A Broken Silence
It was at an anti-war rally in Sydney that A Broken Silence did a performance that grabbed the attention of Whitlams’ front man Tim Freedman. The group was performing after The Whitlams at the protest. Tim stuck around after his set and was both surprised and very impressed by the powerful message in their music and the way it was delivered. Afterwards they all got to talking and agreed they should work on a song together. An evocative track called Lost Road about the effects of conflict on children in war torn countries was born. Soon after A Broken Silence is receiving standing ovations at venues such as the Sydney Opera House as they perform around Australia with The Whitlam’s and an 88 piece orchestra. Audiences nationwide have been left, wanting to know more about these A Broken Silence boys.
Well, you could say A Broken Silence is an Alternative Rock/Nu-Metal outfit with a rapper front man. But do not get it confused. This is not the Australian version of Linkin Park and the groups MC Torcha is not another Mike Shinoda. It is almost like a pre-requisite of the rap-rock genre that the token rappers efforts are so ordinary that they would not be tolerable if heard exposed in the openness of a hip hop record. This is not the case with Torcha.
A rough neck from the Sydney suburb of Parramatta, Torcha was never much into school. He is somebody that likes to read, but was too busy getting into to trouble to ever really study. Even so, Torcha has an intelligence that can not be gained from formal education. When you listen to A Broken Silence you can hear reality the in these vivid stories told in a unique voice from Sydney’s West. It is then backed by a crescendo of driving guitars mixed with hip hop production, that these words really become powerful.
Through his ferocious battle lyrics and abilities as a story teller, Torcha has already built a reputation as one of the elite of Australia’s hip hop scene. He started rapping at the age of 14 and was soon causing serious damage in local MC battles. He started his recording career with a group called Et Nik Tribe, but is best known as a part of dynamic duo Hyjak N Torcha. Together they released a groundbreaking Australian hip hop record called Drastic Measures and have toured extensively around the country by themselves and in support of well famous folks like De La Soul, Xzibit, Mobb Deep, Gangstarr, Hilltop Hoods, Lord Finesse, Swollen Members, Murs and more.
Similarly the other musicians that make up A Broken Silence have already established careers in a number of different areas of music. B-Don who holds down the keys and programming has a background in both metal and hip hop production. Guitarist Cactus has experience playing punk and pop rock in various bands. Bass player Slim gains his inspiration from the likes of Miles Davis and James Brown. Meanwhile, the bands drummer, Nathan, has a list of influences too expansive for a one page bio. Getting together a year ago they have pooled their many influences to create a unique sound that stands out amongst its contemporaries.
At a time when causeless rebels reign, and we are without a band to truly uphold rock’s anti-establishment heritage, A Broken Silence is a single voice of dissent talking about the important issues. Expect none of that self righteous “this goes out to those people who didn’t want to be like everyone else”. You will not be barraged by pseudo revolutionary slogans aimed at an obliquitous system. Instead of ramming an opinion down your throat, A Broken Silence asks poignant questions and tells exceedingly real stories to bring light to the things that are so very wrong with our world. Approaching all subjects that relate to social and political issues, combined with a popular dissent clearly and loudly expressed with propulsive rhythms, radio-palatable hooks and real production values, A Broken Silence is able to create some real head bangers that really do bang.
A Broken Silence will release their debut EP “ALL FOR WHAT” early 2008, the release features guests appearances from Patriarch (USA) and Tim Freedman from the Whitlams.
