When drummer Dave Lombardo left groove/thrash outfit Grip Inc. and returned to Slayer full time, Grip principal Waldemar Sorychta immediately started assembling another band. The producer/songwriter/guitarist sought a fresh beginning with new people, "where the music [would] take the first place again, that when you go to the rehearsal, you're not spending hours talking about [things other than music]. I don't wanna say we did this in Grip, butwhen you're together for 10 years, sometimes the music become[s] like a normal part, and I want the music take the first place again."
Luck was with him, for the Polish artist quickly found the partners he needed for his next endeavor. He was flooded with offers for potential drummers, but chose Daniel Zeman after jamming with him at a rehearsal. He didn't have to look far for bassist Alla Fedynitch and singer Jules Navari since they were longtime associates. Sorychta praises the crew, saying, "They give me really the possibility to make music without borders, to go any direction you want . . . For composing songs, it's almost like a paradise, to be with people without thinking, 'Oh, can he sing this, can he play this?' Because I know that those people can."
Another sign that Enemy Of The Sun is headed in the right direction is its being invited to play European summer festivals without soliciting the booking agents for the gigs, one of them being Wacken Open Air at the end of July. Sorychta also hopes to take a run at the United States, but he keeps in mind that despite his track record with Grip Inc. and as producer for such acts as Lacuna Coil and Sentenced, that Enemy Of The Sun is the new kid on the block. "We have to be chosen by somebody, because it won't make sense to make headlining shows as a newcomer band; it's almost impossible," he says.
During a whirlwind press trip to the States, Sorychta called Blistering to talk about how the band came together, its debut album, Shadows, and how he'll juggle his extra-curricular projects while being on the road for a good while.
Blistering.com: What made you put a band back together?
Waldemar Sorychta: When Grip recorded and released the last record, Incorporated, and Dave [Lombardo's] decision to go back to Slayer and stay there, it was pretty clear and sure for it that it won't be much time for Grip Inc. That means maybe two or three shows a year, it's not really a good satisfaction when you really love to mak emusic.
So from that point on I was thinking to put a new band together and I want really, really bad to have a very new beginning with fresh, new people . . . and I want the music take the first place again. So I was searching for new and fresh people, for people that give me the feeling; the only one reason why we're here, for now and forever, will be always the music. And I'm pretty glad to find these people, because they give me really the possibility to make music like without borders, to go any direction you want.
Blistering.com: How long did it take to get the band together?
Sorychta: That happened in a very, very short period. I don't know. In a way I can really say I'm pretty lucky to find this kind of musicians, this kind of people in such a short time, but I think few times in your life you have to catch luck, so I hope I didn't misuse my luck with finding these guys, that my luck just stuck with this record.
Blistering.com: How would you describe Enemy Of The Sun's sound?
Sorychta: Many people [find] it hard to describe this music. I think the important word, I would say, definitely intense. It's very, very bright, very open. It doesn't have like one direction that you say,"OK, that's it." It has many, many difficult and different elements that meld together in one unique sound. I think the most important thing is, by all these different styles, by all these different influences, you never lose the line in the songs, so each song, for itself, it's always a song and not just a gathering of few different parts put together. They all fit well and create a sound that I think I would say is just fucking great music, isn't it?
Blistering.com: The End Records' Web site described it as "avante-gardet hrash." Do you think that's appropriate?
Sorychta: I don't care that much how people label this, what we do. I think the most important thing is that we, the people who are doing this music, that we know what we want and that we are happy with what we doing . . . I think definitely [it] is a fresh music, it's not something that you can say, it is a music that you did hear already in the '90s from any thrash metal band. I think it's a big mixture . . .For us, it's something that we feel comfortable with and that we sayt hat's our home and that's a reflection of our insides, of our musical inspirations.
Blistering.com: What other kind of feedback are you getting on the album?
Sorychta: Sometimes I'm kind of afraid because the feedback is really, really good, and when people [are] talking in [their] best words about this, of course, it's a good situation when people like our record, but it also doesn't change that much the situation how we like this record. I think the worse situation that everybody likes it,but we don't, and when I make songs, I am not thinking about how people will describe this music, what people would say, if people like or not. The most important thing for us as a band is that we like it. But overall, I have to say of course, it makes me happy, it make severy body in this band happy, but the feedback is just amazing.
Another good thing that happened also immediately, after the record was [sent] to all the magazines, three of the biggest festivals in Europe showed straight interest, so we are gonna be in the summer part of three of the biggest metal festivals in Europe. [One of them is Wacken Open Air.] The amazing thing is, we didn't even need to call this guy.They [called] us and really wants [us to] play there. It shows that people around and people in the scene really appreciate this album.That's a very good thing.
