Ten Questions, Ten Minutes with Silent Knight
Formed in Perth in 2009, Australian metal band Silent Knight are kicking up a storm with their new album ‘Full Force’. Guitarists and founder members Stu McGill (rhythm) and Cameron Nicholas (lead) volunteered to take up the challenge, so here we go – ten questions, ten minutes with Silent Knight.
Q1. Can you give me a quick history of the band, please, and confirm the current line-up?
“The idea for the band was conceived in late 2009 with demos recorded in early 2010,” explains Stu. “There have been three albums and two EPs, plus a few cover songs along the way for fun and promo. The current line-up is Dan Brittain (vocals), Cameron Nicholas (lead guitars), Cameron Daw (bass), Dan Grainger (drums) and me playing rhythm guitars. Originally, we were leaning towards something more mystical as a name like Silent Apparition, but one of our guys wasn’t too keen on the idea so we thought a little harder and came up with Silent Knight which fits quite well considering the genre of music we play, it was two six-letter words so the logo could be symmetrical, it was three syllables you can chant, and it was a good memorable pun, too!”
Q2. You’ve got three other albums under your belts. How does ‘Full Force’ compare to those earlier records?
“We actually only have two others; we re-recorded our debut album – 2013’s ‘Masterplan’ – in 2017 [under the title ‘The Masterplan’] and the second album is 2015’s ‘Conquer & Command’. We wanted to write a more mature album than the previous two, taking things up a notch with the song writing and using all the tricks we had learned along the way and making the most aggressive yet hooky album we could. The vibe is the same, it definitely sounds like Silent Knight, just like the previous albums, but it is more refined, there is a more professional production, and we have a new vocalist on this album. If you have enjoyed any of our previous works, we know you will absolutely love ‘Full Force’!”
Q3. What are your strengths as a band?
“Our strengths as a band are our ability to craft songs separately and together,” suggests Cameron. “We then arrive at a general consensus of what best serves the song. And we bring pretty high energy when delivering in the live environment.
Q4. What inspires your lyrics? Where does your inspiration come from?
“We take our lyrical inspiration from everyday events in our lives, those sometimes shared by the band,” continues Cameron. “There are lots of little references to history and in-jokes that often wind themselves in, but we strive to write songs with a double meaning that help it remain universal. It doesn’t stray too far outside the fantasy confines of the genre, but this ensures listeners can interpret the meaning in their own way.”
Q5. Musically, what’s the core of Silent Knight? What makes a great Silent Knight song?
“It usually starts with a great guitar riff and builds from there,” says Stu. “It has to have a huge chorus, epic vocals, a seriously shredding solo and we do love a lot of double kick drum too.”
Q6. What’s the best gig you’ve performed so far, and what made it so special?
“We have done a lot of great gigs including huge festivals in Indonesia and Germany but one of the most special would be opening for Helloween in Australia,” Stu recalls, “as they are a huge influence on Silent Knight, they are one of my favourite bands and it was a tour I never expected to see in our part of the world. In the immediate future, we have the new album coming on 23 September, followed by headlining Stormrider Heavy Metal Festival a week later in Perth and in November we are opening for Alestorm. In 2023 we plan on hitting the road again, now that the world is starting to open up once more.”
Q7. Half-way across the world here we don’t get to hear much about the Australian metal scene. How would you characterise it? Is it in a healthy state?
“There are a few tiers in the Australian Metal scene, and it takes a while and some hard work to climb that ladder. There are a lot of great bands down here: a few to check out for yourself are Damnations Day, Black Majesty, Vanishing Point, LORD, Harlott and Voyager. See what you think!
Q8. What album (or albums) made you think “I want to be a musician; I want to do that”?
“For me,” replies Cameron, “the albums that made me want to be a heavy musician in particular, off the top of my head I’d have to say Iron Maiden – ‘Rock in Rio’, Metallica – ‘Live in Seattle ’89’ and Steve Vai’s ‘Passion and Warfare’.”
Q9. If you lived in the Marvel universe, what would your superpower be, and why?
“If I lived in the Marvel Universe,” says Cameron, “my superpower would be Hulk’s strength, except for maximum endurance on guitar runs. Now to find myself a mean green shred machine!”
Q10. Finally, If you drove an ice cream van, what tune would it play?
“If I drove an ice-cream van, it would play Silent Knight's new album ‘Full Force’, endlessly on repeat!” Cameron laughs.
Video clips: 'Full Force' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF3AKCGhAWk
'Dark & Mysterious Times' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SorQGaAmNeA
‘Full Force’ is released on 23 September
© John Tucker September 2022