Silence 4

Silence 4 was a Portuguese band, formed in 1996 in Leiria, Portugal, whose songs are mostly sung in English. They released two albums to highly critical acclaim, Silence Becomes It (1998) and Only Pain Is Real (2000). The band officially disbanded in 2001, and lead singer David Fonseca is currently undergoing a solo career. Surfacing in the end of the '90s as one of Portugal's major rock bands, Silence 4 opened new frontiers for other English singing bands to follow. Overcoming the country's rock tradition built upon Portuguese-language songs, and choosing to create mostly acoustic compositions, the band quickly conquered a large following. It was in 1995, in Leiria, a central-northern Portuguese city, that David Fonseca, along with Tozé Pedrosa decided to get the band together. A year later, the addition of Sofia Lisboa (vocals) and Rui Costa(bass) completed the group's line-up. Struggling with several technical difficulties, the band managed to record a demo, later presented to the Portuguese Polygram label. Their debut was made on a home country compilation disc, Sons de Todas as Cores, in which they played a cover of Erasure's "A Little Respect." Three years after the band's formation, Silence Becomes It, their debut album, hit the record stores. The critics were unanimous to consider the record as one of Portugal's best rock albums and the public gave an enthusiastic response. The disc achieved remarkable sales, staying on top of Portuguese tables for months. Silence 4 then made an extended tour throughout the country, reappearing in the year 2000 with Only Pain Is Real, their second album, that attested the band as one of Portugal's best. ~ Mario Mesquita Borges, All Music Guide