In case you missed it, UK metallers Sylosis have an unbelievable record due out on January 12th. The band’s 2012 release, Monolith, as well as 2011’s Edge of the Earth, took the metal world by storm, quickly making Sylosis a desirable name in modern metal and a name to watch closely moving forward. The band’s latest effort offers content that is rawer, darker, and grittier than ever before, all while remaining true to the Sylosis sound we have all come to know and love. RockRevolt recently caught up with frontman Josh Middleton to discuss Dormant Heart, touring, and more.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with RockRevolt today, Josh. Sylosis’ fourth full-length record, Dormant Heart, is due out on January 12th. Who or what influenced the band during the writing and recording processes to help make it the most intense record for Sylosis thus far?
Not much new music has come out that I’m into personally. It might be slightly more a sign of the times or just me paying more attention to politics, society, or other things that really frustrate me. I don’t want people thinking we’re going to turn into a political band though.
Do you guys ever write new material on the road?
Maybe the odd riff here and there. We don’t tour in buses so it’s not like we can set up a studio in the ‘back lounge’ like some bands. Usually you have a few minutes where you can play your guitar before you start sound checking and you might write something. Nearly everything is written at home away from touring or the rehearsal room.
Rob Callard recorded drums for Dormant Heart and would go on to announce his departure from the band soon after. Having played with Ali Richardson before, was choosing him as the man to replace Rob as the drummer of Sylosis an easy one?
Yeah it was a really pain free situation which was great. We respect Rob’s decision and there was no bad feelings involved. Then we approached Ali and he said yes so we’re very lucky. Ali is one of the best drummers in the country.
Speaking of replacements, you took on the role of lead vocalist after Jamie Graham’s exit. Was this an easy transition for you? How are you able to continue to perform at such a high level on guitar as well as handle all vocal duties for the band?
It took a little while of getting use to playing guitar and singing at the same time. That and having to speak to the crowd. I do play guitar solos but what makes them ‘solos’ is that there’s no vocals over them. I’m never playing anything too technical whilst doing vocals.
Which songs or solos were you really excited to have learned when you first started playing guitar?
I started really young and I think Street Spirit by Radiohead was one of the first songs I learnt. I remember the “One” solo by Metallica being a fun one for a while.
Which Sylosis songs are you most proud of?
That’s hard to say really. I really like “Victims and Pawns” off our latest album as well as “Quiescent” which is probably the best ‘song’ song I’ve written. It’s mostly acoustic but still pretty dark and progressive.
Describe Dormant Heart’s lyrical content. Were the lyrics for any songs in particular written with one particular issue in mind, or do they all deal with a variety of topics?
There are a lot of similar themes running throughout the album. Corruption being a prevalent theme. The lyrics to “Victims and Pawns” pretty much sums up the whole album in one song.
Sylosis has already announced some festival appearances for next year. Do you prefer to play huge festivals or smaller, more intimate shows?
Generally, playing festivals is more fun overall. The atmosphere is cool, there’s always tons of cool bands of friends bands playing to hang out with or go watch on the side of the stage etc. But club shows can be pretty awesome too so when you focus on just the show aspect – both are equal. But festivals have the edge in terms of the whole day being fun. On tour you just get cooped up in a van then cooped up in a small, cold dressing room usually.
I first discovered you guys on your North American run with Lamb of God, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Are there any plans in the works to return to the United States sometime soon? Do you have any headline tours planned anywhere?
We don’t have much planned as of yet. We do intend to tour this album as much as possible and we will really try to make it over to the US either summer or late 2015.
SYLOSIS – Mercy (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
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There has been talk about potential solo work coming from you in the near future. What is the latest on this?
I might even be doing 2 solo albums later on in the year. One really epic and melodic and one more guitar driven and progressive. More 70’s prog rock inspired but with more fusion lead guitar stuff. I don’t want to rush it so will see how it turns out. Sylosis is always the main focus though and we just want to tour this album as much as possible.
What were some of your favorite musical releases of 2014?
In all honestly I find it harder to find new music that does it for me. I think Mastodon Once More ‘Round The Sun takes first place, obviously. Then there’s Pallbearer’s ‘Foundations of Burden’ which I’m hooked on. The latest Trap Them and Cannibal Corpse are rad too.
What is next for Sylosis? Do you see the band experimenting with different sounds moving forward, or do you think you will stick to the traditional sound?
We try to make our music very cohesive but we have a very wide range of influences. We’re inspired by all the 80’s thrash, then progressive bands like Cult of Luna or Pink Floyd and other 70’s prog…or darker, doomier bands like Neurosis etc. There’s still a lot we can do with our sound and we want to give each album it’s own vibe. Dormant Heart might be really dark, gloomy and doomy but the next album could be super technical thrash or really progressive and just one long song or something…There are so many directions we can go in so we’re still incredibly inspired but we will always retain what makes us the band we are. There will always be one foot in really fast, heavy, technical thrash but like I said, each album we’ll give it’s own vibe but we’ll always have that foundation to our sound.
Best of luck to Sylosis in the coming year!
Thank you!
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