SINERGY : HIGHWAY TO ELLE...

compositions as well as lyrics in shape of exorcism. Today, « Suicide by my side », third LP of Sinergy is out on Nuclear Blast, one of the most important european extrem labels of this new millenium, do nothing than confirm all the good that we can think about the band, looking forward to see them live in a few months from now. Encounter with Kimberley Gross, charismatic singer made in USA of the Finnish band and tender half of the most famous couple of the northern extreme metal, in fact a tigress in velvet.

-KG : their first keyboardist just quit the band suddenly with no warning, and they needed to find a new session keyboardist immediately, because they had so many gigs planned and they couldn’t cancel that. So they asked me and I said yes, and that’s how it happen !

-In 97, you left Dimmu Borgir : why this choice and did you ever regret it now ?

-KG : I’ve never regretted it. I absolutely loved the guys, they’re great people and real friends of mine when I played with them, but I didn’t have the full satisfaction in that band I didn’t write any music nor played on any album, I really didn’t do anything except tour with them and have big parties ! So I wanted to be more involved in something, and even more importantly I wanted to sing : that’s why I started Sinergy, I wanted my own band where I would be the lead vocalist and be able to write my own lyrics and also be able to write some of the music and take care of all the business and things like that...

-So you started Sinergy with Alexi and Jesper Strömblad, from In Flames : you were fed up to be just the back girl in a men’s band ?

-KG : As I said, I wasn’t fed up, but it didn’t do anything to my soul. To me, being with Dimmu was just a big party : I had so much fun, but that was it, I needed to express myself through music and the lyrics and through my voice most importantly, and that’s why I wanted to start my own band.

-It’s like being in Nine Inch Nails and not being Trent Reznor !

-KG : Right !

-How did you meet Alexi Laiho ?

-KG : I met him when I was with Dimmu Borgir, actually, in 97 ; We where doing one gig in Helsinki and Children of Bodom opened up for us, but the funny thing is that is was the Children of Bodom’s very very first gig ever, without any album released yet, it was just before their first album, and we didn’t even know who the hell they were or anything, but we were sitting backstage and appreciated what we were seing. So we’ve been all very amazed by the guitar player, which happen to be Alexi ! After the show, I met him, and, you know, we fell in love ! ! ! Of course, we’ve been working together in a band, but, beside that, we have been in a more personal relationship for almost four years now.

-How does he manage to be both in Sinergy and Bodom ?

-KG : At the beginning, it was a kind of a problem, but not anymore, as he have scheduled his activities with Bodom and Sinergy at opposite times, and he makes sure that the recording times are far apart from each others, which means the record releases will be far apart, which means that touring will be far apart ! Now, he have a good sight on what’s happening, so that’s no problems in scheduling Sinergy and Bodom stuff, and he even find enough time to relax in between stuffs.

-Did you consider to do the same, sing with Bodom ?

-KG : No, I’ve never thought of that. It depends of the band, of course : if Iron Maiden ask me to join them, maybe I’ll do it ! But no, no, no, I just want to do Sinergy. Of course, I can do some guests appearances on other band’s album, but Sinergy is my main band.

-You have a new drummer, Mats Karlsson, coming from Sweden : can you tell us more about him ?

-KG : He’s from Sweden, and the perfect guy for the band, not only he’s a great drummer, but also he doesn’t play in any other band, which is a release ! And also, he’s willing to move to Finland, which shows also his strong motivations. I don’t know him so much yet as a person, but of course, when we gonna be on tour together, and, if everything works out, you can expect him on our next album !

-So let’s talk about « Suicide by my side » : is this title a kind of love declaration ?

-KG : Love declaration ? Non, not at all, it’s actually very very depressing if you consider the lyrics for most of the songs, are extremely either depressive and angry. It’s a very negative album, lyrically, and almost a biography of the last two years of my life : I had a lot of hard times, a lot of people in my family died, and a lot of other things happen that I rather don’t want to discuss. I guess that when people read the lyrics, they can figure out for themselves the feelings and things and the experiences I’ve got through during those last two years. Actually, making this album was kind of like a therapy, I’ve got to get all those terrible feelings that I had kind of locked up inside of me, I kind of release them to the world ! : « I don’t feel bad anymore ! ! ! »

(In fact, my question was rather more a love declaration toward Alexi than a love message in general : Kimberley is NOT Céline Dion...) but...

-What are for you the main differences between this new LP and « To hell and back », for example ?

-KG : Definitely my vocals, which are more aggressive and powerful on this album, and, in the same time, I use my vocals in many different ways, I have a lot more variety. Of course, the guitars work on this LP is much better, but they do get better with every album. This album is heavier, and in some ways a bit little more melodic, but in keeping heaviness. Everything’s very different from « To Hell and back »

-How do you share the work in the band : lyrics, music, etc ?

-KG : write 100 % of the lyrics, and then Alexi and me and the rest of the band write the music together, that’s how we do it.

-I’ve seen the Sinergy website (www.sinergy.org), which is very nice...and very new !

-KG : Yes, it started december Ith. This website is of course very important for the band, and also I’m very interactive with the fans and answer to them through the message board personally. So I’ll be happy to answer to anyone, if I’m home, of course ! All the ideas concerning this website were mine, actually, because I wanted a very complete one. I don’t do it myself, another guy is putting everything up, but every link and every page is my idea, created in my mind.

-You contributed to some tribute lp’s, including those for Scorpions and Abba : did you really like those bands or was it more ironic ?

-KG : I love Abba, but definitely not the Scorpions ! The rest of the band do ! That’s why we did that cover. I don’t like our cover version, I don’t think it’s good at all ! Fir the Abba song, the music we did is a great cover version, musically speaking, but I hate my vocals on that song, I find it silly and stupid !

-How do you see the future of the band and what are your wishes and ambitions for it ?

-KG : I wanna put many many albums and tour around any corner of the world of the Earth ! I would like to last as long as possible and my name going down in the history of metal music !

-Are you interested in new formats for music, like DVD for example ?

-KG : I have a really interesting idea for a DVD for Sinergy, but I an’t talk about it in interviews because I don’t want any other band to steal my idea ! I have to talk with Nuclear Blast first to see if they agree. But it won’t be the usual live stuff on video, something more interesting anyway !

-When will we see you live on stage in France ?

KG : Well, we’re tour in Europe for this album, and of course we’re gonna come to France, but first we gonna tour in USA and Japan, so not before summer, I’m afraid. I was so please for our last tour with Nightwish because the audience was amazing, and I’ve even said it on my website : France is my favorite country to play !

Thanks a lot, Kimberley, and come quick, stop playing...with our nerves ! There’s a lot of sinergy with all that !

(Interview made 14/12/2001 by Jean Paul Coillard.)