April 14 Feature – Kill Syndicate

Few (if any) names ring the proverbial bell of Colorado metal music as loudly as Denver five-piece havey hitters Kill Syndicate. Since their inception in the summer of 2004, Kill Syndicate has dropped two well-received full length albums, toured the country several times, and developed a loyal following that now sits impatiently waiting for the band’s upcoming record release and world-wide tour schedule.

Stylistically, the band has evolved quite a bit over the years, keeping current with the face of metal music as their own personal talents evolve. The new album is a showcase of this, and the band is more than ready to stamp it into the history books and hit the road. “It’s more of a metal-core style,” says long-time Kill Syndicate guitarist and Voodoo Productions founder Dave Zaharia. “It has definitely evolved into more of a Suicide Silence, White Chapel style.” The band wanted to keep their sound modern and fresh while still maintaining their metal roots and appealing to long-time fans, something that many bands struggle with doing. The new record, which the band recorded themselves, is their attempt to do just that.

To help the sound move in the direction the guys wanted it to go, they brought in Jesse Volrath to take over the lead vocal duties last year. “It’s a lot heavier, a lot harder,” says Zaharia. This new record will be the band’s first since 2009, and will be dropped into the hands of eager fans world-wide who will also have to opportunity to catch Kill Syndicate touring in the United States, Canada, Australia, and throughout Europe. “It’s taken a little bit to put together just because we’ve had to make a few changes in technicality. (Our songs) have never been this technical. I’ve had to push myself to learn some things. Playing seven string guitar is already challenging, and when you’re trying to do sweeps and stuff that’s a little more into the now, it’s a little more difficult. To play that live and deliver the same stage presence that we’re known for takes a lot of practice.”

Dave Otero did the mastering on the album, which will be completed in June. Before the release, Kill Syndicate will be doing a two week stint in Canada. Zion from Cradle of Filth also helped with production on the album. “He was willing to get in there and help us out a little bit,” says Zaharia. Despite many other offers from people wanting to work on the record, the band kept much of it within the inner circle. “We just didn’t want too many fingers in the pie. We’ve had so many offers from people that wanted to get involved, and we just weren’t sure if that was going to take away or add. We definitely wanted to be hands on ourselves and not have to many people pointing in directions we may not want to go in.”

Prior the record release, the band will be hitting Canada for a two week tour. “We’re going to play a little of the new stuff, but for the most part, we’re going to keep pushing the old stuff with the new influence,” says Zaharia. “Our vocalist now is redoing the music a little bit in his own, but using the same lyrics. We’re trying to still capture the old sound so we’re not throwing people off too much that know the music.”

Following the release, the band will complete the rest of their appointed touring. The tours are organized by Killshot Management out of Australia.

Kill Syndicate has been around since July of 2004, evolving out of the band Brutal Infliction. “The singer, myself, and the drummer decided we wanted to go a bit heavier. We changed the name, changed a bit of the style, and put out the World Suicide album,” says Zaharia. “We were signed to World Media Records pretty much nine months after the album came out. It did really well, especially overseas. We had distribution here in the US through Hapi Skratch Records.”

For the next album, Bleed Your God, Kill Syndicate left World Media Records to work with a label ran by Brian “Head” Welch of Korn, who had by that time become a born-again Christian. From the way it appeared to the band, the label did not like the goat head that Kill Syndicate uses in its’ logo. “We’re not a Satanic band, but we use that goat head so a lot of people view that as Satanic,” says Zaharia. “I think we’re more of an agnostic band. He definitely was not down after we had already sort of worked a deal.” Things fell apart with the label. “We understood what was going on, and the album was already ready to be released, so we went ahead and released it independently.”

The new record and subsequent tours will mark the first time Kill Syndicate has been outside of the United States, something they are very excited for and proud of. They also are excited to be keeping up with the evolution of the metal genre with this new record. “The biggest thing that we were looking for is to ensure we are reaching the masses with the new music,” says Zaharia. “It’s definitely a different sound. I think the people that know the old Kill Syndicate to the new Kill Syndicate, it’s definitely going to take some embracing from the old Kill Syndicate fans. The stage presence is all the same, the music is just a little bit different and the vocals are a little bit different.”

“I think the old sound was a lot more Lamb of God, which is now pretty much classic metal,” says Zaharia. “We want to stay into the now, not just to be with the trends, but I’ve embraced the music because I like it. We want to emulate that a little with keeping our original sound at the same time. It’s not easy to do, but I think we’ve accomplished it.”

The album will be distributed nationally and internationally with label support, and will be dropped in Denver at either the Gothic Theatre or Summit Music Hall. Stay tuned to the band’s website for up-to-date information. The band is sponsored by Monster Energy, Silver Surfer Vaporizers, Severed Ink Clothing

Online: reverbnation.com/killsyndicate

Story by Tim Wenger