LETTING GO
A CONVERSATION WITH SILVERSTEIN
If you asked 25 years earlier if Silverstein had the chance to succeed as a band, the answers of many music journalists would be drastically different than the consensus of today. A band built on the power of its fans and their DIY approach to their music, Silverstein has continued to be one of the most notable and impressive bands in the scene for well over two decades. While that journey has been filled with well-earned notoriety and struggle over the years, Silverstein continues to stand tall with part one of their double album release, Antibloom. But what does Antibloom represent for a band that reached fame and is one of the biggest bands in modern rock? Antibloom, in its broadest of terms, means the annihilation or suffocation of something else to stop it from materializing or coming to the surface, for whatever does make it to the surface is through fight and struggle. Such a title for their new album not only fits the description of the journey of this band perfectly, but is also career career-defining footnote to a career that has, for better or worse, held itself together by its ever-growing fandom and their passion to keep creating the music despite the obstacles, however this only scratches the surface of what this album means to them.
“I was drawn to the title right away. Someone in the band came up with it in the band, it wasn’t me,” Shane Told laughs. “Right away, it resonated with me, before I ever knew the meaning of the term. I liked it because of the setting where we were in the desert, right? Where like, nothing really can grow, and the things that do grow are under kind of adverse conditions. They have evolved to grow in a place where there is basically no water, you know what I mean? There is this struggle for the things that are there to stay alive. So, for me, I think that represents our band in terms of where we came from, how difficult it was being a band from Canada, and to make it like we have as a band for so long. It kind of represents being the underdog a bit. Just the idea of something growing through adversity seemed like the appropriate title.”
While the record stands as a vibrant celebration of the past and also heralding the promising future as a band, such an evolution could only be best expressed through the lens of someone intimately familiar with the world of hardcore and metalcore—a visionary artist whose work has defined album covers for countless iconic bands since the genre’s inception. Silverstein chose none other than Ryan Clark, a titan in the industry known for crafting the visual identities of many successful acts, including Emery, August Burns Red, and Of Mice And Men.
Despite their long-standing career, Silverstein had never had the opportunity to collaborate with Clark on their album artwork until now. Inviting him to create the artwork for Antibloom went beyond mere aesthetics; it symbolized a powerful convergence of the past and present. This collaboration served as a poignant homage to both their history and the music that has shaped their identity, culminating in a nostalgic celebration of artistry—a harmonious blend of sound and visual creativity that honours the band’s significant contributions to the genre they helped nurture and expand.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Ryan’s work for over 20 years. He was with Asterisk Studios for a long time,” Shane reminisces. “They did a lot of the old artwork and concepts for all of Tooth & Nail and Solid State bands back in the day, or the early 2000s, for some really great bands like our friends Emery, Dead Poetic, and Underoath. I always thought those albums had such great artwork and concepts. He has now shifted to his newer company over the years and stuff. We were so excited to be able to finally work with him, because we wanted to back in the day. He’s amazing and has so many great ideas. He’s got amazing communication on what he is trying to do and why. He also works incredibly fast, haha, it’s crazy how fast he came up with the concepts for the album. It was really great working with him. What’s really cool is that we are releasing two albums and are connected. So, to have the artwork all connected, throughout the singles and everything too, I think its really cool and unique. It’s something we have never done before. So big love and respect to Ryan for doing such a great job on the artwork.”
For all the celebration and risks Antibloom represents, it’s a musical expression of a band that refuses to be put inside a box. With a range of emotions within tracks like “Mercy, Mercy,” where the emotional tides run destructive and masochistic from being addicted to bad news and the propensity to keep returning to it despite the stress and anxiety toll it takes on someone, to “Cherry Coke”, further diving into having intrusive, destructive thoughts one tends to feel, even when things are going well, Antibloom represents the human experience, what it means to feel content and immortal at one point in your life, only for age to sneak in and make one realise that things are finite, that there is an end to everything. For Shane, digging into these topics was not an easy road to tread, but having the time to make a double album was a step to healing and growing as an artist and as a person.
ANTIBLOOM ALBUM REVIEW
“I think you raised some really good points. I also think of another song, “Skin and Bones”. Dealing with that exact truth of finality. Yes, everything is finite, and you don’t know when that ending is coming. I lost a person, one of the most important people in my life, very suddenly, in the worst imaginable way. I think you are right; we all come to these sorts of screeching-of-the-brakes moments in our lives. At some point, we realize our parents don’t know everything, not even our teachers, just things that you sort of take as truth, and you realize nobody knows anything and no one can predict the future. You kind of have this, well, at least I did as a kid, that you have things all figured out. When you get older, you start to realize you don’t know, and no one knows. It’s a harsh reality to face, and it’s scary. When you think about it in terms of life and death, everything can be gone in a second. It’s terrifying. I think it’s important to remember, and we kind of forget that and glaze over those things. You can be in the middle of doing what you are doing, and then all of a sudden, you are crossing the street, there are cars coming and going, and at some point, that could be the end right there. How easy it is for life to end in this way, you realize everything you worked for, it’s all for nothing, you know? It’s a wild world we live in. We don’t talk about this stuff very much, and yet it’s right there, staring us in the face all the time. So, I think exploring those kinds of thoughts, even though they’re dark, was important for this record. I think “Skin and Bones” was the big catalyst for me going through that. Also, where we are in our lives.”
Antibloom is a significant achievement for a band that has enjoyed remarkable success despite facing numerous challenges along the way. While this album celebrates the band’s career, much of its darker themes overshadow the brightness of that success. What lies beneath the surface of the glitz and glamour associated with such achievements? If you dig deeper, you’ll find a world filled with darkness. However, within that darkness, Silverstein has discovered many reasons to celebrate.
“I am really proud of this album because we have been doing this for such a long time,” Shane assesses. “We have done so many records, and we have done a lot of things we didn’t think would ever be possible within the timespan of those records. For us to be able to be at this stage of our career and be able to pick up a guitar or a pen to write songs that we have put together to create this… I don’t want to sound pompous, but for us it’s a double-album masterpiece. We truly feel like this is the best music we have ever made. Most bands kind of peak early, or they make some good records here and there over their career. But for us, that continues to grow. I don’t feel like we have peaked yet. It is kind of wild and special, and we are proud of that. Antibloom and Pink Moon came out as really strong records. Pink Moon is… I don’t know if interesting is the right word. But there is a bit more dynamism in this record. We got a feature with Cassie Pope. That song is more of a throwback. We also have a song with Rory from Dayseeker, which is quite modern. “Negative Space” and “Widow Maker” are also super cool. There is a super heavy track on the record called “Fatalist”, and the last track, “Dying Game,” is a wonderful way to sum up the record. I am really excited for this one to come out, and I’m really proud of these records.”
As the band embarks on the exciting journey of their second album release, aptly titled Pink Moon, the name resonates deeply with their evolution into a new chapter of their artistic careers. Infused with a vibrant, renewed energy, Pink Moon reflects this new growth and the bold exploration of fresh sounds and ideas that have come together over the years. In this transformative phase, the band has thoughtfully shed old ideals, embracing a forward-thinking perspective that promises to invigorate their music and captivate their audience. With each note, Pink Moon invites listeners to experience the exhilarating possibilities that lie ahead.
“Great question. I think the self-imposed rules that we put on ourselves, you know, especially from where we come from. We come from a very DIY punk and hardcore place in our careers,” says Shane. “So, I think a lot of these rules within the punk rock rulebook are things that we slowly but surely let go of. We don’t worry so much about that anymore. Nobody cares, and I think that became evident with A Beautiful Place To Drown. It was a turning point in our careers where we realized we could do whatever we wanted. So, we just let go of any self-imposed rules that we put on ourselves; a lot of bands wouldn’t do this. But our fans don’t give a shit about what bands are doing or not doing. So why hold ourselves back creatively? Rage Against The Machine once said they would only use guitar, drums, and vocals, but never synthesizers. It’s like, okay, cool. That is great for them. But we are not Rage Against the Machine. So why do we have to buy into these same rules? If it works, it works. So, I think when we kind of let that go, it was very liberating.”
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Photo Credit: Wyatt Clough
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SILVERSTEIN – ANTIBLOOM
