Interview with SABIRE
!!!HEAVY METAL FROM DOWN UNDER!!!
SABIRE is a Heavy Metal Band from Australia that blew our minds.
We had a conversation with Scarlett Monastyrski (Vocals/Guitar). Enjoy!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
First of all Congratulations for your LP ''Gates Ajar''.
Great Debut!
Hey thanks man, I really appreciate that.
1. Tell us a few things about SABIRE (Members, Starting Year etc).
SABIRE began in December 2010, that’s when the idea was formed.
The idea at that time, and still today, is that it was to be a band that plays only what occurs naturally when I pick up an instrument.
The goal was and is not to be anyone else but ourselves and have the confidence to present it as ourselves to the world.
The official lineup as of this year is Paul Corben on drums, Zoran Mrakic on bass guitar and myself on guitar and vocals.
2. What does SABIRE mean & why did you write it this way?
''SABIRE'' is a man’s name that I came up with when I was in primary school. I applied it in middle school to a hero in a fantasy universe of my own creation.
Think of a successful Hannibal or Spartacus archetype. He essentially led his once great and high people out of many years of oppression back to their former greatness.
In the instant that I decided to create a band as personal as this, I knew that the name had to be ''SABIRE'' as that was equally personal.
I added the umlaut over the “i” because in the early days, people kept pronouncing the name incorrectly as ''Sah-Buyer'' instead of the correct, ''Sah-Beer.''
So now the name is written phonetically correct and looks cooler, but people still say it wrong! I’m sure we’ll all get it right one day.
3. You label your music genre as ''Pure Concentrated Acid Metal''.
Why ''Acid Metal''?
Because that’s exactly what it is: ACIDIC. Nothing whatsoever to do with the drug LSD, but rather the corrosive substance.
The modulated guitars sound like a drop of acid in the dark. The overall wet production sounds acidic and shimmery.
The lyrics, no matter what we are singing about, all have this biting realism to them that once they become fully realized by the listener, it pricks them like a drop of acid on their skin and you feel the power of the burn later;
much like you feel the full force of the lyrics on further listens and contemplations.
To take the acid metaphor further, concentrated acid burns its way through even the toughest of substances to come out white hot on the other side.
We as a band have, and will continue to burn our way through the brick that is modern heavy music today. Acid Metal is more than just a genre,
it’s a reaction, it’s a way of life...it’s the music of the future.
4. The vinyl version was released by NO REMORSE Records. The CD was released by SKOL Records & the Cassette by ROPES & BONES Records. Why so many different labels?
It was not intentional to work with three different labels for three different mediums. It’s just the way it went.
We had an overwhelming amount of labels contact us in the first 4-5 weeks of release, about 30.
We had to just compare offers as they came to us and go with it. So to not get into too much detail, it’s just the way it played out.
5. Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Personally or professionally? Personally, I really like vinyl best. I love the large artwork and the inside packaging. I really detest lazy layouts, especially in gatefolds.
I find it to be insulting to the medium and to the potential of what can be done with it to create a product superior to others.
Professionally I like them all. With what we do, we make each layout for each format different than the last so to enhance the experience of the listener even further.
Even if a label is doing another version of the same format that another label did, we will be doing something different so it stands out as its own.
6. How was the experience of KEEP IT TRUE Festival? Describe us your ideal live show as a performance Band.
Our experience at Keep it True was fantastic both onstage and off. Aside from technical difficulties and myself being in immense pain, it was a smooth ride and such a fun show.
We meet a lot of great people behind the scenes and it was good to meet the fans.
Regarding our ideal live show, I won’t say very much. We would rather it take you by surprise.
Believe me, you’ll know what our true show is when you see it.
7. In 2020 you will appear at UP THE HAMMERS Festival in my Hometown Athens. We see that European Metalheads & Festivals support the New Heavy Metal Bands.
Which is your opinion about the Australian Heavy Metal Market in comparison with the European one?
I really can't say much because I’m really not involved. But what I can say is that for Sydney it’s very small.
There’s a number of reasons for that both culturally, politically and even the substance of the bands themselves.
Usually when an overseas band comes to town, that’s when you draw a crowd but besides that it’s pretty bleak.
8. Your music style comes from the Glorious Days of the 80s. Heavy Metal with lot of Hard Rock elements (WASP / DOKKEN / HALLOWEEN etc.)
Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Dokken, eh? I wouldn't have picked that, but then again everyone hears something different.
I would disagree about our style coming from the 80’s. Our musical style comes straight from the soul and is by no means modern.
We have no desire to be modern or fit in to what people are doing now. That would mean compromising on what we want to say lyrically and play musically.
That would remain the same if we wanted to be retro and do everything by the numbers to look like we would fit in 35 years ago. Again, we would have to compromise across the board.
I do not write music for people listening in the past, I write music for the people listening in the future.
9. Do you have any new material & what are the Future plans of SABIRE?
We have a substantial amount of old material, and have some great new material as of this year, but all of it is new for the fans.
We will be doing one standalone single called “Mistress Mistress,” and then a full length album entitled, ''Jatt.''.
''Jatt'' will be out later this year or early next year depending on who we are working with for release.
10. Thank you very much for your time & Keep up the good work! The closure is yours...
Thanks very much for having me.
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
SABIRE Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/sabireacidmetal/
https://sabireacid7.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.instagram.com/sabireofficial/