Band: SUTEK CONSPIRACY
Genres: Punk / Viking Screamo / Hardcore / Swedish Metal / SkramzRelated artists: The Dream Is Dead, John Q Public, In Calico, End Me, Ignorant Eyes, Young Chargers, Totally Ridiculous, Amber Asylum, Bastard Noise, Saros, Hammers Of Misfortune, Ionophore, Memento Mori, Novice Brown, Valkyrie and Vastum.
Country: Lafayette, Indiana USA
Years Active: 1999-2002
Song: "Aftermath"
Album: "TR/Catheter split"
Year: 2000
For fans of: Greyskull, Arrows In Flight, Fingerprint, The Book Of Dead Names, Neil Perry, Storm The Bastille, Four Hundred Years, Twelve Hour Turn, Fall Silent, Circle Takes The Square, The Khayembii Communique, Dispensing Of False Halos, Calling Gina Clark, Amygdala, Jeanne, Caitlyn Bailey, To Dream Of Autumn, Love Lost But Not Forgotten, Ivich, Jiyuna and Cobra Kai aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Label(s): Self Released / Ed Walters Records / Give & Take Records / Chiaroscuro / Heretic Records / Shit Records / Interference Records
This post's artist is from the November 2015 Mix. This is track #9.
This post's artist is from the November 2015 Mix. This is track #9.
Releasing from 2000-2001 in Lafayette, Indiana, SUTEK CONSPIRACY combined hardcore, metallic hardcore, punk and screamo, The band was a rare concoction of energetic and angry music and influenced by His Hero Is Gone, Reversal Of Man, Fingerprint, Four Hundred Years, Ivich, Jasmine, Frail, Amon Amarth, At The Gates as well as the entire Ebullition catalogue. The lyrics were both political and social with heavy emphasis on discussion and interaction at shows. The band shifted through a few singers, with Jeremy bringing the final hammer to the table and kicking major ass on that last EP.
For the most part SUTEK CONSPIRACY played screamy hardcore in the vein of Ivich and Greyskull but on their final release titled 'Sutek Conspiracy' is one shrieky son of a bitch, as the band goes all out metallic screamo in the vein of Love Lost But Not Forgotten, Honeywell and To Dream Of Autumn. Gone are the skate punk and melodic bits, this is definitely their strongest release and most "screamo" album. The inclusion of speedy, melodic skate/hardcore is sporadic throughout with slightly obvious inclusions at the halfway point of "Forget It" and the opening of "I Still Can't Stand Up Straight" (which is actually closer to Yusuke on vocals and Caitlyn Bailey than anything else). "Fantasy Life" has some serious The Book Of Dead Names going on and "Little Boxes, Empty Heads" boasts thrash/metal influences. That's a lot of variety for one band in a three year period. One last thing the mention is the loose style of the music, as it was raw and unbridled, not precise and produced.
I have been internet friends with Alex Bond for a while now, and he was kind enough to answer a few questions. My favourite quote is this...
"People my mother's age are a lost cause, but younger parents these days can help turn it around. It's up to them to teach their children that hate is wrong, it's baggage, it's exhausting, and it's not worth it."
~Alex Bond
What comes to mind
when you think of SUTEK CONSPIRACY?
“Sutek started out as taking a lot of influence from European screamo bands, melodic screamo bands in the US. Fingerprint, Jasmine, Ivich, etc. When I joined the band, the music became more technical with Swedish/Norwegian metal influence somehow. I blame Leila for the shift, she is a huge metal head. She went on to be in Momento Mori, Saros, and now Vastum, amongst other projects. The lyrics were always politically charged.”
“Sutek started out as taking a lot of influence from European screamo bands, melodic screamo bands in the US. Fingerprint, Jasmine, Ivich, etc. When I joined the band, the music became more technical with Swedish/Norwegian metal influence somehow. I blame Leila for the shift, she is a huge metal head. She went on to be in Momento Mori, Saros, and now Vastum, amongst other projects. The lyrics were always politically charged.”
Did the band name or
band itself stand for anything?
“Our passions/politics leaned towards animal rights, human/civil rights, gay rights, equality for women, the downfall of apartheid, confronting racism, world history. So we covered a lot of topics that were important to the community at the time, as well as throwing in our own experiences and knowledge on varied subjects. Being a gay man in the punk/hardcore community, I really loved meeting other gay punk kids on the road and sharing experiences of growing up gay. I'm always down to talk about love for animals and how we need to protect them.”
“Our passions/politics leaned towards animal rights, human/civil rights, gay rights, equality for women, the downfall of apartheid, confronting racism, world history. So we covered a lot of topics that were important to the community at the time, as well as throwing in our own experiences and knowledge on varied subjects. Being a gay man in the punk/hardcore community, I really loved meeting other gay punk kids on the road and sharing experiences of growing up gay. I'm always down to talk about love for animals and how we need to protect them.”
What bands influenced
Sutek?
“I would say a lot of the bands that influenced Sutek were just a good amount of bands that were firing up the basements at the time. His Hero Is Gone, Reversal of Man, of course the entire Ebullition catalog, Fingerprint, Ivich, Jasmine, Frail, Amon Amarth, At the Gates, just to name a handful. There were so many hard working, inspiring bands touring at the time, it was a good time to be alive and inspired.”
“I would say a lot of the bands that influenced Sutek were just a good amount of bands that were firing up the basements at the time. His Hero Is Gone, Reversal of Man, of course the entire Ebullition catalog, Fingerprint, Ivich, Jasmine, Frail, Amon Amarth, At the Gates, just to name a handful. There were so many hard working, inspiring bands touring at the time, it was a good time to be alive and inspired.”
I have a 6-song EP that isn’t listed online, what the heck is this thing?
“The CD release was not titled. It was pretty much a demo, but it was a true manufactured disc, not a CDr. That's how I fell in love with the band. I saw them in the Greenbush House basement in Lafayette, which was inhabited by Usurp Synapse at the time. That house has been inhabited by Shawn Decker of Middleman Records/Coma Regalia/Plague Walker for many moons now. That was the best time for hardcore, and so many good bands played there. I miss those days.”
That s/t is super
screamy. Was Jeremy the catalyst or was the band moving in a heavier direction
anyways?
“If you're referring to the final CD on Ed Walters Records, yeah he had some lungs on him for sure. We started playing more of a metal sound before he joined the band. Joe was the original screamer and was on all of the releases prior to the last CD, but we played all of those songs with Jeremy once Joe left. Leila was heavily influenced by bands like Amon Amarth and At The Gates at the time.”
“If you're referring to the final CD on Ed Walters Records, yeah he had some lungs on him for sure. We started playing more of a metal sound before he joined the band. Joe was the original screamer and was on all of the releases prior to the last CD, but we played all of those songs with Jeremy once Joe left. Leila was heavily influenced by bands like Amon Amarth and At The Gates at the time.”
What was your most
memorable show?
“I still think that our show at Mr. Roboto Project in Pittsburgh with Pg99, 400 Years (maybe the Red Chord played?) and a couple other bands was the best time. It was one of the last shows for 400 Years and I love them to death, so it was a big deal for me.”
“I still think that our show at Mr. Roboto Project in Pittsburgh with Pg99, 400 Years (maybe the Red Chord played?) and a couple other bands was the best time. It was one of the last shows for 400 Years and I love them to death, so it was a big deal for me.”
What do you refer to
your music as?
“To describe the music, I always joked and called it viking screamo. Screamo+Swedish metal+Politically charged lyrics. It was an interesting combo. Hahaha”
“To describe the music, I always joked and called it viking screamo. Screamo+Swedish metal+Politically charged lyrics. It was an interesting combo. Hahaha”
Tell us about the
labels you released on.
“Sutek did a split with Cobra Kai on Chiaroscuro Records out of Nashville (?), which Cobra Kai set up. It was a small label with an emphasis on hand-crafted art and packaging. The covers for those 7"s were beautiful. There was a split with Murdock on Ed Walters Records out of Philly. We were good friends with Michael Dailey at the time and he asked us if we would be interested in doing a split with people who used to be in CR...of course we were going to say yes to that right away! There was the split with Amputee Set that our friend Bill from Columbia, Missouri put out for us. That was a fun place to play. We had a split with Groinchurn from South Africa that came out on Give and Take Records. We unfortunately never got to meet those guys but they seemed like sweethearts. That just basically consisted of songs from our splits, as it was a CD split. I don't think I am missing anything aside from the final CDep on Ed Walters once again. Michael was definitely very sweet for yet again releasing an ep for us. His label was very much musically diverse and seeing as we kinda had a weird mashup of genres going on, it was a good fit. Interference was the label out of Columbia.”
“Sutek did a split with Cobra Kai on Chiaroscuro Records out of Nashville (?), which Cobra Kai set up. It was a small label with an emphasis on hand-crafted art and packaging. The covers for those 7"s were beautiful. There was a split with Murdock on Ed Walters Records out of Philly. We were good friends with Michael Dailey at the time and he asked us if we would be interested in doing a split with people who used to be in CR...of course we were going to say yes to that right away! There was the split with Amputee Set that our friend Bill from Columbia, Missouri put out for us. That was a fun place to play. We had a split with Groinchurn from South Africa that came out on Give and Take Records. We unfortunately never got to meet those guys but they seemed like sweethearts. That just basically consisted of songs from our splits, as it was a CD split. I don't think I am missing anything aside from the final CDep on Ed Walters once again. Michael was definitely very sweet for yet again releasing an ep for us. His label was very much musically diverse and seeing as we kinda had a weird mashup of genres going on, it was a good fit. Interference was the label out of Columbia.”
How has playing shows
changed for you in the last 15 years?
“Playing shows for me now is a lot different. I play in an indie/emoish/poppy-ish punk band, where my singer writes lyrics drawing from his own personal experiences. Even when I go to hardcore shows now, people are just merely observers and it is strange. There are no more political discussions at shows, no one in the audience screaming their faces off about the world and how fucked up it is. At a certain point, I decided playing angry music was not my number one priority and I don't cancel it out at any point. I just don't relate to it the way I used to. I still listen to everything I did back in the day.”
“Playing shows for me now is a lot different. I play in an indie/emoish/poppy-ish punk band, where my singer writes lyrics drawing from his own personal experiences. Even when I go to hardcore shows now, people are just merely observers and it is strange. There are no more political discussions at shows, no one in the audience screaming their faces off about the world and how fucked up it is. At a certain point, I decided playing angry music was not my number one priority and I don't cancel it out at any point. I just don't relate to it the way I used to. I still listen to everything I did back in the day.”
How have your ideologies
changed since SUTEK CONSPIRACY, considering you were part of a very political
band? What are your thoughts/opinions on the progress of equal rights?
“It's all about baby steps. I can now legally get married in my home state, yet women typically still get paid less than their male counterparts. So many people are stuck in the stone age mentally and until those people have a fucked up experience that threatens their well being, chances are that their mentality will not change. People my mother's age are a lost cause, but younger parents these days can help turn it around. It's up to them to teach their children that hate is wrong, it's baggage, it's exhausting, and it's not worth it. As far as racism, fuck there is a long journey ahead. I mean, it's almost as if a prerequisite to join the police force these days is to be a good ol' boy. It's frustrating, it's sad, and it is time for mass deprogramming within the home, within the schools, in the churches. There is a positive growth in the numbers of people converting to vegetarianism and veganism these days, and that is awesome. More people are speaking out about the negative impact factory farming has on the environment. People are starting to listen and take action against the bullshit more and more every day and that's what we need to be doing.”
“It's all about baby steps. I can now legally get married in my home state, yet women typically still get paid less than their male counterparts. So many people are stuck in the stone age mentally and until those people have a fucked up experience that threatens their well being, chances are that their mentality will not change. People my mother's age are a lost cause, but younger parents these days can help turn it around. It's up to them to teach their children that hate is wrong, it's baggage, it's exhausting, and it's not worth it. As far as racism, fuck there is a long journey ahead. I mean, it's almost as if a prerequisite to join the police force these days is to be a good ol' boy. It's frustrating, it's sad, and it is time for mass deprogramming within the home, within the schools, in the churches. There is a positive growth in the numbers of people converting to vegetarianism and veganism these days, and that is awesome. More people are speaking out about the negative impact factory farming has on the environment. People are starting to listen and take action against the bullshit more and more every day and that's what we need to be doing.”
Whaddya think about the
term "screamo"?
“Screamo to me brings back the best musical memories of my life. The Greenbush House in Lafayette, the Secret Location in Indianapolis and Middle Man Records (a short-lived record store/venue in Indy that was not affiliated with Middle-Man records that Shawn runs). In 2-3 years, I saw so many amazing bands like 400 Years, Saetia, Encylopedia of American Traitors, Infinity Dive, Ereshkigal, 1919, Song of Zarathustra, Orchid, Reversal of Man, My Lai, Khayembii Communique, Pg99, Love Lost But Not Forgotten, Raein, To Dream of Autumn, etc. The late nineties were the best time for music, politics and forming who I am today. It was a magical time that will never be repeated.”
“Screamo to me brings back the best musical memories of my life. The Greenbush House in Lafayette, the Secret Location in Indianapolis and Middle Man Records (a short-lived record store/venue in Indy that was not affiliated with Middle-Man records that Shawn runs). In 2-3 years, I saw so many amazing bands like 400 Years, Saetia, Encylopedia of American Traitors, Infinity Dive, Ereshkigal, 1919, Song of Zarathustra, Orchid, Reversal of Man, My Lai, Khayembii Communique, Pg99, Love Lost But Not Forgotten, Raein, To Dream of Autumn, etc. The late nineties were the best time for music, politics and forming who I am today. It was a magical time that will never be repeated.”
What is your opinion
of punk, hardcore, screamo and metal today? Other genres?
“I definitely am not blown away that easily these days. It takes a lot more for the hairs to stand up on the back of my neck and give me goosebumps. To be honest, a lot of punk and hardcore just sounds recycled to me, a shell of what it once was. The sense of urgency is less apparent and I don't hear many new ideas being expressed within lyrics. There are some gems here or there, but I have to dig deeper these days. Metal is metal, it's fun to rock out to, but it's silly novelty music to me. Plus, metal recordings just sound like they were created by robots. Nothing turns me off more than an over-produced record with no substance. I don't mean to sound like an old sad jaded bastard. It's just things that people told you would gradually occur as you age are ringing true and that in itself is mind-blowing. Hahahaha”
“I definitely am not blown away that easily these days. It takes a lot more for the hairs to stand up on the back of my neck and give me goosebumps. To be honest, a lot of punk and hardcore just sounds recycled to me, a shell of what it once was. The sense of urgency is less apparent and I don't hear many new ideas being expressed within lyrics. There are some gems here or there, but I have to dig deeper these days. Metal is metal, it's fun to rock out to, but it's silly novelty music to me. Plus, metal recordings just sound like they were created by robots. Nothing turns me off more than an over-produced record with no substance. I don't mean to sound like an old sad jaded bastard. It's just things that people told you would gradually occur as you age are ringing true and that in itself is mind-blowing. Hahahaha”
What have you been listening
to most, recently.
“I am currently obsessed with Archivist, Cloud Rat, Tentacles, Ostraca, Haapoja, Truman, Mrtex, anything on Middle Man and React With Protest. Those two labels are on top of what really speaks to me. Skeletal Lightning, Halo Of Flies, and Dead Tank also are great labels that pump out really good bands and really celebrate the DIY spirit.”
“I am currently obsessed with Archivist, Cloud Rat, Tentacles, Ostraca, Haapoja, Truman, Mrtex, anything on Middle Man and React With Protest. Those two labels are on top of what really speaks to me. Skeletal Lightning, Halo Of Flies, and Dead Tank also are great labels that pump out really good bands and really celebrate the DIY spirit.”
What is your life like
now vs. when Sutek Conspiracy was around? Whatchya up to?
“Now I work full time, 8-5 Monday-Friday for a tech company. I live with my
partner and our two dogs. I play drums for the band In Calico and I haven't
been on tour since 2003 hahaha. I do miss being on the road but I crave
stability more than being flat broke and sleeping on floors all the time haha.
I'm a homebody and boring these days, but I'm happy and stable. I still listen
to hardcore constantly and love to play drums. Life is good for sure.”
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1999 - untitled demo cdEP
2000 - TR / Catheter split cdLP
2000 - Murdock split 7"EP
2001 - Groinchurn split cdLP (songs are from the Murdock, Amputee Set and Cobra Kai splits)
2001 - Cobra Kai split 7"EP
2001 - Amputee Set split 7"EP
2004 - Sutek Conspiracy cdEP
(2004) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "The Sun is Shining" (from 'Sutek Conspiracy')
(2004) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "I Still Can't Stand Up Straight" (from 'Sutek Conspiracy')
(2004) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "Funeral for a Warrior Part 1" (from 'Sutek Conspiracy')
(2001) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "Nanjing" (from 'Amputee Set' split)
(2001) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "She Never Asked For It" (from 'Cobra Kai' split)
(2000) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "Aftermath" (from 'TR/Catheter' split)
(2000) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "Little Boxes, Empty Heads" (from 'Murdock' split)
2001 - Amputee Set split 7"EP
2004 - Sutek Conspiracy cdEP
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(2004) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "The Sun is Shining" (from 'Sutek Conspiracy')
(2004) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "I Still Can't Stand Up Straight" (from 'Sutek Conspiracy')
(2004) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "Funeral for a Warrior Part 1" (from 'Sutek Conspiracy')
(2001) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "Nanjing" (from 'Amputee Set' split)
(2001) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "She Never Asked For It" (from 'Cobra Kai' split)
(2000) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "Aftermath" (from 'TR/Catheter' split)
(1999) SUTEK CONSPIRACY - "Broken Across" (from 'untitled demo')
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SUTEK CONSPIRACY out of print mp3/wma discography download
(download here)
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