SILENTIUM
By Falber Teles • Mar 24th, 2009 • Category: Interviews
SOURCEWEBZINE – The occasion for this interview is the release of your 5th album, “Amortean”, which has been out in Europe for a while and just released in the USA and South America. Have you had a good response from the press and your fans?
Riina Rinkinen (V) – The reviews have varied alot. Some really love it, some not at all. I suppose it is an album that requires a bit of effort from the listener as well, but that’s the way I like it. The new songs work awesomely well when played live, great responses from gigs, which for me personally, is really important.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Can you tell our readers how this new album was developed and how much time the band has put in this album?
Riina Rinkinen (V) – All in all, composing the songs, rehearsing and making the album took roughly two years. The studio part being the shortest. This album differed from the last one, because on “Amortean” there are songs written by both Sami and Juha, and the last one is written by me and Sami. On “Seducia” all the songs were written by Sami. Because of that the process was more scattered, per say, than before.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Have you filmed any videos for this new CD?
Riina Rinkinen (V) – Unfortunatelly our record company hasn’t been able to find funds for that.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Your band’s sound can be hard to categorize. Has it evolved over the years, or has it been pretty constant?
Riina Rinkinen (V) – Sure it has evolved. But I love it about Silentium, that throughout the albums, there is a distinctive style and sound that is ours.
SOURCEWEBZINE – MySpace is a huge resource for bands in the 21st century. How has MySpace helped you get known and reach new fans?
Riina Rinkinen (V) – MySpace has helped us alot. “Amortean” was actually ‘Artist of the Week’ on finnish MySpace, we posted the whole new album for pre-listening for a week and got an amazing amount of responses.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Since you’re a band with such a strong presence on the Internet, and the album did well anyway, does it bother you when people ‘illegally’ download your music?
Riina Rinkinen (V) – What do you mean did well anyway? On this matter, I can’t speak for anyone but myself. As a truly music-addicted person, I want to have my cd’s and LP’s. I NEED to have them. I love them. Even if I did at first come across a band that I really liked and that meant something to me by downloading their music, I would eventually buy their album.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Do you think mainstream music listeners will ever appreciate bands like Silentium?
Riina Rinkinen (V) – Good question. You don’t want to under-estimate people. It’s kind of hard to define what is a “main stream music listener”. At least here in Finland metal is getting kind of mainstream too. You could turn this around and ask, if I appreciate mainstream music. And I do. A good song is a good song, no matter what.
SOURCEWEBZINE – What do you do in your ordinary life to make a living? Would you rather do music full-time if you were given the possibility?
Riina Rinkinen (V) – We have a wide spread of professions in our band. Jari is a finnish army liutenant, Sami makes music for a living, Juha is an engineer, Toni works at a computer firm and runs his own security business and Matti, he studies archeology and history and also works with the handicapped. I used to do that too, now I work with a finnish Professor of Plastic Surgery at his hospital. I handle media contacts and work as his personal assistant, among other things. And the answer is yes, yes I would. Wouldn’t have to think for a second.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Can you write us something more about living in Finland ?
Riina Rinkinen (V) – Well, it’s dark and cold. Now we’re headed for the spring which is good, because that means that summer comes next. And that is when you want to be in Finland! I love it here, but I have to admit, the long winters can get to you.
SOURCEWEBZINE – What are your 3 high points so far in your musical career?
Riina Rinkinen (V) – When I had the chance to sing ‘Parisienne Moonlight’ with Danny Cavanaugh, when we supported Stream of Passion/Ayreon, I absolutely love Arjen Lucassens music and now this January when we played Tavastia here in Helsinki. It’s a legendary place that, at least for me, does present a kind of a milestone. The guys had played there before with Silentium, but I wasn’t in the band at the time.
SOURCEWEBZINE – What band do you think is most critical to the success of todays’ Metal scene?
Riina Rinkinen (V) – Persevierence. Because there are so many amazing people forming amazing bands that the competition is just so hard. You need to really believe in what you do and keep at it.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Any final words for our readers?
Riina Rinkinen (V) – I can’t wait to come to Brazil.
Falber Teles
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