Fans adorning Lynchpin gear were ready for the devastatingly hard show by Lynchpin and opening acts Avatar, Fever Dog and Goodnight Parliament. Each band was particularly impressive in their unique style however when Lynchpin ht the stage the mosh turned the dial to 10.
The band is a close-knit brotherhood of metallers. Parents of the band members were present for the event as they let loose for the fans.
We have had a few words with the band members since then. Vocalist Sievan Siewsarran gave some insight into the band.
We have had a few words with the band members since then. Vocalist Sievan Siewsarran gave some insight into the band.
LYNCHPiN was formed in early 2009 by front man Sievan Siewsarran. The idea was to create a band and a sound that represented a more aggressive style of metal, one that moved away from the traditional approaches yet paid homage to them. The band was also formed with the intention of helping to rejuvenate the then-dying or dormant local rock scene.
Gerard, Jiggy and Aaron all were added to make what is now LYNCHPiN. The sound and message moves into the darker side of society and real life terrors.
Musically we are inspired by quite a few different genres, from the 'regular' metal and its sub genres like death metal, djent, deathcore, progressive metal etc. to jazz, soca and calypso. Our songs tend to be amalgamations of whatever we were into as a band at the time of writing, or whatever the individual members are into more themselves. Band wise we find common ground in bands such as Meshuggah, Gojira, Slayer, Death, TesseracT, Mudvayne and Textures.
Lyrically we are inspired by real world events that are dark and sinister in nature. I mean, traditionally the genre doesn't talk about rainbows and puppies, so if we're doing this type of music we might as well speak about true life and hold a mirror up to society. Moving forward for the next album, the songs will become more philosophical and deal with the consequences of powerful humans remaining unchecked.
The band is geared up for the Road to Suriname and potentially for Waken Germany. Jiggy, Gerard, Sievan and Aaron’s comments on the upcoming competition promise a great show at Suriname.
Did the Road to Suriname event meet your expectations?
Jiggy: Our last event of this magnitude was our Album launch 2 years ago so in a nutshell yes it did meet my expectation.
Sievan: Our fans and the appreciation they give to us overwhelm us. We are thankful for such a great event and hope to them all proud in Suriname.
Gerard: It definitely did, and more! Every time we do one of these events, we're never quite sure what the feedback will be like but people have been very supportive. The Road to Suriname in Shakers surpassed my expectations and I was left humbled but very very pleased and grateful - thankful to everyone who came out for their support.
Aaron: It did, every time we host these events (the last one being our Album Launch a couple years ago), and the outpouring of love and support blows me away. I think we got some new fans as well.
How ready is the band for the big show?
Sievan: We are mentally and physically prepared for this show, since last year we've been in the band-room rehearsing the destruction that awaits Suriname.
Sievan: We are mentally and physically prepared for this show, since last year we've been in the band-room rehearsing the destruction that awaits Suriname.
Supernormal is the next T&T competitor, what do you think of them and their music?
Jiggy: I personally am a big fan of Andy and all his bands from yesteryear. This band has a great sound; it isn't the heavy metal that we portray but still its great music.
Sievan: Out of all the bands, they sound local or Caribbean in an international limelight. It’s always great to see Andy and the crew play. I'm happy that he has this opportunity too.
Gerard: I know most of the band and they're cool guys. Musically, they're on point. I have their CD in my car and I like it! I find myself singing a few of their songs randomly during the day. I like that they are giving a rootsy, local flavor to the rock and are seeing success with it. Even though we're competing in Suriname I'm still supportive of them.
Aaron: Andy and Mitch have been around ever since I started getting into local rock, somewhere in the mid-late 90’s, so I consider them pillars of the local rock scene. Jon and Tony are proficient players and very entertaining to see on stage. I’m a fan of their heavy blend of local themes, experiences and our vernacular with the rock n’ roll, and I’m looking forward to seeing them perform in Suriname.
Have you heard the other Caribbean bands and what expectations do you have of them?
Jiggy: The other Caribbean bands are very talented from the little YouTube clips we saw of each of them. I am pretty excited to hear all bands!
Sievan: It makes you realize that if we as the Caribbean work together more often we can have a vibrant rock/ metal community. Think bigger.
Gerard: Yup! The first thing we did was to look them up! I remember thinking about one of them in particular: "wow, they should be signed!” I expect them to be at a high standard and to bring their A games. I can't wait to hear them live though, and one of the benefits of this competition, to me, is that I get to find out about all these other good bands in the region! It'll definitely help networking after the event and hopefully pave the way for some exciting things!
Aaron: Oh yeah! The other bands expected to perform in Suriname have some really great music. I’d been familiar with a couple bands from Guyana and Barbados before, but they generally weren’t as heavy as what existed on the Trinidadian circuit, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out what else is out there.
How do you feel about being in the spotlight representing the country?
Jiggy: It’s an honour for you to represent your country in any field. I'm proud to be given this chance.
Sievan: I guess we never saw ourselves as representatives of our nation... it is really humbling to know that our other rock brothers and sisters are rooting for us.
Gerard: It's not on the scale as something like sport but I'm still just as honoured to be representing T&T. I am proud to be in the spotlight for this and aim to make everyone at home proud of us. More so if we make it to Germany - that will be huge!
Aaron: I’d never imagined that local rock would have this kind of spotlight shone on it, and to be one of the representatives in that spotlight is exciting. All the same, we stay humble and try to keep focused on the mission, which is to represent as best we can. The love and support we’ve been receiving from fans and members of other bands are amazing. I hope we do everyone proud.
Winning the competition would send Lynchpin to Wacken Open Air in Germany, how prepared is the band for that stage?
Sievan: As stated before we've been pretty diligent in our approach since last year with respect to practice. If we are successful we'll have a couple more months just to fine-tune the kinks out of our performance.
What support has the band gotten from sponsors and or fans since entering the competition?
Sievan: Fan support has been great. Corporate is still rather difficult since this is looked at as a niche market and businesses don't seem to see a benefit in investing in rock n’ roll.
Lynchpin is an original music band; will the band be performing only original music?
Sievan: We purely believe that original music is the only way forward for Trinidad and Tobago. So… yes… originals all the way.
How do you feel about original music in Trinidad?
Sievan: Most crowds react to covers more than original music, we as a band are trying to change this stigma. We stand by creating our own music that sends the listener on a musical journey.
Aaron: From experience, Trinidadian audiences prefer to be familiar with the music before they can get into it. That’s the primary reason why covers are more readily accepted. When you launch a new song, the audience needs to listen critically to it before they decide they like it, and then in successive performances, the response to it gains momentum. You also see that in reggae, soul, calypso, soca, chutney, so it’s not specific to rock. Promotion is key. Getting the music out there be it via YouTube, social media, or good ol’ radio airplay is crucial to getting your material heard, so you can give your live audience the best experience you can offer.
What's one thing you would like to tell fans before you head off to Suriname?
Sievan: Thank you for never doubting us. Thank you for always supporting us and believing that we can be the best. Original music is the only way forward... force radio and media to support and we all will prosper.
Gerard: Thank you, thank you thank you! Without your support we would not be here. Also, a house divided against itself cannot stand - we are all in this together, there is no room for infighting when everyone outside in fighting against us as well. Please keep believing in us, in the scene and in yourselves!
Aaron: I’m humbled by the support we’ve received since our inception and the love we continue to receive. We’ve come a long way, and we appreciate all who’ve accompanied us on this journey. Now it’s time for the next stage in our evolution and we’re glad to have you all on board and grateful to be joined by new fans and supporters. Let’s fly our flag high and take our heavy metal to Suriname and the rest of the world!
Supernormal’s Guitarist Johnathon Agostini Also sharing some insight on the Metal battle.
Lynchpin is the next T&T competitor, what do you think of them and their music?Sievan and the guys are very serious about their music and I respect that about them, their show at shakers to help raise funds for their Suriname trip, went all out. They rammed out shakers, nobody could've walked to the bathroom when they were on stage because the place became crowded and everybody was jumping on top of everybody. That was fun to watch. It's movements like that that help build the Trini rock scene.
With regards to their music... I don't listen to much 'Deathcore' as they call themselves; the hardest bands I listen to are probably Lamb of God and Pantera but I'll tell you after hearing Not For You, Softest Floor and Meathook over and over again I find myself grooving to it and it brings out the part of me that wants to break stuff and head bang like a motherfucker.
Have you heard the other Caribbean bands and what expectations do you have of them?
Of course! A couple minutes after we heard the news. I was at Andy's house, which is where the band room is, waiting on Tony and Mitch to come to practice and Tony called and gave us the news. Almost the next thing I did was pull up the other bands from the list. They are from Aruba, French Guiana and Suriname. I'm sure that all the other bands are coming hard, very hard, everybody wants to go to Germany and play in Wacken, it's a huge opportunity, so I have very high expectations for all the bands playing on the night. Its gonna be Super heavy, dangerous mosh pit.
We've been preparing for this show even before we got it. I left my job last year November with the hopes of playing a show in South America. We were getting a lot of attention from Venezuela through some Facebook ads that I ran over there. We told ourselves that somehow we were gonna play in South America as it's so close to Trinidad, we were looking at Guyana, Venezuela and Colombia.
Our goal for 2016 as a band was to play abroad and find ways to make money as a band in Trinidad to sustain ourselves financially and that's what we got. Not the way in which we had originally planned but the Universe has its plan for everybody. We asked for a gig in South America and we got Suriname also we raised all the funds for the trip through the bands efforts, such as merchandise sales and gig attendance, which was eye opening to us about the possibilities of what a band can do in Trinidad.
It’s great to see local bands performing this well with international opportunities. The interactions and respect the competing bands have for each other is admirable and is exactly the attitude needed for local rock music to grow. REDM will be following the progress of these bands on their trip.
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