Interview Tystnaden

Join us as we dive into an insightful conversation with Tystnaden, exploring their musical journey, inspirations, and the making of their latest album, "The Black Swan".

1. Tystnaden has been around since 1999. How do you feel your sound has evolved over the years, from your early demos to your latest album "The Black Swan"?

LDL: Since 1999, the year of our first demo, 25 years have passed. You can imagine how much our tastes, listening habits, and perspectives and music have changed. I couldn't tell you exactly how, but we've softened in some ways, and become rougher in others, which I think is the equivalent of maturing (or "aging" , hahaha). What hasn't changed is the love we put into what we do, the dedication to our project, which is like a family to us, with all the ups and downs of daily life. We've also had several lineup changes, but I can tell you that the connection between the five of us has never been stronger. It means we can't do without each other: me, Giulia, Cesare, Stefano, and Alberto.

2. Can you tell us more about the inspiration and concept behind your new album "The Black Swan"? How does it reflect your growth as a band?

LDL: The inspiration for The Black Swan came from the tough times we all went through with COVID and our belief that how we live and react to situations changes everything. I was working in Emergency Department back then, I saw situations with my own eyes that were really hard to accept. I saw, like everyone else, the different reactions to a situation we never thought we'd have to face. One day, Cesare told us: "Read Taleb's essay called 'The Black Swan,' and you'll find a lot of answers." So, we did, and it gave us a lot of clarity about many things. Our new album, The Black Swan, is about how life is full of unexpected events that can have a huge impact. As adults, we often make decisions based on our past experiences, trying to predict and avoid risks. But we tend to forget about those rare, unpredictable events—what Nassim Taleb calls 'black swans'—that can change everything. These can be both good and bad, but they remind us that not everything can be predicted or controlled. So, our album encourages embracing the unknown and keeping our minds and hearts open to whatever comes our way.

3. Laura, your vocal style is quite distinct. How have your influences, such as System of a Down and Rammstein, shaped your approach to singing?

LDL: That's a really tough question. I've always loved unique voices, the ones that, even if they're rough or imperfect, can convey emotions. I have always valued tone over technique and range. It's a bit hard to explain, but I've always loved the rawness of Sandra Nasic (Guano Apes), the tone of Skin for female voices, and the way Serj Tankian sings, which seems to come straight from the heart, along with Jonathan Davis. My way of singing is completely personal, and to be honest, I don't even like my own voice that much, but I love singing and composing melodies, trying to convey what I was feeling in that moment. I wish I had even a fraction of the voices of those I mentioned...

4. Cesare, you have an impressive array of equipment. How do you decide which gear to use for different songs or live performances?

CC: The equipment I use live is as close as possible to the sounds used in the most recent album we are promoting; I always tend to favor the latest sounds created to give the newest songs more impact. What changes significantly in the execution of the songs from album to album is the use of different guitars and tunings. On Sham of Perfection and In Our Eye, we used six-string guitars tuned a whole step down; on Anima, we started using seven-string guitars in a standard tuning; on The Black Swan, we wanted a change and began composing in drop A to have a different, fresher, and heavier sound.

5. Giulia, your musical influences range from Pantera to Ani Di Franco. How do you incorporate such diverse influences into your guitar playing?

GC: I’ve always listened to many styles of music to feed my inspiration. The creativity in guitar techniques and ways of expression has truly encouraged me to improve and learn more. So re-interpreting a vibrato, a lick, a fingerstyle arpeggio of my guitar heroes basically made me develop my style. In the previous bands I used to play different genres (mostly thrash-death metal), always as lead guitarist. It’s the way I truly express myself! Since I joined Tystnaden, “The Black Swan” was the first opportunity for me to give a contribution also to the composition.

6. Stefano, your bass playing brings a lot of energy to the band. How do your hobbies like gym and motorbiking influence your performance style?

SG: Thank you for the compliment! My hobbies, like hitting the gym and motorbiking, definitely play a big role in my performance style. Going to the gym helps me stay fit and maintain the stamina needed for live performances. It’s important to have that physical endurance when you’re on stage, giving it your all for the entire set. As for motorbiking, it’s a passion that gives me a sense of freedom and adrenaline. That feeling translates into my bass playing, adding a layer of intensity and excitement to our music. Both activities keep me mentally and physically sharp, which I believe contributes to the energy and dynamism I bring to Tystnaden’s songs.

7. Alberto, your drumming is a crucial part of Tystnaden's sound. How do your interests in photography and mountain trekking influence your creativity and approach to music?

AI: First of all, thanks for this interesting question. At our level, very often no one stops to really understand the personality behind the members of a band (except the singer, of course!). Regarding my hobbies, I can make a comparison between photography and drumming: both lead you to think about how to best render a scene (photography) or a song (drums). You must always seek a balance between technique and taste; each element must be at the right point, and there should not be too many things that are not functional to the context. It is constant training on how to extract the best from the context. Keeping this in mind, there are many drummers I know who have the same hobby; I don't think it's a coincidence. Regarding mountain trekking, I’d say that it influences my approach to drumming and music in a different way. As we live a chaotic life with no time, too much noise, and stress around us, the quiet, the absence of annoying noises, the open views, and the solitary effort that must be made during a climb completely free your mind. And it is precisely in those moments that the brain begins to process ideas, and I find myself singing pieces of songs; drum passages come to mind that I can't wait to try on the drums or write on the PC. And if nothing comes to mind, well, at least I had a nice walk and saw some beautiful places!

8. The band took a break and then came back in 2023. What motivated your return, and how did you find rediscovering your musical identity after the hiatus?

LDL: It could be answered in one line: we had a strong internal need to release emotions in music and lyrics. From 2012 to 2017, I took a pause from the band for personal reasons. Tystnaden continued to promote our last album “Anima” (2012) with live performances and on social media. 2017 was the year of changes: the awesome Giulia joined the line-up, Cesare found new inspiration with the writing of new songs and at the beginning of 2018 he made me hear some rough pre-production and honestly...the emotion was strong... and I decided to return to what has been a second family for many years, because for me this has always been Tystnaden. In 2019, we started again together with live activity and with the pre-production work of the songs, a magical moment, unfortunately abruptly interrupted by Covid in February 2020. It was a bad break, which affected me and Stefano, our bassist, in a professional way. We had to wait more than a year to see each other again and start working on the new album, and these events certainly brought out our interiority even more to pour it into music and lyrics.

9. "The Black Swan" album's title is a tribute to Nassim Nicholas Taleb's essay. How did the themes of rare and unpredictable events influence your songwriting and lyrical content?

LDL: The album title is taken from Taleb's work, which discusses the existence of black swans from a philosophical perspective. It’s about life's uncertainty in all its forms, marked by these unpredictable events - those so-called black swans - that have a huge impact on the world, even our own little personal worlds. We can't predict them, but we can build resilience against the bad ones and make the most of the good ones by recognizing that we don't know everything and there are limits to what we can know. That's how we see it, and in our songs, there's our way of reacting to such events.

10. Tystnaden has worked with various producers and studios over the years. How has working with Fabio D'Amore on "The Black Swan" been different from your previous experiences?

LDL: In the past, we found an excellent professional in Luigi Stefanini from New Sin Studios, who gave us perfect advice during the recording process to improve some things and arrangements, using his experience to enhance and highlight what he believed were the strengths of a song. Working with Fabio D'Amore was quite different because it started way before the album recordings, during pre-production. For us, he was like the sixth member of the band. He had the experience and an outside perspective that made our work better. He didn't change who we are; he understood us and got excited about The Black Swan like it was part of him. As you can tell, we really enjoyed working with Fabio!

11. Your live performances are known for their energy and atmosphere. How do you prepare for a show, and what can fans expect from your upcoming tours?

CC: We usually decide together on the setlist for the upcoming concerts by discussing it in the band's chat. Each of us does intense personal preparation at home, carefully preparing the songs, then we always try to schedule at least three rehearsals together in the room because we believe that the right energy and the best chemistry can only be generated by playing live together. As for the atmosphere, well, it is almost always created by our emotions, feelings, and interaction with the audience.

12. With such a rich history and a fresh new album, what do you see as the future for Tystnaden? Are there any upcoming projects or goals you'd like to share with your fans?

LDL: We still have so many things to do! Right now, we’re focusing on promoting our second amazing video for the single "Forsaken”, working on new merchandise, and planning a series of live shows (which we can’t wait for). We have more energy and drive than ever to keep going. We try to keep you updated on all our future steps through our social channels. Therefore, follow us on our pages!

WEBSITE: https://www.tystnaden.com/home.html

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TystnadenBand

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tystnaden_band/

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@tystnadenbandofficial