Summer is coming and, together with it, so do the preparations for Wacken Open Air. This German festival is more than an event, as it unites people who are passionate about good music in an environment also known as the “Holy Ground”. Given that there are only around 100 more days until W:O:A, countries have begun to choose bands to represent them in the greatest Heavy Metal contest known to man… The Wacken Metal Battle.
Every year, various groups go through several trials with the hope that they would end up having the opportunity to perform alongside “top bands from all across the world” (as advertised by the organising team of W:O:A).
In Sweden, the local contest takes place in the following manner: “Unsigned bands applying = we nominate = sub-competition = we send you to Wacken Open Air 2025”, as stated on the official social media page. In other words, groups that didn’t have a contract with a record label have signed up. Afterwards the organisers have chosen 25 bands to go through two rounds (actual shows) with a jury: a semifinal and a final.
The jury was composed of four members, renowned on the Swedish Metal scene: Robin Johnander (of the Gamla Enskede Bryggeri concert venue), Ola Englund (of The Haunted group, and the brand Solar Guitars), Björn Strid (of the groups Soilwork, and The Night Flight Orchestra), and Frida Calderon (of the Marshall Amplification brand).
As we all know, Sweden is one of the cradles of Melodic Death Metal (also known as MeloDeath). The country has given us groups that are known on a global level such as: Amon Amarth, Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy, Hypocrisy, Katatonia, Grave, Leprosy etc.
The four bands to have entered the Wacken Metal Battle Sweden finals were: Syndr, Primal Instinct (the winners of the local Battle), Chaos in Control (their guitarist, Gunnar Dalén, won the award offered by Ola Englund), and Orecus.
I have recently interviewed Syndr, one of the most promising Northern bands, about Wacken Metal Battle, their beginnings as musicians, and about their future plans.
The band members are:
Jesper Boström – vocals, guitars;
Mitchell C. Colbert – guitars;
Isak Asplund – drums;
Marcus Helm Cindric – bass guitars.
Victoria-Maria Pripon: What convinced you to participate at Wacken Metal Battle?
Jesper Boström: There have been a lot of cool competitions going around but Wacken Metal Battle was the one that stood out to me. Seeing all of these up and coming bands enter and having a great time is what peaked my interest in this competition. And of course, the chance to play at Wacken.
Mitchell C. Colbert: I think Wacken has something of a holy status to metalheads, many calling it something of a “Metal Mecca” where we all have to go at least once. For me any avenue to get there is naturally worth exploring!
Isak Asplund: Having even a sliver of a chance to play at Wacken definitely piqued my interest, and for sure other great bands would gather and feel the same. So it was a great chance to play alongside other metal musicians and make great memories and meaningful connections!
Marcus Helm Cindric: I grew up watching DVDs of live shows that were recorded at Wacken and it always felt like home away from home. The festival has always intrigued me.
Victoria-Maria Pripon: Given that you were one of the finalists of Wacken Metal Battle Sweden in 2025, what did you think of the atmosphere there?
Jesper Boström: It was great! Everyone was really nice and happy to be there. Even the vibe between the bands that competed was cool. All of us wanted to win, but it was always about the hang and you could really feel it there.
Mitchell C. Colbert: It was really fun and surprisingly relaxed. The first round in Trollhättan had a really nice vibe as well, great people!
Isak Asplund: It was just a nice vibe all around. Sure, it was a little tense with all the excitement at times, but all bands were really nice. Great musicians and I genuinely felt everyone deserved to proceed to the next round.
Marcus Helm Cindric: The atmosphere was great! The people working for WMB and Marshall were so nice to all of us and the venue was absolutely beautiful. It also helps that all of the bands were open to getting to know each other.
Victoria-Maria Pripon: If you could, would you change anything about the way that Wacken Metal Battle is organised in your country?
Jesper Boström: No. I think that they’ve done an awesome job in organizing this competition here in Sweden.
Mitchell C. Colbert: Not really, naturally as a participant you want to know some aspects of how they’re going to judge you, but I think as an organiser it’s most equal and fair when every band goes in simply doing things as they naturally would, putting their best foot forward.
Isak Asplund: No, the way it was organized really felt like they cared for the musicians and just wanted the whole thing to be a fun experience, which they succeeded in! The only thing I can think of is that both venues we played at felt kinda cramped. But that just means we had a proper audience, so I can’t really complain!
Marcus Helm Cindric: I felt that some of the information was hard to get and I would love a FAQ with basic information. Other than that, great work!
Victoria-Maria Pripon: How do you feel after this experience?
Jesper Boström: Really happy and grateful for being a part of this amazing ride. This is my favorite gig we’ve played so far!
Mitchell C. Colbert: Naturally, us losing will always be a bummer, but it’s been a great experience and very fun just getting to be involved!
Isak Asplund: I gotta step up my game and practice more! Truly inspired to push myself and us in Syndr as a whole.
Marcus Helm Cindric: I’m happy that I got to be a part of it. The gig was my favorite show so far, everything felt great!
Victoria-Maria Pripon: What are your future plans, on a musical level? Where can the Metal-loving Swedish audience see you live in the next period of time?
Jesper Boström: We have recorded some demos and are just about done with the finishing touches so that we can start to record our first full length album. We also have a couple of shows booked and some down the pipeline as well. Next show is at Gothenburg Metal Temple 17th of May where we will be playing at their 1 year celebration together with 5 other bands. We will get to share the stage with former Wacken Metal Battle winners Misery Oath, which we’re really looking forward to.
Isak Asplund: We have so many cool songs to record! There are a lot of tricky drum-parts I’m currently trying to learn. We’re gonna play here in Gothenburg in May, and more shows are likely to follow.
Mitchell C. Colbert: As the guys have stated already, we have our gig coming up at Metal Temple here in May, which we’re super excited for. Debut album on the way, stay tuned!
Marcus Helm Cindric: We’re about to start recording our first full length album, which I’m super stoked for! We have a couple of shows planned for the year and keep an eye out on our socials to know where the next show is!
Victoria-Maria Pripon: When can we expect new Syndr material to be released?
Jesper Boström: Some time this year!
Mitchell C. Colbert: New Syndr material will come out long before the heat death of the universe.
Isak Asplund: Whenever I get good enough to nail all these new songs.
Marcus Helm Cindric: This year, that’s all I gotta say. The wait is worth it!
Victoria-Maria Pripon: Which one of your tracks do you care most about?
Jesper Boström: Of the tracks that are released I think “The Servant” is the one I’m most proud about. We have a song called “Here Again” that’s going to be on the next record and I really love that one.
Mitchell C. Colbert: “Blooddrinker”, a song we’ve played at every live show that will appear on our debut album, is my favorite to play and probably my favorite Syndr riff!
Isak Asplund: An upcoming song called “Desolation”. There’s a drum-part I wanna play a certain way. But it’s fast, and technical in a way I’m not used to playing, so I’ve spent a loooot of time with it. Kind of a love/hate relationship with that song now.
Marcus Helm Cindric: As a huge fan of extreme and fast music, we have this song called “Hearken”. It’s short and straight to the point and we’ve played it live a ton!
Victoria-Maria Pripon: What artists have influenced you most on your path?
Jesper Boström: Well, the list is rather long. But to try to sum it up I would say that the stuff of Jeff Loomis, Keith Merrow and Ola Englund have been a part of put me on the path I’m currently on. Specifically for Syndr I would say Gojira, Opeth, Meshuggah with a hint of grunge such as Alice In Chains and Soundgarden are the biggest inspirations.
Mitchell C. Colbert: In the beginning it was all Metallica and Megadeth, moving on to stuff like Arch Enemy and Children of Bodom, then my Tech Death phase with stuff like Obscura and Beyond Creation, moving into stuff like Gojira, Fleshgod Apocalypse, SepticFlesh and Seven Spires.
Isak Asplund: There are sooo many great drummers out there. But the most influential to me gotta be George Kollias, the first drummer I saw that played at those extreme tempos, along with Nicholas Barker when I had my Dimmu Borgir-phase (one could argue I never really left that). Others I have to mention are of course Mario Duplantier and Gavin Harrison for their creativity. Most recently I’ve had my eyes on Kevin Paradis (ex. Benighted), insane speed but at the same time very creative, as well as Baard Kolstad (Leprous), truly a beast behind the kit, almost frightening to watch. But not to forget, my first drum teacher, John Alfredsson of Avatar, who was my hero back then when I was a teen.
Marcus Helm Cindric: I almost don’t want to mention anyone just for the case of “No one mentioned, no one forgotten”. But that would be boring! So just to mention a couple of bands/artists: Suicide Silence, Judas Priest, Lok (Swedish hardcore/metal band), This is not a game of who the fuck are you (yes, that’s their name!), and Rammstein.
Victoria-Maria Pripon: How did you first start singing?
Jesper Boström: I took some singing lessons in gymnasiet (Swedish senior high school) where I studied guitar, music and culture. I never really considered myself as a vocalist but rather a guitarist at first hand. After joining a band called Enterion (my first encounter with Isak) we were in the studio recording our first album and we were supposed to have a vocalist come and record clean vocals but cancelled so we all tried to record her part and stuck with my recording. And with that, I dusted off the ol’pipes and started practicing again.
Mitchell C. Colbert: Badly. I have slightly improved.
Isak Asplund: Back in gymnasiet (3 year education in Sweden, kinda like senior high school), I went to a music school, and we had mandatory choir-lessons. There I discovered that I actually liked singing! Wasn’t as good at it as I ever wanted to be, but I started to grasp general concepts and how to manipulate my voice.
Marcus Helm Cindric: My journey as a musician started with my dad playing guitar for me and my older sister. I wanted to be just like him. He is also the one that got me into metal with everything from Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Helloween to Overkill, Death and Sepultura. So it has always been a part of my life!
Victoria-Maria Pripon: How did you discover you can sing metal?
Jesper Boström: I tried to learn harsh vocals in my teens where I looked at Melissa Cross videos. Zen Of Screaming and such. But I never really understood if I did it correctly or not. So, to sum it up, mostly through trial and error. In the band Enterion I started doing backing vocals which led me to a deeper understanding of my own voice and how to use it. Fast forward a couple of years and I was the lead vocalist in Enterion. I’m also very fortunate that every band member of Syndr is a vocalist in other projects which makes it easier for us to help each other out to further our understanding of our voices.
Mitchell C. Colbert: I have not discovered this yet but no one has stopped me so I will keep going.
Isak Asplund: Since the day I joined a band I started trying to do harsh vocals. Eventually I started doing backing vocals in a previous band. Though I never really properly practiced it, I think I still did a decent job. But I truly stepped it up when I joined Maelstrom Aeterna. At first I was just programming drums and some piano for the band, but we were also looking for a vocalist at the time, so I thought “Heck, why not give it a shot”, and apparently I did well enough there too.
Marcus Helm Cindric: Through trial and error HA!
Victoria-Maria Pripon: I have noticed that each and every one of the Syndr tracks you have released until now has a unique sound. Where do you find inspiration? How do you write the songs?
Jesper Boström: Well, when I write I usually just play my guitar and see what happens and record if I feel like the riffs could be something. The mood of the music tends to reflect on what I am currently feeling when I write them. “Limbo” for instance is a really chaotic song cause I was at a chaotic headspace when writing it. The lyrics are usually written after the music is already structured. I try to get into the same headspace when writing lyrics as well.
Mitchell C. Colbert: Jesper is the main songwriter in Syndr, my involvement has primarily been some structural feedback and suggestions for slight changes such as pauses in certain areas, or not repeating certain things. My primary source of inspiration is the constant state of panic I’m in trying to dodge the onslaught of drum sticks slipping from Isak’s hand on a regular basis.
Isak Asplund: Jesper does. I smack the shit out of my drums, and he seems to like it.
Marcus Helm Cindric: It was mainly Jesper who wrote those songs BUT what I can say is that even though we listened to a lot of similar bands, we take inspiration from so different places. That huge mix helps to create that unique sound that still feels cohesive when you listen to it!
Victoria-Maria Pripon: How was the band founded?
Jesper Boström: Syndr was actually supposed to be an outlet of my creativity as a solo artist. Me and Isak were in Enterion at the moment and me and Marcus had just started our studio project called Cypher Dreaming. Before I finished writing the songs I asked Isak if he wanted to help me write drums and maybe record for my nameless project (Syndr) and I remember him saying a couple of days after I sent him the files “So when do we start this band?”. Which led to Syndr starting to search for members. Mitchell joined when we hung out at a party near a lake. I’ve known Mitchell for a while before this. After a couple of beers we started to talk about Syndr and also his project Medusian before it had a name. I told him that I had him in mind for the lead guitarist slot and he was sold on the idea. During the entirety of the writing process Marcus was kind of a producer helping me out with what he thought I could shape further before finishing the songs. Marcus joined us shortly after Mitchell.
Mitchell C. Colbert: I was drunk at a lake, I invited Jesper to join me, he invited me to join a band. I said yes. Later, when we were both sober, he clarified he was serious and wanted to be sure I was also serious. I confirmed, and I have been a member since.
Isak Asplund: Jesper and I have been playing in a previous band since like 2012. I’m his designated drummer now, so I had no choice but to join. Jokes aside, at first I think Jesper wrote those songs (that came to be Syndr) for fun by himself. But when he showed them to me I felt like it would be hella fun to make a band with this type of sound.
Marcus Helm Cindric: Syndr was founded by Jesper who had just written “Limbo” and had a bunch of other ideas and felt that he needed to do something with these songs in some sort of way! Without taking too much credit, I actually was the one who told him that he HAS to start a band with these songs before I was asked to be in the band lol. After he recruited Isak on drums and Mitchell on guitar they started planning and jamming before Jesper asked me if I wanted to play bass. At this point I was already a part of the band in a way where Jesper showed me the songs and asked what I thought about them and what I would do differently, if anything. With those great songs and great people, I couldn’t resist joining Syndr!
Victoria-Maria Pripon: Would you like to say a few words to your fans and to those who have been following you since the beginnings of Syndr?
Jesper Boström: Thank you for tagging along and supporting us. We’ve felt the warmth of all the love we’ve received and hope to see you in one of our shows sometime. Maybe grab a beer or two.
Mitchell C. Colbert: A few words!
Isak Asplund: I am truly grateful to each and everyone who has interacted with our music in one way or another! And come see us live if you haven’t already, watching Mitchell on stage is the best thing ever.
Marcus Helm Cindric: Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving us your time and attention.
I am grateful to the members of Syndr for their great answers. They are one of the underground Melodic Death Metal bands that deserve more attention. I am looking forward to the release of their debut album. I send to them my sincerest congratulations for everything they have accomplished until now, as well as for participating at Wacken Metal Battle Sweden 2025.
As a side note, the photographs featured in the article have been taken after by Felicia Persdotter.
The band’s singles can be found here. If you listen to them, you will understand why Syndr are one of the best groups on the Swedish extreme scene.
Victoria-Maria Pripon
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