Members
Official lineup
- Nattramn (1998–2001) – vocals
- Andreas Casado (1995–2001) – guitars, bass
Session musicians
- Jonas Mattsson – drums (demo, 1998)
- Steve Wolz – drums (studio album, 2001)
Chronology
Silencer | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Genres | DSBM |
| Years active | 1995–2001 |
| Labels | Prophecy Productions [1] |
| Members | Nattramn Andreas Casado |
Silencer was a Swedish black metal band. Based in Stockholm, the group formed in 1995 and disbanded in 2001 releasing only one full-length album and a demo. [2] [3] With lyrics revolving around death, misanthropy, insanity, [3] [4] the group, which consisted of only two official members, [3] was noted for its vocalist, Nattramn, who possessed an eerie screeching vocal style and was allegedly insane. It was speculated that Nattramn was admitted to a psychiatric ward following the release of their full-length album Death - Pierce Me .
Despite their short musical career, Silencer is considered to be one of the most significant bands in the depressive/suicidal black metal subgenre, having achieved a cult following in the black metal underground. The band has never performed live or given any official interviews. [5]
Silencer was formed in 1995 as a solo project of guitarist/bassist Andreas Casado, under the pseudonym Leere. At some point prior to 1998, Nattramn was enlisted as the band's vocalist and lyricist.
In late 1998, with the help of session drummer Jonas Mattsson, Silencer released their first professional demo, which was composed of a single, eleven-minute song titled "Death - Pierce Me".
In July 2000, Silencer began recording their album Death - Pierce Me (2001), which was released by Prophecy Productions. Recording sessions included a total of three members performing on the album, which included Steve Wolz (Bethlehem and Imperia) playing drums. [1] The album also included a re-recording of the "Death - Pierce Me" demo song as the opening track.
The song "Sterile Nails and Thunderbowels" had a promotional video released for it, which features footage from the 1989 experimental horror film Begotten by E. Elias Merhige. [6]
Following the release of Death - Pierce Me, it is speculated that Nattramn was institutionalised at Sankt Sigfrids sjukhus (English: "Saint Sigfrid's Hospital"), a mental hospital located in Växjö, although there is no conclusive evidence to support this. In 2007, he released a dark ambient solo album called Transformalin, under the project name Diagnose: Lebensgefahr (roughly translated from German as "Diagnosis: Mortal Danger"). Nattramn released a book, Grishjärta (meaning "pig's heart" in Swedish), in 2011, a limited edition work containing his artwork and poetry, and a small selection of new photographs of him – albeit with his face obscured. These, and his promotional photographs from his time in Silencer, in which his face is also obscured, are the only publicly available photographs of Nattramn.
The other member, guitarist/bassist/songwriter Andreas "Leere" Casado, went on to join Shining between 2005 and 2006, under the mononym "Casado". He contributed lyrics to the song "Eradication of the Condition" from the album IV – The Eerie Cold . [7] In 2006, he worked with the band Zavorash, as composer of the song "Worthlessness" from the album Nihilistic Ascension & Spiritual Death as Andreas Casado. [7]
The Haunted is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1996. The original members were Anders and Jonas Björler, Peter Dolving, Adrian Erlandsson and Patrik Jensen. Both of the Björler brothers and Erlandsson were members of the seminal melodic death metal band At the Gates, a pioneering force in the Swedish death metal scene.
Skyfire is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Höör, Skåne County. Formed in 1995, its initial lineup comprised Andreas Edlund (guitar), Martin Hanner, Jonas Sjögren (guitar) and Tobias Björk (drums). The band's lineup has significantly changed since its inception.
Kalmah is a Finnish melodic death metal band from Pudasjärvi that formed in 1998. In less than a year after its formation, Kalmah was signed by Spinefarm Records. The word "kalmah" is Karelian and could be translated as "to the grave" or "to the death".
Barathrum is a Finnish black-doom metal band, formed in 1990. The band's name is Latin for pit or abyss. The first letters of their eight full-length albums spell "HEIL SOVA" - referring to the band's frontman, Demonos Sova, who is the only original member of the band. Their music is stylistically similar to early black metal acts such as Venom and Celtic Frost. Their lyrics deal with occult and religious themes.
Tankard is a German thrash metal band from Frankfurt, founded in 1982. Alongside Kreator, Destruction and Sodom, Tankard is often considered one of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal. Stylistically, Tankard have consistently played thrash metal that thematically centres primarily on alcohol reverence, unlike the remaining "Big Teutonic Four", who are all known for covering such topics related to death, politics, violence and anti-fascism.
Grave is a Swedish death metal band that was formed in 1988 by vocalist and guitarist Ola Lindgren who is their only constant member. The band had particular success in the early 1990s, and their first four albums, Into the Grave, You'll Never See..., Soulless and Hating Life, cemented their reputation as one of Sweden's foremost death metal bands. Grave went on hiatus in 1997, but got back together two years later. Since then, they have released seven more albums, making a total of eleven studio albums. Along with Dismember, Entombed and Unleashed, Grave is considered one of the "big four" of Swedish death metal.
Runemagick is a Swedish death/doom band formed in 1990. The band was started by Nicklas "Terror" Rudolfsson under the name Desiderius, which was quickly changed to Runemagic. First, the band consisted solely of Rudolfsson, but he was later joined by Robert "Reaper" Pehrsson. They started out as a pure death metal band but later incorporated doom metal influences, inspired by the likes of Bathory, Treblinka/Tiamat, Celtic Frost, Nihilist/Entombed, and Candlemass.
Agathodaimon are a gothic/symphonic black metal band from Mainz, Germany. Their early material can be categorized as Symphonic Black Metal and their later musical pieces can be categorized as Gothic/Black Metal.
The Crown is a Swedish death metal/thrash metal band from Trollhättan, active from 1990 to 2004 and again since 2009.
Absurd is a German black metal band that has been classified as a "right-wing extremist" group by the Thuringian Landesbehörde für Verfassungsschutz.
Bethlehem is a German extreme metal band from Grevenbroich, formed in 1991 by Jürgen Bartsch and Klaus Matton. Before starting Bethlehem, Bartsch and Matton used to play in a German thrash metal band Morbid Vision. Many of their lyrics revolve around sickness, morbidity, suicide, death and madness, and may to some extent be personal to the band.
James Owen Sullivan, also known by his stage name The Rev, was an American musician, best known as a founding member of the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, where he played drums, piano and provided backing and co-lead vocals. He was also the lead vocalist/pianist in the avant-garde metal band Pinkly Smooth and drummer for the ska punk band Suburban Legends from 1998 to 1999.
Shining is a Swedish black metal band, formed by Niklas Kvarforth in Halmstad in 1996.
No-Big-Silence, originally known as Aggressor, is an Industrial metal/rock band from Estonia.
Centinex is a Swedish death metal band formed in 1990. They disbanded on 12 April 2006. They were scheduled to perform their final concert at an already booked show in Eskilstuna, Sweden, on 13 May 2006, but later cancelled. Some of the members went on to form the death metal band Demonical. In January 2014, Centinex was reformed.
Immortal Souls is a melodic death metal band from Kokkola, Finland, formed in 1991. They released a split album and their debut on Little Rose Productions in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002, Immortal Souls signed with Dutch label Fear Dark which released their second and third album as well as a compilation. They have performed at Tuska Open Air Metal Festival. Their musical style is characterized by their use of melodic guitar riffs and singing which shifts between growls and shouting. Their music has been called winter metal since Immortal Souls utilizes frosty metaphors in their lyrics and usually creates a cold, wintry atmosphere. The album Wintereich was released in 2007 in Europe on Dark Balance and in the USA through Facedown Records.
Sadist is an Italian death metal band formed in Genoa, Italy, in January 1991. It debuted with Black Screams in 1991, then released three albums. The band went on hiatus after releasing the album Lego in 2000. They reunited in 2005 and released their self-titled album in 2007. Sadist has released three more albums since then. In total, the band has released nine albums and one EP. They are currently signed to Scarlet Records. Guitarist and keyboardist, Tommy Talamanca, has been a constant member throughout the band's existence, as the main composer and co-producer of their musical output. Trevor Nadir has been the main singer of the band since 1996.
Pantokrator is a Swedish Christian metal band that was formed in 1996. The band's name means "Lord Almighty" in Ancient Greek. Several members have been in Crimson Moonlight and Sanctifica.
Nattramn is a Swedish musician and author. He is best known for his vocal performance in the band Silencer. On Silencer's sole album, Death - Pierce Me, Nattramn used a bizarre style consisting of high-pitched shrieking and other extreme vocal techniques, allegedly exacerbated by self-harming while recording.
Death – Pierce Me is the only studio album by Swedish black metal act Silencer. Considered to be a cult classic, the album is a landmark of the depressive suicidal black metal genre.
