Interviews: SECREUM

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Progressive Groove Metal band SECREUM from the UK. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it or came out like that?

Sonny: The name of the band came up somewhat organically, I had misheard a word spoken on a TV show, but when I rewound it and played it back, I didn't hear the word, pretty wild right, it was as though the name was meant to be Later on we found out from a close friend that the 'Secreum' means 'Secret' in Latin, which was a pretty cool bit of trivia.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Sonny: We simply did not want to be slotted into a label, as we felt that it limited our musical expression and creativity, if we wanted something more thrashy, or more on the death metal side, or even a slow number, we simply could because we did not want to put any limitations upon ourselves, of course many of our friends are genre specific and they're amazing, but we felt that being more open become a positive to the band Personally I would say we're a 'groove' band, but we've had everything from Thrash, to progressive death metal, and everything in-between, so really it's up to the listener to decide our genre

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Deano: Sonny and I have known each other for around 12 years now! We met through a mutual friend who we both ended up being bandmates with, and a few years later, we started writing Secreum songs. Shawn, we’ve both known for almost 10 years, all through going to local metal shows, and Nick we met through other band projects and friends where he’s based.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

Nick: Periphery, Symphony X, Killswitch Engage, too hard to narrow it down.

Sonny: S,o so many, but I'll narrow it down a little: Death, Gojira, Symphony X, Mordkaul, Strapping Young Lad, Megadeth, Trivium, so so many.

Deano: Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More, Thin Lizzy, Def Leppard, Spiritbox, Ekkaia, Judas Priest, Deafheaven, Delta Sleep, Brutal Truth, Carpenter Brut, Type O Negative, Motorhead, Metallica, Electric Wizard, Dokken.

Charlotte: I have many bands that are up in my 'favourite' category, I guess Nightwish have always been a constant for me, I really enjoy the Australian band Voyager, Arch Enemy, Kissing Dynamite, Devin Townsend, Unleash the Archers, Jinjer, Sabaton, the list is endless.

Shawn: "Amon Amarth, Sabaton, Nile, Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse, Bullet for My Valentine, Trivium, Nightwish, Cattle Decapitation, Fleshgod Apocalypse, the list is very eclectic and very endless.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Deano: We enjoy the thrill of trying to top the last song we’ve written. You hear it all the time, but our favourite song is always the next one, but it's so enjoyable playing a song that we nail in a rehearsal session and get to record down the line and keep that feeling. It’s rewarding as a challenge and builds chemistry between us all as well.

6. Where was your last gig?

Shawn: Our last gig was the Club 85 in Hitchin.

7. Where would you like to act?

Shawn: We have many ambitious places we would like to perform, majors such as Download, Bloodstock, Damnation Hellfest, Wacken, Graspop, summerbreeze and many others.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Nick: Hard to narrow it down. Throw a die at the bloodstock lineup and let me know what it lands on.

9. Who not?

Deano: Nobody off the top of our heads isn’t compatible with our sound, as we’re always trying different ideas in our own time. Whether it’s applicable or not to our sound depends on the idea, and that applies to collaborations too.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Nick: Not really. I think when you’re prepared, then there's nothing to be scared of, you just get up there and do your thing, and then more people are better. But when something technical goes wrong or you can’t find something, that can really mess you up.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Shawn: For us collectively, we take influences from bands such as Machine Head, Strapping Young Lad, Gojira, and Death.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Nick: To sign their bass, it wasn’t even a cheap one, I think it was a Fender P Bass.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Shawn: We absolutely love our fans, some of the best we could ever ask for, and we love how much support they have shown us for the last few years.

Nick: Looking forward to the future, really, new songs, new recordings, and playing in places we haven’t played before.

14. What do you think of our site?

Deano: At a glance, it’s awesome that you guys give bands a proper platform to tell their story about the artwork and the background behind it, and peeling back the curtain of what they’re about, including us. We are very grateful.