Interview with Sonic Syndicate (January 24th, 2006)

Hi, first off I just want to congratulate you with “ Eden  Fire”. To new fans could you please fill us in on the history behind it all?
SS -
Sonic Syndicate is just another Sellout-Hair styled-Metal band among others, but the thing that makes Sonic Syndicate different, is because we are the best band among the posers. This whole start-a-band thing came up on Christmas night some years ago, when I (Robin, Guitars), Richard (vocals) and Roger (Guitars) ate Christmas dinner. Our dreams were to be rock stars, to have a lot of girls, cars, bling-bling etc. Richard, Roger and I met Andreas in a car accident and became good friends with him. Then we realized that he could be our band mate so he ended up behind the keyboards. Chris (drums) was known from school as a drummer so he also ended up in this band. Richard and Roger found Karin in a local pub. That’s how we ended up with each other, the rest is history.

How has your “ Eden  Fire” been received by the media?
SS -
Everyone really likes the album. Way better than I thought they would.

We’ve got many reviews and everyone with high points. Many magazines have written about it, so we’ve got pretty good PR, just because of that many people likes the album. The album has been selling great thanks to all the press and great new fans out there.

How did you get your name Sonic Syndicate?
SS -
We all like Nintendo games a lot so we took Sonic from "Sonic the Hedgehog" and Syndicate from "Syndicate Wars". Ha-ha No, to be honest, I don’t have a fucking clue where we got Sonic Syndicate from. But it was Richard who was the brain behind the name. We thought a lot about the band name and which should be the perfect name for us. "Hey, I want to have something with either Sonic or Syndicate... maybe Sonic Syndicate?"

In what words would you describe the music and moods of Sonic Syndicate for someone that has not heard you yet?
SS -
Sonic Syndicate is the tearing sound of love notes. Very energetic, heavy and fast music, but also melancholy and beautiful melodies and shit.  

If you should suggest one single song to understand the full Sonic Syndicate music potential, which title would you choose and why?
SS -
“Jailbreak”. It’s the song that we like the best, and the song that became a big hit. Very heavy and fast, but also very Punky/Pop chorus.

How is the writing process in the band?
SS -
We write the basics of the songs pretty fast, but we work with a song till’ it’s recorded. Roger (guitars) starts with some guitar riffs, and then shows me the things he came up with. And I complete the music with my ideas. And then Rick (Vocals) adds lyrics to the music, then we got a song. Very simple and ordinary, he he.

Do you feel that you sound will evolve in some different direction, in the future, or will you still follow the same path?
SS -
The new songs that we’ve come up with don’t sound like all the songs on “Eden Fire”. They sound more like the opening song on “Eden Fire,” Jailbreak. Jailbreak became a big hit and it was the song that we were 110% satisfied with. The new songs are heavier but also more catchy. The next album will be sweater than your sister’s ass.  

Which bands from then and from nowadays have their influence on Sonic Syndicate?
SS -
Ahh man, our influences is very mixed. We are influenced by metal bands like In Flames, Mnemic, Killswitch Engage, As I lay dying, and Emo/rock bands like Story of the year, Funeral for a Friend, LoveHateHero, and Punk/Pop bands like Millencolin. I think it is very important to NOT just have metal bands as an influence. I personally don’t listen to Metal nowadays like before, just because I want to get more ideas to our songs.

What are your favorite old and recent bands?
SS -
Every one of us listens a lot to different music, not just metal. Richard and I listen to a lot of Emo and Pop music, like Story Of the year, Funeral For a Friend etc. Karin prefers Marilyn Manson and music like that. Andreas listens mostly to Reggae. It’s Roger and Chris who is the metal heads ha-ha. No but they listen mostly to Metal like In Flames, Soilwork, Mnemic etc. But also Millencollin and Hardcore Superstar. You probably think now "What the fuck, is this a metal band?!" ha-ha.

Do you have any touring plans?
SS -
A small Sweden Tour is coming up, starting this week in Gothenburg. We have some gigs planned for the tour with bands like Arise, Trendkill and stuff. We would love to do a tour around Europe and then the US . But for now, we just concentrate on the gigs we have planned and trying to play live as much as possible.

Let's speculate - you have been granted a free slot on a tour of your own choice – who would be your ideal touring partners?
SS -
“Taste of Chaos Tour” together with bands like... humm... Killswitch Engage, Atreyu, Funeral For a Friend, The Used, Story of the year and Underoath. It would be kickass!

What are you doing besides Sonic Syndicate, job wise as well as hobbies?
SS -
I’m going to school, as well as Andreas. I’ve got two years left. Roger, Rick and Chris works daily. Karin just sits by the computer and gets fat and lazy ha-ha. We party together a lot on the weekends. Accept that, we play live and rehearse a lot.

If someone told you tomorrow that you can't be involved in music anymore, what do you see yourself doing in 5 years from now?
SS -
Work as a Piercer in a Piercing/Tattoo studio. Maybe as a Studio Assistant in a Music Studio. Or maybe a Porno store.

The internet is a very important source for many metal fans – how do you use the internet and how important is it for you and other bands?
SS -
I think Internet is very important to new bands as well as big bands. We use it a lot for Promotion for the album/the band, and a lot for gigs and such. I’ve found all of my favorite bands by internet. So I really like it.

And how do you feel about the metal scene in general at the moment?
SS -
I think it’s cool. Many new and different genres in the metal scene, and that’s good shit.

I thank you very much for participating in this interview and sharing this information and your thoughts with us  - these last lines are entirely for you. Any final words you would like to round off with?
SS -
Thank you!

Sonic Syndicate Debut Album "Eden Fire" is out now. Buy It, Steal it, or Download it. Aahh maybe you should buy it, so we can put gas in our van...hope to see you out there on tour.

Sonic Syndicate - Eden Fire

Album available on Pivotal Rockordings.

Click on the album cover to see more info on Sonic Syndicate.