1995 – 2005
Its been just under 10 years since a bunch of young guys decided to get together and write music for a style that they felt was sorely lacking in this town. The year is 1995 and Syzygy begin writing material and are set to become one of Perth’s most respected progressive bands, but first they have to get through their opening show at a Melville Senior High School social event…
That was a long time ago, and come June 3, 2005, Syzygy will be playing their unique style of instrumental progressive metal one last time. Earlier in the year Syzygy had announced their intentions to disband after two final shows… Why?
THE REASONS BEHIND DISBANDING?
Says Damien Petrilli (drums) of the departure; “I and others in this band are always around music and will continue to do what we love most – playing and writing. Syzygy has had an ongoing problem when it came to writing songs, even from the very beginning. On average, it would be a few months to a year just to nail a single song! Its not that we were overly picky with perfection, but we all came from such diverse musical backgrounds that we’d often scrap ideas before we really got to thoroughly explore them.”
In addition he states: “When we were younger, all we had was music and the occasional bit of work. Slowly but surely, as happens so often, everybody’s lives start to fill up with priorities other than music and eventually, for some music cannot be seen as their priority. Being that we are all so busy with less and less time for the band, the decision was made that it be better to end on a high note, than to drag ourselves down show by show until eventually we wouldn’t be offered gigs anymore. I couldn’t bear to see a band that I’ve worked so hard for go down the gurgler because we can’t maintain the amount of effort that the listeners deserve from us.”
“We all remain great friends, but we felt as a band it was time to move on. Personally I’m very excited about the options I can now pursue and really look forward to working with different musicians. Im keen to look into something heavier down the track just as soon as I get organised!”
“I definitely have some regrets about it all though! We had (and still have) a very strong fan base, we were well organised with what I felt was the most unique band sound I’ve ever been associated with, and yet our sound/style is such that we couldn’t land a single international support or tour in nine years!”
“We’ve seen the whole prog-scene discarded for grunge in the early-mid 90’s, then it reappeared around 2000 with the advent of a few new bands on the scene in the Droogs, Modus Vivendi, Fret Zero, Ravenshead, Voyager, etc. Unfortunately, with the exception of Voyager, most of the others were relatively short lived and are no longer with us. Syzygy has always been there and doing our thing. I don’t take one day of it back, to hell with those who didn’t like it.”
“What do I hope we’ve achieved in our time? What is our legacy? Ultimately, I hope were able to ingrain ourselves in peoples minds to the point that in 5 years or so, people will still remember our name and associate it with warm memories of music they genuinely enjoyed. The day I walk down the street and hear Syzygy in a car/house other than my own will be the proudest day I could remember!”
Syzygy play their final two shows on June 3, 2005 at Amplifier Bar and June 5, 2005 at The Newport Hotel. Entry will be $10 with giveaways and freebies. Come show your support for one of Perth’s most consistent and original, original bands.
Syzygy:
Andro Mestrovich – Guitars
Mili Separovic – Keyboards / Effects
Jarred Scagliotta – Guitars
John Barton – Bass
Damien Petrilli – Drums / Percussion
Past:
Anthony Wong – Bass
Paul Judge – Bass
