Sivan

Exploding on the music scene like an atom bomb in a three-piece suit, Sivan has been impressing audiences with their aggressive, adrenaline induced live shows. The moment they step onto the stage it’s a non-stop riot, and they’re taking the crowd along with them for a long hard ride into post-hardcore bliss. With no signs of mercy, the show is packed with swinging guitars, scuffling, and the occasional breaking of instruments. Luckily for us, leaving the stage with cuts, bruises, and chipped teeth is all in a days work for Sivan.

Forming in 1999, with the original line-up consisting of Chris Badger, Ryan Johnson and Greg Achord, it was only merely a work in progress. Chris left the band in 2001 to pursue other projects. With his absence, Sivan stumbled upon Joshua Castillo to take over the guitar duties. With their influences ranging from Swedish hardcore and electronic music, it seemed to be the perfect blend for the band. After hearing the demos they had been churning out, Chris rejoined the band to play bass, leaving the vocal duties to Joshua. With their new line-up and fresh sound, Sivan were ready to step things up and begin doing live shows locally, which have been repeatedly described as “intense”. After months of shows, and creating a tremendous buzz, they embarked on two U.S. tours across the Gulf Coast gaining them air-play in Florida as well as various University radio stations. After the tour was said and done, Sivan took the opportunity to sign with Set X Records in 2004, giving them the chance to record their first full length cd entitled, “The State of The Art”. The cd itself is as captivating as the live shows. The energy and aggression; the blood and sweat; are all neatly packaged into this disk. The only chance to catch your breath on this are with the swirling synthesizer interludes. Expect the unexpected from this Texas four piece of post-punk hardcore perfection. There are no limits or formulas to follow with Sivan, which makes this cd so entertaining. Just when you think the track “Overthrowing the ANTI-City” is about to burst into a mind splitting guitar solo, the synth takes over and carries you back into the anthemic chorus. TSOTA is a perfect mix of melodic post punk and electronic. Sivan are without a doubt, a band on the rise to watch out for. With lyrics like”Here we are/Between the walls/We’ve come to march/And overthrow”, it’s evident that there isn’t gonna be any stopping these guys.

-Jeff White