Sometimes, according to some experts, ‘’Silence’’ can be the best answer to avoid many difficult situations and ‘’Silence’’ is the best policy to deal with foolish individuals. But our guests today have nothing related to that kind of thing, since the purpose of this interview is going to take a completely different angle.
It’s about heavy metal, the power of music, and the beauty of music, as explained by a musician. Heavy metal is one rock genre apart from hard rock, gothic rock, power metal, black metal or whatever might under the rock category. This kind of genre is mostly based on distortion, noise, mind blowing jamming sessions, head bangs, mosh pits and crazy and enthusiastic crowds. The rock /heavy metal industry in Sri Lanka has come a long way, ever since its inception some years back , and some of them having even reached international status.
Heavy metal audience has increased in numbers, more bands have emerged and more youngsters are interested in joining this metal industry. Apart from the main bands which are established at the moment, several other bands have marked their place in the industry, with their talent and creativity. ‘’Silence of Loud ‘’ also known as ‘’SOL ‘’is an 80’s influenced Glam / Heavy Metal band hailing from Kandy, founded by guitarist Sachithra Jayawickrema in mid-2018. During their short inception, SOL has been able to rock the audiences with their music, and have participated at quite a number of gigs. Their biggest hits have been ‘’Awakashaye’’, ‘’Ninda’’ , Pain and Scream , plus Headband Theory. They do not stick only to one genre, according to their front man , Ashen.
They like to try out and experience and explore other genres too, such as Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Progressive metal, Alternative Rock, and Psychedelic, and thus have become a well-known name within the industry. These youngsters got their inspiration through rock bands such as Guns n Roses, Metallica, Queen, Iron maiden, Motley Crue, Pink Floyd etc . Another interesting point is they have already gone global by connecting with international people to release ‘’Pain and Scream ‘’ by getting down ‘’Machine’’ (Gene Freeman) who is an American rock and metal producer known for his work with Lamb of God, Fall Out Boy, Suicide Silence, Demon Hunter , assisted them in mixing the songs in ‘’Pain and Scream ‘’ , while “Steve Hall, Sound Engineer of `Alice in Chain’ and `Green day’ mastered `Ninda’ and `Awakashaye’ written and performed by SOL.
Their work has been praised by veteran artistes as well, and within a short period of time they have become one of the most sought after bands in Sri Lanka, bringing pride to the hill capital. Their main purpose is to promote Sinhala rock music and it’s amazing how they have invaded the music industry by creating their songs based on Sinhala lyrics as well. According to Ashen, they have two Sinhala songs while the rest is incorporated with English lyrics, based on the mass community .Though the Sinhala rock audience is somewhat limited, they also have given priority to bring Sinhala rock to the audience as well, for a change. They have succeeded, and in that context, ‘’songs such as ‘’Awakashaye ‘’, ‘’Ninda’’ has shown their creativity and talent, becoming hit numbers as a result.
The band consists of Sachithra Jayawickrama (Guitarist), Ashen Sandaru (Vocalist), Kavin Harshana (Guitarist), Sajith Sri (Bassist) and Kaveesha Karunarathne (Drummer). Today T&C is going heavy metal with SOL, and it’s front man, Ashen Sandaru , sat down for a chat with us to tell about their beginnings, experiences ,achievements and their way forward .
Excerpts:
Q: How did ‘Silence of Loud’ begin?
Looking back at 2018, Kandy had not hosted a heavy metal concert for quite some time. In fact, Kandy is a city that has endowed Sri Lankan rock music with talented musicians and bands. But over time, as music lovers moved away from concerts, we felt the need to organize as a band to bring back them to the venues.
Q: Was there any reason for the band to be named as ‘Silence of Loud’?
It was an idea that came to Sachithra Jayawickrema’s (guitarist) mind. He loved this name for a long time.
Q: How did you guys form as a band?
Ashen and Kavin Harshana have been friends for a long time. At Sachithra’s invitation, Ashen and Kavin joined the band as the vocalist and guitarist. Kavin and Sajith Sri have also been good friends for some time. It was Kavin who introduced Sajith to the band as the bass guitarist. Chanaka Chandrasiri (Jima) was our first drummer. On Ashen’s introduction, Sachithra added him to the band. After our first concert, Chanaka left the band on personal request. Then Kaveesha Karunaratne joined us as SOL drummer.
Q: What was your first performance as a band like?
It was a wonderful experience. Our first concert was held on June 2, 2018, at the Dharmaraja Auditorium in Kandy under the title ‘Adhimathara- A Melodic Ovedose”. Organized by Spiral Events, it was a really successful concert. It was a great experience for Kandy rock/ metal lovers who had not been able to watch a live hard rock/ heavy metal concert for a long time. Metalheads from all over the island attended.
Q: You are known as an 80’s style glam metal band.
Rock music is a deep subject with a long history.
Although a number of rock-related genres have emerged so far, fans still love the noise of the 70s and 80s. In that era, superb songs were created with the real sound of instruments. The other thing, that music is genuine. It is not overly digitized. That’s why people still love old songs. What we do with that inspiration is create something that fits this time. All of our players are listeners of different musical styles.
Q:How do you find the local rock / heavy metal audience?
Although not a huge audience, almost all rock fans in Sri Lanka are knowledgeable about music. They definitely appreciate the good. Wherever there is a concert or a gig in Sri Lanka, there are definitely people who come to it. The wealth we have earned is our audience. Creating an audience is not an easy task. They come to concerts only if something important happens to them. We should always be grateful to them for encouraging us. Thanks to those who started the art of rock music in this country before us.
Q:Recall the best moment of your music career as a band.
All the gigs we have attended since our first live performance have left us important and wonderful memories.
Q: Were there any inspirational figures that encouraged you guys to proceed with music?
The five of us entered the music industry at different times, separately. So the inspirations we got were. But as a band we are rightly inspired by bands like Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, Pink Floyd, Alter Bridge, Scorpions, Metallica, Iron Maiden etc.
Q: How has the present pandemic affected the heavy metal scene?
2020 is a year that the whole world has been waiting for. But at an unexpected moment, the whole world was stopped by the covid-19 virus. The organizers had to postpone a number of major concerts and gigs that we were hoping to perform. Also, many bands had to delay their schedules. Overall, this year has been a disappointing year for many musicians and bands.
Q: With the present situation, how do you guys proceed with music these days?
These days we are recording a few songs for our album. We are also getting ready to perform for UNCAGED, our first concert this year. It is organized by Suriya Brothers. And also few more special activities are being planned. We will let you know about that in the future.
Q: ‘’SOL ‘’mostly creates songs based on Sinhala lyrics. Is this an indication of promoting more Sinhala rock among the local audience?
Our album contains only two Sinhala songs. All other songs are written in English. Sinhala rock listeners are very limited. There is an urgent need for us to be more lyrically organized in order to integrate it into the mass community. Our band will take some important steps in the future.
Q: Who has supported you in this journey?
We have a number of people to thank. Thilak Jayawickrema and Jayawickrema (Sachithra’s parents) who unconditionally helps us on our journey, all parents of our band members because they are the silent heroes.
Jed Brewer (Burning House, Chicago), Steve Hall, Gene Freeman, and Chathuranga Ranadatta (Montage Recordings) have supported us. We would like to thank everyone, including Spiral Events, Suriya Brothers, Kandyan Underground, Royal Thaprobanian and our dear fans. We invite you to stay tuned for our debut album which is going to be released next year.
Q: How did ‘Silence of Loud’ begin?
Looking back at 2018, Kandy had not hosted a heavy metal concert for quite some time. In fact, Kandy is a city that has endowed Sri Lankan rock music with talented musicians and bands. But over time, as music lovers moved away from concerts, we felt the need to organize as a band to bring back them to the venues.
Q: Was there any reason for the band to be named as ‘Silence of Loud’?
It was an idea that came to Sachithra Jayawickrema’s (guitarist) mind. He loved this name for a long time.
Q: How did you guys form as a band?
Ashen and Kavin Harshana have been friends for a long time. At Sachithra’s invitation, Ashen and Kavin joined the band as the vocalist and guitarist. Kavin and Sajith Sri have also been good friends for some time. It was Kavin who introduced Sajith to the band as the bass guitarist. Chanaka Chandrasiri (Jima) was our first drummer. On Ashen’s introduction, Sachithra added him to the band. After our first concert, Chanaka left the band on personal request. Then Kaveesha Karunaratne joined us as SOL drummer.
Q: What was your first performance as a band like?
It was a wonderful experience. Our first concert was held on June 2, 2018, at the Dharmaraja Auditorium in Kandy under the title ‘Adhimathara- A Melodic Ovedose”. Organized by Spiral Events, it was a really successful concert. It was a great experience for Kandy rock/ metal lovers who had not been able to watch a live hard rock/ heavy metal concert for a long time. Metalheads from all over the island attended.
Q: You are known as an 80’s style glam metal band.
Rock music is a deep subject with a long history.
Although a number of rock-related genres have emerged so far, fans still love the noise of the 70s and 80s. In that era, superb songs were created with the real sound of instruments. The other thing, that music is genuine. It is not overly digitized. That’s why people still love old songs. What we do with that inspiration is create something that fits this time. All of our players are listeners of different musical styles.
Q: How do you find the local rock / heavy metal audience?
Although not a huge audience, almost all rock fans in Sri Lanka are knowledgeable about music. They definitely appreciate the good. Wherever there is a concert or a gig in Sri Lanka, there are definitely people who come to it. The wealth we have earned is our audience. Creating an audience is not an easy task. They come to concerts only if something important happens to them. We should always be grateful to them for encouraging us. Thanks to those who started the art of rock music in this country before us.
Q:Recall the best moment of your music career as a band.
All the gigs we have attended since our first live performance have left us important and wonderful memories.
Q: Were there any inspirational figures that encouraged you guys to proceed with music?
The five of us entered the music industry at different times, separately. So the inspirations we got were. But as a band we are rightly inspired by bands like Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, Pink Floyd, Alter Bridge, Scorpions, Metallica, Iron Maiden etc.
Q: How has the present pandemic affected the heavy metal scene?
2020 is a year that the whole world has been waiting for. But at an unexpected moment, the whole world was stopped by the covid-19 virus. The organizers had to postpone a number of major concerts and gigs that we were hoping to perform. Also, many bands had to delay their schedules. Overall, this year has been a disappointing year for many musicians and bands.
Q: With the present situation, how do you guys proceed with music these days?
These days we are recording a few songs for our album. We are also getting ready to perform for UNCAGED, our first concert this year. It is organized by Suriya Brothers. And also few more special activities are being planned. We will let you know about that in the future.
Q: ‘’SOL ‘’mostly creates songs based on Sinhala lyrics. Is this an indication of promoting more Sinhala rock among the local audience?
Our album contains only two Sinhala songs. All other songs are written in English. Sinhala rock listeners are very limited. There is an urgent need for us to be more lyrically organized in order to integrate it into the mass community. Our band will take some important steps in the future.
Q: Who has supported you in this journey?
We have a number of people to thank. Thilak Jayawickrema and Jayawickrema (Sachithra’s parents) who unconditionally helps us on our journey, all parents of our band members because they are the silent heroes.
Jed Brewer (Burning House, Chicago), Steve Hall, Gene Freeman, and Chathuranga Ranadatta (Montage Recordings) have supported us. We would like to thank everyone, including Spiral Events, Suriya Brothers, Kandyan Underground, Royal Thaprobanian and our dear fans. We invite you to stay tuned for our debut album which is going to be released next year.
