1) Hi Scarlett! We know that Sabire (we always pronounced Sabeer, we are right?) is a hero-like character from a fantasy universe of your creation. Can you tell us more about him and his story? One of us is hooked on old fantasy/sci-fi one shot books, like Under the Moon of Mars, Conan or the Lovecraft stuff, are you in it too? In Italy those kind of stuff was published in cheap 1buck/100 pages books, do you have something similar?
Hey! Yes, you are correct that in your pronunciation. So Sabire, short for Sabirátòk, was a male born of the high race of beings known as Strecken. Streckens are the 2nd highest beings on the planet of Gaigot, on a purely biological level. At one point in history, there was an imperialistic uprising by another race of peoples called Eirlakonians. These people aimed to ultimately enslave much of the world, and through hard work and loss of life, they managed to take down the Streckish people and keep them down under the yolk of oppression for centuries. As a spiteful insult to their natural “highness,” each Streckish child had a region specific piece of metal inserted under their skin on their forehead as an identifier. There was nothing anyone could do...at least not successfully.
There were groups of Streckens that did revolt and band together and became guerilla warriors hidden in the wilds, known simply as Renegade Streckish. These groups actually managed to detach themselves so much from their own culture, and with such malicious intent, that they actually “changed” and became lesser Streckens as a result. They were, and remained, heros to no one. So, with no hope, Streckens lost their light and faded to grey as the wheel of Eirlakonian oppression continued to turn. Until one day, a Streckish boy was born in the heart of the Empire, in Eirlakonia Citika, with the name Sabirátòk, and a blessing from the creator. Always a rambunctious and mischievous young boy, Sabire was a natural rebel.
While this may seem normal, this was not the case with people now with generations born into nothing but slavery, and only quiet campfire stories of their history past down by eldars. By his late teens, he had a severe reputation for trouble and was frequently in street brawls. It was only a matter of time before he picked a fight with the wrong people, and a strong weapon was used on him. A blow aimed at his neck struck him and shattered the blade that was used.
To keep things brief here, essentially, Sabire was blessed with invulnerability from the neck up; he could not be touched here. This was an act of divine intervention and would become legendary in his story. Again, to keep this short, Sabire had enough of everything, the oppression, the grey, the misery. He cut out his metal embedding in a fit of rage and was thus touched by the divine.
He heard a voice as clear as day telling him to channel his rage and rebellion into rally, and restore hope to his people. He did more than that. To keep it short, he was successful. He lead his people out of the grey, restored their light and overthrew the Eirlakonian empire, never to rise again. Sabirátòk was the greatest Strecken to ever have lived, and he attained god-like status after his passing. To this day, out of respect, no Streckish boy is to ever be given his name.
Lovecraft is a major favourite of mine. I applaud and adore his work.
2) The mini album “Gates Ajar” is a lightning out of the blue in the heavy-speed metal scene and its sound is perfect and powerful. How did you shaped your sound and how did you recorded it? Digital process or analogic madness? What “Gates Ajar” means?
Thanks very much for the kind words. Everything was recorded into a digital audio workstation. We recorded the drums through an analogue desk, and the vocals through a tube preamp. Everything was mixed and mastered digitally by myself. Gates Ajar is an actual place in remote northern Ontario in Canada. I spent a great deal of time in this area for much of my life and the land is very close to me.
3) There are some hard rock layers into the sound of Sabire, like if Wasp, Scorpions or Shout At The Devil era Crue had a violent speed metal twist. Especially the vocal are like an alternative Blackie Lawless from an ancient land. Do you agree?
Haha I suppose so! I like the description.
4) Ok, this is a punk-hc webzine and we know that you had some punk band before Sabire, so we have a mandatory question: what do you think about the punk sound and ethos?
Punk is very important to me because that’s where I came from. I didn’t grow up on heavy metal or hard rock at all. I think the best thing to me about the original punk ethos from Britain was to present yourself as yourself to the fullest extent. The best thing to me about the orignal punk ethos from America, and I’m speaking strictly 70’s here, not hardcore, was the aggresive devil-may-care attitude towards the music and image.
5) We need 5 record (or more) that are mandatory for the Sabire sound, and we need also a brief description for each record!
This is a really great question. I think this is actually the best way of describing the influences of Sabïre’s sound. So here we go. As follows, the 5 most important records that shaped myself and subsequently Sabïre
- Rudimentary Peni - Death Church. The origin of my obsession with the “acidic sound,” and a profound shaper of my approach to guitar tone. This is the album that started it all. If there were no “Death Church,” there would be no Acid Metal.
- The Offspring - s/t. This album too, was a massive influence on my guitar playing, songwriting, and approach to music. The biting rattle of this album is a quintessential influence on Sabïre and the Acid Metal genre.
- Loreena McKennit - The Mask and the Mirror. The full bodied swell of this album and Loreena’s voice are a major influence on myself and Sabïre. The fullness here is vital to balancing out the biting sound of Acid Metal. You can hear this clearly on “Helheim,” “Daemons Calling” and even “Slave to the Whip.”
- Bathory - s/t. This album is another major factor in shaping the sound of my playing, and approach with Sabïre. I even play Ibanez Destroyers just as Quorthon before me! I cannot stress enough how much this album, and “The Return......”, help to shape the Acid Metal sound.
- Venom - Black Metal. This album may not be as “acidic” as some of the others listed, but the guitar style, bass style, and drumming approach are all extremely vital to the Sabïre sound. The grooves and power on this album are the thunder behind Sabïre.
6. The Beatles - A Hard Day’s Night. I could not leave this out, I’m sorry. If it were not for the Beatles, I would not be in music. This album and the early Beatles albums are too, vital to the sound of Sabïre. From the steady drumbeats, to the vocal harmonies, from the intentions behind the vocals, to even production approach, the Beatles and “A Hard Day’s Night” are a core component to Sabïre’s sound.
6) There are some notable bands that needs to be exposed these days? Unveil some underground gems or praise some already known names!
Smooch from Melbourne is a serious favourite of mine. Check out their debut promotional single on the Pissfart records bandcamp https://pissfartrecords.bandcamp.com/album/smooch-promo. I would recommend them to anyone. Chevalier from Finland are amazing. Sign of the Jackal from Italy are beautiful.
7) Something always caught our attention in the heavy metal scene are the crazy oufits that metalheads carry-on sporting with pride! How a metalhead should look in your opinion? What’s your favourite metal outfit\garment?
They should look like they care about their appearance! Find what you like and exploit it to the fullest extent of your ability. Become the you you’ve always dreamed of being. It’s hard to pick a favourite heavy metal garment, but if I had to choose, a good pair of interesting earrings, or a single dangler, will never steer you wrong.
8) Let’s talk about your next moves. What lies ahead? Singles or a full-length?
We’ll be doing a standalone single called “Mistress Mistress” first before anything else. Then, there will be a promotional single from the upcoming full length shortly before the big release. This will feature and extended mix of the track. The full length is called “Jätt,” which is the Streckish word for “hell.” The album will explore the broad and subjective theme of hell. After the full length, there will be a 3-track EP. Beyond that, I can only say there will be another full length; the title, artwork and songs are all determined already.
9) The artwork looks really like an old fantasy book. Who’s behind it? Who are your favourite artists in term of visual-arts (in metal covers or in general)?
The artwork was done by Didier Normand, a great artist. My favourite artists that I know the name of are: Nick Blinko, Nick Bantock, Francisco Goya, William Blake, Michael Whelan, Vincent van Gogh, Salvidor Dali, John Martin...mate, there are too many to name!
10) Free space. Thank you!
Thanks so much for a great interview. It was good talking to a punk fanzine for a change, and there were some great questions there that others have not asked before. Thank-you for having me.
