Sympathy - Interview
Exclusive Interview:Sympathy
By Matt Morrow
1. Sympathy has been around quite a while now, but hasn't really became more widely known until now with your signing to Fear Dark and release of "Invocation". Could you fill us in on the history leading up to this point?
Well, Sympathy does have a long history even though the band may seem new. I started Sympathy under a different name back in 1991. There were five of us playing together then. At the time, I was young, as were all the others in the band. I was the main song writer and I played guitar. There was a second guitar player, a bassist, a drummer, and a vocalist. We had a lot of fun together. We didn't play gigs very often and we didn't practice as much as we should have, but we enjoyed what we did. We actually recorded a demo and an album together in our first year. It was pretty bad sounding. It was basic heavy metal with some thrash metal influences. Everyone told us we sounded like Celtic Frost. Honestly, it was nothing that would really make anyone very excited nowadays. And in fact, I don't even have a copy of it any more.
Between the years of 1991 and 1994, we recorded once more. At this time I was listening to a lot of Mortification, Tourniquet, and Living Sacrifice, and also Carcass, Bolt Thrower and Entombed, so my writing style had changed a lot. But by 1995, I was the only member left in Sympathy, so the next album I recorded was done entirely on my own. The album was titled 'Age of Darkness.' It was a very small budget project. It only cost me $250 to record. The local zines in my area received it very well giving it amazing reviews, but since I only made 100 copies of the album, it doesn't really exist anymore again, I don't think I have an original full version of it.
I did do some experimental demo work in the next few years, but the next major stage in Sympathy's history came when I got a job as the head recording engineer at Port Trax Studios in Canada in the Summer of 2000. Prior to this new job, I had attended the University of Waterloo and had studied Philosophy. I had started working on my graduate studies focusing on political philosophy and aesthetics. The exciting part about my new job working at Port Trax Studios was that it afforded me the opportunity to record another Sympathy album. I spent a year writing material and then started recording in the summer of 2001. And now the newest Sympathy disc, 'Invocation,' is complete.
2. How do you feel about how the album turned out? What has been the reactions you've received from listeners?
Well, since I wrote the music and engineered the disc, I pretty much had control of the project from it's conception until its completion. I am fairly pleased with the disc on the whole. I think that the songwriting very accurately reflects my musical interests. I don't think that it is a disc that can very easily be pigeon holed into one particular genre. In retrospect, I wish that I had worked a little harder on my guitar tone, but I've put a lot of work into that in the meantime, so the next disc will reflect that improvement.
I must say that most of the reactions that I have received regarding the disc have been positive. Now, I guess that I should expect that because it is the first disc that I've done so people will have nothing to compare it with. If I already had a fan base which expected something very specific from me, then I would hear from them were they disappointed.
3. How has it been working with Fear Dark?
Working with Fear Dark has been a dream come true. They are very professional. I know that when I am working with them, they have my best interests as an artist in mind. That is certainly not something you can say about every label. Besides that, they are very professional in their approach to working with their artists, and they are very hard working. They are not above getting their hands dirty working on my behalf. Another thing that is great about Fear Dark is that they encourage their artists to explore and experiment with their music. Knowing that you have both the label's support and the licence to be creative is wonderful. This combination of characteristics makes Fear Dark my first choice, and I am sure that they will be making waves in the extreme metal scene for years to come.
4. What is the current lineup of Sympathy? Do you have plans for forming a complete band, and if so, will you attempt to play concerts or just be a studio band?
Well, currently the line-up for Sympathy is quite thin. I am the only member left from the original group. I would really like to be able to expand Sympathy into a full band, but there are some factors that have prevented me from doing so at this point. Sympathy's music is quite difficult. There are a few players, that I know, who could handle the music, so completing the line-up would be a difficult task. Ideally, Sympathy would be a five piece band, including a keyboardist, whose case I would ride mercilessly. But, to be totally honest, I doubt that I would be able to fill all these slots being from where I am in Canada. There are too few quality metal musicians. But saying this is not to disqualify the possibility of Sympathy becoming a full band capable of touring.
5. You used a drum machine on the new album. Is this something you would do again if you couldn't find a real person?
Yes, I would use a drum machine again, but I would prefer to use a real player. The reason that I opted for the drum machine this time around was because I knew that the results that I could get from doing the work myself, without a real player, would be better and would sound much more musical. I am actually pretty good at programming rhythm tracks, and as I improve my skills, both as a musician and as a recording engineer, the results will only improve. But if I were toconvince a capable drummer to rehearse and record Sympathy's material, I would welcome the opportunity to have a real rhythm section in Sympathy.
6. What are your favorite songs musically and lyrically on the new album? Why?
NEXT PAGE
All Pages | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Return to Internet Exclusives
Comments
