Interview: Borderline Syndrome

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BORDERLINE SYNDROME is an ever evolving instrumental quartet from Athens/Greece that performs progressive experimental heavy music. Their music draws elements from progressive and math rock to post metal and contemporary jazz. Since their first self-
released album (stateless, 2012) they changed their line-up, former singer Sofia Sarri left the band and Loukas Giannakitsas became their new bassist.

Experimenting with larger scale compositions, structured more like a short film rather than a pop song and incorporating new elements such as South Indian rhythms and extreme sound manipulation, they formed and recorded (spring 2015) the material that comprises their 2nd release SYNAPSES.Intricate rhythmic patterns, dark escalating harmonies and minimalistic melodies along with some heavy math riffs and dramatic breakdowns characterize their new sound.

BORDERLINE SYNDROME are: Alexis Chatziioannou | guitars, Alex Stavropoulos | drums, George Athanasiadis | keyboards, guitars, vocals and Loukas Giannakitsas | bass, vocals.

You can check out a track from their latest EP below!

 

We managed to catch up with the band as they talk about their latest EP, favourite song, fans and more!

So how has the EP Synapses gone?

‘SYNAPSES’ EP is kind of a newborn, so we are at the process of seeing how it will go henceforward. The feedback we’ve got till now seems really good, and that makes us very proud and motivated. We are more than anxious to see the continuation.

How long did it take you to make this EP?

It took us a while… During our first album ‘stateless’, we had a singer who left the band after the release. So, it was crucial for us to have a good two-years-period to work on our new sound as an instrumental quartet.

Tell us a little bit about the release.

As I said before ‘SYNAPSES’ is our first release as an instrumental band, which means that we had to face new unprecedented challenges when we composed the album tracks.It is a whole different story to compose songs (with the convenience that during the singing parts there is a certain “leader” in the orchestration), compared to instrumental tracks (especially since we do not have many solos and we do not follow the post-rock patterns).

Of course, the whole procedure has been extremely intriguing and we enjoyed it a lot!

 

What is your favourite song from the EP?

That’s a really tough question. I am really proud of this EP, as I think it is a good reflection of ourselves at this certain period of time with all its variations sound-wise and temper-wise. If I forced myself to pick one track, I would say the opening track ‘INTERNALIZE’, as it sums up most of the elements of our (new) sound.

Will there be a full album released next year?

Probably not, I would say. We will do what we always do; release new stuff when we are satisfied with the music we have (in hand). One could say that we are kind of ‘perfectionists’.

Are you guys going on tour at all next year?

We will go on a Greek tour next year and we plan to examine the possibility of a European tour by the end of 2017.

If you could work with any band on a new song who would it be and why?

Well, at this exact period, my answer would be Metallica… I would be more than happy tofollow their process during the production of a recording. I think there would be lots of things to learn by that. Strictly for composing a new track, perhaps I would like to work with Aphex Twin or Autechre, as I imagine they would add new layers to our sound. Of course, being an instrumental band, it would be really interesting to work with a singer on a new song. Bjork is the first name that comes to mind.

 

How much does your fans mean to you guys?

The whole concept behind the band is just 4 individuals trying to express their aesthetics and mentality through music. In that sense, our fans are the group of people who seem to relate to our music, therefore to us. So, we feel each one of them as a potential friend, since we have discovered we have some things in common.

What been your proudest moment to date?

I’d say the band’s resuscitation after overleaping some tough times, spending endless hours of rehearsing, reconsidering and figuring out our musical existence as an instrumental quartet and as a whole entity.

What has been your funniest moment to date?

Well… There are quite a lot of funny moments, but you should definitely watch us talking…   big egos ‘arguing’ about a crucial band matter . It’s funny, laborious but integrative, as well!