Interview with Suicide Solution (Singapore)
The brief biography on the band’s MySpace reads ““Old school” is their game, as Suicide Solution takes you back to 1987 with their brand of 80s metal meets hard rock of the era. Led by the front-man Joe Suicide’s dynamic and gritty vocals, Suicide Solution shows you how to rock with their chugging rhythms, blistering guitar riffs, mind-blowing solos and their equally dynamic live presences honed through experience.”
Naming themselves after an Ozzy Osbourne tune, this Singaporean band has been around for over a decade and are still going strong. With their latest effort Shake Well Before Abuse recently in stores, we took a moment to catch up with the band and here’s what they had to say:
Could you give us a brief introduction to the band for those who are unfamiliar with Suicide Solution?
Joe Suicide: We’re one of the longest running hard rock-heavy metal bands from Singapore.
Evigan X.: We are a four-piece hard rock/heavy metal band whose sole aim is share with the masses the honesty and freedom that is rock n’ roll.
The band will be performing at Baybeats Festival this end August, what can fans expect from your set?
Joe Suicide: Expect a lot of energy, intensity, determination and pride!
Evigan X.: A lot of energy, adrenaline, and sweat!
Faust: Nothing they could’ve ever imagined.
Rudolf Stryker: A metal thrashing mad performance. If you’ve been following metal music from the 70s to the 80s, you’ll certainly enjoy our set.
What does the band hope to achieve with the release of Shake Well Before Abuse?
Joe Suicide: We want to show the world that Singapore has a pretty good heavy metal band that sticks to their guns, against all odds.
Evigan X.: Regional and global recognition and support. We would also like to bring about a revival in heavy music for the mainstream here.
Faust: Awareness from local music connoisseurs that there are bands in Singapore producing their own music and that contrary to what many would have to say about Singaporean musicians never maturing and progressing beyond a certain stage, Suicide Solution has been around for more than a decade and will be around for decades to come, through shifting trends and evolving styles.
Rudolf Stryker: More like-minded followers who will “get our drift”.
What is the band doing to ensure its longevity in this volatile industry?
Joe Suicide: We take charge of our own business affairs. Rocking out is the easy part!
Evigan X.: Music tends to over-complicate itself these days, what with all the sub-genres and labeling. So while others go about reinventing the wheel, we prefer to keep it hard, heavy, and simple.
If you could pick three words to describe your band, what would they be?
Joe Suicide: Rock N’ Roll
Evigan X.: Honest, uncompromising, fun!
Faust: Fast, loud, aggressive
Rudolf Stryker: True. To. Ourselves.
What made you want to venture into music?
Joe Suicide: I grew up in a musical family, my dad and uncles were playing professionally in a band called Gypsy in the 80’s, so I was always surrounded by music in the house. When I discovered Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue and Skid Row as a kid I knew that was it.
Evigan X.: Personally, seeing Slash from Guns N’ Roses rising out of the water playing his guitar from the music video Estranged was just about the coolest thing I ever saw. That made want to go and pick up the guitar!
Faust: When I was younger I was always searching for ways by which I could express myself, and I kind of did when I found metal. After a couple of years, listening to to metal wasn’t enough and so I decided to learn how to play the drums which till today allows me to fully express myself the way I want to.
Rudolf Stryker: Music of course.
Best advice you’ve ever received regarding the music business?
Joe Suicide: Don’t get into it, you’ll never get out. So true.
Evigan X.: It’s exactly what it’s made out to be. A business.
Rudolf Stryker: Be yourself, by yourself!
There’s a lot of talk about bands being “sellouts”, what are your opinions on that?
Joe Suicide: It doesn’t concern me greatly. To each his own, everyone has an opinion.
Evigan X.: My personal view has always been that musically, as long as you arrive to something on your own terms, the only thing you will sell out, are tickets.
Rudolf Stryker: Doesn’t concern me. As long as I like the music, “sold out music” won’t mean anything. Besides, many people who go around complaining that “every band in the world has sold out” usually don’t know the difference between SELLING-OUT and WANTING TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
Who/what has been your greatest source of encouragement in your career?
Joe Suicide: Myself! I’ve learned not to rely or believe in the words of others too much.
Evigan X.: Rachel, my girlfriend, for always believing in me and having stood by me through good times and bad.
Faust: My friends, girlfriend and family. and my bands of course.
Rudolf Stryker: Friends, and random people you meet along the way.
Do you Google yourself/the band often just to see what people are saying, etc?
Joe Suicide: I do, to read what the press has to say about our music. A common misconception is that we are a glam metal band. But it really doesn’t bother me.
Evigan X.: Sometimes, when I find myself in the mood.
Faust: I have done it before just out of curiosity, but I don’t do it often.
Rudolf Stryker: I used to, but not anymore. I feel that people can say anything they want, it really doesn’t matter. Music means a different thing to everybody, and nobody can change that…. Unless you’re someone whose opinions are easily swayed.
How does the band go about writing a song? Do the lyrics get written first before the melody/music or vice versa?
Joe Suicide: I write the lyrics after the music is complete. But I usually have a melody in mind while the music is being arranged.
Evigan X.: For Shake Well Before Abuse, all the songs were constructed instrumentally first before laying the lyrics on top of it. Usually, we come up with a theme or a ‘feel’ for the song before writing it. Other times, songs just pop out of thin air when we’re just fooling around in the studio!
Rudolf Stryker: For us, lyrics voice out the collective arrangement of the song. So they usually come last, after all the other parts have been defined.
What would you classify as a good live performance to you?
Joe Suicide: One where the audience is responsive, supportive and the band is on fire. And the soundman is doing his job!
Evigan X.: Just watch any KISS concert. That to me is the epitome of a totally dynamic live show.
Have there been any special milestones that the band has accomplished which holds a lot of meaning to you?
Joe Suicide: Maybe cutting three albums and being around for more than 10 years and still being in my twenties! Most of my personal milestones, if you could call it that, would probably be about turning negative situations into positive ones for the band. Suicide Solution has pretty much become my life. I view SS the same way I do as bands like AC/DC, Motorhead and Aerosmith. Maybe you could ask me this when I’m in my 40’s!
Evigan X.: Churning out Shake Well Before Abuse is an achievement for me as this my first full-length studio album. Others would include playing for Baybeats this year.
Faust: Recording and releasing the latest album, ‘Shake Well Before Abuse‘ because it was something new and exciting to me.
Rudolf Stryker: Everytime you hear someone pass a compliment about your music, that’s a milestone.
What have been some of the more challenging moments for the band (in writing/recording/touring etc)?
Joe Suicide: Getting the four of us organized to be in the same place at the same time! That’s why nowadays we have a manager!
Evigan X.: Putting aside personal preferences to decide what’s best for the band as a singular entity. While we as a group always try to reach a healthy compromise when there are differences to be settled, there are times when Joe, as the band leader, has to put his boot down and make the final call. It’s one of the more professional aspects of being in a band.
Faust: Recording was definitely a big challenge for me because prior to recording this album, the only other recording experience I had was with my other band, Sanity Obscure for our 4 track EP. I was extremely nervous and excited at the same time.
Rudolf Stryker: Time and financial constraints.
How has living in Singapore influenced the music you make?
Joe Suicide: The lyrics that are written are really introspective of what I have experienced, encountered or observed living in Singapore, they may not be factual, but there is always a strong element of truth in our music. So I guess the music we make is very Singaporean in a way, for it would not have come out the way it did if I was living somewhere else.
Evigan X.: Our music tends to be more confrontational regarding issues that are otherwise considered mundane by society but are actually intensely precious to the individual.
Faust: I believe that many bands in Singapore imitate blindly when it comes to music. But many fail to recognize that formulae that work overseas may not necessarily work here because of the difference in culture. So many bands have come and gone in a short period of time because after they’ve reached a certain point in their musical endeavors, they come to the conclusion that there is nothing more they can achieve, so they just fade away. Personally I am quite put off by the lack of recognition given to local musicians which leads to stagnation of music. I am certain that there are tonnes of talented bands in Singapore that need only the opportunity to shine. Having said this, my personal motivation to play harder and faster is fueled tenfold everytime I am told something as insipid and close-minded as ‘it cannot be done’.
Rudolf Stryker: It serves us as inspiration for music. Really, living here is frustrating.
Parting words to your fans?
Joe Suicide: I’ll leave it to their imagination.
Evigan X.: See you at the show!
Faust: Thank you so much, for without you, Suicide Solution wouldn’t be at all.
Rudolf Stryker: Be yourself.
© MoreThanGoodHooks.com | 27th August 2009
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MTGH would like to thank the guys in Suicide Solution for their time and the interview and wish the band the best in their future endeavours. Thanks also to Rachel for putting this together for us! If you would like to find out more about the band and their music, visit the links below.
LINKS
MySpace: www.myspace.com/suicidesolution
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Suicide-Solution/50815252307
Shake Well Before Abuse, the band’s third and latest studio album is out now.
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