Hey world, Chad here. I am the songwriter, guitarist, and founding member of Killing the Silence, a band based out of Charlotte, NC. You should check us out because we have a diverse range of heavy and melodic music featuring a badass female vocalist that sings and screams. Besides the music, we enjoy a lot of shenanigans and those post videos on social media; they’re pretty entertaining… no, we’re not biased at all…
2.What do you classify your sound as, Who do you tell people you sound like?
Our sound covers a decent spectrum in hard rock and metal subgenres; diversity is important to us. When people ask who we sound like, I usually point toward Lacuna Coil first. Brittany likes to do a lot of exotic vocal melodies that sound awesome and our songs are written with similar musical elements… dark, crunchy, melodic, singing, screaming, etc. There are a lot of bands that inspire us though and those influences shine through in our music.
3.With digital music in today's world would you vote to keep or eliminate physical media?
I love physical media personally. Digital is fine, hell I buy a variety of music that way. Being able to see an albums artwork though on a physical case and sometimes inside the book is great. It is another element of art that really showcases the personality of a band and the mood of an album. It is one of the reasons we will be making a limited run of physical copies of our first album “Awaken” once completed. Our bassist Chris is a professional artist and we are very intentional with the artwork and designs that capture the essence of Awaken and the songwriting.
4.What is the reason you decided to be a musician and has that reason paid off?
Music is a universal language. It is something that can be sung in a totally different language that you might not understand… but you can feel it. I love songwriting… structuring a song, the instrumental pieces, the feeling / emotions that tone and melody can evoke, and especially the lyrics. That last one personally resonates with me and ties back to one of my favorite quotes… “where words fail, music speaks”… and I find that to be quite true and very powerful at times. All those things combined and my passion for playing and learning guitar are why I became a musician. Has it paid off?... monetary wise, time will tell I guess lol. But that is not why we do it. We genuinely love music. Do what you love, love what you do.
5.How do you feel about females in metal getting special attention? Do you feel it is fair?
It is all gravy man lol. I love females in the metal setting, especially vocals. Hell, that was a huge reason why I set out to build that element into Killing the Silence with a female lead; we achieved that with Brittany. Females can belt and bang it out just as hard as the dudes when it comes to the heavy stuff. I don’t think it is unfair they get special attention; I mean they are kind of a unicorn to an extent lol. I’ve always noticed a much higher ratio of men in metal so I guess I don’t find it surprising females will attract more attention. Many of the females in bands are sexy as hell too… in a genre, once again, that has a lot of dude fans… 1 + 1 = 2, right?
6.In the world climate with hatred being at an all time high and metal being an “ angry” music. Do you think your music contributes to anger and hatred?
I’ve always liked that music can be interpreted many ways and mean something different amongst listeners. It makes it interesting and provides a variety of experiences. When I’ve heard metal called “angry” it is usually by people that really don’t listen to the genre and automatically assume that’s all it is, which can be a pretty narrow viewpoint in my opinion. I know people and personally can feel happy listening to some heavy stuff lol. But our music doesn’t promote hatred; can some of our songs evoke feelings of anger? Possibly. There’s the potential for a lot of emotions to be felt by listening to a song.
7.Are you opposed to religious beliefs or politics being used in music?
I have no issues with religion or politics inspiring or influencing music. Everyone should do their thing, whatever that might be. The only time this really becomes an issue for me is if I attend a concert and then a member of the band starts preaching about shit for an extended period of time. Gets tiring and to the point where it is like “shut the fuck up dude and play some music” lol.
8.We have dive into some pretty deep issues here do you think your music sends a message and if so what is it?
I believe our music can resonate with listeners on different levels. Our album Awaken covers an emotional spectrum and the concept revolves around an internal struggle, which is a relatable theme many will likely understand. I think despite life beating us down from time to time, there are glimmers of hope or things worth holding onto that make us push forward. Lyrically and even melody wise, those “bright” spots are instilled in our songs and I hope it comes through.
9.The market has changed and many bands believe that record labels are a thing of the past, with many labels now charging bands to “sign” how do you think a band can make it in todays scene?
Things have definitely changed. There is no shortage of bands and content, the internet has made sure of that lol. In the past getting a label was the ultimate goal and while that can still be true today, I don’t think it is the only path to some personal form of success. We realize that we need to stay in front of our fans and engage them often. It’s the name of the game with social media and also a big reason why our album Awaken will release gradually over the course of a year as singles instead of dropping all at once. It doesn’t make sense for lesser known bands to drop full albums all at once these days. You’ll be forgotten in a week, hell maybe a few days with how much content is constantly being pushed out to people.
10.Why with the thousands of options including netflix , sporting events everything on demand. Why do you think people should take the time to listen to what you have to say in your music?
There are a lot of entertainment options on demand these days. Music is no exception. We are aiming for Awaken be a total experience for listeners though. It is a concept album that has been designed to flow from start to finish with transitional scores in between many songs. The diversity of tones, melodies, vocals, atmosphere, etc. are meant to have the listener experience a wide range of emotions. The concept of internal struggle influenced the track names, their order, and progression of sound from song to song heading to the close of the album. The lyrics are written in a way unfold a story with each song being a piece of the story’s overall evolution. This concept is something I’ve been working on for years, well before Killing the Silence formed and it’s been incredible to watch it come to life and unfold over the course of the past 1-2 years.
11.How do you feel about pay to play? Do you think it is fair for a band to have to pay money to play?
I am not fond of bands having to pay to play personally. There are a lot of bands out there that want to play live though, and venues need to pay bills to stay open. I think the biggest thing I can say in this space is go out and support local bands and venues. It is what will keep the doors open and provide opportunities for new music to flourish in a live setting in your hometowns. Over the years I have seen some venues permanently close. That kind of situation really sucks for many bands and hurts a local music scene.
12.It is fact that you are the talent and the entertainment explain what you think is the most important key to success?
I think talent alone these days doesn’t cut it. Many talented people that can be found on a variety of platforms. Entertainment is a huge piece. It is how you connect with your audience and keep them coming back. That engagement is crucial. It’s something that we take pretty seriously for Killing the Silence and why we publish a lot of music AND non-music related content. Our shenanigans our genuinely us and we like sharing that aspect with our viewers for entertainment value besides the music.
13.In country music and even in some cases rock music is written and performed by different people would your band perform a song written by someone else?
We’ve actually discussed and are looking at doing a cover of an older song. Like a total remake of something that is completely outside of the rock / metal genre and writing it in our style. This isn’t a new concept as other bands have done it; but it can definitely sound really cool hearing a song composed and played in a different genre / style. Its lower on our priority list right now as we our working on our first album; definitely on our radar though.
14.If you are pro female in music are you pro using sex to sell your music?
I think this topic relates to marketing strategy. There are definitely females in metal; but the ratio of men is much higher. With that in mind, it is likely a band with a female may grab more attention purely for that reason. There is nothing wrong with using that as a competitive advantage. Looking at bands across metal genres, some choose a more hypersexual approach and other are more reserved in that regard. I don’t think there is a right answer; bands in that situation should just do what the female member(s) is comfortable with and not push them beyond those boundaries. That gets into a realm of exploitation / taking advantage of someone, which isn’t cool in my book.
15.What is your view on the lawsuits against people saying lewd or unprofessional things to women or men and how does that affect an art described as sex drugs and rock n roll ?
This is an interesting topic. Music is one of the ultimate forms of expression / art; for some it is an emotional outlet to express feelings or unload things that normally may not be comfortable talking about outside the music. Themes of sex and drugs have been around in music for decades, nothing new. I believe in freedom of speech; that said though, doesn’t mean people will be receptive to what you’re saying and there is a chance they get offended… welcome to 2020 lol. But I think its simple; if something offends you, turn it off. Don’t listen. Don’t support. Back to the freedom of speech thing, people can voice their displeasure though. Works both ways.
16. Ok lets lighten up a bit. What is your favorite band of all time and why?
Damn… that’s a tough question lol. I think it depends on the angle of approach. There’s a few I constantly listen to like As I Lay Dying, Trivium, After the Burial, etc… I’m going to come at it from an angle of inspiration though and will throw a bit of a curveball… Breaking Benjamin. I respect Ben’s ability to write, compose music, and establish the “sound” and identity of that band; all of that has inspired me to take an interest in a similar space and look at things holistically for Killing the Silence, beyond just the instrument I am playing.
17.What would you be doing if you were not in a band?
I like the outdoors, so I’d probably dedicate more time to hiking, kayaking, backpacking, etc. Would definitely be doing those things more. And riding my motorcycle more.
18. Do you have a favorite sports team?
I enjoy football. Primarily college, they are hungry and have a passion for the sport that can be lost when reaching a professional level. I am originally from Ohio, so I am a Buckeye through and through.
19.If you could get on stage with anyone dead or alive who would it be?
Damn… another tough one that I also think depends on angle lol. I am going to approach this from a collaborative angle and I’d have to pick Chester Bennington. He had such a dynamic voice with his screaming and singing abilities. I really loved Cross Off, the collaboration he did with Mark Morton from Lamb of God. I loved Linkin Park; Hybrid Theory was an album I grew up with and had on constantly through high school. I really wish we could have gotten more of Chester in that space like what he did with Mark. It suited him so well and sounded badass. Definitely lost a good one too early.
20.This is your shot to let loose, Throw down your biggest complaint about the music biz
The money aspect for artists for sure. This can be seen in a variety of ways… like how much Spotify pays per stream (abysmal) for example or what emerging artists are paid for live shows, which represents a big portion of income these days since music sales have generally become music streaming (at abysmal per stream rates, again lol). Definitely makes it tough to do full time and funds are important to do things like record songs, make music videos, or produce other content to reach your audience. Content is the name of the game these days and there has to be a steady flow of it.
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