Exclusive Interview: Sobriquet talk new EP “Apotheosis”!

A going concern since 2016, Sobriquet have been noisily going about their business in Sheffield with three records in five years with deep rooted influences in their sound from late 90’s hardcore and cult film. Recorded with Lewis Johns at The Ranch (Employed To Serve, Bailer) their latest burnt offering “Apotheosis” runs on a theme of metamorphosis, from doubt and frustration through newfound passion to the journey of enlightenment as the reason for living reveals itself and it really is something else. We spoke to vocalist Ludovico Fahey and guitarist Tom Green-Morgan about their new record…

How have you found the reaction to “Apotheosis” amongst those who have heard it?

Ludovico: “We’ve been blown away by the reception so far! Of course our friends and family have been listening to it for ages (whether they like it or not!), but when even my grandma’s had some nice words to say about one of our tracks, it certainly feels like we’ve managed to put something really special together here”

Listening to the EP there is a fantastic turbulence to it, blending the heavier side of Hardcore, the melodies of Post Hardcore and even some Black Metal influence in there, particularly on “Divine”, which is amazing. How much do you enjoy pushing yourselves as musicians as well as pushing the listeners boundaries with what you write?

Tom:  “It’s enjoyable but painful. There’s definitely a great sense of achievement when we stumble across a certain combination of sounds or a particular riff that feels unfamiliar but exciting, but then the process of turning that into a full piece is where it gets painful”

In the press release for the record it states that you wrote an entire EP before scrapping it and using the single “Death of the Author” as the benchmark for the writing of what is now “Apotheosis”. How did the decision to scrap those songs come about? Are they ones which you might re-work for release at a later date in a different form?

Tom: “We just felt that they didn’t meet the standard we wanted to set ourselves. We had time over lockdown to focus on music so we really wanted to push ourselves and write the best stuff we could, and the scrapped EP just didn’t meet that standard for us“

In the past you’ve shared stages with the likes of Loathe, Palm Reader and Heriot; what are your favourite memories from those shows? 

Ludovico: “Of course these are all bands we look up to enormously and getting to hang with them and share a stage is a total blessing, we’ve learned so much about the art of performing a tight set from all of those guys and it’s a joy to watch them evolve. The night we played with Heriot sticks out to me in particular; it was just an overwhelming sense of awe, like ‘I can’t believe that music this heavy is happening before my eyes, and I can’t wait for everyone else to experience it’.”

Guest spots are all the rage so if you had the option to bring in a guest to work on a track in the studio with you, who would you like to bring and why?

Tom: “Either Jacob Bannon [of Converge] or Rina Sawayama”

Ludo: “Seconded. I’d also love to write a really insanely brutal song but bring in Sarah Midori Perry from Kero Kero Bonito on vocals, but only to do death growls, like how Gerard Way [of My Chemical Romance fame] appeared on that [Matt Heafy of Trivium side project] Ibaraki track earlier this year. Her new Cryalot record has some absolutely brutal screams on it but she comes from a totally different world, it would be an insane energy. Also Hatsune Miku”

What’s next for Sobriquet?

Ludovico: “If you’ve been to see us live recently you may have heard a few new songs – a little teaser of what’s to come, hopefully sooner rather than later!”