of interaction
between the percussion and the keyboards, particularly on the devastating
pair of opening tracks that kick off the album in memorably aggressive
fashion. Other tracks permit a traditional power metal appreciation
for melodic guitar soloing to slip into the mix, while the moody
title track, located midway through the album, boasts softly strummed
acoustic guitars, a cello, beautifully ominous female vocals, and
sinister whispered incantations that build the mood while offering
a temporary intermission in the musical aggression. Rydén
tastefully and strategically allows his creative juices to flow
across the spectrum of heavy metal, imbuing Dead Silent Slumber
with a confident, distinctive sound that will permanently scar your
eardrums.
While Entombed in the Midnight Hour is not a concept album in the
strictest sense of the word, it revolves around the theme of raising
the dead, a notion that has fascinated humanity throughout the ages.
From Voodoo rituals to the Biblical tale of Lazarus, the notion
of resisting the death knell and rejecting the natural course of
life has long occupied a key position in the consciousness of humanity.
Rydén imbues every aspect of Entombed... with this theme
by layering the commanding death metal with esoteric melodies, by
scripting lyrics of ritualistic darkness and death, and by creating
a cover that makes symbolic reference to Namtalliku, a demon from
the Necronomicon capable of resurrecting the dead.
One aspect of Dead Silent Slumber that may offend metal purists
is its use of keyboards, which intertwine hauntingly grandiose melodies
with buzzsaw guitar riffs in order to create a sound that would
not be out of place in a funeral parlor occupied by a particularly
rowdy assortment of your favourite musically inclined demonic characters.
When asked to respond to the contention that electronic instrumentation
dilutes the power of heavy metal, Rydén counters, "There
is nothing wrong with keyboards, as long as you use them in a good
way! I know of several bands that have keyboard players even though
it's not necessary, and then it just sounds shitty when the keyboardist
plays. But on the other hand there are bands that use keyboards
as the main instrument, like Samael -- what would their latest release
sound like without the keyboard? Probably like shit! I like the
keyboard because it inspires me to write music and also brings me
to another level in songwriting."
Prior to the release of Entombed... on Hammerheart Records, Rydén
unleashed a four-song promotional tape with the intention of generating
label interest in Dead Silent Slumber. Rydén recalls that
"the promo tape had four songs, two that are on the [full length]
album -- 'Reborn by the Seed of Death' and 'Lick the Wound' -- and
another two songs titled 'Like the Wind of Mysticism' and 'The Obnoxious
Sun,' [which] will probably appear on the next album." Rydén
notes that the music on the promotional tape was "basically
similar" to the full-length, although it lacked the quality
production of Entombed....
"I didn't send out that many copies of the promo tape,"
notes Rydén, "but I still got plenty of good reviews
in some fanzines and magazines. The main idea behind the promo tape
was to send it to labels so that I could get myself a record deal,
so I didn't bother to send it out to many magazines....but the response
was rather good anyway!"
Having recruited some of the top local talents to play on Entombed...,
Rydén does not plan to establish a permanent lineup for the
band, nor play live. "I will keep Dead Silent Slumber as my
solo project. That's why I formed it in the first place, and I'm
perfectly happy with it this way...things would probably just get
worse if I were to [introduce new] members to the band." As
for playing live, Rydén states that "I have no plans
whatsoever to play live with Dead Silent Slumber. I get enough of
that when we're touring with Naglfar. And also I think that some
of the songs are too complex to perform live. So I think it's best
that Dead Silent Slumber [remains] a studio project only."
While Rydén's main band, Naglfar, is currently writing new
songs and preparing to enter the studio in the spring to begin the
recording of what Rydén describes as "one hell of an
album," the multi-talented musician is also busy writing songs
for a second Dead Silent Slumber album, which will reportedly offer
up another menacing platter of symphonic horror death metal suitable
for raising the dead.
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