Monika was not at all the voice originally intended for the band, but her talent could not be ignored. The style of the band changed quickly and automatically into a darker version of the progressive metal.
Only 3 months after Monika joined the fold, Sinphonia recorded a 5 track demo at Jacob Hansen Studios (Mercenary, Invocator, Ancient). With this demo in hand, it only took the band few months to find both a management and a record deal.
Thus, in the late summer of 2000 the band issued their debut "When the tide breaks" through Italian label Lucretia Records (Angra, Time Machine, and more). Consisting of the 5 tracks from the demo and 3 new recordings with new keyboard player Peter Jensen, the album received very positive feedback from the media. Following the release the band played a number of shows in Denmark.
In between shows Sinphonia continued working hard on new material to be able to quickly record the follow up album. The style continued getting darker, and the band started experimenting more with the setting of moods and atmospheres. In the same time, the lyrics started taking shape as an ongoing story, and the songs were constructed around this idea.
It was autumn 2001 when the band entered the studio to record "The Divine Disharmony", after resigning with Lucretia Records. This time one of the most well renowned studios of Denmark was chosen. Amongst other because of the number of famous Danish rock bands recording there, and because the studio is situated in the town where Sinphonia lived.
Unfortunately, this choice was the first line of a dark chapter in the life of Sinphonia. The producer showed to be very uninterested in the band, and the final product was not at all what the band had hoped for. Still, the band was nothing but happy with the music and ideas included in "The Divine Disharmony". Sinphonia had come a step closer to their own sound.
After a long period waiting for the mix to be done, the band could finally send the master to the label. Where after an even longer wait began. "The Divine Disharmony" was not released until 18 months after the recordings. In the meantime the bandmembers had become so fed up with wasted hope and numerous lies, that they decided to have a break of undefined length.
When "The Divine Disharmony" was released, it showed to be a very strong album. In spite of the weak production the album received many top reviews, as well as license deals for South America and Russia.
A lot of changes took place after the break. Monika, Thor and Dennis moved to the capitol of Denmark, Copenhagen, while Henrik moved as far as to Italy. The members all started with new band projects, as Dennis joined Evil Masquerade (Frontier Records) and Henrik formed Chaoswave (DVS Records). Monika did guest vocals for several bands, a.o. Mercenary (Century Media) and Manticora (Massacre Records).
Consequently, the band members all thought that Sinphonia was a finished chapter. But simultaneously a growing amount of fan mails were arriving and with the reviews that were given "The Divine Disharmony", the band slowly understood that the book might had been closed to quickly.
An internet chat in March 2004 between Henrik and Monika revealed that both had regained a strong will of adding new pages to story. Henrik thus composed a bit of new material to present to Thor and Dennis, and it didnt take long for them to be convinced that Sinphonia was still alive.
Due to the new geographical situation of the band, the way of writing obviously had to be reinvented. Discussions took place if it would be possible at all, but looking around and seeing many bigger bands having to deal with the same problem, it was agreed that this should and would not be an issue. Each member of Sinphonia has 12-15 years of experience, and they know very well the strengths and weaknesses of each other.
Composing, earlier a group concern, is now mainly done by Henrik Rangstrup. Songs are fully written and arranged on computer, and sent for feedback to the different band members. This is also the way that the present cd has been created.
Henrik entered the studio in Italy in December 2004 to record guitars and keyboards together with session keyboardist Davide Cisci. Between Christmas and New Years Eve he then went to Denmark to assist with bass recordings and demoing the vocals, as well as having a rehearsal room listen to the drums that Dennis made. Drums and vocals weere recorded during January, and mixing was done in March.
In fact the "Silence" promo has been recorded without the band ever playing the songs together. Still, they all consider this by far the strongest material they ever made. The songwriting is now much more focused on creating good and memorable songs, without loosing the dark atmosphere and the technical, aggressive riffing.
2007: Sinphonia has yet not found the right record label for their next album. The band is neither split neither active. Just waiting for the right moment and chance to continue. In these days Monika is very busy as the singer for Norwegian SIRENIA, Henrik is more than occupied with Italian CHAOSWAVE, and Dennis is spending his time for Danish THE DOWNWARD CANDIDATE and Swedish/Danish EVIL MASQUERADE.
In November 2007 Monika Pedersen (Ex-Sirenia) reactivated Sinphonia. Ex-Sirenia singer Monika Pedersen, Hatesphere drummer Dennis Buhl and Chaoswave guitarist Henrik Rangstrup are the backbone of the dark melodic metal band Sinphonia.
The Essence of Desire
Sinphonia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through memory She will gain divinty, and by dreams, desires and wishes She
will rulr. Let her become the stage and the drama upon which the entire
spirit world will gaze.
[SHE:]
I leave my body behind
All life disappears for my eyes
Spirits reappear for my soul
Perception, memory and I
Reborn elements in this spirit world
And I feel the formless change
Their fragments swirl in the light of the self
In my brightness, their souls I shape
I dream, desire and wish a newborn world
[Chorus:]
Within my red divine
They imbue me for a while
Within my red divine
I imbue them for a while
I mesmorize their minds, hypnotize as I shine
Reality follows me, as I feel
Countless souls without memory
Timeless and senseless
I seek out essence for my desire
Revealing time and memory
I force their feelings in me
I reflect all, I am infinity
And I feel the formless change
Their fragments swirl in the light of the self
In my brightness, their souls I shape
I dream, desire and wish a newborn world
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Sinphonia's song The Essence of Desire depict a scene of a deity or a goddess being called upon by other gods to spread her will into the shapeless dimension. She is supposed to gain divinity through memory and rule the world of spirits using dreams, desires, and wishes. The goddess leaves her body behind and dissolves into the new stream, witnessing the disappearance of all life while spirits reappear for her soul. She perceives memory and is reborn as elements in the spirit world.
As the goddess feels the formless change, she shapes the souls of countless others who lack memory and are timeless and senseless. She seeks out essence for her desire, revealing time and memory and forcing their essence into her. She reflects all and becomes infinity as she dreams, desires, and wishes a newborn world. The chorus repeats the lines, "Within my red divine, they imbue me for a while. Within my red divine, I imbue them for a while. I mesmerize their minds, hypnotize as I shine. Reality follows me, as I feel," as if signifying the cycle of destruction and creation that the goddess undergoes as she imbues others and they imbue her.
Overall, the song depicts the cyclical nature of existence and the transformation of souls in the spirit world.
Line by Line Meaning
It is time for her to spread her will into the shapeless dimension.
The time has come for her to exert her power over the formless realm.
Through memory She will gain divinty, and by dreams, desires and wishes She will rule.
By delving into her own memories and using her dreams, desires, and wishes, she will become divine and gain rule over others.
Let her become the stage and the drama upon which the entire spirit world will gaze.
May she be the center of attention and the source of entertainment for all spirits in the realm.
I leave my body behind
I abandon my physical form.
And dissolve into the new stream
And merge with a new current of energy.
All life disappears for my eyes
All physical existence fades from my sight.
Spirits reappear for my soul
Spirits and other non-physical beings become visible to my soul.
Perception, memory and I
My own perception and memory merge with my being.
Reborn elements in this spirit world
I am reborn as a new entity in this realm of spirits.
And I feel the formless change
I sense the shapeless nature of the realm constantly shifting.
Their fragments swirl in the light of the self
The fragments of other spirits dance and spin around my own essence.
In my brightness, their souls I shape
Using my own essence, I have the power to mold and shape the souls of other spirits.
I dream, desire and wish a newborn world
My own dreams, desires, and wishes will be the driving force behind the creation of a new world.
Within my red divine
Within my own essence, which is symbolized by the color red.
They imbue me for a while
Other spirits infuse me with their power for a temporary period of time.
I imbue them for a while
In turn, I am able to infuse other spirits with my own energy.
I mesmorize their minds, hypnotize as I shine
Using my own power, I am able to entrance and mesmerize the minds of other spirits.
Reality follows me, as I feel
The world around me is shaped by my own feelings and desires.
Countless souls without memory
There are countless spirits in this realm who have no memory of their past.
Timeless and senseless
These spirits are without a sense of time or purpose.
I seek out essence for my desire
I search for the core essence of these spirits in order to fulfill my own desires.
Revealing time and memory
As I uncover these spirits' essence, I am also able to reveal their past memories.
I force their feelings in me
I am able to manipulate and control the emotions of other spirits for my own gain.
I reflect all, I am infinity
I am able to reflect and embody all aspects of the spiritual realm, making me infinite in my power.
Chorus: Within my red divine, They imbue me for a while, Within my red divine, I imbue them for a while, I mesmorize their minds, hypnotize as I shine, Reality follows me, as I feel
The chorus serves as a summary of the power dynamics between the singer and other spirits, as well as the singer's control over the spiritual realm.
Contributed by Alexander T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nilo Fernando
Muito bom esse álbum, bem trabalhado também..
Nilo Fernando
@K9, Angry Panda Pois é, eu tinha esse álbum. Muito bom..
K9, Angry Panda
Sim, compartilho da mesma opinião. Me entristece as pessoas que veem aqui apenas comparar com os trabalhos anteriores da vocalista sem levar em conta que esse é um projeto mais "progressivo" e "matemático" deixando de apreciar essa obra magnífica por causa de conceitos ultrapassados.
Maurício Tattoo Hall
Eu tinha e perdi, faz tempo que procuro. Valeu!