APRIL 20th, 2021
SUMO CYCO EXCLUSIVE

MetalTitans had the opportunity to do a written interview with Skye Sweetnam, vocalist of Canadian punk rock metallers, SUMO CYCO. The band formed in 2011 out of Hamilton, ON, and this four-piece band has had the chance to tour with a wide range of international acts like Jinjer, Butcher Babies, The Birthday Massacre, even The Offspring. Showing that these guys are open to touring with various genres, they stand out from the standard "metal" or "punk" band. Sumo Cyco may be newer to the scene, but have made a name for themselves quickly, and with their new record, "Initiation" due for release May 7th, 2021, you need to read below for more and check them out !

Written Interview By: Metal Mom

WHAT WAS THE DECIDING FACTOR TO FORM YOUR BAND IN 2011?

In 2011, myself Matty Drake reconnected after a year or so of working on different projects. We decided to try out writing some heavier material and once we experimented in a bit we decide to release our first video and song online from there it just snowballed.

WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP WHAT OR WHO MADE YOU THINK, “I WANT TO SING IN A BAND?"

When I was younger I always knew I wanted to be a performer. I loved being on stage whether it was musical theatre or singing class or acting. I started off wanting to be a solo artist. I pursued that at 12 years of age and was signed by 14. On the road, I hung out with my hired band and became good friends with them. They taught me about music and romanticized stories of touring in a van. I always thought it’d be cool to hit the road with your besties with only a dream and the money in your pocket. In another instance, one of my music teachers told me that "if I ever had the opportunity to be in a band I should do it because it’ll be the most fun you’ll ever have" and that always stuck with me. So when I had the time and energy to start a new project, I knew I wanted to try to make a go of it with a band.

WHAT BANDS DID YOU LISTEN TO WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER? CURRENTLY?

When I was younger my parents played a lot of musicals around the house as well as bands such as The Cranberries, Weezer, Boomtown Rats Supertramp, Men Without Hats, The Police. Now that I’m older I love a vast array of different bands and genres everything from ATL hip-hop to 90s pop to UK based alt bands. Some of my all time favs are No Doubt, Rage Against The Machine & Refused, to name a few.

WERE YOU IN CHOIRS IN SCHOOL? OR MUSIC CLASS?

I remember having the choice to join the choir or the band in middle school. Having some professional singing experience already at 12, I decided I wanted to challenge myself and I signed up for percussion. The music teacher ended up giving me the xylophone and the boy in the class got the drum kit. I was so pissed off that I never learned the xylophone and I got my worst mark ever in music. Meanwhile, I was skipping class to write songs in my friends basement.

WHO WOULD YOU SAY HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE IN SUMO CYCO’S MUSIC?

We give credit to Skindred for really inspiring us to start the band. We’ve been lucky enough to have Benji featured in our track "Move Mountains". That was was a dream come true moment for me. We do have so many different influences, teachers and inspirations that have made it possible for Sumo Cyco to exist. It’s tough to say we’d be where we are without a thousand different moments that have changed us.

WHO DESIGNS YOUR CLOTHES? (THEY ARE ALWAYS SO UNIQUE.) ONE OUTFIT PER TOUR? OR DO YOU HAVE MULTIPLE ONES MADE?

All the different outfits I wear on tour I’ve curated or made myself from different sources. Many are Halloween costumes or from 2nd hand stores. I sew a bit and have made quite a few custom items for myself & for our online store. Most recently I’ve made outfits out of ropes from the dollar store and a top from sewing together socks from our merch! Sumo Cyco socks available on the online store! There have been maybe a couple times in my life that I’ve been able to have something custom made for me. It can get expensive since I don’t like wearing outfits more than a couple times per tour. They just get way too sweaty for me. I enjoy switching things up based on my mood or vibe of the venue etc.

DO YOU ALSO CREATE YOUR OWN MAKEUP, OR DOES SOMEONE HELP YOU WITH IT. WHERE/WHO DO YOU GET INSPIRED FOR YOUR LOOK?

I do a lot of my own make-up. It’s rare that I have the pleasure of working with a make-up artist, even though I prefer it sometimes. It’s a skill that started as a passion and is now more of a necessity so I can accomplish my looks on the road. Pinterest and Instagram are great resources as well as just letting myself feel free to experiment.

TELL US HOW EACH OF YOUR MEMBERS CAME TO BE IN SUMO CYCO?

Sumo Cyco's founding members are myself and Matt Drake, and we changed our lineup a couple times. Currently we have Matt Trozzi on drums and Oscar Anesetti on bass. They are both local guys in the scene that we know through mutual acquaintances. When we hired Trozzi on, he auditioned via video and we called him in to rehearsals two weeks before we left on tour. Oscar had even less time when we called him! We only gave him four days notice before he needed to be ready to tour. This line up has been in place for the past four years.

I LAST SAW YOU IN VANCOUVER WHEN YOU CAME THROUGH WITH ‘JINJER’ ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT, LOVED YOUR GUYS HALLOWEEN COSTUMES. YOU ALSO LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE HAVING A BLAST UP ON STAGE. WHERE DOES THE ENERGY COME FROM?

Thanks! The energy for us comes from a real respect and privilege of being able to perform and tour as a band. Every time we get up on stage we know we have to earn our spot. A successful show for us means converting a cold crowd into a crowd that is ready to party and until that happens we don’t feel like we’ve done our job.


**NEW VIDEO FOR TRACK "VERTIGO" FROM THEIR NEW ALBUM "INITIATION"**




YOU HAVE PLAYED ALONGSIDE MANY WELL-KNOWN ARTISTS, IS THERE SOMEONE OUT THERE YOU WOULD LOVE TO SHARE THE STAGE WITH?

Honestly we are up to sharing a stage with anyone that will have us! We just want to keep reaching more people and different audiences that haven’t heard of us before. Although I have many bands that I admire, the best shows can sometimes be by accident. Our first drummer that played in Sumo Cyco quit our band to drum for Every Time I Die (can’t blame him). We were playing a festival in Kitchener and they were headlining. The outdoor festival was about to be cancelled due to weather but one of the organizers hustled and figured out a venue that ETID could play even though it was 10x smaller than the crowd they were expecting. Ryan Leger texted us when he found out so we could head there early to get in. The venue was packed tighter than any venue I’ve been at with a massive line down the street. There were people sitting in rafters completely against every fire-code that ever existed. Kids were jumping, climbing and diving from the balconies like monkeys. These are the shows that excite me, where it feels like you are actively part of the show, not just a spectator.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST EXCITING PART OF BEING IN SUMO CYCO SO FAR FOR YOU?

The most exciting part about being in Sumo Cyco is traveling and meeting new people all over the world. We’ve made friends with bands, fans and industry alike that have become huge part of our lives. At the end of the day, relationships are always the most important things we remember and the good times we share with those people. It’s really cool when you find someone who just clicks with you and what you do. Being in a band has helped us find those people and share moments that blow your mind. For example, we met a highschool teacher from Germany who had us play for the school and they let the kids make a wall of death at 9am. Super metal.

HOW ARE YOU KEEPING BUSY DURING COVID?

We’re pretty crazy busy during Covid actually. It’s a lot of work to launch a record! We take on a lot of the work ourselves such as producing and directing music videos, artwork, wardrobe, behind-the-scenes features etc. We’ve also been doing a lot of livee streams with our fans and keeping up with social media can also be a full time job. Hit us up on every platform!

I SEE YOU HAVE A NEW ALBUM (3rd) 'INITIATION' ABOUT TO BE RELEASED NEXT MONTH THROUGH NAPALM RECORDS, DO YOU PERSONALLY HAVE A FAVOURITE AMONG THESE SONGS, AND IF SO, WHY THAT PARTICULAR ONE?

My favourite song on the record right now is “BAD NEWS” because I love cramming in tons of lyrics to those verses! Matty Drake also slayed the riffage.

YOU AND MATT WROTE THE SONGS, WHERE DOES THE INSPIRATION COME FROM TO WRITE THE LYRICS?

Matt writes more of the music, I wrote more of the lyrics.
I’ll tell you one specific story but every song is different. I was feeling pretty down during Covid and I was on a long drive back from up north in cottage country. In a situation like the recent pandemic, you realize that that the world is a lot scarier and retreating to my fantasy world can seem inappropriate. I had recently bought a ring that had the slogan “no surrender” written on it. I wear it on my ring finger because I like to remind myself that I’m married to the music and my band is like my child. As I was driving home I looked down at that ring and realized that I can’t surrender myself to the negativity and I had to keep fighting for what I feel is my calling in life. I wrote the lyrics driving home as a mantra to myself to not surrender to the demons inside me trying to make me question my belief in myself and in my mission. I came to the realization that even in the more dire situations we can’t let our lights dim.

WAS IT A LONG PROCESS FROM WRITING TO HAVING IT ALL RECORDED?

Years. Lots of starts and stops. We have a home studio which also lets us record as we write. To us, writing and recording happen simultaneously and there is no distinguishing them in the creative process. But this album is four years in the making. Going on tours, signing a deal and the pandemic were all moments that had us re-work the album. There were many new songs written and old songs re worked as we perfected the track listing.

HAS THE RECORDING PROCESS BEEN DIFFICULT DURING THE PANDEMIC? DOES EVERYTHING MAINLY GET DONE FROM HOME INSTEAD OF STUDIO TIME?

Fortunately it has been business as usual. Matt and I bought a converted church to live and work in. Our living room is our jam space, our spare bedroom is a studio and our attic is a film studio. So we literally work our lives around our band so that we are self sufficient. It gives us the freedom to create at all hours and take advantage when inspiration hits.

CAN YOU TELL US WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FROM 'INITIATION'?

You can expect a well rounded curated album with massive hooks disguised by chaos.

WHAT WILL BE THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN WE ARE “PERMITTED” TO DO THINGS AGAIN?

Well we are waiting for that first show. Our eyes are on the prize for this one. Nothing can compare. Until we get to that point I will not be satisfied.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THIS INTERVIEW THAT YOU WANT PEOPLE/FANS TO KNOW?

Well, we are pretty open about the fact that we’ve been getting some push back from the metal community. It’s been interesting for us to navigate the waters since Napalm has casted a larger net for us. We are a polarizing band. We hope to open up wider spaces in metal and heavy genres for more variety and acceptance of different types of bands. Heavy music has too long taken the backseat in the mainstream and we want to build a bridge for new fans to find their way to the heavier genres.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DO THIS INTERVIEW WITH US HERE AT METALTITANS, AND WE WISH YOU MUCH SUCCESS WITH YOUR NEW ALBUM 'INITIATION'.

"INITIATION" PRE ORDER LINK: https://smarturl.it/SumoCyco-Initiation