SONSOMBRE

[ Interview with Brandon Pybus from Sonsombre by Diego Centurión. ]

KEEP THAT FLAG OF REVIVAL HELD HIGH AND KEEP PUSHING THE SCENE!!

If there is a band that represents the new wave of gothic rock, without a doubt it is the band led by Brandon Pybus, Sonsombre. Since 2018, he bursts with his first album "A Funeral For The Sun" and in two years he releases "The Veils Of Ending" (2019) and "One Thousand Graves" (2020). We have long wanted to have this prolific and interesting band in the magazine and the time has come to interview their brain, Brandon Pybus.

Hello Brandon! Thank you for agreeing to make this interview, it is an honor for us to have you on our pages. To start with the questions, where did this pandemic surprise you?

First of all, thank you for this opportunity to talk to your readers! Yes, the pandemic has been awful for everyone around the globe. Like many bands we lost a lot of shows this year due to it. We had a European tour scheduled for June and several festivals here in the US. We’ve been really fortunate to be able to still reach people with live-streaming, which we love, but we definitely can’t wait to get back on the stage when circumstances permit.

I traced you to Butchery, a death metal project almost 30 years ago, what happened to your music until you reached Sonsombre?

Ah! This is a great question. The truth is it never really stopped. I was in several other bands through the years mostly in the black metal scene. I actually still have an active black metal project that I won’t name here because I would rather it stand on it’s own musically. If people find it I want them to either like or not based on it’s own merits. I’ve always listened to a wide variety of dark music, and Goth Rock was a constant love of mine.

Before you fully entered Sonsombre, you had a side project last year alongside Michael Louis of Chronic Twilight called "Shadow Assembly" and they released a record called "Ghostcrawl". Tell us about this project.

Sure, Shadow Assembly was all Michael’s idea. He is a prolific songwriter and wanted to do a really Goth project… We started sharing ideas and ended up with Ghostcrawl. I’m proud of that album. It has a unique vibe. He’s currently working on a new record with that project. This go around I’m only doing vocals on two tracks, but he has a really impressive line-up of vocalists contributing to the rest of the tracks. I’m excited for people to hear that record.

Now we start with Sonsombre. I have read that the name is a name formed by the union of two words in French. Tell us what are those words? And how and when is the music of Sonsombre born?

Yes indeed… It is two French words Son Sombre meaning “dark sound”. I

wanted a name that would keep me on track. I envisioned Sonsombre as an outlet for all of the Goth Rock I would write through the years and it was important to me to keep the vibe dark, like all of the art that I love. I started writing the tracks that would become “A Funeral for the Sun” in 2016. I kept writing and recording it on my own while working other projects and when I felt it was done I released it on a whim. I honestly never intended to release that record until the very last minute. I just didn’t think anyone would respond to that sound. I’m glad I changed my mind though. It’s been a great ride ever since.

You pick up the gothic rock sound of bands from the 90's like Nosferatu, The Wake, Rosetta Stone or Suspiria, among many other bands. I have read that one of the main idea of Sonsombre was to rescue the sound of the guitar. What can you tell us about that?

Absolutely! My first introduction to Goth was through bands like Christian Death, Nosferatu, The Wake, Suspiria, Fields of the Nephilim, etc. As the 90s waned and the 2000s rolled in Goth was changing and I missed the sound of those bands. I know there were still bands doing guitar driven Goth Rock, but the scene largely migrated away from that sound. I just wanted to make a record like the ones I enjoyed back then… to re-create the feeling that I had when I heard “Rise” or “Masked” for example. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against synth driven music, but as a guitarist I just love the edge that a guitar adds. To me songs just hit harder, are more dynamic, and drive more emotion when they have guitar, so it is very important for me to keep that feeling in Goth Rock moving into the future.

Three albums in two years is a significant number and marks your prolific way of writing, have you written the songs in these three years or do you have a song reservation on hold?

I have a lot of songs recorded, but they are all songs that I rejected along the way from inclusion on the albums. I write constantly. It’s just something that I’ve always done. I don’t consider it work. It’s my outlet. I definitely go through periods of where I’m perhaps more creative than others, but writing never stops. If the songs are there and ready for release, why wait? As a fan of music, I love new albums, so I want Sonsombre to do everything we can to keep fresh music coming out for the listeners.

How do you listen to the first album "A Funeral For The Sun" today? Do you find production errors or would you change some things?

Oh absolutely I do. I’ve learned quite a bit along the way, and feel that I’ve really found my voice. I still am very pleased with that album for what it was, but I see progression between every album. Looking back I would like a chance to re-master that record (maybe for a vinyl release) to make it punch a little harder. If I ever get the opportunity I would love to do that.

"The Veils Of Ending" is a great album. What differences do you find between the first and the second album?

I think Veils is where I found my voice, both as a vocalist and in the music. The Sonsombre sound started to come to life. I became more confident as a vocalist and just feel a lot more emotion

in that album. The production is bigger and bolder and hits harder, and I think the writing is a bit more coherent since it was done over a shorter period of time.

I've read an interview this year where you said you wanted to play as much as possible, but the Covid-19 appeared. How did it affect the promotion of the album “One Thousand Graves”?

We definitely had a lot of shows planned that were cancelled, but the

interesting thing about the world we live in now is that I don’t think shows play as big of a role in promotion as they used to. Ironically we’ve grown tremendously during the pandemic between Social Media, videos, and live-streaming. I think we just had to redirect our energies toward making content to keep people engaged and curious about what we were doing.

Give us three words that come to mind with each of your name albums. "A Funeral For The Sun": searching,

lonely, anachronism "The Veils Of Ending": power, black, foggy "One Thousand Graves": rising, flying, isolation

In an interview you said: “Playing live is honestly one of my favorite things to do in life.” How do you feel in these months without that possibility?

It’s still true. The energy I get from playing live cannot be replicated in any other way. I absolutely love the whole process. I love meeting new people, seeing new places, and the feeling when the lights go down and the first guitar kicks in. I miss it terribly! We can’t wait for this pandemic to end and get back out there again.

In the last album there is a much more produced, do you think the same?

Yes I agree. I do all of the recording, mixing, and mastering, and I’m learning a lot as I go along. I think the listener deserves quality, so I put everything I can into getting the best production possible. Hopefully the next record will be even better on the production front.

How do you see the current gothic rock scene today?

I’m actually so excited to see what’s happening. There is a general enthusiasm all across the scene. What excites me most though is the Revival in guitar driven Goth Rock with a classic Goth sensibility. The number of bands is growing and people in the scene seem to be genuinely responding. We were fortunate to come along at this time and to be a part of it all.

January wouldn't be that far back in time if this pandemic hadn't existed, do you already have more songs?

Oh yes definitely. The fourth album is almost complete… haha. In honor of what’s happening in the scene it will be called “Revival”. So far I can tell you that it will have the biggest sound to date. Once again there is a progression in writing and production to my ear. We certainly hope the listeners and fans will agree.

What did it mean for the band to

sign for Cleopatra Records?

It was coming full circle for me. Cleopatra bands back in the 90s got me into Goth, and it is honestly the home where I’ve always wanted to be with this project. We’ve been so fortunate to work with Post Gothic records (and still do), but Cleopatra’s platforms have helped us grow tremendously, and we are grateful that they believed in us enough to bring us on board. I would also say that it is wonderful to see Cleopatra as a label returning to their roots. I’m sure you’ve noticed they have really stepped up their Goth releases of late. It’s a great thing!

What do you think of the streaming live that flood the networks?

I like it honestly. I watch as many as I can (and yes there are more than anyone could possibly keep up with). I think it’s a great opportunity for bands to interact with the listeners and fans, and I would wager that it won’t go away once the pandemic passes. As an artist this format just allows you to reach people you wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach. It’s definitely not a replacement for live shows in any way, but it is a nice extra layer of interaction.

To end this interview and thanking you for the time you have given us. What would you say to our readers?

If you’re a Sonsombre fan, thank you so much for your support!! We truly appreciate the devotion and enthusiasm. If you’re not, give us a listen. I’m sure we’re not for everyone, but we would love an opportunity to show you what we’re about. We look forward to seeing you all out there as soon as we can. Keep that flag of Revival held high and keep pushing the scene!! Stay Goth

Thanks Brandon!