Good music is hard to find, or good band members? As soon as I came across a promising Melodic Death Metal formation from New York, their page on Facebook already reveals their breakup. No album, no record deal, a few downloads and good, hard riffs, that’s all that remains. To find the band at all, it takes some help from third parties. Once again, it was a wrestler’s fault that I even noticed The Silencer. Mastermind Charlie Corletta is a good friend of the current WWE US Champion Damian Priest (fortunately, he also had a very positive influence on the wrestler and introduced him to the world of metal) and no less interested in wrestling – just not as successful. Many years ago they would not have thought that both would appear together at NXT. But when Priest‘s star slowly rose in the WWE, Corletta tugged pretty hard on the sides and laid down a brutal entrance. The rest is history. So you come to the band The Silencer at some point, but you still have no further information and have to look for it so laboriously that you lose interest at some point.

Corletta, is that ringing? Sure enough, former drummer for Will Killmore and vocalist for Julius Seizure, along with a few smaller projects and participations. Then there is the title song for the miniseries Fugawi MC “The Ride of your life” from his pen, according to IMDB he also has short guest appearances here. And of course, let’s not forget Monster Factory Pro Wrestling, which spawned Sheamus, Damian Priest and Matt Riddle, among other big names, here Corletta is better known as Chaz Williams. And The Silencer?

There are five songs to buy on the band’s Facebook page, and Spotify has eight neck breakers who have a lot of power. Triggered drums, partly good riffs, now and then a pretty audible hookline. When you first listened to the question: why the hell don’t you have a record deal and an album? I would hear that 24/7 – and the published songs have been my insider tip for some time when driving a car: I’ve seldom been so relaxed on the road. So nine songs will be released between 2014 and 2020, in June 2021 Charlie announces that he is breaking up the band, but there will still be music. In August he uploaded the successful cover of “Them Bones”, the original by Alice in Chains, to YouTube. There’s a fat guitar sound inside that is great fun and, in my opinion, clearly surpasses the original. The lead guitar is plucked by Dave Dougherty from Pinion, Charlie is responsible for the rhythm guitar.

In 2014 there is a good introduction to what is to come with “Discovery Of The Lost Cause”. The riffs are right, the guitar parts are long enough, the vocals are right, lyrically you are pensive, thinking about wasted youth and time that you have given away on lost dreams. The debut is consistent in everything, when a band introduces itself, then you expect a lot and at the same time you know that the teething troubles have already been eradicated. The touch of a garage tape has already disappeared and you have already found a lot of yourself. There is even a small riff inside, recurring, almost playful, which gives it a special touch.

“In Waiting” comes up with triggered drums, which probably not everyone likes, and storms in the background. Next to it are guitar and bass, which provide a good riff at the beginning. A quick Death Metal passage follows, which then turns into a quite tame song – if you can even speak of that in Death Metal. This is where this Melodic line comes into its own, but nothing gets boring. In between, just before the halfway point, there is even a passage that could also be put into punk. At a concert that would be the moment to poke willlessly. After that, it continues to be more rocky, the sound changes a bit, then returns to the old death power at the end. Solid piece, you wait for more.

There are more two years later with “Solitarius Lupus”. Fast, loud, violent, in between these clearly sung melodic parts again, such a catchy chorus that the catchy tune doesn’t wait long. You are immediately in this festival feeling, summer, sun, Wacken mud, beer in hand, hair open and there is dancing until late at night, drunk and completely exhausted in the tent (at best), falling on the sleeping mat. Well, the quiet part of the song also offers a bit of relaxation, the guitar speaks, takes a breath, and it goes on. “You can’t escape from this rusted cage, so break away, tear it down, you’re not a victim just your own worst enemy.” Sorry, that’s the song for superstar Damian Priest, isn’t it? And doesn’t that count for all of us: “I won’t let failure shape my life […] this time, it’s do or die, not try”? Most of them find themselves in this lonely wolf and the better one can sing along to the song and celebrate. Charlie, you have a lot to say!

Only a year later, the next breaker hit the download platforms with “Atonement” and here, too, the connection to Damian Priest cannot be shaken off – which is probably doing The Silencer a bit of an injustice, or not, as the wrestler is shown in the official clip rum. But more on that later. If you stick to the clip, you can see at the beginning a dedication to Charles Justin Shearer, who died in 2017 at the age of 32. You just can’t get rid of the beginning, high recognition value, the intro isn’t even in any way complicated or special, but its simplicity makes it good. The song has disturbing elements, makes you think of a locked animal that is furious with anger and despair, in its struggle for freedom and attention. This time you’re a bit more aggressive and when the last note fades away, you inevitably breathe a sigh of relief. Awesome number, hard, fast, loud, aggro. Go on!

In 2018 “Die Trying” will be released, written for Evolve Wrestling Superstar Josh Briggs, Zaki Ali on drums and responsible for the mix. Yes, that’s an entrance that you can only understand if you have a little knowledge of wrestling. If we leave out this sport, a good song remains that encourages a new departure. It’s not a real rammer, but it’s easy to rock out. Some parts are reminiscent of Hammerfall‘s Legacy of Kings album (and what did I celebrate it!), Even if the guys tend towards power metal and thus there is little in common

In the same year, “Within” is released, which begins so melancholy and difficult that it would not be associated with The Silencer at first. But that changes quickly when the growling begins and the musical heaviness takes hold. These “call-answer elements”, which you could play through live with the audience, are always very nice. Nevertheless, there is a lot of melodic content here that you have to like. Not the best number in my eyes, but well thought out and above all it brings variety and the clip speaks for itself.

In 2019 “I, Archaic” will be released. Julian Cifuentes is there as a guest guitarist. The sound is brutal, huge, breathless. Emotions come across, a wall-of-death song, wild rumbling in front of the stage – that would be a live hit on Wacken that the metal community would celebrate. Halfway through it gets a bit more load-bearing, there the guitar gets its place, you could hear it for hours, but then it goes on with hardness and good growling.

Then in the following year “Beliefs”. Here you have finally found yourself and your style. It’s fast, hard, loud, sometimes brutal. The Silencer have found themselves as a solid Death Metal formation and it is time for an album. The songs are varied, the clips dark, the rhythm pounding. “Beliefs” is no exception, has this dance between growling and clear vocals, guitar battle, drum’n’bass. There is simply nothing missing.

When “The Fall” comes out in 2020, the next board will come. Perfect growling and an ingenious hookline. The checkout tip for everyone who wants to get to know The Silencer and needs something hard on the playlist again. Everything is just right here again. Where was the album?

The disappointing thing is that The Silencer will disband in 2021. No album, no new breakers, nothing. You are left stunned and ask yourself: Why? The band could be successful, I am convinced that in a very short time they could have a decent record deal and would be the newcomer of the year. Of course, it’s a lot harder to sign with a label than it was 30 years ago, but The Silencer could do it. At the big metal festivals they would be way ahead and would be celebrated. Guarantors for mood, partying and really hot neck pain. That’s a shame.

When you listen to The Silencer, you soon realize that it’s not just about noise and hardship. The songs have a lot of depth, it’s a lot about failure, about your own life, the self that wants and has to step out of the darkness and insignificance. The clips are sometimes about bullying and where it can lead, another shows how painful love and separation can be, how hurtful the words are after they drive you to the edge of the abyss. It’s not about traditional heroes tearing everything down. Rather, the focus is on the outsiders, those left behind, desperate, overlooked. If you know the story of Damian Priest and have listened a little to what Charlie and Damian tell in short statements or tweets, you can’t avoid referring some of the songs to the wrestler as if The Silencer were the band that set his life to music. So much fits him – and so many others. It’s good that it’s not about blind anger, destructive hatred and omnipotence fantasies, but about the apparent losers who have to endure life.

The Silencer can only be heard on the well-known download platforms, unfortunately you will never experience it live. But since Charlie Corletta is a thoroughbred musician who puts a lot of heart and soul into music, the hope remains that the world will soon hear more from him. My personal death metal discovery of the year.

5/5