The Cavern
Rock & Words
HEROES DEL SILENCIO
"Nunca tuve fe en mi filosofía,
nunca tuve yo ni gurú ni guía,
nunca desprecié una causa perdida,
nunca negaré que son mis favoritas..."
"C+"
Main Decade: 90’s
Main Eras:
80s Classic Rock
90s Rock: The Golden Age
Key Members:
Enrique Bunbury: Vocals
Juan Valdivia: Guitar
Joaquín Cardiel: Bass
Pedro Andreu: Drums
Key Songs:
Entre Dos Tierras, Maldito Duende, Flor De Loto, Opio, Nuestros Nombres, La Chispa Adecuada, Héroe de Leyenda, Sirena Varada, Senda, Decadencia, Con Nombre de Guerra, Avalancha, El Camino del Exceso, La Apariencia No es Sincera, Flor Venenosa, Sirena Varada, Tesoro, Senda, Iberia Sumergida, Olvidado, Tumbas de Sal, Oración, La Alacena, Rueda Fortuna.
In my opinion, Héroes del Silencio is one of the most important bands in Spanish-language rock, occupying a place equivalent to that of Soda Stereo, Caifanes, and Café Tacuba, both for the enormous quality of their music, for creating a very particular sound, for the influence they had on other bands well into the 90s, and simply because their success was fundamental in propelling that golden age of Spanish-language rock that we miss so much. On this album, the group still needs to mature, but it's more than decent material. That is to say, this isn't techno-pop garbage like most bands were making in 1988, nothing like Neón, Git, Coda, and that countless other little bands from the late eighties that had momentary commercial success but couldn't transcend into history. Héroes, on the other hand, has displayed a strong rock foundation from its inception, basing its sound on Juan Valdivia's guitar skills. He doesn't just produce those cheesy arrangements typical of the eighties where guitarists tried to be virtuosos but ultimately failed to make a lasting impression; he adds depth to the music with some good riffs and above-average solos. Keyboards are present, but always in a secondary role, and the harmonies are generally more complex and structured, avoiding the simplicity and commercial complacency of most bands of the era and drawing heavily on Hard Rock and Metal bands in their tonal arrangements.
In 1981, Enrique Ortiz de Landázuri Izarduy, better known today as Enrique Bunbury, was already playing in bands at his school, the first of which was called Apocalipsis. He was only 14 years old and played guitar. Later, he played drums in Rebel Waltz, and then joined Proceso Entrópico, which isn't a disease but the name of the band with which he participated in some competitions, alternating with Zumo de Vidrio, Juan de Valdivia's band. Enrique felt his enormous talent was being wasted with Proceso Entrópico, and at Juan's invitation, he joined Zumo de Vidrio on bass in 1984, which gives us an idea of his great versatility as a musician. Around that time, some of his first compositions were born, such as "Héroe de Leyenda" and "La Lluvia Gris." In '85, Pedro de Valdivia, Juan's brother, decided to leave the band to focus on his studies, so Pedro Andreu joined on drums. Shortly after, Enrique playfully sang Bowie's "Heros," impressing the other members with his voice. They then dismissed Javier Gallardo, the vocalist of Zumo at the time. Since Bunbury wasn't comfortable singing and playing bass simultaneously, he decided to put the instrument aside to focus on his vocals, and they recruited Joaquín Cardiel to handle the bass... And magic! The lineup of Héroes del Silencio was complete!
Then came the name change. This stemmed from a demo tape they had called "Héroe del Silencio" (Hero of Silence), which they took to a radio station in Zaragoza for a program called Radio Heraldo. As they were about to reach the door, they panicked about the band's name and decided to adopt the song title, becoming "Héroes del Silencio," while changing the song's name to... guess what? Yep, "Héroe de Leyenda" (Legendary Hero).
The demo, which also included the songs "Sindicato de Riesgo" and "Hologramas," began to earn them a certain reputation in their hometown of Zaragoza. By 1986, they had a solid fanbase and entered a local Radio Cadena contest, reaching the finals but being disqualified for rather obscure and suspicious reasons.
Far from being discouraged, this motivated the band to continue improving and performing in various cities near their hometown. In 1987, Gustavo Montesano, who had recently left Olé-Olé to dedicate himself to production, received a demo and decided to see them live. He was so impressed with the quality and energy of the music that he decided to sign them to EMI. However, it's well known that this label doesn't take any risks, so they offered to record an EP with four songs, and only if the EP sold more than 5,000 copies would they invest in a full LP. This first EP included the songs “Héroe de Leyenda” and “El Mar No Cesa” on side A, and a remix of “Héroe de Leyenda” and “La Lluvia Gris” on side B. Surprisingly, the record exceeded all expectations that EMI and the band themselves could have had, reaching 30,000 copies in a short time and forcing a second edition, so now the executives rushed to put the Heroes into the studio to complete material for a full-length album.
The rest, as they say, is history. The LP they recorded was none other than El Mar No Cesa (The Sea Never Ceases), which was a tremendous success in Spain, achieving platinum status and making them the biggest sensation of the moment. Some idiots even dared to call them "The New Hombres G," although their style was completely different, since the band from Zaragoza distanced themselves from the superficial and frivolous "La Movida" (the Madrid cultural movement) from the very beginning, tackling profound themes, attempting cryptic poetry, and creating much more complex arrangements. Although it's light years away from being a concept album, the central theme of the record lies in its title. Almost all the songs revolve around the sea in some way. Enrique Bunbury would say: "The sea or water appeared in most of the lyrics, but we only realized it as the songs were being written. I kept thinking, 'You're getting tiresome,' but there came a point when I even thought that obsession with the sea was a good thing; we like the sea."
The album was an unprecedented success for a band like Héroes del Silencio in Spain, given that they had nothing to do with the aforementioned Movida Madrileña. It sold over 150,000 copies and made them local stars. The band embarked on a tour of Spain, where Phil Manzanera, formerly of Roxy Music, heard them and was so impressed that he contacted the band, offering to produce their next album. In September 1990, they went to London with Manzanera to record what would become their second album, Senderos de Traición (Paths of Betrayal). The album marked a tremendous change in style, with Phil refining, intensifying, and amplifying their sound. Many of the songs had already been perfected live during the Senderos de Traición tour. Héroes del Silencio's sound became more powerful, almost completely eliminating those 80s echoes, with the instruments reaching a rawness bordering on metal, but with Bunbury at his best as a composer, giving each song an exquisite melody and accessibility. Thus, this album contains some of Héroes del Silencio's best and most emblematic tracks, such as "Entre Dos Tierras," "Maldito Duende," "Decadencia," and "Senda." By this point, the band had developed a sound that rivaled even established Anglo-Saxon bands. The album was a massive hit, selling 400,000 copies in two weeks, which led them to embark on a tour throughout Europe in 1991, where they were astonished to find stadiums in Germany filled with fans singing along to every song. No Spanish band had ever achieved that before. The point is that Senderos de Traición and its Senda tour gave them exposure throughout Europe and established them as THE Spanish band of the moment, completely replacing La Movida and its final throes, and opening the doors to other Spanish bands with greater potential. Here I also find a certain parallel with Caifanes. I'm not comparing their styles, but simply that at this time Caifanes was releasing Diablito and becoming a local icon, also opening doors for numerous bands in Mexico.
In 1992, Héroes del Silencio traveled to Mexico and the Americas for their first shows, although they were still unknown on this side of the Atlantic. The following year, they went back into the studio to record El Espíritu del Vino, again with Manzanera producing. In my opinion, this album is the band's best: more powerful, with better lyrics, Bunbury in total command of his voice, and Valdivia creating riffs and arrangements more furious and savage than ever. It's the band's heaviest album, and yet it's still accessible. No other group I know of is as revered by die-hard metalheads as it is by the mainstream fans of the Top 40! With this album, they finally achieved the international recognition they'd been waiting for, embarking on a colossal tour of Europe and America. The singles were made into videos featuring Bunbury imitating Morrison, and they were constantly on MTV. By 1994, Héroes del Silencio was the third point of that Trinity formed by Soda Stereo in Argentina and Caifanes in Mexico as the best and most influential bands in Latin America, leading the Rock en Ñ boom. Coincidentally, Caifanes released their best album, El Silencio, just a year earlier. During the El Camino del Exceso tour, Mexican guitarist Alan Boguslavsky, who had already played in some of the band's previous shows, officially joined the group. The album sold millions of copies and went gold in countries like Germany and Switzerland. Prince Felipe received them for their contribution to spreading the Spanish language, an event that is reminiscent of the awarding of MBE’s to the Beatles.
Ultimately, what goes up must come down. By 1995, the band was mired in personal problems, exhausted from touring, intoxicated by fame, and mired in drug addiction. They changed producers, this time choosing Bob Ezrin, and began recording Avalancha. The album was their biggest commercial success, as expected, but it's far from their best, falling short of their previous two. The record attempts a rockier sound, closer to the prevailing grunge trends, but it loses some of that Héroes del Silencio essence, sounding a bit more pretentious and mainstream. Interestingly, the same thing had happened with Caifanes' Nervio del Volcán and Soda Stereo's Sueño Stereo. Perhaps their best-known and best-selling albums, featuring the most successful singles in their discographies (La Chispa Adecuada, Afuera, Zoom), but where the fractures and exhaustion within the bands that would ultimately lead to their breakup are already evident.
Internal problems, especially between Juan and Enrique, led to the breakup of Héroes del Silencio in 1996, after the grueling Avalancha tour. Even during the tour, Enrique had been writing songs he planned for his solo album, and he didn't bother to hide it. The split was abrupt and occurred with little notice at the end of the tour, so, unlike Soda Stereo, their farewell to their fans was rather brief.
From then on, the myth of Héroes del Silencio skyrocketed. Bunbury would completely distance himself from his band through his solo career, and especially with his debut album, a lamentable electronic attempt to get as far away as possible from his roots in Héroes del Silencio. He would later find his way back with a more gypsy-like style, forming his Huracán Ambulante sound for his subsequent albums, but still remaining far from the vocal style that catapulted him to fame as one of the best rock singers with Héroes del Silencio. There is much debate about whether the band is better or Enrique as a solo artist. I think it's a matter of taste, but personally, and you might call me nostalgic, I much prefer the power, the lyrics, and the attitude of Héroes del Silencio to what Bunbury has as a solo artist.
In 2007, the band had a brief reunion with its original lineup. It was supposedly a kind of tribute and a proper farewell to their fans, after there was practically no farewell in 1997, and due to the numerous requests they received from all sides to reform the band. They were also accused of giving in to the lucrative offer for the mini-tour. The truth is, Bunbury didn't need it; his career was already established. The tour only had 10 dates in Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, and the United States. Only a select few managed to see them. Nobody said it outright, but after the tour, it felt as if they were saying, "Are you happy now? Stop messing around with Héroes then."
Interestingly, Soda Stereo would also embark on a reunion tour in 2007. And in 2011, Caifanes would make an appearance at Vive Latino early in the year, later announcing their own tour for the fall. The Trident always moves in an astonishing parallel. Watch out for strokes, Enrique and Saúl!!!
In short, Héroes del Silencio is a colossal band, with a very defined style, one of the best guitarists in Spanish rock, tremendous lyrics, and a pair of lungs from Bunbury that he would never again display in the same way. Few bands achieve so much in so few albums, and Héroes undoubtedly helped transition the Movida in Spain into a more alternative and mature movement, opening the doors to a new wave of bands and propelling, from the European corner of Latin America, the Golden Age of Spanish Rock. They then established themselves as the best Spanish band, at least in recent years, and finally joined the triumvirate of the three most influential, successful, and beloved bands in Latin America.
Doing that isn't easy. Simply put, how many bands today have twice as many albums with half the quality? Groups like Héroes del Silencio are sorely missed, with their power, their charisma, and the quantity and quality of incredible songs they gave us. Their breakup would be one of the final blows that closed the Golden Age of Spanish Rock in the late 90s.
Long live Héroes del Silencio!
By Corvan
Jul/21/2011
