Before you started reading this, you probably didn’t know what Sycomore stood for.
Formed in 2015, the band with the name denoting trees – and more specifically, a fig tree – features Tim Drelon (guitar/vocals), Guillaume « Desta » Destalminil (bass/vocals) and Guillaume Maillard (drums) is collaborating with Source Atone Records for the release of Antisweet, its fourth album.
Eternal Watts, the band’s first composition, reveals a rather raw heavy sound, but we also have a fairly natural groove followed by husky vocals that don’t hesitate to turn into howls. The occasional dissonant harmonics fit in perfectly with the catchy accelerations that lead into the energetic Like Sulphur, where the band’s heady jerky sound is crammed with slightly mad experimentation, creating a perfectly managed contrast with the softer vocal parts. The band doesn’t hold back on the heavy oppressive patterns at the end of the track, before silence gives way to Drink Water, a composition which, in addition to being good advice, will place motivating and surprising riffs under unleashed screams or strange Post/Prog elements, such as this intriguing break. The band retains this spark of madness on Masquerader, the next track, which adds some surprisingly aggressive elements to its stirring rhythm. The sound skilfully bounces around, creating an interesting dynamic ending with a military march in the background, then the short Slurs creates a kind of haunting darkness in which vocal parts take root and then flare up to disrupt the quietness, before literally shattering it before Parallel Lines begins. The track remains guided by this strange duality, letting eruptions of insanity appear from time to time or create more vivid solid parts, letting Hear the Wind return to a more moderate rhythm. The furious vocal parts keep the contrast at all times, even calming down during the most intense passages of this suffocating track, which is followed by Captain Vitamin, the final track, which clocks in at ten minutes. If the beginning of the track is truly wild and frantic, it’s not long before the band slows it down, and lets it die as the night reclaims its rights. Did you believe it? After almost three minutes of silence, the musicians explode their riffs one last time before truly disappearing.
Sycomore is a totally mad project, with an overwhelming basis of Sludge, but also Post and Prog elements plucked from all over the place. Antisweet sounds like an explosive mixture from which one can’t tear one’s attention away.
80/100
A few questions for Tim Drelon, guitarist and singer with the band Sycomore, on the release of their new album Antisweet.
Hello, and thank you for your time! How would you introduce the band Sycomore without using the usual musical style labels?
Tim Drelon (guitar/vocals): Hi, you’re welcome, glad to answer your questions! Ooh, this one’s already complicated, haha, but ok… So I’d say Sycomore is a rabid horse, having given up on rejoining its stable, finding comfort wherever it seems welcoming.
Antisweet, your fourth production, is about to be released. Have you had any feedback on it yet?
Tim: We feel supported by the label Source Atone Records and the press agency Agence Singularités. It’s a real change to have people working on our album in a professional way. After that, we’ll see if it bears fruit and expands our audience. I think it’s off to a good start. For our part, we’ve put our hearts into it. The first feedback we’ve had has been very positive. It feels great!
How would you sum up Antisweet in three words?
Tim: Well, maybe not three « words » exactly, but what is certain is that we wanted to return to a form of « simplicity » without abandoning the « chaotic » side, and give more « variety » to the vocals.
Antisweet comes out three years after the previous album, Bloodstone. Did you notice any changes or evolutions in the creative process?
Tim: We started composing for this new album when the previous one, Bloodstone, hadn’t even been released yet. Since the beginning, we’ve got into the habit of composing a lot, and we’ve released three albums less than two years apart each time. For Antisweet, we took longer. Firstly, because of the pandemic, our prospects were limited, but also because we wanted to take a step back and make sure we weren’t repeating ourselves too much. The initial process was the same, with Guillaume and I composing the music, but this time the difference was that Desta was more involved in the vocals. As we wanted to go in a more Rock direction, it clicked right away, and gave new colors to the songs.
How do you relate the name Sycomore to your music? Is it because the three of you are big fans of trees?
Tim: Well, it’s funny, because over time I’ve come to discover different symbolism in the name. Initially, there was this idea of the tree as a « solid figure », which takes on various forms over the seasons and the years. And when we came up with the name, it resonated with a book I was reading by Houellebecq. Then I realized, much later, that in Twin Peaks there was this reference to the sycamores that constitute a « door » to the « Black Lodge. » On the other hand, there’s also the reference to Shakespeare, for whom « sickamour » is a concept that runs through all his work. Finally, sycamore refers to two different trees in reality: the one in ancient Egypt, where it’s akin to the fig tree, and the one found more in Europe and North America, which is a variety of maple. I’ll leave it to readers to delve deeper into the subject.
When I first discovered your music, I was surprised by the presence of some fairly lively, almost playful elements, which create a real contrast with the heaviness and howling. How do you manage to create a balance between all these elements?
Tim: We try not to confine ourselves to expressing the same emotion. Even if I think that overall we’re more into dark, violent stuff, that doesn’t stop us from having sunny moments. Accentuating the nuances seems to me necessary to highlight this « aggressive » tendency. Personally, I appreciate the brutality of an Extreme Metal riff as much as the lightness of a Beatles verse.
Where do you draw your inspiration from? Whether for lyrics or riffs.
Tim: The three of us share a common culture when it comes to music from the 90s and 2000s: Grunge, Hardcore, Stoner, Nu Metal…. We’re obviously influenced by what we listened to over and over again at a certain age. Of course, we’re also interested in new stuff and even older stuff. We pick up wherever it seems to suit us, whether it’s in a mosh part or the raspy timbre of a Folk singer. As for the lyrics, that’s another matter. There’s a great deal of introspection. Sometimes we go looking for things in our lives that could be translated into song. And we can also be inspired by a story we’ve heard, in a film, in a book, in the street.
The track that surprised me the most was Captain Vitamin, which lasts almost ten minutes with a three-minute break. What’s the story behind this track?
Tim: Captain Vitamin is the idea of a chef who leads us straight into a wall. The title came before the text, and at first I imagined a story about pirates gone wrong. In the end, I feel it’s more about a character who simply has a bad influence on those around him. The interlude in this track is actually designed as a kind of freeze frame, suddenly plunging the listener into deep listening.
I know it’s a difficult question, but do you have a favorite track on this album? Or the one that seemed the most natural to compose?
Tim: Yeah, it’s hard to pick one track over another, but I’d have to say Hear the Wind. It’s the 2nd song we wrote for this album, and it set the direction we wanted to go in. It’s a big chunk with lots of complementary parts. And it’s got a pretty « fluid » energy that we’ve already tried out several times live. And in terms of meaning, the lyrics are rooted in real-life experience too, so yes, it’s a bit special.
Antisweet is your first album to be released on Source Atone Records. How did the transition go, and how is the collaboration with this new label going?
Tim: We’ve known Krys for a few years, particularly through his bands, and when he set up the label with Arnaud, it seemed logical to consider releasing an album with them. Their artistic direction is very specialized, without the bands sounding the same.
How did you discover metal? In your opinion, what are the unmissable bands on the current scene in France and abroad?
Tim: I first got into metal with Sepultura‘s Roots Bloody Roots and the late 90s’ Alternative Metal scene. Then I drifted towards more Hardcore stuff like Converge and Neurosis. And then, of course, after a while I got interested in the classics of the 70s/80s. It’s an extremely broad genre. There’s something for everyone, haha. Right now I’m really into the latest Avenged Sevenfold, which has a sort of Faith no More feel to it, and the production is fabulous. Then there’s King Gizzard‘s Petrodragonic album, which is incredible. And in France, there’s the Death Metal band Mandibula, and we played a few shows with them. Pure magic!
Do you have any plans for the future of Sycomore?
Tim: At the moment, the plan is to play concerts to defend Antisweet. We’re all set. We hope our sound will reach as many ears as possible.
How does a Sycomore live show work? How do you see live shows evolving in the future?
Tim: We give everything we’ve got to deliver an intense experience. We have a rather Rock’n’Roll approach, but it also depends on the atmosphere with the people, whether we’re technically at ease, and above all our physical and mental fitness. What I can say is that I love the feeling of being able to unleash this fury in public. As long as there’s sweat and smiles.
Are there any musicians or artists you’d like to collaborate with in the future?
Tim : Well, we’ve never really had the idea or the opportunity to collaborate with other musicians, but nothing’s off-limits, as long as we’re up for it. Our lives are already pretty full outside the band. We think it’s great that the three of us get together to make music. As for the visual aspect, we’ve worked with different artists for each album. We like the surprise that brings. We’ll see what happens next. We like to try out new things.
Do you think you’ve improved as musicians with this album?
Tim: Yes, well, I hope we haven’t regressed. For this album we used less blast beats and dared to use more melodies. We’re trying to improve, both in terms of writing and performance. But our approach has been the same since the beginning. We make it look easy, but to get there, you have to practice a lot.
What bands would you dream of playing with? I’ll leave it to you to imagine an Antisweet release date with Sycomore opening, and three other bands.
Tim: Ok then, if we stick to bands that are still touring, I’d say Mr Bungle, Patton‘s madness combined with Thrash Metal monsters. Melvins, because I love their weird, sarcastic side. And Zao, the Hardcore band. They’re too little known in my opinion, but they’re really something else. Their latest album, The Crimson Corridor, is a gem.
That was my last question, so thank you for your availability, and I’ll leave you with the last words!
Tim: Thank you, and we hope you enjoy the album with us.