Sybreed Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Drop : We have our 4th album, "God is an Automaton", out since October 2nd. We are currently on an European tour with Mnemic and Hatesphere, and we are on discussion for early-2013 Euro tour. I can't talk about the USA at the moment cause everything is still on discussion, not confirmed, but I hope we will announce something really soon, by the end of the year.
Also, we would like to start writing the new album as soon as possible, we might have some new songs finished this winter already.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous recordings?

Drop : I personally think this new album is a mix of everything we did in the past, it has the grooves of Slave Design, the melodic parts of Antares and some of the chaotic riffing The Pulse of Awakening was made with. Everything digested with a « live shows » aspect and more solid arrangements. I think every old Sybreed fan can find itself in this new record. I don't think it differs that much cause the only thing we had in mind during the writing process was writing typical Sybreed songs, with paying a particular attention on how they will sound live. The songs we've played in concert so far reached our expectations.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?

Ben: mostly the subject we are interested in since the beginning of Sybreed: there’s a precise core of ideas which is the foundation of the band’s philosophy which is present in God is an Automaton, such as the relation between man and technology but more on the social and political point of view, the behaviourist aspect of power and its effect on the masses, the questioning of morals and values … in every way it is mostly an adaptation of a Nietzschean grid of reading to our modern civilization, as well as how we human adjust or not to an ever-growing flow of information and innovation, how we deal with a society which emphasis security, obedience and enforcement of laws and the constant tension which threaten democracy to turn in dictatorship. For example the title of the album refers not the an personal definition of “God” or any criticism of faith but how the concept of a “divine being” can often be use both as a external form of exculpation or a tool of power, so as to say the notion of “idol”.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Ben: it’s a two-meaning word. First, with its right spelling, a cybrid design an artificial cell created by fusing the elements of two separate ones. However we weren’t happy with the visual aspect of this spelling, so we decided to change it by creating a portmanteau with the title of one of our first song, so as to say Synthetic Breed. Then, why did we choose this word precisely? Well, I suppose we wanted to have a band’s name which would sound futuristic, yet however we wanted to avoid the usual “mechanical” feel linked with all the Cyberpunk culture: choosing something more “biological” seemed more appropriate to the music we wanted to do.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

Ben: well, we had quite a number of awesome shows since we started the band back in 2004, so it’s hard to pick up one. I’m going to take one example then: recently, we played in Estonia, headlining for a festival. We played quite late at night but in summer time the sun never really set down there and this coupled with the moon rising up, it gave to the whole area a pretty otherworldly atmosphere. So when we got up on stage, with the audience getting crazy and the whole northern night thing, I think we just got in some sort of trance and made a totally rock’n’roll show almost like in some sort of dream: it is quite impossible to describe our performance in such cases … all what I could say is that it feels fantastic when it happens, when one reach the musician equivalent of the “zone”.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?

Drop : As I told you on question number 1, we are currently on an European tour with Mnemic and Hatesphere, and we are on discussion for early-2013 Euro tour. I can't talk about the USA at the moment cause everything is still on discussion, not confirmed, but I hope we will announce something really soon, by the end of the year.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of extreme metal?

Ben: honestly, I couldn’t pick on precise tendency. The thing is we have a pretty wide range of fans, so some might enjoy very rough extreme metal and still enjoy Sybreed while some won’t. However, so far it seems that most of the adept of a more extreme kind of metal appreciate the heavier aspect of our new album, while some where a bit disappointed by its less atmospheric aspect. In any case, it’s impossible to please every one. Yet the good point is that now we aren’t considered as newcomers but as one of the references in the Cyber-metal genre usually.

8. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

Drop : Sybreed it's a full-time line-up. Even if some of the members have some other musical projects. Our bassplayer Ales has his band Djizoes since 2003, they toured a lot in Asia, and I hope he will use his relations to bring Sybreed there, hahaha.
I personally have another band called MXD, sort of electro/metal trio, 1 DJ, 1 vocalist and 1 guitarist. I also have my studio in Geneva, the Downtone Studio, and I produce some bands.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

Drop : I think there is no limits on writing music, so I can't tell you precisely how the future Sybreed songs will sound. We always write music with our feelings of the moment, and so on I am not able to know how we will feel in a year or so. The only thing we wanna do for the next album is pushing our style further, doing more complex structures, even longer songs, but as I told you, this is the plans, we need to feel it at the right moment.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Drop : Sybreed has a ton of influences, going from metal to electronica with progressive and rock fm in between. We all have different influences, which allow us to bring something different, but our "common" influences would be Meshuggah, Fear Factory, In Flames, Front Line Assembly, Depeche Mode, Katatonia, and honestly music in general.

11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Drop : I have a studio, I am a record producer, I play in two bands officially and a dozen of others in the studio as the "man in the dark".
I love traveling. I travel a lot for the music, tours, promo, etc… but I love going somewhere to know different people, see other cultures, that's one of the best thing ever.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Drop : Yeah! Thanks for reading this interview, and check our new album out, I hope you gonna dig it. See you on the road as soon as possible, keep up the good vibe, and have fun.