Silvertung, a hard rock band based primarily in Maryland, recently released an intense new single, “Integrity”, and a music video to accompany it. The song is a personal statement for this band, which has been through ups and downs but definitely has a bright future ahead.
Band members include: Speed Vincent (lead vocals); Marc Marchetti (guitar); Jimy Grime (bass/backing vocals); and Andy Romeo (drums). Silvertung was formed in the mid-2000s in Baltimore. The band name is based on a 1990s porn movie called “Silver Tongue”. It actually started out as a joke, but everyone liked it, according to Speed, who is the only original band member. He didn’t like the spelling, though, so they put a twist on it with “tung”.
With the original band, things were not going in the direction Speed wanted, so he shut it down. His drive and determination kept him hungry, however, so he reformed the band. They played the local circuit, making connections and learning how things are done. In 2015, a song Speed wrote called “Never Too Late” hit the radio and charts. He knew then that they could make a career out of being musicians. That’s where the true journey began. The band was called upon locally to open for national acts like Pop Evil, Saliva, Buckcherry, HELLYEAH, and In This Moment, among others. They also began landing spots in big festivals such as The Mayhem Fest with headliner Slipknot, The Uproar Fest with Godsmack, Disturbed, and Shinedown as headliners, and The Shindig Fest opening for Stone Temple Pilots. The list goes on.
Speed admits that finding other band members with the same drive and ambition has been a challenge. The band has faced difficult times and obstacles, as well as several reformations, but Silvertung has survived and overcome these hurdles. One of the biggest challenges was the pandemic. The band was on the rise prior to that, with tours being planned, songs on the charts, and the Silvertung band name becoming familiar to people in the United States as well as other countries. All of that stopped due to COVID. One by one each band member at the time walked away, forcing Speed to make a hard decision – should he keep going or give it up? He knew he still had too much music to share and he had to rebuild the band that he had started from a vision he had.
Now, the band is focused on being as successful as they can be and bringing fans the best music they can possibly create. Speed says he is proud that Silvertung has always stood out from trends. Because of that, he was careful bringing in new musicians. He believes the current band members mesh together very well and have a lot of the same musical ambitions and goals in mind as he does. Though the current lineup has only been together for a little over a year, they have made huge strides. They did a 28-day tour in 2022 with Tantric and Smile Empty Soul, and are now releasing brand new music. They also just came off a tour of the Midwest in March with Awaken The Giant and NVSN. Speed says he is fortunate to have these talented bandmates in Silvertung now.
“Integrity” was written by the band with arrangements and composition already in place. Producer Steven Wright of Wright Way Studios was part of the refinement process along with the band, and the song was mastered by Tony Eichler of Goldtone MasterWorks, LLC. The song came from a guitar riff Marc Marchetti had brought into one of the band’s writing sessions. As soon as they heard that riff, all the other band members thought it was, to quote Speed, “badass”. From there, they began writing the song’s structure, and they kept going with their ideas in that first session until 1:00 a.m. After a three-hour drive home, Marc finalized a few more riffs to add to the track. The next morning, Speed received a text from Marc that said “Check these ideas out.” After digesting the music Marc had just finished, Speed immediately began hearing melodies and lyrics to go along with it. Speed says he felt like a kid with a brand new toy that he couldn’t put down. Over the next few days, he wrote and rewrote new lyrics and melodies and the song really started taking direction. Andy and Jimy started writing drum and bass sections which, as Speed says, gave the song “more attitude” and “brought it all to life”. He says “Integrity” was a true collaboration by all four band members. The most exciting part according to Speed? “Silvertung had created its first new song in three years!”
The main inspiration behind the song is people who try to tear others down and don’t want them to succeed. Speed says he witnessed this during the pandemic when the world was “turned upside down”. He said he has witnessed first-hand that “people can take your trust, your respect, your love, and crush you with one blow. But they can never take away your integrity. Only you can determine the value of that.”
I would definitely describe “Integrity” as an anthem that many people who face negative people in their lives can relate to. Speed’s singing is passionate and reflects the song’s message of strength and standing up to negativity and those who want to take away your integrity. Jimy’s hard vocals are powerful and add emphasis to the meaning behind the song. Marc’s guitar-playing is complex, and he has a fantastic solo in the middle of the track. The thunderous thumps of the bass mix well with the rapid-fire drum beats, especially in the verses. The lyrics in the chorus sum up what the song is about:
“Hear this as a warning, I’m not falling
For all your tragedies
I’m calling you out now
You’ll never take my integrity”
The video was done by Wade Spencer of Spencer Images. With the band having all new members except for Speed, they wanted to do a performance video to showcase each new member and the impact of their live performance. The whole band, along with Wade, played a part in the production. Speed admits it was a rough process – it took time and a lot of research, and was done on a small budget. Finding a good location took a few months – they wanted both inside and outside options. Then they realized the location was literally right in front of their faces the entire time – Jimy’s farm. They began brainstorming what would occur at each location on the farm. It really came together during the actual filming. Each band member and Wade shared their ideas for each section of the video. Marc had what Speed calls an “insane but great idea” for the beginning of the video — doing a reverse scene in real time. It worked perfectly. Speed says it was exciting as things came together and they saw their ideas and the video come to life, and he’s excited to do this for the next video. I think the video has a lot of energy and definitely showcases how awesome Silvertung is live onstage. I, myself, have been lucky enough to see this band perform this year, and it was very entertaining.
Silvertung is currently working on more new music. There is another release planned for this summer, with a music video to go along with it. In addition, there will be more local shows as well as touring coming up. One of the band’s main goals is to release as much new music as possible this year, plus videos. They are also hoping to drop an EP in 2024.
Upcoming shows for Silvertung include: Friday, April 28th at Zen West in Baltimore, Maryland; Saturday, April 29th at Artie’s Bar and Grill in Frenchtown, New Jersey; Sunday, April 30th, at The Union Firehouse in Mount Holly, New Jersey; and Saturday, July 15th at Rock Fest in Cadott, Wisconsin, along with Godsmack, Papa Roach, Highly Suspect, and Everclear, among others.
You can find Silvertung on Facebook, Instagram, the band website, and Linktree.
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