It was in the last days of 1983 when REMAIN IN SILENCE was founded by the two protagonists A. Buchwald (guitars) and A. Gimpel (vocals). With a distinctive lead voice and melodically haunting guitar tunes layered over a heavy bass lines and straight drums they soon established their characteristic sound.
At that time in Germany their music was unique and still remains outstanding – deeply melancholic, sonorous and powerful. The emotional density is permanently present in their songs – a density you can hardly escape. Their live shows integrated slide illuminations, strobe lights etc. stressing the expression of their songs to a maximum.
Early comparisons to the likes of Joy Division and The Cure soon became void as RIS carefully developed their individual musical language. Apart from an omnipresent dark, cold wave mood, even songwriters like Leonard Cohen can be seen as influences and an absorbing interpretation of Dylan’s Ballad of Hollis Brown is still occasionally part of their live set.
In April 1985 REMAIN IN SILENCE released their first album SEVEN ROOMS as a C-60 cassette. Hosted in a monolith-like black box it featured a studio side and a live side. With only 100 made it is today an undiscoverable rarity. But it was their mini-album MONUMENT, also a cassette only release, which consolidated their reputation as a cult band and widened their audience, leading Germany’s alternative cassette charts at the time. Upon its release in December 1985, ‘Spex’ music magazine stated: ‘Monument is absolutely worth the name. RIS is how New Order should actually sound like.’
Classic tracks like the moving Hope in Fear, the claustrophobic Hero and the sad but powerful Lonesome Hours still have lost nothing of its elemental force – pulling you down and lifting you up at the same time.
With the release of their third recorded output, the classic THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE RESISTANCE GOT LOST vinyl album, it only seemed to be a question of time when RIS would finally start getting through. But the financial break-up of their record label and the permanent replacement of band members made their hopeful career come to a too early halt.
Nevertheless, A. Buchwald and A. Gimpel continued making music as REMAIN IN SILENCE. They supported Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1995 and are currently working on new material, of which the track RAIN has already surfaced on Youtube in its demo state and will be released in the coming future.
Without a doubt REMAIN IN SILENCE can be tagged as the true German Cold Wave pioneers. With LONESOME HOURS – THE SEVEN ROOMS & MONUMENT RECORDINGS Dead Wax Records gives you the perfect introduction to this unique band through their first recorded materials. They are alive and kicking so expect more to come!!
