Track By Tracks: Silver Talon - Becoming A Demon (2019)

1. Intro:

I’ve always loved intros to albums. To the people who think they’re a huge waste of time, I say go fuck yourself. It’s a great way to create contrast with the rest of the album and set the overall mood. I understand that may be lost on the modern music listener who has the attention span of a gnat. But for the people who are ready to let themselves fully experience the music, a solid intro is essential. This one was heavily inspired by Castlevania game music.

2. Devil Machine:

This was written while we were still jamming as SPELLCASTER. This is sort of the anthem of Silver Talon and actually the first song I wrote using a drop tuning. The lyrics deal with a lot of fucked-up religious symbolism and industrialization. The devil machine is more of a concept than a thing - a monolithic mechanized god that destroys the very people who worship it.

3. Silver Talon:

The closest thing we can get to writing our version of ‘Iron Maiden.’ An epic sprawling track that tells the ultimate power metal story of a people uniting to fight a common foe - all following a mythical dragon creature known as the ‘Silver Talon.’ Greater than god, greater than the devil, the Silver Talon. Really the Silver Talon is the spirit of freedom residing in us all. The great universal fuck you to everything lording over and controlling your life. With the Silver Talon within, all things are possible.

4. Speed of the Night:

Definitely our most speed metal song. Always a good one to start the set due to the flashy guitar work. Lyrics are basically about driving your car really fast at night. Think VAN HALEN’s ‘Panama’ meets YNGWIE MALMSTEEN. The bridge section is also a huge nod to WHITESNAKE’s Still of the Night. A common theme in our writing style is to take 80s hair metal and beef it up a bit. Have you ever tremolo-picked a RATT riff? If not, you should try it.

5. Cold Embrace:

A track that’s literally about becoming a demon. It’s a slow burn horror story that describes a descent into madness and demonic possession. This is personally my favorite song from the Becoming A Demon EP. The structure borrows heavily from the work of our lord and savior, JS BACH, and his most exciting Prelude - BWV 999. Wyatt’s vocal delivery on the chorus is fucking solid as well. Inspired by Man in the Box by ALICE IN CHAINS actually.

6. Warriors’ End:

This was written during the SPELLCASTER Night Hides The World sessions in 2015. I found this while going through old Garageband recordings on my iPhone in 2018 or so. Jesus, Garageband - we were so primitive back then, weren’t we? Anyway, it was rejected for Night Hides The World because the rest of the band thought it was “too complicated” and “hard to sing over.” Heaven forbid a song be difficult! Anyway, lyrics were added by Wyatt in 2018. Tells the tale of duty and honor and what it means to live and die by the code of an ancient warrior.

7. Battle Angels:

After we released the first demo, Devil Machine, in 2018, we got A LOT of comparisons to SANCTUARY. After that, I thought “why the hell not do a cover of Battle Angels?” Jeff Loomis has been a good friend for a couple of years, and was actually in SANCTUARY for a time, so with that idea came another hair-brained idea that maybe Jeff would be interested in doing a solo for our cover. Luckily for us, he was! As a fan, his solo is the coolest bit of history to be put on the track - definitely sounds like his lead on all of the old videos of NEVERMORE playing Battle Angels back in the early 90s, but properly recorded. Some people also get a bit pissy that Wyatt isn’t howling like a banshee who’s just inhaled helium on the track. “Why no falsetto?” Because we’re not fucking SANCTUARY, that’s why! It’s a cover - we’re doing it our way, not trying to redo or outdo the original. Plus Warrel Dane is just completely un-fuckwith-able.

8. Outro:

This is a cool beginner's classical guitar piece by Francisco Tárrega (the father of classical guitar). I’ve always loved playing this piece. It’s easy and simple, yet oh so alluring. I turned it into a guitar and synth track with some freaky piano that follows the guitar parts. Felt like a good way to endcap the EP.