Slyde return to Cornwall with a new EP

Article and Photo by Jason Setnyk

Cornwall Ontario – Local music fans will be delighted to learn that the band Slyde have reunited, and that Nathan Da Silva will be returning to Cornwall for a concert as a part of an upcoming tour.

This time last summer Cornwall-born singer and guitarist Nathan Da Silva was in the band Le Group Swing (LGS) opening up for Kayne West, Pitbull, and Serena Ryder at the PanAm Games which was broadcasted on CBC.

“The PanAm gig was certainly memorable. I thank LGS for giving me the opportunity to rock in front of over 50,000 people. Even though it was only for 4 minutes. I think the moment I most vividly remember is being ushered by the crew from backstage to side stage to our cued position, and just seeing the SkyDome completely packed with people, (all the seats full and all the people in the field), going nuts and dancing and cheering. It was something special for sure,” Nathan Da Silva reminisced.

Now the band Slyde has reunited after a two year hiatus and they will be returning to Nathan Da Silva’s hometown as a part of a tour. Slyde is Nathan Da Silva (lead vocals, guitar), Sarah Westbrook (keyboards, samples), Alberto Campuzano (bass guitar, vocals), and Brendan Soares (drums, vocals).

“In 2014, our long time bassist Nicholas Favretto made the decision to quit the band, and it was a bit of a blow to us. We weren’t sure what to do, so we decided to take a break. We weren’t calling it quits, as I kind of always knew that we would start Slyde up again at some point. It just gave the rest of us the opportunity to become more involved with other side projects and doing sideman gigs.

I collaborated with Eric Disero and we wrote some tunes. I also performed a lot with LGS (Le Groupe Swing) over the last little while. Brendan played and toured with a number of different bands such as Teenage Kicks, Lowell, WarMachine, HolySexyBastards, Reuben, and The Dark among others. Sarah continued her classical piano studies and put on some beautiful piano recitals in Toronto. After finishing production on the pop tunes with Disero, I figured I may as well start another Slyde album, but this time, take up the engineering and production duties.

Around this time, I met our “new guy” (bassist Alberto Campuzano) when he and Brendan were playing a WarMachine gig, and luckily for us, Al was a fan of Slyde, and the lineup is once again complete. With the album currently in post-production, it was the perfect time for us to get the ball rolling again,” said Nathan Da Silva.

Getting the ball rolling is exactly what Slyde did. The progressive metal band from Toronto will be playing a show in Cornwall Ontario on Saturday, August 6th, 2016 at La Maison Tavern as a part of a tour. Beyond the Void will be opening that concert.

“I think it will be very exciting for our loyal Cornwall fans because, we will be playing two sets, which means a lot of old stuff, but a lot of new material they’ve never heard before. We’ll also have a new lineup, with Alberto now on bass. Cornwall is one of our favourite places to play. With Brendan and me being Cornwall natives, we have a lot of family and good friends rocking out with us, and, of course, Cornwall knows how to party!” exclaimed Nathan Da Silva.

In addition to touring, the band has a new album. Fans will be able to purchase Slyde’s new EP entitled “Back Again”. Earlier this month Slyde debuted their single off that album entitled “Fading” on Bandcamp and Youtube.

“Back Again” is our first release in 4 years, and is certainly more aggressive than our previous material. I think our fans that are looking for something heavier will really enjoy what this new record has to offer. It’s still classic Slyde though: heavy riffs, catchy hooks, and tasty solos. The online response for “Fading” has been all positive, thankfully. We’re really happy with how our first single turned out. It’s a fitting return for us. A lot of my “Eurometal” influences can be heard on this track. We want our fans to absorb the accompanying artwork of “Fading”, along with the lyrics and try to figure out what it’s all about,” said Nathan Da Silva with a grin.

Slyde’s “Fading” delivers their usual high caliber craftsmanship – marked by melodic and high energy aural assaults – and the band’s following will celebrate the darker and more vicious side they showcase on this track. Since Slyde’s 2009 inception, elements of European metal, Japanese video game music, and Western alt-grunge rock inspire each song, all while retaining a pop sensibility.

What’s next for Slyde? The band hopes to increase it’s digital presence with more video release, and to be heard more internationally.

“Slyde’s got a lot planned for the next year and a half. We plan to build and improve our online presence, with single releases (“Fading” being the first of 9) once every 2 months, all with music videos to be released; we will be reaching out to some European contacts to start promotional campaigns; “Back Again” is the first of two EPs (with the 2nd EP coming out next year). Ultimately, we want to reach out to international markets and get our music heard overseas – I strongly believe that Slyde can find success internationally. We will certainly continue to play Eastern Canada periodically,” Nathan Da Silva informed us.

With over 150 shows under their belts and 4 previous albums, Slyde is determined to make their mark in the world of progressive metal. From August 3rd to August 6th 2016, they are doing a limited run of shows in Ontario to support their new EP. Visit their website for more information.