RYCHUS SYN  - Interview with Loud and Legendary, Metal Magazine -Holland
http://loudandlegendary.com

From the early 80's - onwards the AZRA label produced a whole string of picture and shaped discs; a thing the label is best know for. However, most of these musical pieces were produced in very limited editions, on average no more 1000 copies each... It is for this particular reason, most of the bands with such releases out - as in the case of RYCHUS SYN - simply got 'overruled' and outnumbered by the unlimited flow of well-distributed and promoted acts / releases... Too bad, as RYCHUS SYN was right there at the height of the heap with a fitting musical package, only to get their piece of recognition some 10-15 years onwards, as it is now considered a true find in its territories.... Drummer Greg Maniscalco takes us back to where it all started...

Q: Other than the '89 E.P. - which, by itself already is an insider's commodity - there is little known about the band, so tapping right into the history of the band; where and how did it all begin? Assumingly, there must have been a string of bands prior to RYCHUS SYN?

Greg: My brother & I formed the band back in 1983. We always called ourselves RYCHUS SYN, however, the original line up (Drew Maniscalco - lead guitar, Greg Maniscalco - drums / vocals, Mike Perdue - bass, and Anthony Bottarro - rhythm guitar) was a cover band, covering mostly PRIEST and MAIDEN with a little OZZY, DIO and SABBATH mixed in. Over time we became an all original band with the line up showcased on the EP.

Q: So, what was the line up that recorded the E.P.?

Greg: The only original members are my brother Drew & myself. We had a long list of singers over the years, briefly including me, till we met up with A.D. Babcock in late '85. The original bassist, Mike Perdue, left the band a year prior to us getting signed to Azra and he was replaced by Jerry Roselli for the E.P. Later, Mike Perdue rejoined the band in support of the E.P. as Jerry left to form his own band.

Q: Did you guys tape any material either as a demo or a rehearsal prior to the E.P.?

Greg: Yes, there were 3 previous demos recorded throughout the 80's, none of which really defined what the SYN crew was about to become.

Q: Emerging with materials at the tail-end of the 80's wasn't the easiest thing to do recognition-wise, as by then, the scene had already spiraled out of control with a massive production of bands, vinyls and demos in just about any genre, particularly the heavier territories where you guys were at... Were you aware of that, and did you have a game-plan to possibly differentiate from the bulk of bands and materials out there...?

Greg: We were all too aware that the market was flooded with Thrash and SpeedMetal bands. With the help of our long-time friend and producer, Steve Amend, we redefined ourselves as a "PowerMetal" band by creating a unique style & sound that set us apart from the rest of the crowd.

Q: Did you guys play frequently, and have you opened as a support act for any renowned act at some stage down your career?

Greg: We played very often, mostly in local Long Island & New York City clubs. We opened for bands like BOBBY RONDINELLI, CINTRON & it's a little hazy now, but I'm pretty sure we opened up for PANTERA (pre - “Cowboys From Hell” album) at a club in New York City called 'Jammin'. For the most part we were the headlining act in support of our E.P.

Q: As for the live-thing; was RYCHUS SYN an al original band repertoire-wise or did you also throw in a good lot of covers? Gauging the E.P. songs “Contents Under Pressure” (showing certain similarities to METALLICA's “No Remorse”) and “Power, Thunder And Steel” (clicking with JUDAS PRIEST's “Pain Killer” - guitars and main theme), one may assume tracks of the aforementioned were included in the set or at least served as an inspirational source?

Greg: We were a completely all-original band. We could never agree on which songs to cover, so we didn't cover any. As for the “Painkiller” influence... if you take a peek, you will notice “Painkiller” actually came out 1 year after our E.P. As you can tell, though, PRIEST was a big influence on us as well as METALLICA, MEGADETH, SAVATAGE, and SABBATH.

Q: Then, in' 89, the band inked a deal with AZRA; now, exactly how did that come about? Was this a result of multiple promo-dubs being shopped around, or had the band been contacted by AZRA?

Greg: t was a result of heavy promo shopping.

Q: Was the E.P. thing a preset choice by the label (as AZRA preferably popped out E.P.'s and mini-LP's over full-lengthers) or was there another reason to it?

Greg: Azra basically took our demo & pressed it "as is". They allowed us no changes or input on the mastering of the album, not even the order of the songs. Dave Richards of Azra took credit as producer, when actually he had nothing to do with the music. Credit should have gone to our producer & mentor, Steve Amend. It's something we regret being unable to change to this day.

Q: Exactly how many copies of that E.P. were pressed?

Greg: We were told 1,000 - but who knows???

Q: Has there ever been plans to release a follow-up release, and how far towards that did you get?

Greg: Absolutely, we had all the material written for a full length LP, but it never materialized. Our deal with Azra expired, then, A.D. Babcock and Mike Perdue left the band to play a lighter, more commercial type of music.

Q: Also, was the material produced after the release of the E.P. of a same brand concept-wise or did it further intensify, as the then portrayed style pretty much rolled on the classic, mid-80's-onward Power / Thrash Metal sound...

Greg: Our style definitely intensified after the EP & became even heavier & more brooding. We felt this also set us further apart from the rest of the bands of the time.

Q: Are you aware of the fact that the RYCHUS SYN pic.disc now ranks as a collectible U.S.Metal item down specialists catalogues, and, for that reason possibly towers above the recognition part you had back in the days....?

Greg: We had no clue.........until now!

Q: So, what happened with the band towards and into the 90's? and, was there anything major that caused the split of the band, or did the band just slowly burn out?

Greg: A. D. Babcock & Mike Perdue were unhappy with the heavier direction of the band. They wanted to lighten the music up. My brother and I disagreed, so ultimately we parted ways with them. Since all the music was written & arranged by me & Drew anyway, we decided to shelf it for a later date until we could find the right chemistry again. We were working on another project with singer Dan Reid, and about a year ago we all decided it was time to take RYCHUS SYN off the shelf. Dan has a long history with RYCHUS SYN; he was a fan and a roadie, so he was a perfect fit.

Q: As for the musical career of its members, where did they all drift off to, and is any of them still active in the music industry?

Greg: Except for my brother, I don't know where anybody is.

Q: What about the shelved RYCHUS SYN material, any chance any of this will make it onto a re-release or anything?

Greg: Funny you ask. We are presently re-recording the “License To Kill” E.P. with Dan Reid on vocals. It will now be a full-length album which will include the shelved material. It will be somewhere between 10 to 13 songs. We are now in the process of negotiating a deal.

Q: Anything else you'd like to add?

Greg: Keep your eyes open for RYCHUS SYN-Rebirth in 2007... We'd like to thank you for the review and the interview opportunity...