Cries of Redemption, AKA COR, is a modern rock musical project, a brainchild of a visionary artist, a talented guitarist and songwriter, Ed Silva. The project was founded in 2007 in Savannah, GA, when Ed Silva decided to create some music in collaboration with his friends and musicians Mallory Carter and Josh Bostik. Cries of Redemption’s restless quest to create unique music in the rock music soundscape has kept the project one of the most exciting ones in the scene, upping their game with each of the project’s new releases. Cries of Redemption recently released the music video for their upcoming single, “What Lies Beneath.”
“What Lies Beneath” by Cries of Redemption has set new standards in the gothic rock music scene with its stunning sound and artistry.”
Ed Silva’s hunger to create unique and impactful music has led him to the latest single of his musical project, ‘Cries of Redemption’. The project’s latest release, “What Lies Beneath,” is yet another experimental venture that dives into the sound of gothic rock and metal rock creating a mesmerizing soundscape. The project brought in the Argentine powerhouse Martina Questa, a Gothic Metal Royalty and Opera Singer, who does complete justice to the lyrical depth of this amazing single. “What Lies Beneath” is a musical masterpiece that showcases great vocal skills, immersive songwriting, and brilliant composition. Listen to this sonic art piece now!
We had the opportunity to ask a few questions to Ed Silva, and this is how it went:
- You’ve described this recent wave of releases as “emptying a vault of over 200 songs written over 20 years.” What does it feel like emotionally to finally let go of music that has survived so much loss and time?
It is important to get the record straight. The songs being released date back to 2013. So, we are talking about 13 years rather than 20 worth of material.
Two hundred songs are a fraction of what survived fried hard drives (I had at least three computers and three removable drives fried over the course of 20 years. Hence why I don’t count anything prior to 2013 because nothing survived that era).
To be 100% honest, I got tired of people close to me bugging me to release my songs. It was a well known fact I recorded and hoarded it. Folks kept encouraging me to release my music rather than just keep them in drives that would eventually fail.
Also, I feel my music is the only legacy I have to leave and now that I started releasing them, it pleases me to know I’m doing something that will outlive me.
2. Your collaboration with Martina Questa on “What Lies Beneath” brings operatic depth into your sound. What made her the right voice for this moment, and how did she elevate the emotional ceiling of the track?
Interestingly, I hired Martina out of Fiverr to replace Maria Duque who was unavailable to finish an album I was working on in the time frame I had in mind. Her availability only allowed her to record one song per month and it is a 15 songs album with 8 songs with vocals. That would have taken me 8 months and I could not afford to wait that long.
Initially, I gave Martina two songs and she did a great job but it was clear the songs were not the right fit for her ultra clean voice. Martina is a soprano and Maria Duque is an ultra powerful mezzo-soprano and “street brawler” (and that is my way of saying she was born to sing Cries of Redemption songs. She doesn’t only sing my songs. She owns them). So, I had to go back to the drawing board and curate songs I felt were more suitable for Martina’s delicate voice.
Martina ended up recording several songs and among them was “What Lies Beneath” which ended up being the only song she sang that I released. The song was clearly a good choice for her voice and she did a good job as evidenced by the overwhelming positive reviews the song received from critics and listeners.
The remaining songs were shelved as I rethink the album. While Martia Questa and Maria Duque are opposites, Chiara sits right in the middle and I just can’t help but wonder what would the album sound like with her instead.
3. You openly reject industry rules, algorithms, and traditional release strategies. In today’s music landscape, how difficult or liberating is it to operate entirely on your own terms?
It is not difficult at all. I stopped writing songs to please people a long time ago. These songs are all based on “lived experiences”. They are not and were never meant to be commercial. They are narrations of real events I’ve gone through and am sure I have not gone through them alone.
I am not being performative when I say these songs are aimed at the castaways, misfits, bruised and battered. The people who connect with my music, do it because they get it from having lived and experienced the same things I am writing about.
So, why bother with algorithms and traditional release schedules? I’m not looking for clicks or validation. I just want to make the music available for posterity and to the people who can benefit from listening to it.
4. Cries of Redemption doesn’t seek fans but rather a “tribe of best friends not yet met.” How does this mindset change the way you write and release music compared to artists chasing mass appeal?
That means I can just sit down and write what is in my mind and heart without worrying about traditional structures and hooks. If you listen closely to COR music, you’ll quickly notice they are stories. They are songs for introspection not mindless consumption. They certainly are not background music.
I actually enjoy it when I hear someone say they don’t get or like the music I write. That means they were spared the discomfort and inner torment most of my music discusses.
That is why I COR has no fans. This is not about fandom or idolatry. This is about communion. This is about literally broadcasting to a specific audience – “You are not weird. You are not maladjusted. You are not alone. I’ve been there too”.
5. Your music blends genres like NuMetal, trance, cinematic trap, and deep house into something experimental. When you’re composing, are you consciously merging styles, or does the sound evolve instinctively from emotion?
It starts with a solid metal or traditional hard rock beat and then it just spontaneously grows from there. The quickest way to not write a song I envision is to try to do it. It does not work that way.
I experiment a lot and record pretty much all of my experimentations. That is why I don’t have writer’s block. Today’s crazy idea just might be the right intro or change I need when I am working on a completely different idea tomorrow or a year from now.
Very few of my songs were written in one sitting. More often than not, “the music” is a collection of ideas that were written at different times. Sometimes years apart.
6. After nearly two decades of staying low-key and rejecting personal branding, what made now the right time to bring your catalog to major platforms, and what do you hope listeners discover in this archive?
All the releases are being done for posterity. Recently, COR was inducted into the TJPL Media Network Class of 2026.It appears I have already accomplished that goal.
I remember when I was going through my struggles and fighting my own demons, how inadequate I used to feel. There was this feeling of guilt and shame and of feeling like I was the only one who felt that way. Then, one day I met a guy. He was a super successful civil engineer working with infrastructure projects all over the world. He was super successful and together. And then… he shared his story with me.
Man! That guy most likely saved my life. Just knowing I was not alone and that someone else went through the same things I did and felt the same way. It is not a matter of misery loving company. It is a matter of knowing that what I was dealing with was common for a segment of the population and for every common problem there is a common solution.
This is what I hope people get from my music. A feeling of connection. Reassurance that they are not crazy or abnormal.
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