1) Silentium is a gothic metal band whose songs often talk about love, pain, sorrow, and yearning. The band formed in Jämsänkoski, Finland in 1995. The band currently consists of Riina Rinkinen (female vocals), Juha Lehtioksa (guitars), Toni Lahtinen (guitars), Matti Aikio (bass, vocals), Sami Boman (keyboards, vocals), and Jari Ojala (drums).
Silentium's first demos and EPs have been released in tape format, and their albums have only been released in Europe and some Asian countries, although Silentium's last single (Dead Silent) has been uploaded to some Finnish music legal sites to download worldwide.
The story of Silentium goes back to December 1995 into the ashes of a death metal/gothic metal band called Funeral. From the remains of Funeral, keyboardist Sami Boman and original vocalist Matti Aikio created Silentium by adding violin player Jani Laaksonen, guitarists Toni Lahtinen & Juha Lehtioksa and drummer Jari Ojala into the line-up. Silentium's first recording was the four-song-demo-tape "Illacrimó" which was released in the end of year 1996. Their second, six-song Ep-tape "Caméne Misera" was released in 1998 and featured female vocals by Tiina Lehvonen who then became a permanent member of the band. This second tape caught the attention of Sami Tenetz who was at the time setting up his record label Spikefarm. After some negotiations Silentium signed a deal with Spikefarm and their first Spike-release "Infinita Plango Vulnera" in 1999 had the honor of becoming Spikefarm's first CD, NAULA001. The record also introduced the new drummer, Janne Ojala.
"Infinita Plango Vulnera" got extremely good feedback, pleasing goths worldwide, as did its successors, the 2001 CD "Altum" and Altum's little sister, the "SI.VM E.T A.V.VM" mini-CD.
Silentium headed to the Walltone studios of Savonlinna, Finland in January 2003 to record their third full-length album "Sufferion: Hamartia of Prudence". This was the first time they decided to use a non-member producer for their album: Tuomas Holopainen of Nightwish. "I felt I needed an outsider's view for my songs and Tuomas crossed my mind. He's definitely one of the greatest song writers in the scene, and has also showed interest towards our music. While Nightwish was on a break, he also had the time and the passion to do this project.", says Sami. Before the recordings took place Silentium suffered a major setback: Tiina Lehvonen took a time-out from Silentium for personal reasons. The leading part of Prudence in "Sufferion: Hamartia of Prudence" was then given to Anna Ilveskoski, and a second female vocalist Maija Turunen (ex-Avernal Oath) was also asked to join the recording process. Mixing of the album was done in February 2003 by Walltone's Tuomo Valtonen and Tuomas Holopainen. "Sufferion: Hamartia of Prudence" was then finished by Mika Jussila at Finnvox studios, and the results are unlike anything heard on the field of melodic goth and doom before. It is not just a melodic metal work, it's also a theatrical music experience, a tale of the star-crossed lovers Antracone and Prudence written and performed by Silentium in a true Shakespearean style.
In 2004, drummer Janne Ojala announced he's got a lack of motivation and is leaving the band. Also Jani Laaksonen and Anna Ilveskoski, who already gained the status of permanent vocalist, left and the whole band lived on the edge for awhile. But the guys didn't want to give up and the help was found surprisingly near; the original drummer Jari Ojala was willing to join in again and Riina Rinkinen (ex-Caledonian) joined to replace Anna. Anna, Janne, and Jani were later known to form their new band Evilion.
Silentium's fourth studio album, "Seducia", was released in Finland on January 25, 2006, worldwide on January 27, 2006 and in Germany, Austria & Switzerland on April 23, 2006. It is their first album which features the appearance of the new female singer Riina Rinkinen. The album has so far spawned two singles: Frostnight and Dead Silent.
Official site: http://www.silentivm.com
2) SiLENTiUM is an Indonesian folk ballad band. Founded in Jakarta, SiLENTiUM started with Zen (guitar), CJC (vocal), Aristo (bass) and Bentar (percussion). They described their musical genre as minor/light and cited REM, Pearl Jam, Iwan Fals, Live, Death Cab for Cutie and Bimbo as their influences. Their musical style derived from minimalist acoustical guitar, bass and percussion with socio-cultural/political themed song lyric. SiLENTiUM released their debut record as a part of Sang Pemimpi movie soundtrack latter in 2009. By March 2010, SiLENTiUM released EP titled Post Scriptum, with 6 songs. The first single was Lawan, released earlier in February 2010.
3) Silentium is a black metal (early) and dark ambient (later) act from Vologda, Russia, formed in 1996. Later became Binan Ath.
4) Silentium is an ambient / dungeon synth project from Ukraine, formed in 1988 by Vladislav "Munruthel" Redkin (also member of Crystaline Darkness, Finist, Коло, Munruthel, Nokturnal Mortum, Piorun, Suppuration, Thunderkraft, Вече). A demo tape titled "The Ancients' Wisdom" was released in 1995.
5) Silentium was a black metal band from Berlin, Germany formed in 1993. Released a 5-track demo in 1994.
Forever Sleep
Silentium Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Angel Who Betrayed Me
Angel Who Offered Me My Cross to Bear
Life Is Full of Agony
Life Is Full of Hate and Pain
Better Off is Child Who'll Never Breath
In Forever Sleep
In a Dream I Hear You Cry
You're With Me Every Night
Whenever You're Suffering, You're Pain Is With Me
All the Hate That Fills the Air
All the Pain We Call Our Lives
Better Off is Child That I've Never Seen
The lyrics to Silentium's song Forever Sleep paint a picture of the dual nature of life as both beautiful and terrible. The song acknowledges the existence of love, but also acknowledges the presence of hate and pain in the world. The lines "Angel Who Seduced Me, Angel Who Betrayed Me, Angel Who Offered Me My Cross to Bear" speak to the idea of temptation, betrayal, and sacrifice. The insight to pull from these lyrics is that life is not always what it seems; sometimes the things we think are good for us can lead us astray.
The lyrics' imagery of Forever Sleep suggests peace and release from the pain and emotions of life. It can be interpreted as a call to rest, sleep, and dream away from the constant turmoil of being alive. The child in the lyrics represents innocence and pureness in contrast to the darkness and cruelty of reality. The lines "Better Off is Child Who'll Never Breathe" and "Better Off is Child That I've Never Seen" symbolize that it is better to have never existed than to endure a life of constant suffering.
Interestingly, the song's title, Forever Sleep, is often associated with death, but the lyrics mention dreaming. This could suggest that the song is more about mental escape than a physical one. The lyrics' ambivalence to life and death makes it a poignant anthem on the value of human existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Angel Who Seduced Me
Referring to a person or force that tempted and led the singer astray
Angel Who Betrayed Me
Referring to a person or force that turned against the singer and caused them harm
Angel Who Offered Me My Cross to Bear
Referring to a person or force that gave the singer a burdensome responsibility or challenge to face
Life Is Full of Agony
Life is filled with intense physical or emotional suffering
Life Is Full of Hate and Pain
Life is filled with intense negative emotions and experiences
Better Off is Child Who'll Never Breath
It's better for a child to never be born than to live in a world full of agony, hate, and pain
In Forever Sleep
In eternal rest, peace, or death
Dream On My Child
May you find comfort and solace in your dreams, child
In a Dream I Hear You Cry
The artist hears the child's pain and suffering in their dreams
You're With Me Every Night
The memory or image of the child stays with the artist every night
Whenever You're Suffering, You're Pain Is With Me
The singer feels the child's pain when they are suffering
All the Hate That Fills the Air
The world is full of negative emotions and conflicts
All the Pain We Call Our Lives
Everyone experiences suffering and hardship in their lives
Better Off is Child That I've Never Seen
It's better for a child to never exist than to suffer in a world full of pain and hate
Contributed by Oliver O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.