After 13 years of silence, Falling Leaves return with The Silence That Binds Us, a deeply emotional album exploring isolation, resilience, and renewal. We discussed inspiration, collaborations, and the weight of silence.
1. After
a 13-year hiatus, you’re returning with The Silence That Binds Us. What was the
main driving force behind finally creating and releasing this album now?
The hiatus
was never about the end of Falling Leaves, it was about survival. Life
scattered us in different directions, but the desire to create never faded.
Over time, that silence became heavier than any riff we could write. We
realized we owed it to ourselves and to those who believed in us to return and
give shape to everything we had carried inside over the years. The Silence That
Binds Us is the sound of that weight finally breaking open.
2. Your
new single “We Are Alone” has been described as a central thematic pillar of
the album. Can you walk us through the emotions and ideas that shaped this
song?
“We Are
Alone” came from the feeling that no matter how connected the world seems, we
often fight our deepest battles in solitude. It’s about isolation, but also
about resilience, the struggle to find meaning in a world that can feel
indifferent. Musically, it captures both sides: the crushing weight of despair
and the fragile light of hope that refuses to die out.
3. The
album features notable guests like Paul Kuhr, Fabio Alessandrini, and Ariel
Perchuk. How did these collaborations come about, and how did their
contributions influence the final sound?
We were fortunate to work with artists we deeply respect. Paul’s voice carries an emotional depth that perfectly complemented the clean passages of “We Are Alone.” Fabio brought incredible energy and precision behind the drums, grounding the songs with both power and subtlety. Ariel added atmosphere and dimension, giving the music an almost cinematic quality. Each of them left their fingerprint on this album, making it something larger than just us.
4.
Working with Alessandro Comerio for mixing and Dan Swanö for mastering must
have been a significant experience. What impact did they have on bringing your
vision to life?
Alessandro
understood our sound instantly he gave it clarity without stripping away its
rawness. Dan Swanö, on the other hand, has been an influence on us for years,
so having him master the record felt like closing a circle. Together, they
brought balance and depth to the album, turning our vision into something that
finally matched the sound we heard in our heads.
5.
Compared to your 2012 debut Mournful Cry of a Dying Sun, what do you feel has
evolved the most in Falling Leaves’ sound and approach to songwriting?
Back then,
we were driven by passion and instinct, writing what we felt in the moment.
Now, after years of silence and growth, our songwriting is more deliberate. We
pay attention to the spaces between notes, the atmosphere, the dynamics. We
still chase raw emotion, but we’ve learned how to give it structure and let the
songs breathe.
6.
Silence plays a recurring role in your discography, now culminating in
“Re-Silence (Part III).” What does silence represent for you personally and
artistically?
Silence is
both our enemy and our companion. It represents absence, grief, and the weight
of things unsaid. But it also represents reflection and renewal. For us,
silence is never empty, it’s full of echoes. “Re-Silence” is the continuation
of that dialogue we started years ago.
7. The themes of despair, isolation, and existential dread are core to your music. How do you strike the balance between heaviness and melody to convey these emotions without losing one side to the other?
Life itself
is both heavy and fragile. We’ve always believed that melody makes the
heaviness more devastating, and heaviness gives melody its meaning. We don’t
force balance, we let the songs demand it. Sometimes despair needs to scream,
other times it needs to whisper. That tension is where Falling Leaves lives.
8.
Travis Smith’s album artwork is striking, with faceless figures bound by
invisible threads. How does this visual concept tie into the album’s lyrical
themes?
Travis
captured the essence of the album perfectly. The faceless figures represent the
loss of identity in a world where we are constantly pulled by forces beyond our
control. The invisible threads are the unseen struggles, the silence that binds
us all. His artwork is not just a cover, but a mirror of what the music speaks.
9.
Having relocated from Amman to Dubai, how has your geographical and cultural
journey influenced your music, perspective, and the identity of Falling Leaves?
Growing up
in Amman, our music was born out of isolation, a metal band in a place where we
felt like outsiders. Moving to Dubai gave us a wider horizon, more connections,
and the ability to finally bring this album to life. Both places shaped us:
Amman gave us our roots in struggle, Dubai gave us the chance to grow and reach
beyond.
10. Now
that The Silence That Binds Us is ready to meet the world, what do you hope
listeners will take away from the album — both musically and emotionally?
We hope
they feel less alone. That even in despair, there is connection. Musically, we
want them to get lost in the heaviness and melody, to find pieces of themselves
in the silence between the notes. Emotionally, we want this album to be a
companion, something to hold on to in their darkest hours, just as creating it
was for us.
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