Silent Knight is an Australian Heavy Metal band from Perth, Western Australia, formed in late 2009 with strong Power Metal roots influenced heavily by melodic European bands Iron Maiden, Helloween and Gamma Ray, crossed with the aggressive speed of American bands Iced Earth and Megadeth.We talk to guitarist Cameron Nicholas about the band’s history and much more.
Metal-Roos: Where did the story of Silent Knight start?
Silent Knight developed from the ashes of rhythm guitarist and band founder, Stu McGill’s, previous bands and out of a desire to find likeminded musicians who were willing to make a serious commitment to a project. Stu and I had a chance meeting at a bar one night, after which I agreed to play some solos on his demos . . . all the while I was trying to poach him for my own band! He got the better of me in the end and so I agreed to join Silent Knight. We discovered we had very similar taste and a good dynamic working together and so from there, the ball got rolling on our search for other members.
Metal-Roos: Who are the members of Silent Knight, their roles in the band and where do they hail from?
First off we have Stu McGill on rhythm guitars and as our primary writer. He’s very much the backbone of the band and makes all our jobs a little easier. Our bassist, Cameron Daw, is a fellow Perth local who came on board just before we did our first interstate shows and started recording the ‘MASTERPLAN’ album. Cam is quiet and reserved most of the times but he packs a punch on the 4-string! We also have Dan Grainger playing drums for us at the moment. Apart from being a well-respected player due to his prominence in the extreme metal scene, he is also an all-round legend who fits well within our little unit. And finally we have Zoran on vocals. Zoran is from Slovenia and is our third longest standing member. Zoran has recently done a little bit of travelling for work purposes, during which we’ve had Turkish powerhouse Jesse Ozman holding the fort.
Metal-Roos: Where did the name ‘Silent Knight’ originate from? What was the inspiration?
When we were first tossing around band names, Stu mentioned he liked ‘Silent Apparition’, which we eventually named a song after. However, after much discussion, we settled on ‘Silent Knight’, as it was a more memorable and a bit of a word play. I like the double meaning and interpret it as being able to speak our mind through the music.
Metal-Roos: We all know Silent Knight has a firm foothold in the traditional and power metal genres, but from what artists and music do you draw your influence from?
Well yes, aside from being very firmly rooted in traditional and power metal, we all have our own slightly different influences. But as far as song writing goes on my part, it can be anything within the range of Yngwie Malmsteen, Queensryche and W.A.S.P. to John Farnham and Meat Loaf. I’m a huge fan of Jim Steinman’s lyrics and try to apply a similar approach whenever I can get away with it.
Metal-Roos: Who is the creative force behind Silent Knight or is it a collaborative effort?
Stu is definitely the creative force behind Silent Knight – from the writing and promotion to the overall direction of the band. I’m also very involved in the writing and arranging process too, as we generally have a good understanding of each other from a musical standpoint.
Metal-Roos: And you Mr Cameron Nicholas, what about you? You have forever been a quiet and humble powerhouse of the Perth metal scene and are well respected amongst musicians and fans alike for your musical prowess and guitar shredding sorcery. Tell us more about you…
Thank you for the kind words. Well according to Stu, in my spare time I enjoy long strolls along the beach, drinking green tea and listening to the Backstreet Boys and he’s somewhere in the ballpark. (laughs) But more to the point, I’m a self-taught muso who has been playing guitar on and off since around 2004. Some early influences included Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, David Gilmour, Kirk Hammett and Dave Murray. Then I started discovering guys like Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Allan Holdsworth, Marty Friedman, et cetera. I developed my chops within the first 5 years when – like every kid – I was intent on becoming a shred demon. Nowadays I’m much more focused on all kinds of song writing and only really learn new techniques out of necessity. As well as composing for Silent Knight, I also play in local thrash metal band Cold Fate. I have a very wide music palette that enjoys anything from world music to 90’s pop. I’m generally a bit of an introvert and during the rare times I’m not composing something, I like reading books, watching anything from documentaries to Star Wars to reality TV, model trains, quality restaurants and bars, quality people and just good times. There is nothing like a bit of light-hearted escapism for good measure! Oh… and my favourite colour is green. (laughs)
Metal-Roos: What are your musical influences?
Some of my biggest influences are guys like Michael Jackson and Steve Vai . . . or really anyone who is very hands on in as many aspects of their craft as they are/were. As much as these artists might not have a lot to do with metal, I admire their work ethic and creative vision. You always hear people talk about that creative process and whether it comes across in the music or translates to something brilliant or not is pretty subjective in my opinion, but it’s what separates the imitators from the artists, because they are truly doing it for themselves.
Metal-Roos: Can you give us some insight into your creative process. Do you have a ritualistic way of writing music or are you sporadic and chaotic?
It really depends. I always have little works in progress lying around that are somewhat part of that chaotic writing style, but they always have a purpose assigned to them. I never just take 10 cool riffs, smash them together and call it a song. I do have hundreds of notes at any given time in musical and lyrical ideas, but I always try and think of the end product while writing so I don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. My favourite albums are the ones where the tracks are great on their own, but are even better when experienced as a whole.
Metal-Roos: The lyrical themes of power metal genre, although as varied as metal itself, often focus on fantasy and mythology subject matter and such things as camaraderie and hope, personal struggles and emotions, war and death, or combinations of the listed themes. Where do you channel your creative inspiration from?
Well early on in the piece, Stu and I didn’t really have anything specific to write about so the subject matter was quite general. But as we evolved it became a bit more band specific through our experiences and observations and now it takes on a bit more symbolism than before. Obviously the listener is always going to interpret it in their own way, but personally I get some sense of satisfaction if I can incorporate a double meaning. . . . even if it’s the smallest inside band joke. Slipping stuff like that in through the use of subtlety keeps it interesting for us.
Metal-Roos: You guys have been climbing the metal ranks since 2011 and gained wider national recognition in November 2012 when Silent Knight was chosen to be a part of the Steel Assassins Festival in Sydney. How was the band received in the East coast?
We’ve been to the east coast quite a few times now and have been very warmly received each time – almost better than our hometown. Our first trip was before the ‘MASTERPLAN’ album came out we had just released a pre-production version of the track and it was pleasantly surprising to see people turn up to the gig singing all the lyrics! So it’s safe to say we’ll definitely keep returning to the east coast as much as we can and will hopefully have the chance to visit some of the other towns as well.
Metal-Roos: Silent Knight was also chosen as the support act for ex Iron Maiden legends Blaze Bayley and Paul Dianno on their co-headline Australian tour in 2012. Tell me more about that gig?
What was it like to jam with the likes of such old school metal lords?
It was a very surreal experience being selected to play with legends like them since we’re all huge Iron Maiden fans. Blaze especially was very gracious and down to earth, proving to us that they’re just normal guys who happen to be exceedingly professional at what they do. It was inspiring in that we got to do something that we never, ever considered happening when we started this band. Another item off the bucket list, so to speak.
Metal-Roos: ‘MASTERPLAN’ was the debut SK album released back in February 2013. How was the album received on the local front?
So far it’s been fairly well received, considering the local market is more in favour of the heavier brands of metal. Our current set list consists of mostly tracks from that album and we continue to gather fans with each show we play. And that response has definitely translated to record sales for ‘MASTERPLAN’.
Metal-Roos: And internationally?
Funny story. Because of the name of the album, we got confused with the German power metal band Masterplan. Our album kept popping up on torrent websites and quite a few European fans were wondering why they had changed their vocalist. So we joked that we’re going to call the next album Megadeth to see if we can tap into their fans as well (laughs). But honestly, it has got some great attention from overseas, which has led to it being stocked by a number of online retailers. We’ve also had orders from some really unexpected places around the world. So it’s just great to see that metal is still such a universal language.
Metal-Roos: Can you take us a little bit deeper into the creative vision behind this album?
The song ‘Masterplan’ is somewhat autobiographical of us as a band and sets the overall tone of the record. It basically tells the story of us coming together from our various backgrounds and musical experiences, with a common goal in mind. In saying that, due to the way it came together, I think the album is more a collection of songs rather than something with an underlying concept.
Metal-Roos: Who mixed and mastered ‘MASTERPLAN’?
The album was mixed and mastered by Dan Grainger, who is currently playing drums for us. Although his resume boasts a history in mostly extreme metal, he is an avid power metal fan too and this definitely assisted us when it came to the mixing stage. It’s been great having Dan around as he’s listened to the songs hundreds of times over . . . albeit in various stages of development.
Metal-Roos: The artwork of the ‘MASTERPLAN’ album cover features a mysterious Merlinesque-like figure seated in a tower, moving chess pieces across a map of the world. Can you give us some insight or trivia into the artwork? Is there any subliminal messages incorporated in the artwork?
As mentioned before, ‘MASTERPLAN’ is about us coming together as a united front, so the Merlinesque-like figure is shown moving the chess pieces from around the world to where we are currently situated on the world map. I guess he represents fate or something similar, as there were a lot of funny coincidences that led us all to meeting up, which is probably a symptom of living in Perth . . . the locals will understand that one! (laughs)
Metal-Roos: Silent Knight most recently played at the Stormrider Heavy Metal Festival at the Civic Hotel in your home town of Perth, where you were very well received by local punters. Besides from smashing out some crowd pleasers from the ‘MASTERPLAN’ album, including ‘The Curse of the Black Rose’, ‘Masterplan’, ‘Prophets of War’ and the heavy riffs and melodic licks of ‘Evil is Thy Name’, I believe you also slipped in some new stuff on the agenda?
Yes, we previewed a couple of new tracks called ‘Prisoner of Your World’ and ‘Empty Threat’, which were both very well received. Road testing new songs and getting the fans approval is similar to playing your first gig again . . . you are always slightly uncertain of how it’s going to go. But luckily we got some great feedback, so we’ll probably include them on a new release soon.
Metal-Roos: And so how is the rest of 2014 shaping up for Silent Knight? What are the band’s next movements?
Without giving too much away, we’re slowly working through a stack of recording which will keep us busy for the rest of the year. Plus we have the Steel Assassins Festival in Sydney, where we will be playing with local legends such as LORD, Darker Half, Eyefear and Taberah amongst others. We’ll also probably do a small smattering of shows once we’ve got the schedule sorted out, but I will say there is some pretty exciting things to be announced soon!
Metal-Roos: Word on the street is that you are in the studio working on a new album. Can you divulge any details in terms of creative vision and sound . . . what can we expect from Silent Knight this time round?
Correct. We are working on a follow-up to ‘MASTERPLAN’ at the moment and it will continue expanding on what we’ve been doing creatively so far, while solidifying our already established sound. While there won’t be any huge surprises in terms of direction, we’re always trying to better ourselves musically and develop more focused material. I think it’s always good to balance staying true to the fans and improving creatively.
Metal-Roos: When can we expect to see this album unleashed?
At the moment it will probably be early next year. We’ll be spending time making sure the material is the best we can deliver as it won’t be as rushed as the last album was in relation to meeting deadlines. So I think it will result in a much better product all round. But even when there is quiet periods we always have something on the backburner . . . we’re never sitting on idle hands doing nothing!
Metal-Roos: And just a few more questions to round this pleasant conversation off… The local Australian metal scene – what are your views on the current state of affairs? Do you think it is evolving or do you think we have hit a stalemate?
Well it really depends who you ask. Those who have been around longer in the scene have witnessed the fluctuations and can probably give a better gauge on how healthy it is at the moment. But from my own perspective, there’s always been a bit of segregation between sub-genres, particularly between ‘old’ versus ‘new’. That being said, I do remember times where bands were supported, regardless of sound, but just in the spirit of encouraging local talent. So I think there’s a bit of room for improvement where that’s concerned, particularly as we don’t live in a country where metal has a huge support base, let alone for each sub-genre! Promotion is also key . . . in order to keep introducing new blood beyond the small music community we currently have. You know, the old saying “your favourite band once was a local band” and all that. Suffice to say, some of the local talent can give big international acts a run for their money, let me tell you!
Metal-Roos: And in terms of power metal, how does the Australian legion of metal fans react to the genre, say, in comparison to our European counterparts?
There is a small legion of power metal fans across Australia, mostly the old school metal heads, but it generally gathers more ridicule than it does support. It almost seems that although a lot of people actually prefer the heavier sub-genres, there are equal amounts of people that have entirely forgotten the roots of metal. After all, power metal is just a logical extension of classic bands like Priest and Maiden. And on that note, I find it funny that half the people that scoff at the genre for its fantasy leanings probably watched Lord of the Rings and totally loved it. Even though what we do lyrically is usually outside that fantasy realm, since when did metal have to be so serious? I mean, no one ever questions brutal death bands for their overly cheesy gore based lyrics. Why? Because metal is about escapism . . . and let’s face it, I think we should be embracing anything outside the usual Top 40 dribble!
Metal-Roos: Finally, what are the future musical aspirations for Silent Knight?
Well obviously we’ll be promoting the next album when it’s finished with a good amount of live shows. We’ll also be working on growing our international presence and taking our brand of metal overseas when the time is right. There’s a few little surprises in the pipeline too. But at the end of the day, we do this because we love it and we hope to share it with those who are equally passionate about it. We’re very grateful for all those who continue to support us, as they enable us to keep doing what we do!
Metal-Roos: And that’s a wrap! The charming Mr Cameron Nicholas everybody. Thanking you kindly for your time today Cam. It is most appreciated and as always, it has been an absolute pleasure.
My pleasure miss! Power metal fans can catch Silent Knight on the West Coast at the Rust In Perth 2014 gig at the Civic Hotel on 12th July 2014. Doors open 1:00 PM. East Coast power metal fans can catch Silent Knight at the Steel Assassins Festival extravaganza, which will be held over two days at The Bald Faced Stag in Sydney on Friday 31st October 2014 and Saturday 1st November 2014.
Interview Date: 2014-06-20
Interviewer: Sarah Anne Warner
