I got the chance to talk to Vocalist Mylena and Guitarist Helena of Deathcore band SINAYA. The worlds first all female deathcore band. Founded in 2010 in São Paulo – Brazil. The band will be releasing their 2nd full length album in 2022.
L-R
Drums: Amanda Imamura
Vocals: Mylena Monaco
Guitar: Helena Nagagata
Bass: Amanda Melo
Thank you ladies for talking to me today. How proud are you to be a part of the first all female deathcore band in the world?
A: (Helena) We’re really excited! When we were in the process of writing our new album, we thought a lot about how we wanted to explore a more modern side of Sinaya. We were listening to a lot of deathcore bands at the time and we really fell in love with the idea of how our band could sound with this new influence.
Your next full length album will be released in 2022. Is it all recorded or is their still work to do on it? Any idea on when in 2022 it will be released?
A: (Helena) The album is 100% ready: drums, guitars and vocals were recorded in April and in September, after our bassist Amanda Melo joined the band, we went back in the studio so she could track her parts. Everything was recorded at Fusão Studio, and produced, mixed and mastered by Thiago Bianchi.
We still don’t have an official release date but we can’t wait to have the songs out there for everyone to hear!
You have played along side some great metal bands. What band is your favourite you have had the pleasure of playing with?
A: (Mylena) All of them. hahah But the one I was happiest with so far was sharing the stage to Primal Fear. It’s a band I’ve been listening to since I was 10. I also loved sharing the stage to Exodus, Suffocation, Amon Amarth and Abbath.
Helena, Who were/are your main influences for playing guitar ?
A: (Helena) I grew up listening to Dream Theater and other prog metal bands, so my main influence has to be John Petrucci. I also listen to a lot of solo stuff from amazing guitarists such as Andy James, Guthrie Govan, Jason Richardson. And obviously metal bands such as All That Remains, Avenged Sevenfold, Slipknot.
Are the bands songs a group effort or do members bring their own songs to the band?
A: (Helena) Each song on the album had a different writing process, but it’s mostly a group effort: someone comes up with a riff or a drum line and we try to write over it. They’ll send me some track ideas and I’ll record at home and send them back and vice versa, and some of the songs we wrote together when we were jamming in the same room.
Any plans yet to try to make it to North America to play?
A: (Mylena) Yes! We can’t wait to play in North America. We have some friends there.
Our crew is working hard to make it real in 2022 or 2023.
Over the years the presence of females in metal just keeps getting bigger and bigger. What female singers/musicians do you feel really inspired this growth of females in metal and all female metal bands in general?
A: (Mylena) Well, there are many. I grew up seeing girls get inspired by Doro Pesch, Cristina Scabbia, Simone Simons. Nowadays we also have more women inserted in extreme bands.
MYLENA: Did you take vocal lessons to be able to sing with such power and ferocity? You also give vocal lessons to others. How much do you enjoy teaching the extreme vocal style?
A: (Mylena) I’ve watched some vocal classes of Melissa Cross but the experience of being on stage taught me many things. I started to teach in 2017, and nowadays most of my students are girls, I think it’s awesome. I’ve been specialized in courses of Physiology of the Singing Voice. The important thing is to always keep improving.
HELENA: You have a BA in guitar and didn’t just learn playing metal but different style of music. How important is that for people to improve on their guitar playing? You attended a couple of guitar camps in NYC with many great guitarists involved including one of your idols John Petrucci of Dream Theater. How much of a thrill was it to learn some tips from someone you look up to?
A: (Helena) Those camps were definitely some of the best weeks of my life, not only to have the chance to learn directly from my all time guitar heroes but also for the friends you make when you attend such events. I even had the chance to play a Dream Theater medley with a couple of friends in front of John Petrucci the man himself, Mike Mangini, Jason Richardson and to have them be in the audience was definitely a highlight of my career.
Does the band have any touring plans in place as of yet?
A: (Mylena) Yes!! We are working on touring to the second half of 2022. We can’t wait to be on the stage and get back to the life we had before the pandemic.
Why is metal so big in Brazil?
A: (Mylena) Well, we have great bands in Brazil. Brazil does not have much support for music, sports and culture in general. Most of the time we don’t have appropriate payment for concerts, the local producers don’t have sponsors, it’s very expensive to travel in Brazil by airplane so most of the time we have to travel by car because they don’t pay for our air tickets…this kind of stuff. Brazilian bands fight a lot for space in the metal scene, so because of all this I believe we can show our dedication to music easily. Nothing is for money.
Before you got playing in a band yourself what is each of your favourite metal concert you have seen?
A: (Helena) Probably Dream Theater with their Distance Over Time tour or Avenged Sevenfold with either the Nightmare or Hail to the King tour.
If their is one moment, one song, one album that made you love metal what is it/was it?
A: (Helena) Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold was the first metal album that I really became obsessed with, at some point in time I even knew how to play all guitar parts in the songs hahah. So that album really had an impact in my life as a musician, not only for how raw and emotional it is after The Rev’s passing but also for how learning the songs really improved my playing exponentially.
What bands have you not toured with but would love to tour with if possible?
A: (Mylena) I’d love to touring with some Deathcore bands like Bleed from Within, Carnifex, Whitechapel, Thy art is Murder…also Spiritbox, Arch Enemy…It would be insane.
What are you hoping for with Sinaya in 2022?
A: (Helena) There are so many amazing things that we expect to happen in Sinaya world in 2022, but mostly releasing our new album and having the chance to tour and play both the new songs and old repertoire for our fans have to be what we’re most looking forward to.
Interview by Blake Mossey