Silverburn is the solo project of Welsh metal legend James “Jimbob” Isaac and signifies a major transition stemming from the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. After making a name for themselves in Taint and Hark and eventually being thrown to the sidelines like everyone else in the industry, Isaac was ready to make another splash.
“It was really a case of idle hands during lockdown, and unlocking the potency of home recording software. I made some jam videos with Eloy Casagrande (Sepultura) which made me see what I had previously been missing out on, in terms of home music production. I had two and a half years off making music or even touching the guitar straight after Hark’s dissolution, so it was Eloy and lockdown in of itself that inspired me to pull my finger out and start getting creative again.”
The debut album, “Self Induced Transcendental Annihilation,” is out now via MSH Music Group, was meticulously put together in Isaac’s home studio over a 12 month time period, followed by another 12 months of intense live drumming practice, to truly hone their craft and take it to the next level. All this in a time that was truly unprecedented and unforgiving begs the question of how they kept pushing forward.
“The album itself is what kept me motivated,” explains Isaac. “Layer by layer, step by step, spiral by spiral. Initially I imagined completing it as a home made, digital/demo/DIY album, and just getting it out online. Although, the more the album demos went on, the more I realized how much I believed in the material and that it deserved to be recorded properly. It was actually a friend who suggested I record the drums for real, and even though I wanted to put the album out sooner than later, I agreed that it was worth putting another year into my drum training and preparing myself for a real recording session with Gethin Pearson here in Wales. The learning aspect of this was also hugely motivational. I love drumming, and realized I wanted a good reason to improve my drumming skills whilst creating some new music simultaneously.”
An improvement on anything is an improvement on life, especially under the circumstances of a worldwide shutdown, forcing everyone to spend time with themselves, some for the very first time. For Isaac, it may have been a time of pain, but also one of self-actualization, and it can clearly be heard throughout the debut from Silverburn.
“The themes are all centered around my nervous breakdown, also known as an awakening, and all other aspects of my subsequent healing journey. Total annihilation and subsequent rebirth/rebuilding/healing. One or two friends have been surprised that I’ve made such an aggressive record, and have assumed it’s negative or nihilistic. That’s not the case at all. This is a brutal album, because the healing journey is naturally very painful. The more we can sit in the fire, the more we realize but we won’t get burned. A lot of thematic aspects have come from Jungian philosophy and other areas in quantum mechanics and spirituality.”
