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.
Hangman's Lullaby
Silentium Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hold your head up now
Just hold me tight
We still have tonight
Sing, my lady, sing
Don't stop humming now
Come, close your eyes
Lit the night with your smile
Charm me again
With those emerald eyes
Charm me again
Hangman's lullaby
Swing, my baby, swing
Come close your eyes
Won't stop humming now
We still have tonight
Lit the night with your smile
Charm me again
With those emerald eyes
Charm me again
Hangman's lullaby
Everything will be fine
And now it's time, kiss me, goodnight
Charm me again
With those emerald eyes
Charm me again
Hangman's lullaby
The lyrics to Silentium's Hangman's Lullaby depict a dark and eerie scene. The singer is trying to comfort their loved one in the face of impending doom by encouraging them to laugh, sing and hold on tight. The "hangman's lullaby" is used as a metaphor for death, and the chorus is the plea of someone who is clinging to hope despite the inevitable.
The verse "Lit the night with your smile" is particularly haunting, suggesting that even in the darkest moments, there may still be a glimmer of light. However, this glimmer of hope is quickly overshadowed by the repeat of "hangman's lullaby." The desperate need for comfort is evident through the repetition of the verses throughout the song.
Despite the macabre nature of the song, it is truly captivating. The lyrics evoke a sense of foreboding that is both mesmerizing and unsettling. It is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, it is human nature to seek solace and comfort.
Line by Line Meaning
Laugh, my darling, laugh
I want you to put on a happy face even though we are facing a dark reality
Hold your head up now
Don't let this situation break you, stay hopeful
Just hold me tight
Let's find comfort in each other's arms
We still have tonight
Let's live in the moment and cherish what time we have left together
Sing, my lady, sing
Distract yourself from the thoughts of the impending doom with your beautiful voice
Don't stop humming now
Keep singing and let the music take you away
Come, close your eyes
Shut out the world and focus on the moment
Don't want to see his smile
We don't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing our fear
Lit the night with your smile
Let's find happiness in the midst of darkness
Charm me again
You have the ability to make me forget our worries, do it again
With those emerald eyes
Your eyes are mesmerizing and have the power to captivate me
Hangman's lullaby
Let's find peace in the face of death
Swing, my baby, swing
Let's dance like nobody's watching
Won't stop humming now
Let's keep the music going and forget our troubles
Everything will be fine
Let's hold on to hope and believe that things will work out
And now it's time, kiss me, goodnight
Let's show our love for each other and enjoy our last moments together
Contributed by Micah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.