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Sycronomica have been around for ten years now and have produced a few rather interesting demos. I took the time to catch up with Johannes and see what's happening with the band after a successful (in the underground sense of the word) first full length release, and what's going on down the road with their new album, set for release sometime this summer.
Jason Carnage: Well first and foremost, I want point out that I believe your last effort
"Paths" was incredible. Usually the first listen I give to an album I can find direct influences, but you guys have a sound all your own. How would you describe it to those who have not yet heard this amazing release?
Johannes: Well thank you very much for your compliment. To hear that we have a sound all our own means very much to us! Sycronomica plays melodic black metal with some very powerful keyboards. The "Paths" album covers a long period of time, so every song is kind of individual and you won't get bored after the first tracks. In general, we vary a lot in the songs…you have for example, fast aggressive parts that are followed by symphonic riffs, or something along the lines of an atmospheric mystical part. Most of the time our riffs are kept in a melodic black metal style, but some death metal influences can also be found. The drumming is complex, and our singer uses both the typical high black metal screams also combines it with deep grunts. We see us in the vein of old Dimmu Borgir, Katatonia, Borknagar and Limbonic Art, sometimes we got compared with Arcturus. I hope your readers can now imagine everything we sound like; it's hard for me to describe the music in a foreign language, best you listen to it for yourself on our myspace homepage!
Jason Carnage: The Melodic Black Metal scene seems to be rapidly pushing forward. Do you foresee yourselves possibly up at the forefront of this movement a little down the road?
Johannes: Is it really? Here in Germany we have at the moment more of a Pagan/Viking
Metal boom with Finntroll and all that stuff. Just look at the billing of the Ragnarock Festival; it's almost a pure Pagan Festival. However, if the Melodic Black Metal is rapidly pushing forward, it would be a pleasure to be one of the important bands of this genre. But we don't expect that really to happen, as we know from our experience as musicians that there are so many factors that decide the fate and success of a band. It's not only the music…often it is just some luck….
Jason Carnage: Very true. Now, I understand you have an album scheduled for release later this September entitled "Beyond the Gate", correct?
Johannes: Yes at the moment we are working on new songs. Six of them are already finished. We will record the new album in late July in Helion Studios, in Munich. If all develops as expected, the new CD will be out in late September. The title is not fixed yet, but our current discussion circles around something involving "Gate."
Jason Carnage: Awesome. Are you still with Black Attakk, or have you attracted different label interest?
Johannes: Let's put it this way, Black Attakk is one possibility but not the only one. At
the moment I can't give you any more information about that.
Jason Carnage: Is the sound on the new album going to be different than what we heard on "Paths" or will it stay in the same realm?
Johannes: It will definitely stay in the same realm, but Paths represents Sycronomica's
creations from 1996-2004, so the younger songs like "Erased by Light" or "Paths…of a Forgotten Time", represent more of the present style than does "Lost" or "Something from the North". Furthermore, after the recording of Paths we added a second guitarist, so the new stuff often contains passages where the guitars play in two parts and the music is generally more powerful.
Jason Carnage: Sounds exciting, you're making me more and more anxious to hear your new material! Anyhow, you've been around for 10 years now; and "Paths" seemed to perhaps open the door for you guys. Do you expect to break into a larger audience with
your forthcoming release?
Johannes: We are absolutely sure that we have a strong and surprising second album in production and we hope to break into a larger audience with it, but as I said before, music is not the sole factor.
Jason Carnage: Naturally, but what about the live aspect? You have a huge event coming up, the Ragnarock festival. How do you feel about being able to play alongside bands like Korkiplanni, Turisas, Skyforger, Primordial, Moonsorrow and other big names?
Johannes: We are very proud that we were booked on this festival, because so many
great bands play there and we hope not only to play with them on the same stage, but also to get to know them personally, and share some beers with them. For example, last year on the Barther Metal Open Air, we drank the whole night with Finntroll and at last we had no more survivors…what a rock´n troll!!!
Jason Carnage: Sounds like a good time (Germans always have more fun than us Americans…). After that show, your dates and venues seem to only get bigger! You're
playing at Devils Day Open Air as well later on in the year alongside bands like Entombed, Belphegor and Enslaved. Are you intimidated, or do you feel like these are your biggest chances to open up to a bigger listening audience?
Johannes: We are definitely not intimidated by playing with such big names, and we are
honoured and very motivated to give our best. And of course such a festival can be a great chance! But at a festival it is also possible, that at your stage time many people still sit around their tents making some party on their own…so we'll see.
Jason Carnage: Do you think that being around these larger bands that it puts more
pressure on you?
Johannes: Yeah, it puts some pressure on you but in a positive way. But what puts
much more pressure on you than big names is a great audience that doesn't know you yet. You've got forty minutes or so and you'll win or loose. We faced that situation on our last shows in Suisse and well, I think we won.
Jason Carnage: Last but not least; can we expect any major tours within the next year or so with you as the headlining act?
Johannes: Major tours with us as a headliner? Yeah that is one of our dreams!
In general that depends on the label that will publish our forthcoming CD, if
all develops well for us, it's possible that we will be part of a major tour in
the next year(s) but I think not as headliner…unless maybe if you promote us very
much, ha-ha.
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