Progressive power thrash metallers Synaptik gives us the rundown about their releases, performing live, what style of music they have created, and the plans ahead. Band mates including vocalist John Knight, guitarist Ian Knight, and drummer Pete Loades discusses these matters.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
John: Ian, my brother and I have been playing in bands together for years, since the late 80's, Inner Sanctum (www.facebook.com/innersanctumuk) where we also met bassist Kev. We supported Exodus with that band and have a double album available now through www.divebombrecords.com, then Kev and myself formed Fifth Season whilst Ian formed Twisted Autumn Darkness an extreme metal band, both bands had some success and album releases. Eventually we all became free at the same time and started Synaptik initially as just a project but it snowballed into so much more and here we are. Full time and loving it.
We (SYNAPTIK) are a British Metal band from Norwich in the East Coast of England. Formed in 2012, we are known to incorporate elements from styles such as thrash, power, progressive. Synaptik aren't afraid to mix up the influences and certainly don't fear melody with our heavier than a black hole riffage and dynamic vocals, Death Metal aggressiveness with a progressive, melodic outlook. We draw on influences old and new to create a mutant hybrid sound-scape that I feel makes us stand out.
Synaptik are soon to release our début album “The Mechanisms of Consequence” due for release this summer on German Label 'Rebel Tune Records'.
A video for the single “Your Cold Dead Trace” is available now with the track downloadable for free. The single features guest vocals from Alan Tecchio (Watchtower/Hades/Non Fiction/Seven Witches).......
Synaptik are:
John Knight – Vocals
Ian Knight – Guitar
Kev Jackson – Bass
Pete Loades – Drums
Jack Murton – Lead Guitars
Pete: Well I have been playing drums for years, done the whole band thing many times, so when me and Ian got together and started jamming and writing more complex material, just started off as more of a recording project really. Ian then got in his guitar mentor Jack to lay some fast solo lead over the top, which worked well, luckily Ian's brother John was a singer with a more melodic approach, completely different that a lot of the other metal bands on the local scene, John brought along his long time friend & bassist Kev, In witch they have been in a few bands before together, Kev the most laid back bassist i have seen, considering the amount of stings he has on that thing. ha ha. but yeah been going strong now for the past 3 years now,
2. Why did you pick the name that you did for your band?
John:We had a couple of ideas at the start but it didn't seem that important until we were going to be gigging. Kev & myself had a previous project thE.thinkinG.principlE (With Dan from Devilment) that name was considered but as the music was moving away from that style it was lost over the weeks. We sat relaxing after a rehearsal at Earth Studios Norwich when it was mentioned that it needed to be something cerebral, something emotional and neural structive to match the outlook of the band and the lyrical content, we discussed ideas and thought processes, names were written on paper and I added Synaptic Release, or something like that, then it was decided to shorten it and add the K on the end. My brother and I then set about the task of creating a logo together without killing each other which we managed to do quite well luckily, I love the result.
Pete: Well a few ideas were being tossed around at the time, trying to incorporate so many aspects of the music, I think John came up with the name, it means the melding together of brain waves or patterns because we have so many ideas musically when we are writing, its a job to work them all in sometimes.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Pete: We are pretty much all based in Norwich, well that's were we rehearse, yeah the local metal scene is good, its just needing the venues to play at, so many have gone over the years, but there are a lot of local bands about, The Norwich band circle is quite tight. mostly the metal bands plays at places like the B2, The Owl Sanctuary , The Waterfront, so bands generally cross paths, Soulborn, Back Down or Die, Consecration, Shrapnel and many more.
4. How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?
Ian : We don't really fit nicely into a genre of metal,we have a lot of influences.Progressive Tech Thrash Melodic Death Heavy Metal with clean/old school screaming vocals. I'm personally influenced musically by bands such as Pestilence (Testimony/Spheres) Atheist,Believer, Death, Forbidden, Coroner, Celtic Frost, Deathrow, Into Eternity.
Pete: Ohhh... prog, metal, thrash in places, melodic, fast death metal. well from my drumming point of view, its bands like Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Canvas Solaris.
John: "SYNAPTIK combines the attack of melodic death metal with the deadly subtlety of progressive metal. Expect a dizzying double-barreled assault of intricate melody and sheer power"
Musically I love Death (Human, Individual thought patterns etc) & Nevermore, vocally Geoff Tate (Queensryche), Alan Tecchio (Hades/Watchtower) & Dio, Devon Graves (Psychotic Waltz) Roy Khan (Conception) Rob Halford (Priest).
5. What have you released so far and how were your releases received by the public/media?
John: The album isn't released until mid October 2014, but the single is out and been getting amazing positive feedback. The album has been sent out for review and they are slowly starting to come back and all have been amazing so far.
Pete: I think we get a good reaction were-ever we play, even had people walk in when we are rehearsing and nodding their head and such, had a few weird gigs were people just watch us for the more technicality side of the music but that's cool, released lots of stuff online, videos, music and a few sneak peaks of some new stuff being written, always getting good feedback, album out soon, just waiting for the critics to pull it apart. (Laughs)
6. Do you play live as well? What do you have planned in terms of shows and touring, if any?
John: We are currently looking for management/booking agency - so if anyone reading this is interested then give us a look. We will gig to promote the album and hope to get to Europe soon.
Pete:Yeah we play a few here and there, well hopefully put a tour together when album is released, hit em hard.
7. What should labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?
Pete: I think if you are in to that sort of music, you will appreciate it and take it for what its is, we are not trying to ram it down peoples throats, obviously we want to get are music to be heard by the right crowd, but we are just going to keep doing what we are doing, because we love doing it,8. What plans do you have for the near future as a band?
Ian: We are busy writing new songs,at the moment. We have enough riffs for about 5 new songs that we are arranging and perfecting.
Pete: For me its about the writing part and rehearsing part, later the gigs, the bigger the better, thats when the writing and rehearsing comes in to play, we are a very tight band when we play live but yet relaxed, so we can enjoy are self on stage, thats what comes across especially when we played bloodstock this year, so more gigs like that would be cool, the music takes care of its self, started writing the next album now, got another video in the pipe line and a few drumming promos for me to do which will help get the synaptik name heard.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
John: www.synaptikmetal.com , www.facebook.com/synaptikmetal , www.reverbnation.com/synaptikmetal
Pete: The usual places, Facebook, YouTube, Reverbnation, www.synaptikmetal.com. And the long awaited album will be in the shops at the end of September or mid Oct. but come to one of are gigs, lots of t-shirts, magnets, lighters, badges, promos and stuff like that all also available on line
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Ian: Hopefully people listening for the first time will remember some memorable melodic vocals over some great music. We try to write songs that people will remember as being all different ,we try not to just keep rewriting the same song over and over,as this gets stale and boring.
John: The fact that we are doing what we want to do and not following any trend, that we aren't afraid of melody, that we mix it up and keep the songs interesting without losing 'the song', just enough progression to keep it interesting without alienating the listener. It's Metal, it's heavy and it's Synaptik.
Pete: Oh that's a tricky one, I think it varies from person to person, what they listen out for, melody, musicality, feel, depth, meaning, understanding.
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