An audacious band of brothers, leaving no stone unturned – Interview with Secreum


Secreum, a four-piece metal band originating from North London in 2012, distinguishes itself with its potent mix of crushing guitar riffs, thunderous drums, and resonant bass lines, creating a backdrop that tackles life’s injustices while celebrating cherished values. Despite facing lineup changes and periods of hiatus, they’ve revitalized their passion with fresh energy, culminating in the release of their debut EP “EMBRACE” in November 2021. Their latest offering, “VOICE OF REASON”, maintains their signature fusion of melodic death and groove metal, recorded at Ignite AMR Studios under the guidance of their bassist, Nicholas Meeks, accompanied by Charlotte Jones as their guest vocalist. With a message promoting positivity and introspection, Secreum is determined to make a lasting impact on the metal scene.

Interviewees:

Deano Coldham (lead guitar), Shawn Tillett (drums) and Sonny Antoniou (vocals & guitar)

SECREUM
Sonny Antoniou - vocals, guitar
Deano Coldham - lead guitar
Nicholas Meeks - bass
Shawn Tillett – drums

ViQ: In what distinctive way does each member contribute to the band’s collective identity?

Shawn: I would say a bit of it being our stage attire, having smart shirts with either a jacket / vest over gives us that little bit of uniqueness, while also Deano, Sonny and Nick using the same guitars for (almost) each show gives that band / stage recognition.

What major challenges did the band face in its early days, and what currently stands out as the most thrilling aspect of its current journey?

Sonny: Like with any new band, the first major challenge was finding a sound, finding people to network with and of course, finding a show; thankfully, during our first iteration as Secreum, we had a strong foundation of friends which had helped us to play a lot of shows in rather quick succession.

There have been MANY thrilling aspects, seeing a room full of people sing your lyrics back, seeing people having a good time, those are aspects that always make us smile and put us in a fantastic mood; if there is one particular moment, for me, it would be seeing the Secreum flyer on the big projector of a show that we did in Turkey – even thinking about it is an exciting memory.

Firstly, congratulations on your recently announced autumn tour with St. October and the one you are headlining in April. How is it possible to surpass the achievements of last year? You’ve had numerous performances and toured England. Do you have a concept for 2024?

Sonny: First and foremost, thank you very much for congratulating us, yes, we are incredibly excited to be doing a north of England tour and doubly excited to be co-headlining with such an astonishing band. Last year (2023) was about playing as many shows as a DIY could possibly play, to which we hit 33 shows, this year (2024) we are focusing more on tours and all-dayer shows; we tend to plan way in advance, and we always have a plan for next year (2025) and the year after (2026). Essentially, we wish to out-do ourselves each year if possible.

Your track “Clouds” makes a powerful statement on mental health awareness. With deep and personal experiences behind the lyrics, if you were to create a new song on a similar theme, what would be the next profound subject you’d explore?

Shawn: For me on a personal level, it’d be trying to write a song or two expressing the moments and emotions of trying to deal with grieving dearly departed friends and trying to adapt to a new reality without them. They, however, will always remain in my mind and heart to inspire me to continue making music. 

How do you think artists can maintain humility within the music industry?

Deano: The best way we’ve managed over the years all comes down to engaging with individual musical tastes outside of what we’re trying to make, as well as supporting other bands regardless of their level of success. There are many death and thrash metal bands we’ve seen, that can play circles around us and construct great songs with those talents, yet there are also many hardcore or punk/crust/etc. bands with a DIY ethos that can put on as good a show as a more atmospheric kind of band. Keeping integrated with what’s going on around us keeps us hungry and humble.

Have there been any amusing or awkward incidents with the band that you still reminisce about?

Shawn: For me as a drummer, there has been quite a few, numerous times dropping sticks mid song, and even during sound check; a really amusing moment was when a stick flew out my hand during a fill in unspoken, hit a water bottle and bounced onto my guitarists head, we both looked so confused, laughed it off and continued playing.

Do you have a long-term musical goal that might seem distant but is realistically achievable? What would be the turning point in the life of the band?

Sonny: We do, yes, things are being put into place right now for our long term goals, of course, we hope that they will excel us as a band and help us to reach our lofty heights in which we are all hungry for.
I believe that everybody’s turning point would be different for each member, but for me, the turning point would be regularly playing huge shows, playing the main stages of festivals, touring constantly with the art that me and my band have poured so much heart and soul into.

At what point did you sense the band was truly gaining momentum, and a dedicated listener community was forming? Have there been any significant “AHA” moments for you throughout the years?

Deano: After a couple of years playing the odd gig here and there after reforming, we decided to make more of an effort to put ourselves forward for shows whilst also taking as many offers as we’d been having. It was a shot in the dark as we hadn’t quite established the growing fan base we have now, but then many doors just started opening once we realised, we could put on a decent show. Playing with other bands before and seeing how they were responded too, also gave us more room to try other things out on and off stage and with each show the reception has been greater for us.

To what extent do you believe it’s possible to deviate from personal inspiration and individual experiences? How important do you feel it is to integrate your own narrative into the creation of songs?

Deano: Our personal influences can either be quite subtle or perhaps a bit more blatant, but a particular idea can depend on how each of us are feeling at the time of making it and then it’s more a case of connecting the dots once we’ve looked at it objectively. Something quite uplifting can come from a darker place personally yet that idea could also be an all-out challenging riff. We value dynamics in our sound, and they tie in with life’s ups and downs the best of times. Or they can just be happy accidents. It’s a very level playing field emotionally, but the important thing is making sure the ideas feel good to us and resonates strongly with the listener.

If you had to encapsulate the band in three sentences that would ensure the realization of your greatest aspiration, what would they be?

Sonny: An audacious band of brothers, looking to push ourselves as far and as hard as we can a band, leaving no stone unturned, enjoying the passion of musical art in all its glory.

An energetic and exciting unit, wanting to inspire a generation of like-minded individuals who also share the same desire to perform and entertain the masses in positive way.

A thought provoking band, with conversational lyrics, looking to create a positive atmosphere with both the musical experience and the live experience, the likes of which go beyond just the artform but into an ever growing passion.

Thank you to absolutely everybody who has supported Secreum so far, we truly have the best fans a band could ever ask for.

Secreum

by: ViQ

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