Interview with Joe Romersa (Hell Descent)Date published: 2010.10.15 We had to the chance to speak to Joe Romersa of Silent Hill fame awhile back, and now we want to share with you the interview. Joe had been working with the Silent Hill series since the very first game in 1999. He has written the lyrics and performed for numerous songs in the series and now we get to dig into his head a bit. Now that Silent Hill 8 has left the Silent Hill Trio behind, we wanted to follow through with Joe on his experiences working with Akira and Mary for all those years. Hit the jump for the full interview. HD: What is the writing process like as a team? How long does it generally take to master a track and what steps are involved along the way? Joe: 8 steps: HD: What are your fondest memories with working on a Silent Hill soundtrack? Joe: They are all fond memories at this point. All experiences in life have their “ups and downs”, but TIME washes them all together regardless. Remember, this is a job and very important to all parties involved. The Jam was special. And hearing what Akira did with the music after Mary’s vocal was recorded and sent back to Japan, when hearing it mixed was like Christmas opening a gift, never knowing what was inside. HD: When creating lyrical tracks like Shot Down in Flames, Room of Angel, or Hell Frozen Rain, did the team work together from the beginning? What was the process? And from those days, what would you say was the hardest song to create for the series? Joe: Akira in Japan, first sends stereo music files to me to write lyrics to. When I hear there’s new songs to write, usually four at a time, they are given to me as just basic rhythum tracks consisting of just guitar, keyboard and some kind of drum or click track. Along with the rhythum track is a melody line either played on guitar or keyboard. This melody is the guide for the lyrics to come. After the lyrics are done, we give the lyrics and track to Mary. She has about a week to learn the songs then she and I get together and rehearse it at my home studio SHADOW BOX STUDIO. The song now comes to life. The music now has a voice. Now, this is where we try things like harmonies or other background parts. HD: Out of all the music you guys have done together in some of the past Silent Hill games, which one did you guys enjoy working with the most? Which one was the most stressful? Joe: I enjoyed them all, the stressful one was the switch of music tracks to my lyrics. “This Sacred Line” I had to rewrite lyrics to two songs in one day. HD: Do any of you have personal projects that you’re also working with at the moment? Is there anything you wish to announce here and now? Joe: I’m always working on something, mostly music and video projects. Play drums live every once in a while. Always keeping my eyes open for new things. HD: 2 words, Lost Carol. Why hasn’t the full version ever been released? We want it! Joe: Because it’s lost I guess. HD: What got you interested in the Silent Hill series, were you fans before Silent Hill 3? Joe: Like most things in my life, SILENT HILL found me. HD: Any plans for you and Mary to sing a duet? The contrast between voices would be pretty interesting. Joe: I’m willing to duet, if she wants to duet. HD: Do you sometimes feel that your creativity is shaped by someone other than yourself, more so perhaps than other composers who work under a different mindset? Joe: Lyrics are an interesting match for music. Music speaks in waves, Lyrics reflect specific thoughts. SomeONE? No. SomeTHING? Maybe. It may come from me. HD: If the above is true, how do you think working with full control of say an independent album in the style of the Silent Hill soundtracks would turn out? Joe: Chemistry is everything. As long as we keep doing it, it will be good. Anything can happen. |