Introduction
Simbulis the trio based in Derby blend heavy with ambient elements to create quite the effect! Delving deep into nu-metal and metalcore for inspiration means that fans of both genres should adore their sound. See for yourself give the songs within the interview a listen! I think once these guys get some momentum going they will be impossible to stop.
For Fans Of – Linkin Park / Slipknot /Deftones
Interview
What was it like making your first music video for the single Aura?
Anoki(Vocals): It was sick! We were kinda doing it on a budget, so we went to a rehearsal space we knew of and just got my brother (Dalano) and his camera guy (Louie) to come up from London, it was like a favour for a favour thing.
It was a long day but we just had fun with it. I’m just happy I managed to bring in the energy, learnt a lot as well, things for the next video.
Rob (Drums):It was really fun. I’d only been part of the band for a month or 2, so it was the first proper thing we did together. It was a great chance to really hang out and get to know each other better. Dalano and Louie did such a great job on it.. I couldn’t wait for it to come out.
How did you come with the name for the band?
George (Guitars): The name ‘Simbulis’ is derived from the name of an exoplanet that was discovered named ‘M51-ULS-1B’. We thought it was cool so we made an anagram out of that name to make the word ‘Simbulis’.
What’s the music scene in Derby like?
Anoki(Vocals): I come from Cornwall where it was really hard for me to find anyone interested in music, so the Derby scene is sick. I want to help push the Derby scene really, the ambitions I have for the band, I want us to be synonymous with the city.
George(Guitars): The music scene in Derby is on the up, there are many passionate people throughout Derby who work tirelessly to continue keeping venues such as ‘The Hairy Dog’, ‘Dubrek Studios’ and ‘The Vic Inn’ going, just to name a few. And that’s just for the heavier/more alternative music scene.
Rob(Drums): The Derby music scene is pretty diverse for its size. It’s got a real DIY vibe, with a lot of smaller venues where everyone knows each other. There’s a good mix of styles, so you’ll always find something you like.
Have any of you been any other bands, if so what bands and how is Simbulis different?
Anoki (Vocals): Simbulis is different because I started this project knowing that this is what I needed to do in life. There’s no real like… Complacency with this band. We’re always looking to progress and we’ve got big ambitions. We always want to move forwards. I’d say it’s the main purpose of my life actually, so there’s that.
George (Guitars):I was in a band previously called ‘A Dying Pride’, we had a blast, and it was an experience I’ll never forget, I did many things wrong, wrote some questionable music, but its was an experience nonetheless, one I am currently learning from every day and taking lessons from to shape the success of Simbulis.
Rob(Drums):I’ve played in quite a number bands over the last 20 years, and while each has been enjoyable, this is the first time I’ve been part of a group where everyone shares a very similar taste in music and a unified vision for our direction. We also click well on a personal level which enhances our creative chemistry and makes the process even more enjoyable.
You have your first live show in January, can you give us a little bit more information about this?
George (Guitars): Our first live show (11.01.25 Dubrek Studios, Derby) will be a monumental moment for us, a lot of work is going into it and it’s our very first live performance, it is of paramount importance that we create an event and put on a show that people remember. Those who witness it will see, we are worth taking notice of, this is just the beginning for us.
Anoki (Vocals): This is huge! Simbulis has been a thing for longer than we like to let on we’ve been dying for a show for what feels like forever. We’re going to do our best to sell out! Putting it on ourselves is a really big undertaking as we’re relatively unknown, but it will be a special occasion for us to be honest.
Is there any EP or album on the near horizon?
George (Guitars): There is an EP on the way, that will be released as a full project in 2025, expect a few more singles first over the next 6-7 months, we can assure you it is worth the wait, this EP is going to be very special for us.
What’s more important, people coming to your shows, or people streaming your music?
Rob(Drums): That’s a tough one. Streaming gets the music out there, but live shows are where the connection happens. You can feel the energy, see people reacting in real time—that’s irreplaceable. So, I’d have to say live shows, though both are important for different reasons.
George(Guitars): That is a very tough question, I am particularly biased as live shows are everything to me, live shows made me want to start a band, live shows are the reason I am still doing this, they connect to a part of me that no other aspect of life can, if I can instil that feeling into someone else through one of our live shows then that’s it, that’s all I need.
People streaming your music is cool, of course, and in this day age, stream counts are almost like currency for bands, however you feel about that, it doesn’t matter, that’s the world now, and it’ll change again, but you can never take away that fan to band connection at a live show, nothing but you and the music, that’s what I love.
If someone approached me at my show to tell me a song moved them, that song could have 10 streams or 1 million streams, in that moment I couldn’t care less.
A slight follow on from the previous question, what’s your opinion on the streaming culture? It used to all be about album sales, but now it’s about how many streams something gets we would love to know your thoughts on that.
Rob(Drums): Streaming is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s made music more accessible than ever, but on the other, it’s diluted the value of music. We’re in a culture where attention spans are short, and a song’s worth is measured in numbers, not its impact. That said, it’s the world we live in, and we’re finding ways to make it work for us while still staying true to our art.
George(Guitars): Yeah, kind of a carry on from my last answer too, I believe it’s just the ever changing ways of the music industry, no matter our opinion on it, it’s happening.
The world is digital now, people have the means and want to get things instantly, for music to thrive and be a dominant entertainment, it has to adapt and cater to that, we as artists also have to in the same way, we have to ask ourselves, how is the market receiving their music?
How do we put ourselves there too to be heard? I can’t sit and cry in my room with a Simbulis CD, I’ve got to figure out how to make our music more accessible and readily available in such a demanding world, there’s always a way.
If you could describe Simbulis in a single sentence, what would it be?
Anoki(Vocals): Simbulis is energy.
George(Guitars): The band you wished you saw when they were starting out.
Rob(Drums): Probably won’t be your Nan’s cup of tea, unless you’ve got a cool nan of course.
What’s your song creation process like? Do you start with the music or the lyrics?
Anoki(Vocals): Always start with the music, that’s just the way it is! I used to have loads of lyrics in a book, like books on books of scrap lyrics that I’d sometimes fit into a song, but I don’t really do that anymore. I write to become part of the song now, not taped over it.
George(Guitars): Our song creation usually begins with me creating a demo from an idea. I work over the structure with Anoki and iron out any minor changes, then it gets sent to Rob who works his magic and elevates the track to a new level, we then finalise details and send it to Anoki.
I do love the idea of creating a track from freestyle ideas we come up with in a room together though, so you may hear a lot more tracks written that way in the future.
What’s something you love about the music industry?
George(Guitars): I’d say, the thing I love about the music industry is the live aspect, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is nothing like live music for me, get me playing shows all year round, please.
Anoki(Vocals): The freedom. I try everything I can in life to not be submissive and not be put under surveillance. And the music industry represents freedom to me, that’s what I love about it. Whether it’s true or not I’m yet to fully find out, but at least I’m able to freely express myself through music.
Rob(Drums): One of the best things about the music industry is its ability to bring people together. Regardless of background, music creates a shared experience that can inspire movements, foster connections, and provide a sense of community.
What’s something you hate about the music industry?
George (Guitars): I don’t know if I “hate” anything, but I dislike negativity and gatekeeping, let people enjoy what they enjoy.
Anoki(Vocals): The gatekeeping I think, but not the way George meant. If a band is slightly above you popularity wise it’s really hard for them to look your way sometimes.
It’s something I’m going to remember going forwards, like, if I can see a passion and drive in an artist then I want to be the person that helps them, because we’ve never actually had any help and that’s something I always dreamed of.
I guess that ties into putting on our own show, no one’s out here looking to help push us in the right direction, so yeah I want to be the guy that I wished we’d met.
Rob(Drums): The music industry can be brutal with its focus on profit over artistry. It often prioritizes commercial viability over genuine talent, leading to a landscape where image sometimes outweighs substance. The pressure to conform can stifle creativity and push artists into a box.
You’re in a cage with a bear, how do you survive?
Rob(Drums): Well, I would definitely try to befriend the bear, maybe offer to share a load of blueberries together, but if the bear started to look at me as a potential food source, then I might try to distract him by teaching him the drums.
George(Guitars):Can I take a speaker in to show the bear Simbulis? If so I’ll take my chances with that and try win them over, if it works on a bear then I know we’ve got a good chance with humans!
Anoki(Vocals): I’d shout louder than the bear!
Who would you list as your biggest influences?
Rob(Drums): John Bonham, Ian Paice, John Otto, Joey Jordison, Matt Halpern and Mike Portnoy
Anoki(Vocals): Definitely a lot of late 90’s to 2000’s emerging bands like Deftones, Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine, Incubus… a lot of that Nu Metal type era stuff, but then like really new bands also inspire me.
I think a lot of people go really far backwards as if, like, twenty-to-thirty years is an acceptable amount of time for a band to be influential. I think any band has that right. Newer bands like Profiler, Being As An Ocean, and Invent Animate are all super influential to me.
George(Guitars): I love this question, finding out people’s influences is so cool to me. My first main influence was Green Day, they made me want to pick up a guitar and get on a stage, ‘Dookie’ changed my life, they will always be my favourite band for that.
My gateway to heavy music was Linkin Park, Korn and Limp Bizkit, by this point the whole world of heavier/alternative music was opening up to me. Right now, in terms of creating Simbulis songs, I’d say, Deftones, Sleep Token and Fightstar are my top 3.
If you could play any festival in the world, what would it be and why?
George(Guitars): Download Festival, hands down. 2011, Linkin Park headline set, I stood in the crowd and swore to myself I’d do anything I can to play this festival and feel what they’re feeling.
Rob(Drums): I’d love to play Wacken Open Air. It’s legendary in the metal scene, and performing for such a passionate crowd would be incredible. Plus, who wouldn’t want some good German beer while enjoying great music? It’s the perfect combo!
Anoki(Vocals): Download man.
We have noticed that some of your songs have names we don’t understand without googling them (Kundalini, Vihara) can you let us know why you picked those names for those tracks and educate us?
George(Guitars): Yeah we do have some ‘out there’ names for tracks, Anoki names our tracks mostly, but from conversations with him I just feel it’s because the creative outlet for this band doesn’t stop at the music, we want to be as creative and unique as possible, even down to the naming of our tracks, we like words that sound cool and make you think.
Anoki(Vocals): I wanted Kundalini to be like a meditative feeling when listening to it, I think the whole song really is meant to be an abstract way to describe Kundalini.
Vihara, I’m not going to lie, is just a cool word.
Radiation is a banger of an EP ! Can you go into a bit of background information on it? ?
George(Guitars): Thank you! ‘Radiation’ is a collection of singles we did at that time, I think for me it was me finding my feet writing for Simbulis. It’s a snapshot of me discovering what Simbulis could potentially sound like.
We’re always building foundations for the next ‘thing’, this is the first layer of the foundation, this was my first building block. Radiation will always be special to me because we showed ourselves we can create something unique, now it’s time to hone in on what Simbulis is all about, when you hear this new EP in 2025, you’ll see what I mean.
Anoki(Vocals): We just wanted to experiment with different sounds, I wanted to do something different vocally so we tried a lot of new things with that ep. I have more of an idea now of what sticks and what doesn’t.
Silhouette, which is the last track on there, changed the game for us a little bit mentally I think, it’s the best song we’d ever written. I think after that we kind of realised like “oh, we are actually musicians now” which was a nice feeling.
What non-rock song would you cover if you had to and why?
Anoki(Vocals):‘White Iverson’ by Post Malone, I’d kill that one!
George(Guitars): I’m going to go with ‘places to be’ by Fred Again, that song gets my hyped, the pacing of it would be fantastic for a Nu Metal ‘crossover’ with Pendulum style heavy track, the synth-y pads already sound like a guitar layer anyway.
There’s so many cool chops and breaks in there and that “adjusting my speed” section at the end, I’d run with that tempo automation and add a disgustingly slow breakdown at the end haha!
Rob(Drums): Spitfire by The Prodigy, I reckon it’d make a sick cover.
All rights to the songs in this interview are retained by Simbulis and this site claims no rights over them. The photos were provided by Simbulis and taken by George Ward.
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