Infinita Plango Vulnera

This debut album of Finnish ensemble Silentium is a thing of beauty. The band emerged in the symphonic doom/gothic arena in the second half of the 1990s and, after a couple of self-released demos, signed a record deal with Spikefarm, the then new-born subsidiary of Finnish label Spinefarm. At the time they recorded this album, Silentium were comprised of seven musicians, two guitarists, two singers (female and male, the latter also playing bass), a drummer, a keyboard player, and a violinist. Released in 1999, Infinita Plango Vulnera is the band’s debut full-length album and is also the first record to ever be released on Spikefarm.

Silentium merge together a number of influences on this album. There is a strong doom component, inspired no doubt by the British scene, My Dying Bride in particular. However, the compositions are leaner and less oppressive than the standard doom canon, in large part due to the strong baroque/classical influences that are manifest most obviously in the keyboards and violin arrangements. Moreover, the music also has noticeable blackened gothic undertones, accentuated by the use of operatic female vocals. These different influences are dosed very tastefully throughout the ten songs of the album, resulting in a fresh and original sound that sets the band apart from both the doom and the gothic scenes. If I were to draw a comparison with other bands from those years, I’d probably say German band EverEve, who were also playing a similar combination of doom, gothic and black metal, although the Finns display a stronger classical component in their music.

The album traces a bleak but captivating musical journey. The songwriting is consistently strong, striking a perfect balance between complexity and immediacy. Keyboard player Sami Boman was the main songwriter at the time and he must have had some classical music training because the baroque/classical music influences are all over the place in the band’s sophisticated arrangements. This is apparent from the frequent use of counterpoint melodies (simultaneously played by the violin, keyboards and guitars), the omnipresence of classical violin and piano lines, and the use of operatic vocals by female singer Tiina Lehvonen. Songs like “Whatever the Pain” and “With Blood Adorned” are glorious examples of the marked classical influences in Silentium’s arrangements. The latter almost feels like a blackened gothic metal take on chamber music, which may be disorienting at first, but eventually becomes nothing short of exhilarating.

Elsewhere, the classical influences are more subdued and the doom component comes more to the fore. “Redemption”, “Requiem” and “At the Dawn I Wept” are wonderful doom gems that seem taken straight out of My Dying Bride’s playbook, but further coloured with hints of blackened gothic metal. “Forever Sleep” is a more straightforward goth uptempo, while folk melodies surface on “Maiden of the Forest” and “With Blood Adorned”. Meanwhile, “Solicitude” is a languid semi-instrumental affair that opens and closes the album with an almost lounge jazz feel. Such a variety in the style of its compositions is without doubt one the main strengths of the album. It is impossible to get bored or lose focus while listening to this album as things keep changing from song to song and the music constantly takes a fresh turn with each new track.

Another strength of the album is that the musicianship is very tight. Silentium are a skillful ensemble, all band members are proficient in their instrument and capable to put their skills to the service of the song. Keyboardist Sami Boman and violinist Jani Laaksonen are omnipresent and form the backbone of the album compositions. It is a pleasure to listen to their classy arrangements and to the stylish interplay between violin and keys. The two guitarists Juha Lehtioksa Toni Lahtinen also impress with tight rhythmical patterns and pleasant leads. Meanwhile, drummer Janne Ojala and bassist Matti Aikio provide solid grooves that propel the songs forward with ease. The vocals are also good. The male singer, Matti Aikio, uses a range of different styles, from classic doom vocals (he reminds me of a cross between My Dying Bride’s Aaron Stainthorpe and Vincent Cavanagh in those early, doomy Anathema albums) to blackened rasps. Regardless of the style, he puts in a convincing performance. The female singer, Tiina Lehvonen, is used more sparingly, almost in a backing role. Her soprano-like vocals, albeit not exceptional, fit well the music and are used with taste.

The strong musicianship is exalted by the excellent sound production, courtesy of the experienced duo of Mikko Karmila (mixing) and Mika Jussila (mastering). The quality of the production compares favourably with albums produced today, more than twenty years after this album’s release. The separation between instruments is perfect and everything sounds clean and smooth. Yet, the sound retains enough grit and power to trigger a satisfying dose of headbanging when needed (“Requiem”).

Infinita Plango Vulnera is a great album that any fan of doom/gothic metal should make sure not to miss out on. The doom/gothic scene became quickly crowded in the 1990s/2000s, but with this album Silentium managed to stand out from the rest of the pack, by incorporating elegant classical influences into a musical tapestry made of mid-tempos, cavernous vocals and mournful melodies. The end result is a thing of beauty that provides a thrilling and entertaining musical journey every time I put the disc on. Highly recommended!

Another band with a seemingly excessive number of musicians in the lineup caught my attention before in the form of The Sins of Thy Beloved, so naturally I was curious to see what this band could do and if they could match those standards. They play the same genre and both bands feature the uncommon inclusion of a violinist, so immediately I was interested in what Silentium had to offer.

First off, there seems to be a little something lacking in the atmosphere compared to what I'd imagined to be hearing. That's not to say that the music feels bland or unspectacular, but it's just more dry than I was expecting it to be. The atmosphere was the best part of Lake of Sorrow, and it really wouldn't have been as interesting without it. What this means is that the music doesn't draw the same emotions on Infinita Plango Vulnera, therefore leaving more to other elements than perhaps necessary.

Since I don't get the chance to cover the violin very often, I think it deserves a decent word here. It really spices up the album, as the guitars are somewhat lacking in performance and fail to do anything really interesting. It's fortunate that the violin is always doing things to make the record interesting, because otherwise the band may well have been a lost cause. The drumming falls into the same category as the guitars do in terms of interest level and the bass is never going to generate an extreme amount of excitement. Basically it all gets piled on the violin and the keyboard to hold the band together, and the latter is not exactly the most obvious thing in the world. It's just a recipe for disaster.

As far as singing goes, you could do worse but also better. The majority of vocals seem to be done by the bassist Matti Aikio, and although he does a decent range of things with his voice he isn't up to the same standard of either cleans or growls that Tommy Tuovinen of MyGrain sets. Not that many people are, but a lot of people come much closer than Matti does. There's also a decent female vocalist in Tiina Lehvonen, but that's all she is. They would probably sound more appealing if they were willing to let their vocals cross over with the other person's more often and do some duets, but they both seem intent on just doing solo sections. This makes them both feel like separate entities rather than one complete part of the band, and that gives them both a detached quality. It just gives me the impression that the band isn't quite a complete band.

What I'm kind of getting at here is that if you're after a good example of how symphonic/gothic/doom metal should be done, you should listen to Lake of Sorrow by The Sins of Thy Beloved. Silentium gave it a go, but they were never going to top that release with what they're offering the listener here.

One fine day I was browsing cds in a small local store I came across a couple of weeks ago. There was nothing interesting really, but I saw this cd from Silentium, a band I didn’t know. I had a look at the booklet and saw that they were from Finland and that this was a Finnish pressing. So, since I like collecting cds (and specially, imported ones) and it was cheap, I bought it. Then I came home and looked them up on Metal Archives and saw that they played “gothic metal”. I said to myself “oh, god”, expecting some cheap Evanescence shit. How wrong I was…

This album opens with a slow-driven, mellow intro. It reminds me of 90’s Katatonia. Actually, the singer sings very similar to how Renkse used to sing in Katatonia from 1996 to 1999 and he also growls occasionally (he does both death metal and blackish metal growls, mostly the latter ones). There’s also a female singer that sings in a more classical gothic metal way. He seems to be the lead singer and she does some verses and choruses in some songs. He seems is very versatile in his role, producing a varied range of vocals and setting various moods in the melodies.

Even though my previous description sounds like they played gothic metal, there’s a general doom(y) metal ambiance with some violins and other strings here and there, making their music quite particular and interesting. Piano leads are played quite often as well, but not in every song. There are also folk elements present, for example in the song “Maiden of the Forest”, which consists of acoustic guitars, violins, piano, drums, and a happy folky vocal melody. Such melody contrasts with the general sorrow mood the instrumental composition produce. The piano lines usually denote that there’s a classical music influence among the compositions. Drums usually have slow patterns (concordant with melodic doom metal drums), but there is some double-bass going on here and there on some sections.

Concerning production, I can definitely say that it is up to nowadays standards. Everything sounds quite clean and clear, and the instruments separation is quite notable. The guitar tone is spot on and does not overpower the rest of the music, especially when there are violins and pianos present (which line up in the same frequencies the guitars are in). Drums sound really neat. The snare drum sounds like most 2000 produce albums, so it’s not quite the same sound we get to hear nowadays. It’s definitely wetter and less compressed. Vocals sound really good too. The clean ones sound crystal clear and the growls sound crispy, yet not too trebly.

If you are looking for something with a general classical sound, with a mixture of symphonic, gothic and melodic doom elements, then this is for you. I kid you not, I was really impressed with this album. Too bad they left this kind of music behind and started playing a more cliché type of gothic metal.