Like all the rock greats, Syndicate are already no strangers to controversy …
Rumour has that it’s one of the most expensive albums, and featuring the biggest star-studded cast of producers and guests, to come out of Australia in the last 15 years… And it’s very likely true, too, considering some of the names that contributed to Syndicate’s debut album while recording in Los Angeles earlier this year. With the likes of Jeff Blue (Linkin Park, Korn) producting, Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Led Zeppelin) mixing, Tom Baker (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson) mastering, and with appearances from Matt Sorum (Guns’n’Roses) and Brent Fitz (Slash, Alice Cooper) among many others – for most Aussie bands this is the stuff only dreams are made of.
“The weirdest thing is you expect guys like them to be superhuman,” states Syndicate vocalist Greg Agar. “We were more star-struck by the idea of those guys and the reputation and the fame that comes with it, rather than the guys themselves.
“Because we’ve looked up to a lot of them for a long time, we were more worried about meeting them and then realising they were dickheads or something, but they were super-cool and exceeded our hopes!” he grins.
“Two guys who were overseeing the process every single day were Jeff Blue and Brandon Friesen (Nickleback, Comeback Kid); we spent the most time with them out of everyone and we became really good friends. They were there day and night, even through the drinks and the fights.”
And there were plenty of those, laughs Agar. Seizing the moment during the band’s two-month recording session in the City Of Angels, Agar and band partied in the Hollywood Hills, hung out with A-listers… and turned down an invite to a party at the Playboy Mansion?
“Well, that was more to do with a clash between two parties,” explains Agar. “It was the same night that we had a party in the Hollywood Hills for everyone that had worked on the album. There were about 50 or 60 people who had all gotten involved with the record in one way or another over that period, so of course, we had to be there.
“The thing is, there are two different sides to LA, and you’ll ever get to see one of them depending on the reason you’re there. Everyone takes away something different. The first time I went, I was a tourist with my girlfriend and I saw the side of LA that is super-hard to get around in. The clubs were super-strict with who to let in and every place had a guest-list and access only for high-profile people.
“But this time that I went with the band, we saw the side of LA that you see on TV,” he chuckles. “We met people and got into places and it opened our eyes to what the city is really like. This time I got an invite to the Playboy Mansion!”
But it wasn’t all about crazy celebrity parties and VIP clubs on the strip – according to Agar, there were 17-hour days holed up in the studio and nights when the band would actually go to bed completely sober. Ouch. In fact, just to prove that it wasn’t all about the glitz and glamour, Syndicate decided to document their recording experience and the amount of work that actually went into their first album.
“We wanted to film the recording process just so that people realise what actually goes into it,” explains Agar. “Recording has a reputation for being all about partying, and it’s not; those two things are separate. People just automatically assume you’re always living the dream and unless you’re in a band it’s easy to think you must have it all laid out for you. People don’t understand that it’s also 17-hour days working your butt off and going to bed not drunk for a change… Yep, not very rock ’n’ roll! We wanted to show that side of it too so that people have more respect for the recording artist.”
Very special guests who made their mark on the album also included Gill Sharone (Dillinger Escape Plan, Pucifer) and Rowan Robertson (Ronnie James Dio), with the ending result being a very “LA-fied” sound on the record, according to Agar. Whereas Syndicate’s last EP Light Of Day was a rocky affair, the upcoming album is a much more glamorous and commercial-sounding re-introduction to the Sydney five-piece.
“There’s heaps more diversity compared to our EP,” adds Agar. “The EP was very set in that ‘rock’ style… and with this one, you can tell it was recorded in Los Angeles. It’s got more mid-tempo songs and it’s more commercial-sounding. There’s still plenty of rock but a lot more thought went into the lyrics, especially.
“The first single Shout,” he adds, “has a lot of potential for being a favourite. There’s another song that’s looking great which is called All My Life, though it’s got an acoustic version with just me and some cello.
“I think we’ll be mixing it up a bit though for the live shows, because the last thing you want to see when you go to a gig is a loud playing of a CD. You want a show! That’s important to us. We keep enough rock in there so the show goes off, which means keeping the ballads out of the live gigs.”
And like all the rock greats, Syndicate are already no strangers to controversy either… According to Agar, despite having only been together a short amount of time, the band has already had its share of backlash after Sony Music worldwide offered them a recording deal in 2008.
“We’re super-lucky to have got picked up so early on,” admits Agar. “There was quite a bit of controversy at the time, though, because all of us were also in other bands full-time, though this band was only something we used for just jamming. But when a guy from Sony saw us play and said ‘this is what I’m looking for’, we agreed to drop our full-time bands and try this out. Basically, we weren’t too popular for making that move, but I won’t say that I regret it now that so much has happened with this band.”
SYNDICATE team up with Fastrack, Dead Star Renegade and Lipsmask for a huge night of rock ‘n’ roll at Revellers North (50 Johnston St, Fitzroy) this Friday September 24. SYNDICATE (formerly The Next) will be showcasing tunes from their recently recorded debut album – check them out.
