Art and music can often be an outlet for grief. Earlier this year, Matti S. Aikio, bass player and founding member of SILENTIUM, passed away unexpectedly. In his memory, SILENTIUM now have released a brand new single, an acoustic rendition of “Forever Sleep.”
SILENTIUM had already planned to do an acoustic version of “Forever Sleep” when Aikio was still active in the band. Call it fate, however, that the band never got to work on it. After his passing, the band decided to work on the song in his memory. Consequently, this resulted in the best possible version of the song, given that it’s filled with honest emotion. While the original version is rawer, with heavy guitars, a violin melody, and harsher vocals, the acoustic reprise reveals that there is so much more meaning beyond this song than the raw emotion we were initially presented with. Singer Riina Rinkinen‘s voice fits perfectly and the different arrangements give the song a totally new atmosphere. Despite the lyrics and the overall mood, it feels like a completely different track.
The most beautiful aspect, however, of this song is not in its arrangements, it’s in how it’s performed. You can feel the band’s emotion and their vulnerability in every second and every little detail; there’s a hauntingly beautiful melancholy present. This authenticity is perhaps the most endearing way of honoring the loss of a loved one and make this one of my favorite SILENTIUM tracks.
Written by Laureline Tilkin
