Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

For a taste of punk metal…
By Ishani Ranasinghe
Their form of music is what is considered to be a fusion of hardcore punk and thrash metal. When punk metal came into prominence in the mid 80s, the marriage seemed natural, since both styles were intense, riff-driven and often manically up tempo.

They pride themselves on being the only punk metal band here in Sri Lanka, and so we met up with them last week to hear what they had to say…
Going back in time, two years to be exact, to the beginning of Sylph… it was first just Shabeer Rizvi and Manoj Abeysekera who were in the band.

“We worked really hard for a year, but we couldn’t make it,” says Shabeer, adding that the turning point was held when his brother Ijaz Rizvi joined the band as their lead guitarist. “This is when we started getting a little more stable and mature,” he adds. Six months down the line, they had two new additions to the band, Nisala Perera on drums and Majid Salihue as a rhythm guitarist.

Starting out with small shows, their first ever big show was Living A Prayer, which was at the CR & FC. It was after this show that they went on to join the Rock Company, and continued doing shows for them. “Somewhere around March, last year, we felt that we really needed a break,” says Shabeer, adding that they later came back into the scene by taking part in TNL Onstage, where they went on to become one of the finalists.

Individually they are influenced by many people, but as a band they draw in influences from the likes of Sum 41, Simple Plan, My Chemical Romance and Finch. “We connected all these genres of music with metal,” they add.
Sylph is an interesting and unique name for a band… What’s the story behind it?

“It means elemental spirits of air,” says Manoj, explaining that the reason they came up with this is because they believed that as a band they could do something different. Having just started introducing this style of music to the audience, they are trying their best to bring this genre of music to them.
Speaking about their music, they feel that this type of music is much more fun. “There is love, there is hate; basically everything,” adds Ijaz, explaining that that this is the type of music that keeps the band going. To put it in their words, “It defines us and separates us from the rest.” Which I feel in this day and age is something positive.

While they continue to rehearse and perform at many concerts, their next step is the launching of their EP in March. With three songs being released through this EP, they are hoping to make an even bigger impact on the local audience with their music. “This will be the moment of truth for us,” adds Shabeer, explaining that through their EP they will be showing what punk rock is all about.

It’s been two years, and they have certainly come far. These five individuals are young and very enthusiastic about their music, and they have a lot going for them. So what has been the most memorable experience so far? “The moment where we were holding hands at the finals of Onstage, waiting for the results to be announced,” they all quip. Seeing this as one performance that really built team spirit, they feel that the whole experience (“and oh yeah the girls”) were terrific. The music scene here in Sri Lanka does have many bands coming up, and more of them are into rock. It is not everyday that you see a band that comes up, steps away from the norm and tries out something different. This is what this group of youngsters are doing, and by the looks of it, I say let’s give them a chance, because they have the determination and the talent to go far.

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