* En anglais uniquement
Silent Planet are a Los Angeles-based metalcore band whose music embraces dynamics swinging from quiet, atmospheric contemplation to a full-on sonic assault, and whose lyrics offer a thoughtful view of the challenges of life in a destructive, chaotic world. Taking their name from a novel by C.S. Lewis,
Silent Planet was formed in 2009 by
Garrett Russell, who says he was inspired to use music to express his spiritual ideals while volunteering at a Haitian orphanage as part of a Christian youth mission. Lead vocalist
Russell teamed up with Thomas Freckleton on guitar, keyboards, and vocals, guitarist
Spencer Keene, bassist
Igor Efimov, and drummer Alex Camarena, and
Silent Planet began playing West Coast venues. (
Keene does not always tour with the group; guitarist
Mitchell Stark takes his place on the road.) In 2012,
Silent Planet released their debut EP, Come Wind, Come Weather, which was produced by
Matt Goldman. In 2014, the band released a second EP, Lastsleep (1944-1946), which earned rave reviews and attracted the attention of respected metal/punk label Solid State Records; they promptly signed the band, and
Silent Planet's first full-length album,
The Night God Slept, was released in November 2014.
Efimov departed in 2015, leaving Freckleton to add bass to his myriad duties within the group. The band issued their sophomore studio effort
Everything Was Sound in 2016, which would serve as the last
Silent Planet outing for guitar player
Spencer Keene, who left the group shortly after the album's release. The band enlisted stalwart metalcore producer
Will Putney for album number three. The resulting
When the End Began, which captured the group's punishing live sound while trafficking in ambient and experimental elements, arrived in 2018. ~ Mark Deming