Hi Hannes and welcome to Grande Rock. How do you feel that your new album “Shadowfall” is out and how are the fans’ reactions so far?
H: Hey Thanos, thanks for having us! The reactions have been really great! I think it’s the best one we have done so far.
What has happened these 4 years between your previous album and the new one?
H: Well, we were just about to head on tour when the covid hit us. It was quite devastating because we had been waiting for the tour so much. After that Nils, our previous singer, decided to leave the band and we went on looking for a new singer. But luckily, we found a perfect guy for the job. We used most of the time to write new music and to produce ”Shadowfall”.
Of course, the major thing was the singer change. How did that occur and how easy or not was to find a singer like Bruno Proveschi? He’s really impressive. Do you believe he complements the band’s music better?
H: Yes. It was not an easy task. In Finland there are not a lot of guys who can pull off our style of singing. It was a blessing that Bruno had just moved to Finland and was looking for a band. With Bruno we were able to write music that was not possible before and he can still sing the old songs really well live.
How did you approach songwriting for the new album? How did the choice to recruit a real choir come about?
H: This time we didn’t want to make a concept album, so the writing process was a bit different than with ”Mooncult”. We wanted to focus on making songs that work in the live situation better than ever. We have always used a real choir on our albums, so it was a natural decision to have it on ”Shadowfall” as well.
Have you had to make any adjustments to your recording or writing process due to the pandemic?
H: Not a lot. I guess the biggest change was that I had more time to focus on the songs and some of the songs were written without a lead singer in the band.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while recording this album? Did you try any new techniques or approaches?
H: There are always some challenges but this time everything went pretty smoothly. I think the orchestrations and the choir arrangements are one of the biggest tasks on our albums. There are so many small details and it takes a lot of time to get the samples to sound like they should sound.
How did you choose the title “Shadowfall” for the album? Is there any relation with the cover artwork?
H: We had some different ideas and that one felt best after some consideration. Idea with the cover art was that we have this powerful entity or a god like creature, who unleashes ”Shadowfall” on earth. So, it’s about the end of the world in a way.
Do give us a hint about each track… (just a line or two)
H: “Overture to Armageddon”: Epic orchestral intro for the album. Pounding drums, soaring brass and choir gets you perfectly in the mood for the rest of the album.
“Shadow of a Curse”: Solid opener with a catchy chorus and many great uptempo riffs.
“The Ones to Fall”: Epic power metal anthem with a huge sing-a-long chorus.
“Creatures of the Night”: Inspired by the ”The Shadow Over Innsmouth” novel, it creates a looming and eerie atmosphere that is perfect for the story. One of the most diverse songs on the album.
“Soul Reaver”: Fastest song we have ever written. Full on power metal attack!
“…And Then Comes Oblivion”: Our first real ballad, Bruno’s vocals really shine here.
“Nighthunter”: German heavy metal rocker with a massive chorus.
“Dusk of Dawn”: Starts slow and heavy but in the middle it transforms into a fast heavy metal piece with a nice Iron Maiden double lead guitar harmonies and solos.
“Falling Down”: Most traditional power metal song on the album. Great melodies and a lightning fast guitar solo.
“The Thirteen Nails”: The final epic song of the album, that takes us to the haunting ghost story of Sarah Winchester. It’s not just a heavy metal song, it’s a deep adventure into mystery.
The album was recorded, mixed and produced by you and Janne Saksa (Turisas, Battlelore, Cardiant, Mokoma, etc.), while the mastering was done by the renowned Svante Forsbäck (Amberian Dawn, Amorphis, Apocalyptica, Avatarium, Delain, etc.). What do you think of the final outcome? I believe this is your best production to date.
H: The album sounds absolutely great! We had the same team working on the ”Mooncult” album already but this time everyone really did an amazing job.
Are you satisfied with the collaboration you have with your current record label, Reaper Entertainment?
H: This is our second album with Reaper Entertainment and we couldn’t be happier with all the things they have done for us.
Do you think “Shadowfall” will help the band attract a broader metal audience? Is this the album that will push you to the next level?
H: Definitely yes. And we have already seen it. Touring with Stratovarius in Finland and with Twilight Force and Seven Spires in Europe was already a dream come true for us. We will continue working our asses off to get us to the level we deserve to be in.
What are your expectations from the new album and what do you wish to achieve with Silver Bullet over the next years?
H: I think we have already surpassed the expectations with the album. We would like to do many more tours and festival shows, while we write our next album.
How did the tour go? I’m sure it felt good to be back on the road after all of the covid limitations of the previous years.
H: Yeah! It felt really good. We waited almost three years for this tour to happen and like I said before, it was a dream come true for us.
Do you plan on doing some more live shows in the near future?
H: For sure! We have some shows in Finland now and we are gonna be playing Tuska Festival, Kuopiorock and Vahantarock next summer.
It’s time for our “Strange Questions”!!! How did you come up with the name Silver Bullet initially?
H: We were just throwing names around and I guess it was our former bass player, who came up with the name Silver Bullet. We all liked it and rest is history.
Is there a particular book you can’t recommend enough?
H: ”The Redemption of Althalus” by David and Leigh Eddings.
Top new (or old) TV series?
H: I like so many but ”Dexter” is something that I always like to watch.
How have you been coping with the challenges and uncertainties brought on by the pandemic?
H: Of course. I also work as a sound engineer, so the pandemic hit me really hard. I didn’t only lose all the shows with Silver Bullet. but also my day job. But let’s hope it’s now behind us and we can get back to normal.
Are “social media” a “compulsory part” of music biz these days or bands, artists & labels can do without them as well?
H: Unfortunately they are. Everything is on the internet now and as a band, promoting your stuff through social media is one of the most important things now.
What are those things that you do not like in the music industry nowadays?
H: Biggest thing I hate about the music industry is that the actual music does’’t have any real value anymore. Of course, there are still people buying CDs and Vinyls, but most of the people are listening to the playlist from streaming services and that doesn’t really give any money to the artists. Also touring has become really expensive, so even if bands would like to tour more, sometimes it’s just not possible.
What do you think about the “downloading & streaming issue” of our time? Do you prefer the streaming services more or not?
H: It’s a difficult thing. With streaming services you can get a lot of exposure. But the problem is that there are so many great bands fighting for the same space. People want to find new bands and new music all the time, but when there is so many options it’s hard to find something that you really love.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words:
H: Rockstar: Rob Halford
Power Metal: Rhapsody
Eurovision: Lordi
Music Realities: Not my cup of tea.
Fill in the phrase… “Power Metal wouldn’t have evolved the way it did, if it hadn’t been for…”
H: Helloween…
Which are the best 3 Power Metal albums of all time according to you?
H: Blind Guardian – ”Nightfall In Middle-Earth”
Rhapsody – ”Symphony Of Enchated Lands”
Iced Earth – ”Horror Show”
Which is that band that you’d like to be part of (any time & era)?
H: Judas Priest in the 80’s.
Which do you consider to be the best male vocalist in metal history?
H: Russell Allen is one of my all time favorite singers.
Which is the composer/songwriter who influenced metal music the most?
H: Tony Iommi invented heavy metal, so who else could it be?!
If you had the opportunity to invite any musician, living or dead, to play on your album whom would you choose and why?
H: I would love to have Ronnie James Dio sing one of our songs.
If you had the chance to travel in time… where would you choose to go? To the past or the future and why?
H: I have always been into history, but travelling to the future, maybe 100 years from now, would be really interesting. I am sure that everything would be totally different and I could make a lot of money knowing what’s gonna happen!
What are your thoughts on AI? It appears to have taken over the world in the last 2-3 months in every aspect of our lives, and this is only the beginning.
H: It’s interesting but a bit scary at the same time. I am sure it’s the future of things in many industries and many jobs will be lost because AI will do it better and more efficiently. We just need to adapt to the technology and hope that it makes our lives better in the end.
That’s all for now Hannes. Thank you very much for talking to Grande Rock webzine. Just say anything you feel like saying before we close… take care dude!
H: Thanks for the interview! For the readers… go and check out ”Shadowfall”, if you like melodic metal, you will not be disappointed! Stay metal everyone!
