Very happy to interview guitar virtuoso Sonia Anubis. Sonia plays guitar in 2 bands. COBRA SPELL and CRYPTA. From the Netherlands she picked up the bass guitar at 14 years of age and switched to guitar and taught herself how to play. Sonia is very active on social media and her Patreon Page. She gives virtual guitar lessons and the ultimate shredder!!
Hi Sonia. Thank you for doing a interview with me. You must be one of the busiest metal musicians there is being in 2 bands Crypta and Cobra Spell and you have your youtube channel and patreon page. But you must love it?
Music is my biggest passion, and I fully commit to it! It truly is my life, I like to keep myself busy with the bands and anything related to music indeed! It can be overwhelming sometimes, but at the end it what I most love.
You started out playing bass as a teenager and switched to guitar. What made you want to play guitar instead of bass?
Bass always will have a special place in my heart. But when I heart Marty Friedman’s solos on Megadeth’s ‘Rust in Peace’ I was sold. I had to learn the guitar!
Kiss was one of your first influences. What was it about Kiss that you loved so much?
The things that I love most about KISS are the energy they transmit from the stage and through their rocknroll, the badass outfits and their “magic”.
What are some other bands or guitarists that influenced you in your early stages of music?
My early influences are Marty Friedman, Blackie Lawless, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Vinnie Vincent5.
As I mentioned you have a patreon page. What kind of benefits are you offering on their? How has it been going for you?
Depending on the package my Patreons choose there is a great amount of perks that come along when joining. Such as signed posters, picks, early access to any of my activities, free downloads of all my released music, exclusive Patreon only material & a lot more! Patreon has been extremely helpful for me! It allows me to fully commit to my musical career and full filling my musical dream. I am thankful for all members and their wonderful loyalty! https://www.patreon.com/soniaanubis
Crypta released their debut album this past summer. But you haven’t been able to tour in support of it yet because of Covid? You have dates planned next year. How excited are you to get back to playing live shows and playing this album live finally?
We are indeed being cautious with the covid situation. We want it to be safe before travelling and touring. We are super excited to finally next year tour around the world in support of ‘Echoes of the Soul’, it is going to be a blast! Playing the songs on a live setting and in front of an audience will be magical for us.
Cobra Spell released their EP last year. Did the band ever get to tour in support of that?
Unfortunately not, due to basically the same reason; covid. But great news, next week we will be playing our very first show and it’s a sold out one!
Are you currently working on any new music with either band or are you just waiting to be able to tour and play live shows again?
I am currently indeed writing a lot of music for both of my bands and also for myself! Who knows if any new music comes in the near future!
You are very visible on your social media pages. How important do you think it is to be active like you are?
I do think that being active on social media is very helpful these days to promote yourself or your band and to get out there. Certainly in the situation we are living in these days with the global pandemic. It’s the only way to reach the fans. Aside of that, I love to interect with people with the same musical passion around the world, and social media allows this!
What are some current guitarists or bands that you admire?
I got many artists and bands that I am hooked on these days, but most of them are very oldschool. I have on repeat here RATT, Perturbator, Chaka Khan, Marty Friedmans solo work and much more.
Your a amazing guitarist. Do you think you will ever put out a solo instrumental album?
I would love to release a solo album. Who knows what the future brings!
You like to play covers on your youtube channel of classic songs. How much fun do you have doing that?
A LOT! I love playing music that inspires me, and I learn a lot from it too. It feels like I can be part of the band somehow, or imagine it at least.
Have you still been able to keep giving guitar lessons? Are you doing it virtually?
I do! A lot of them even. All of then are through Skype, so virtually indeed. I teach all levels from starter to advanced, so if you would like to learn the guitar feel free to send me an e-mail: info@soniaanubis.com
What is your warm up routine before a live show?
My warm up consists of a few exercises for alternate picking, legato and sweeping. Strictly with metronome!
The majority of females in metal bands are vocalists but it has been changing a lot in the last few years. What advice would you give to younger females wanting to get into the guitar or bass?
Don’t get discouraged by negative feedback from random people, fuel your playing by passion and play because YOU want to! Follow your intuition and work towards your dream.
Thank you for your time. I wish you all the best and hope to see you and one or both of your bands in North America soon.
Thanks for having me! Stay wild and shreddy!
All photos courtesy of Sonia Anubis.
***Interview by Blake Mossey***