With their varied sound and engaging live shows, it’s easy to see why London metallers SECREUM are slowly rising through the ranks. Just before 2023 ended, Rock Out Stand Out’s Lotty Whittingham spoke to lead vocalist/guitarist Sonny Antoniou about the sound, mental health and what TV show he would love to be in. Here’s what happened.
Hello Sonny, thanks for joining Rock Out Stand. How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard Secreum before?
Thank you for this interview. I would say we are like a tamed wild animal, there are different elements from different genres of metal. We like the extreme side and we like the softer side; we like to think we are a ray of light in a lot of aspects.
You and the other guitarist Deano [Coldham]; am I right in thinking you both have similar influences?
I would say that for sure, we’re both massively into bands such as Van Halen and Extreme but we also really love the death metal side of things. I massively love jazz, Wes Montgomery is one of my favourite guitarists. Deano is a huge funk fan, he loves Red Hot Chili Peppers. So yes there is a lot of similarities in our influences and a lot of diversity.
Who are Shawn [Tillett] and Nick [Meeks] influenced by?
Shawn is massively into Amon Amarth and Nile. It’s a different end of the scale but he’s an eclectic musician. You would think for someone who is into blast beats, he also loves melody and the softer side side of things.
Nick is incredibly broad, he is very much into Killswitch Engage, the djent stuff and he will probably hate me for saying this but back in the day, he was the guitar player for a band called Exit Avenue. They were doing shows with Enter Shikari before they became huge. To have him in our band is awesome, he is very knowledgeable and incredibly easy to get along with. He will also tell stories about being in Exit Avenue. Nick is also very into 80s pop. I guess we’re all broad when it comes to music taste.
I can imagine when you have so many different influences it can be a gamble when merging them together.
Honestly, it’s weird paradox of not trying to sound too soft but then to make music that we are all happy to listen and play. We like the heavy stuff but we also like the melodic stuff so I guess it depends on far afield we want to go in a particular song. We could have a song that’s really slow and we will be happy to have a slow song but then we add some heavy elements and it can become a fast song. We’re quite into our dual guitars and things that appease our influences. I will say the challenge when writing is not writing such thrashy songs, not too write songs that are too extreme. We’re not like a thrash band or death metal band where you have a standard to go to. It can be tricking to hone into one kind of sound with lots of influences but we seem to make it work.
I was going to ask what is the most challenging part of putting songs together, it sounds like merging the influences is and did you say something about guidelines?
With particular genres there are certain guidelines but with us, we don’t have those restrictions or guidelines. We can write a song that sounds Bullet For My Valentine and also sounds like us but then the next song can sound like Slipknot. The challenge is make it sound cohesive, make it sound like a Secreum song.
When you do the vocals for the tracks, do you already have in mind what vocals you’re going to do the for tracks or is it case of trying something out and see what works?
I think Nick would strangle me if did the latter [laughs]. It was only since doing the second EP that now every demo that we have before we go into the studio, I will always do a demo track. For the most part, I will do a vocal demo track and then send it to the boys, they will say what they like and don’t like about the track. They will also say if they think things need to be added or if particular lines need changes. We definitely demo everything before going into the studio, it gives you a much more broad perspective on how something sounds. Some people go into studio and just record a solo/vocal lines. I couldn’t do that unfortunately [laughs] I wish I had that talent though.
You’ve released a few singles from the EP Voice Of Reason, you mentioned there was new material coming up soon?
We are writing new material, we have a new single out and then we are going to release another single after that. We’re hoping to start recording an album towards the end of this year. Everyone is firing all cylinders, we might have too many songs at this rate [laughs]. At the top of my head, the album will be ready by December or January.
One of the things we do at Rock Out Stand Out is support mental health awareness and spreading the message of it being fine to talk about it. Is there anything you think we can do more of as loved ones so people feel comfortable to reach out?
I think understanding where the person is coming from and not to have a certain expectation of them on what someone is going through. I have loads of friends who have mental health problems and they have periods where you won’t see or hear from them for days as they are going through a bad mental health time. So I think having an understanding on where they are coming from and having patience is also key. There are so many people who are very much about themselves but if someone else is going through an issue; it’s not about you, it’s about them. You have to be selfless and think about them. Nowadays, mental health is more accepted and not so abnormal anymore.
Is there anything you like to do to unwind and relax?
Work as hard as you can and then relax. Everyone deserves a bit of time for themselves. I know it sounds cliched but I like to play guitar, watch an episode of Star Trek and I love to read as well. I’m reading a set of Dale Carnegie books right now. I also love playing Fall Out, I am so engrossed in that. I am massive advocate of people having their own time, even if it’s just sitting in front of the TV and turn your brain off.
I think up until recently, being busy all the time was praised.
It’s a weird one isn’t it. Yes being busy does add a positive factor into your life but it can also have a negative effect and lead to burn out. I have suffered from burn out and it’s horrible, you have no idea which way was up. A couple of years ago, I was working two jobs back to back for a few months. I was working out of London and then go into London to work the weekend, on top of that I had gigs and shows. I remember I was working so much that I started to develop a limp, I found it hard to sleep, I was getting constant headaches and my feet started swelling up. It was only when that started to die where my partner pointed out that I needed a day off, I was reluctant as I felt I needed to work but she was right. After all that had finished, I spent a whole week playing guitar and playing video games. I also watched YouTube videos.
What film or TV show do you think you would thrive the most in?
Futurama, hands down. To be a character in that show would be awesome and the wackiness of that would be hilarious. Having to ride the sky train and to get to the moon in two seconds, I love the idea of that madness being in Futurama.
Secreum could be in Futurama. You could play a gig on the moon or on different planets.
Yes absolutely. Apparently it doesn’t take that long to get to the moon and the spaceship moves the universe itself.
Which bands would you most like to tour with on your dream fantasy tour?
Damn that’s a tough one. Thanks to Charlotte [Jones], I am hugely into Symphony X. I don’t understand how someone be that good. I would love to do a fantasy dream tour with Machine Head, they would headline. Then it would be Symphony X, Death and Secreum doing a nice long tour together.
Do you have a message for Secreum fans and our readers?
I do and that is thank you all so much for your support. You all mean the absolute world to us, we have seen the progress over the years and within the last year, we have seen a massive influx of new fans. There is a die-hard support for Secreum so thank you so much for all your support.
Thank you so much Sonny for talking with Rock Out Stand Out today and best of luck with everything.
