Metal Storm logo
Unsilence - Biography


Logo



Biography

They formed in December 1993. Only surviving original member, Kieron Tuohey (Guitar) got together with Mick Grundy (Bass), Andrew Hodson (Vocals), Rick Harding (Guitar) and Ric Barnes (Drums). Five months later they recorded their debut demo "Shadows Cast In Stone". Steeped in a more death/doom style, probably due to the influence of some of the member's previous bands, an embryonic Unsilence style was starting to emerge. At around this time they started to play their first gigs. Most of them were local but they started to spread their gigging further with a gig in London in April 1995.

By the early part of 1995 the band underwent some line-up changes. They were offered a deal for a mini-CD from an Italian label called Full Moon Rising, which was recorded later that year. Unfortunately this recording did not see release as a MCD due to Full Moon Rising going under soon afterwards. So it was released as the "Unfinished Chapter" second demo.

The band was hindered with more line-up changes. But the demos generated interest from emerging Italian label Seven Art Music. The "Choirs Of Memory" was recorded during the summer of 1997. Unfortunately the recording of this album was plagued with studio problems (They had to get a different engineer at the last minute) and therefore the production turned out unsatisfactorily. But more problems were to befall this album. Seven Art Music faced financial problems largely due to their own incompetence. The deal was finally withdrawn in 1999. Ever since then Unsilence hasn't seen fit to release this album, preferring to release more current material.

A few more changes in the line-up continued. But these were with guitarists. By this time Jonathon Gibbs (Drums) and David Elliott (Bass) had become established members.

With the disaster that was their album behind them, a strengthened as opposed to weakened Unsilence decided to press ahead with new material. And In September of 1999, they recorded the "Transfiguration". It was self-released in early 2000. It saw the band truly transfigured. "Transfiguration" was recorded with Kieron handling all the guitars as they had recently parted with their other guitarist. But by the time of its release they had recruited James Kilmurray who remains in the band to this day. A quite prolific period of gigging followed, including the bands first gigs in Ireland with Honey For Christ in August 2001.

After this they decided to record another MCD. "A Walk Through Oceans" was recorded in early 2002. It was released later that year through Golden Lake Productions.
Following this the band went through a period of major line-up changes which somewhat paralysed their activity (particularly recording) for a number of years. In March 2003 long time drummer Jonathon Gibbs left the band due to work commitments in the South of England. It took until later that year to find a replacement in the shape of Andy McLachlan. The band quickly got back into gigging again; including another trip to Ireland with Mourning Beloveth and a successful gig in London with The River. But all this was again disrupted at the start of 2005 with the departure of vocalist Andrew Hodson. Having been there from the start, it seemed that finding a new vocalist would be even more arduous than finding a drummer. Luckily, guitarist James Kilmurray decided to take up the vocals.

New material had been slow during this period as the members who'd left had been involved in the song writing. By 2006 a demo of some of new material was released on their Myspace page, as it had been a long time since the last release. "Echoes Awaken" was its title and it served as something of an appetizer until the new album would emerge. The band continued to gig around this time, including another trip to Ireland, their first gig in Malta and a support with Warning at their Manchester gig. Andy McLachlan left the band in November 2007. Another drummer was soon found but he didn't work out. By that time all the material ready for the album. So the ex-drummer Jonathon Gibbs stood in on the album. Recording of the album started in December 2008 and it was finished a few months later. Titled "Under A Torn Sky", it was released October 2009 through PsycheDOOMelic.

Unsilence are presently looking for a drummer. Although they plan to work with a session drummer in until a suitable candidate is found. Unsilence will also play their first European gig as part of the Dutch Doom Days at Baroeg, Rotterdam on October 24th.

(source: http://www.unsilence.co.uk/)