INTERVIEW WITH ZHARLIE SAMBEKO AND FREDRIK BERGMAN OF SWEDISH BAND SOUNDLESS WHISPER

Soundless Whisper: clockwise from left: Nathanael, Fredrik, Mikael, and Zharlie (in front).

Okay, maybe there are countries that I like their music a little better. My favorite mainstream band is the Aussie Little River Band. One of my favorite Christian bands is Canadian quartet known as The Daniel Band. I've also been fond of Swedish bands like Europe, Abba, and Roxette. This year I've added two Swedish Christian bands to the list: Dark Valentine, who I interviewed earlier this year, and Soundless Whisper. 

Would you be surprised if I discovered them in the group Female Christian Rock & Metal? I didn't think so. Today, I have the privilege to interview band members Zharlie Sambeko (singer, guitarist, and songwriter) and Fredrik Bergman (keyboards, song arrangement).  

JR: Welcome to my blog. I would like to ask about how the band started and who's all in it. 

ZS: In 2010 we got a new pastor in our church and I wrote a ”rock-song” to play at his first service as our pastor. We had talked to him before and I included some thoughts on his vision for our church in the song. During this time Fredrik and I were in another band called Shadows of Paragon who play Christian extreme metal (we still are by the way). After doing this song in church we thought it was fun to play this style of music also, and decided to form a band.

We got a drummer and a lead singer, and I did back-up vocals, but after some time they both left the band. So we spent quite some time trying to find new members, and we ended up having Fredrik's brother Mikael as our new drummer. He is a very talented and experimental drummer, and taking him in, also meant that our sound changed quite a bit. 

Later we asked a friend who also is a great bass player, Nathanael, to join us. And Fredrik switched from bass to keyboard which also had an impact on our sound. We struggled to find a singer, and one day we went to a Petra concert in Sweden, and got the chance to greet the band, and we took the chance to speak with John, and gave him a CD with our demo songs and asked if he would do a guest performance. We said we would keep in touch, and later we found out that he really liked our songs and decided to do some guest vocals for us. I ended up taking the lead vocals on the rest of the parts/songs.

JR: How did you become a Christian? 

ZS: People may think I am crazy for remembering this, but I had a vivid memory and I must have been no more than 3 years old (because it was before my knee surgery I had when I was 4), and I remember it was Easter and my parents who were Christian talked about a Man who lived in Israel and He was a wonderful man who healed sick people and was really nice to people. I must have missed the part that it all happened 2000 years ago, because I thought He was living on earth today. On Long Friday they talked about Jesus dying…and everyone was sad…and for me it happened in real time. And that Sunday He rose from the dead! I the whole time I thought it was happening today, in Israel. And I remember my mom having a conversation with my older brother, about receiving Jesus into your heart  and I remember that I secretly joined in that prayer.

FB: I was raised in a Christian family. When I was 14 years old, I had a special encounter with God, and was immediately healed from my asthma/allergies. From that day, I became a believer independent of my family’s faith. 

JR: Would you like to tell us about your latest single "Dark Cage"?

FB: "Dark Cage" is one of the songs John sings on. It’s also the song we chose to make a music video for. It’s a catchy song with influences from both rock and metal. The lyrics are about a person who is going through depression, and John is the encouraging voice from God to that person. We think John did a fantastic job and we are thankful that he also chose to be part of our music video.

ZS: After hearing John’s testimony of how deep in drugs he was and how God sent people in a very specific time to save him from all that, we understand that he can relate to our lyrics and we think that also gives a deeper meaning to his presence in our songs.

JR: Who would you say have been mentors/influences/heroes (for a lack of a better term) both in your faith and in music?

FB: Both Zharlie and I have a background in a performance-oriented Christianity where God was righteous, but strict and demanding. Some years ago we found a deeper understanding of grace and freedom in Christ. There are many pastors preaching grace but it mostly comes from the Apostle Paul’s teaching on the balance of grace and faith. Musically, Petra have been a great influence and also a lot of metal bands.

ZS: When I was younger I listened to a lot of Christian rock and metal bands, anything I could get my hands on. Petra was one of them, and I always thought John Schlitt was an amazing singer. I remember I used to think ”it probably doesn’t matter what words he sing, it will still sound good”. I also really like Amy Lee and Evanescence - they have definitely inspired our sound. 

JR: Were there any memorable experiences in recording and/or performing? And have you had a chance to come to this side of the pond yet?

FB: We have played very few times live so far. We have focused on writing and producing the music. We have recorded and produced everything ourselves in our own studio. Years back, our teacher in music production used to say ”you never finish a mix, you just have to choose when to abandon it”. We have worked for so many years with this album that we actually feel that we DID finish it.

I didn’t plan to master this album myself because I felt that other people could do it better than me. One summer I sat and experimented a little bit with mastering, and during a couple of days I felt like God revealed knowledge about mastering in a supernatural way. Suddenly I realized that we don’t have to hire someone else to do this, but we can do it ourselves. For me this is one thing that leads me to believe that God really has a purpose for this album.

ZS: Studio memory: It was only a couple years ago we came to the conclusion that I was gonna do the lead vocals. I don’t really have a strong, powerful voice, so I spent hours in the studio trying different methods and trying to sing with attack and edge. It was also a challenge to find the right vocal style for the different songs. In "Anything is Possible" I felt that I didn’t want to follow the beat very exactly because it takes away some of the sensitivity and passion of the song, so in the beginning I am purposely a little off beat.  So I did a lot of experimenting between singing very softly - like in the beginning of "Love Will Heal", or in "Escape Those Dreams" - and trying to sing very ”angrily” like in "Dismayed", "Dark Cage" and "Stop Running".

I lived in California when I was younger, but I have never played in the U.S. Of course we would want to come there some day, if a door opens up.

JR: What's it like being a Christian band in Sweden? What challenges are there that may not be here in the U.S.? How have you dealt with COVID? And what are sources of encouragement you've had during these trials? 

FB: I imagine there is a bigger scene for Christian bands in the U.S. because you have more people and more Christian people who will listen. The Christian rock/metal scene was a a lot bigger in Sweden about twenty years ago than it is now. It’s impossible to only depend on local listeners, but through internet we have a chance to reach people worldwide and that’s what we try to do. COVID did not affect us so much, partly because Sweden probably had the lightest restrictions in Europe, but also because we mostly worked in our studio and we never needed to have more people than allowed. 

JR: Thank you for your time. What project(s) are you working on? How can we keep up with your ministry?

FB: We work on a lot of different projects from pop to extreme metal, but we try to prioritize to get more time for Soundless Whisper. Follow us on social media (like our webpage and our Facebook page) to keep up! 

ZS: I am working on a solo album that is sing/song-writer style. Hope to finish it 23/24 sometime. 

 

INTERVIEW WITH VALENTINE GRIMM AND SINAWEE OF SWEDISH BAND DARK VALENTINE.

Dark Valentine, l-r Sinawee, Valentine Grimm, Erzebet

JR: Let's start with introductions. I'm Jeff Reynolds, a blogger, used to be a songwriter (now working on being a novelist), 61 years old, ordained minister, and always having enjoyed Christian rock of several styles. As for you, how did Dark Valentine get started? Who's in the band?

VALENTINE: I started the band as a solo project in 2005. Me and Sinawee met in 2006 and we joined forces on what would become Dark Valentine as it is today. Erzebet joined us on bass throughout the years and we've had several guest performers with us, but as of now the band consists of Sinawee and myself. 

JR: My first impression of Dark Valentine is a meme with three of the members about how you are reaching those most churches can't reach and to not judge Christian Goth (see above). First, I agree. How would you define Christian Goth? I tend to think of them wearing dark outfits: how is it compatible with Scriptures saying we're of light, not of darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:5), and having no fellowship with the unfruitul works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11)?

SINAWEE: It has nothing to do with outside and the color of clothing, as you know even priests and nuns wear black. One of our favorite Scripture is Isaiah 45:3 "And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel."  In Psalms God uses darkness as his canopy. We know he is not referring to evil. To us a Christian Goth is someone who is a Christian and appreciates gothic style in clothing and make up, whether its Pixie Goth, Romantic Goth, Gothic Metal. there are many different variations of gothic style. Music with darker notes, or minors or ambiance, gothic metal, etherial, industrial, symphonic doom, etc. 

JR: Most of my view of Christianity is of course here in the lower 48 on the other side of the pond, as well as keeping up with mission groups including Voice of the Martyrs. What is the state of the Church in Sweden? What are the greatest challenges you face? Does it sometimes seem you're facing a two front war, with the world on one side and the organized Church on the other? Also, have you ever had opportunity to cross over and visit here? If so, have you noticed any differences (other than us not speaking Swedish)?

SINAWEE: The only time it feels like we have been in a two sided war is in America, in Sweden the churches simply appreciate anyone who will darken their doors. They accept and respect you and do not judge you on outer appearance. We find in Sweden, USA and across the globe, when we play at non-christian venues, we have been accepted on merit of how we perform our shows and everyone has been very respectful to us when they find out we are Christians and they are usually curious and engage in meaningful conversation which gives us a chance to talk to them about Jesus.

JR: I'll admit I only had the blessing of hearing one song by you: "A World Beguiled." (And I absolutely loved it!) What are you all currently working on? Any songs that you're excited about and that you'd like to tell me about?

VALENTINE: There is a lot of music in my head. We are working on new things, but for now, like to keep the mystery alive. If you like "A world Beguiled" you might enjoy "Come to Me", and maybe even a song like "Drain".
our latest album "Twill BE Epic' is available on Bandcamp (https://darkvalentine.bandcamp.com/)

JR: What sources has God used to encourage you? How do you strengthen your faith? What is God doing for you all and through you all? 

SINAWEE: First and foremost spending time with the Lord and reading the Word. Gathering together with other believers and we have family and friends we are very close to and keep each other accountable. 

The Lord is always providing strength, healing and hope, no matter what the situation looks like. We've learned to put our trust in Jesus, trust Him with our lives. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) Sometimes we notice that we have taken things back in our own hands and doing things in our own strength and we have to give it back to Him again. Through us and through the music, He is ministering to people, both saved and lost.  

JR: Thank you for your time. Anything else you'd like us to know? Any prayer requests? How do we keep up with what you're up to?

VALENTINE & SINAWEE: Just keep us in prayer for God to keep using us in the ways he wants to use us. As to how to keep up with us: we are on Facebook. There is the Dark Valentine store where you can buy a physical copy of our CD "Twill Be Epic," and as we said earlier the CD is available, digitally, on Bandcamp. Thank you for giving us this opportunity. God Bless you and all your endeavors!