Old school metal is alive and well, with newcomers Symetria having released their eponymous debut album on Tripsquad Records.
Vocalist Vince Santonastaso and guitarist Kevin Gust met through a Craigslist advertisement and ended up playing in a heavy metal covers band. Santonastaso however wanted more from life and when he left Cust followed him out the door and gave an old friend, bass player Fernando Carrera a call. Through Bandmix they secured a drummer in Blair Smith, solidifying the initial Symetria line-up.
Thereafter, they spent autumn 2016 writing and working up a live show, playing their first gig at a Toys for Tots benefit that November to critical praise. Santonastaso recalled, “Kevin’s wife overheard someone in the audience talking about us and he seemed to be blown away, according to her. The fact that it was a complete stranger solidified the fact that we were on to something.”
With Former M.O.D. guitarist Tim McMurtrie, an old acquaintance of Santonastaso having just formed Tripsquad Records Symetria wound up being the label’s first signing. Entering Trax East in South River, New Jersey with producers Eric Rachel (Burnt By The Sun, M.O.D.) and McMurtie, the band set to work, laying down eight songs in seven days.
“We definitely learned a lot working with Eric and Tim,” said Carrera. “It was a fantastic experience and definitely an honour to be in the same room with those guys. After recording, I realised I had learned three things: my true bass lines, to be patient, and that I can eat an eggplant-Parmesan sandwich as long as my entire arm in one take!” he added, laughing. They had also found a second guitarist in James Soto during this period. “James met us and we initially practiced a few times with him before we recorded,” Santonastaso said. “While we were in the studio he was going over his parts and by the time we were finished recording he was more than ready to be a full time member.”
Discussing some of the songs that can be found on their self-titled album, Symetria one such ‘Flying High’ brings up the ugliness of addiction, more specifically, guitarist Cust’s addiction and subsequent recovery. “All Kevin did was tell me what the song was supposed to reflect and as soon as he did, I just ran with it.” As for ‘Venial Sin’, about the seven deadly sins, Santonastaso remarked: “I just used Latin terms for the sins themselves for a cool effect,” adding, “A venial sin is a lesser sin – I chose the name because I wanted to draw attention to the sad truth that so much of our lives have become trivial now and so little really has meaning anymore. We’re just lost souls wandering around destroying ourselves blindly.” This follows through with ‘Too Late’ a call for immediate action for whatever it is you intend to do in life, with the singer declaring: “While there’s a tomorrow on the calendar there’s no guarantee you’re going to see it so stop procrastinating.”
Born and bred in the USA, Symetria chose the Polish word symmetry as their band name, its literal translation being “balanced and intelligent”. It’s how the band see themselves and their vision for the future. You can check out their debut album on Tripsquad Records and decide for yourselves.
