Rene Botello sat down with Howling Sycamore’s guitarist Davide Tiso to discuss his latest project. Check out the video below!
Howling Sycamore is a Progressive Extreme Metal project featuring Jason McMaster on vocals, Davide Tiso on guitars and bass and Hannes Grossman on drums.
The drums parts for the project were already recorded. Tiso was used to writing songs starting from guitar ideas: having drums and set accents and structures to rely on revealed to be an inspiring challenge that got him to used a completely different point of view when writing his parts.
The material composed pleased both parties but it didn’t really fit with the project it was intended for. Tiso felt that the songs could have grown into a much more ambitious project and he decided to use those guitars to start his own band.Reconfiguring the band based on the songs already written, Tiso aimed for an unusual combination of styles:
extreme metal drumming, layered, down-tuned guitars and old school prog metal singing. This was what Howling Sycamore was set to become.After few weeks of scouting, Tiso approached Hannes Grossmann to play drums on the album.
In 2003 Tiso’s jazz metal band Ephel Duath shared the stage with progressive death metal Necrophagist at Brutal Assault Festival in Czech Republic. Their young drummer Hannes Grossmann just joined the band and Tiso had the chance to see the talented drummer in action from behind the kit. In the years that followed Hannes established himself as one of the best extreme metal drummers and session musicians in the business combining precision, speed and creativity.
When contacted Grossmann was excited about the project and ready to learn the material. After a few weeks he started recording at his own studio, Mordor Sounds, in Nuremberg, Germany.Scott Evans (Antisleep Studio, Oakland, CA), who was involved in every step of the production from the early stages on, had the idea to contact the ex-Watchtower singer Jason McMaster. Tiso saw McMaster in action years before, when Watchtower and Ephel Duath were in the same bill at the 2004 edition of Holland’s Headway Festival. McMaster accepted to sing for the band after listening to a guitar and drums preproduction.
McMaster vocal register and wide dynamic range brought the band to the sound that Tiso was aiming for.
It took approximately a year to rework and record the album, during this time some very special guest musicians had the chance to contribute to the songs: Bruce Lamont (Yakuza, Brain Tentacles) on baritone saxophone, Kevin Hufnagel (Dysrhythmia, Gorguts) on guitars, Fester (Burials, Humorous) on guitars.
In August 2017 Howling Sycamore’s debut album was mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege Studios in Portland, OR .
In September 2017 Tiso sent a link to stream a few songs to his favorite labels. A few days after Prostethic Records offered the band a three album record deal.
The self titled album will be released on June 26th, both in vinyl and CD formats.
Pre order Howling Sycamore here:
US – http://smarturl.it/howlingsycamore
Europe – https://basick.supplies/search?q=howling+sycamore
