Band Interview: Silent Saga
Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life are pleased to bring you an interview with symphonic/melodic metal band, Silent Saga.
1. How did you get started as a band?
RENATO (keyboards and guitar): We go all the way back to 2002, when we started playing in Brazil under the name of Amazon. After we relocated to Hamburg, Daniel and Carsten joined the band in 2017. They had been playing in the local scene for decades and were the perfect fit to the band’s music and style. We are now working on our second full length album under the current brand, and the 4th since we started in 2002. Back in Brazil, we had the chance to play with some of the greatest metal names in the country, like Shaman and Dr. Sin, and also as a support act for some of the world’s biggest FFM bands, like Nightwish and Epica.
2. How would you describe your sound?
Well, that’s always a hard question. We play metal with symphonic metal elements, so we normally say it’s symphonic metal. But some of our songs have more of an old school feel, heavy thrash metal riffs. In the end of the day, we are a female fronted metal band.
3. What bands/artists would you say have influenced your style of music?
We listen to a range of bands from 80s glam to symphonic and extreme metal, so it’s hard to pinpoint. I think that personally I have been very influenced by the early years of Nightwish and by Angra. Andre Matos is definitely a musician I look up to, as is Arjen Lucassen. Currently I am a big fan of bands like Amaranthe and Beast in Black.
4. Has the rise of YouTube & music streaming helped or hindered you as a band?
A bit of both I guess. These things flattened the curve a lot for new bands and reduced the distance between underground and mainstream acts, or big metal bands, so it’s way easier today to reach fans if you know how to use those tools. On the other hand, the amount of content out there became just massive, which is great for the listeners (ourselves included there) but for the bands it’s harder to stand out. And there’s also the remuneration part of it: unless you go full DIY and create a channel that you monetize and use to promote your band as a side gig, it’s very hard for a small/medium size band to make a reasonable income out of streaming. But there are workarounds for all that, there are options and it’s up to us – the bands, musicians, artists out there – to learn to explore them.
5. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?
Apart from the very regular things – movies and books -, I love building stuff and I really like cars, boats, planes, machines in general. Chances are you’ll find me messing around with tools or having long roadtrips. I think those are essential for my creativity, as they provide me not only the chance of experiencing new things but also the satisfaction and accomplishment feeling that fuel my passion for music. When you start researching about these things and their history, there’s so much challenge, so many journeys of people who had to overcome their own limitations to create these wonderful inventions we use on a daily basis and take for granted, and lots of these stories can turn to be great music!
6. What are your future plans musically? Tours?
We are working on new songs, a new EP is on the way and soon a full album. Regarding playing live, the situation is very uncertain currently, but that won’t stop us from keeping making music. So stay tuned to our latest news on our facebook page and our website, and don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter to get a free download and stay always up to date with Silent Saga’s releases!
Links
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
