SÖNUS

“Heaviness for its own sake can be exhausting – it needs dynamics to breathe.”

“Authenticity means writing and performing something from the heart – imperfections and all.”

“We didn’t use a click track. If the songs are in time, that’s a credit to us as a band.”

“I’m more open and vulnerable on this album than I’ve ever been.”

“Homage becomes dependency the moment it turns into pure imitation.”

“We’re in the middle of a rock renaissance – it’s just happening underground.”

“My mind was too disordered to create order. I had to open up before the songs could.”

“Without risk, what’s the point of creating?”

“I think immediacy culture is antithetical to good music and art in general.”

“I’m not writing for everyone. I’m writing for me – and it has to stimulate me first.”

“Three men against the world – now here’s my middle finger and a ripping rock and roll guitar solo.”

With ‘Planes of Torment‘, SÖNUS deliver an album that refuses to treat heaviness as mere texture.
Instead, it breathes, expands, and contracts -balancing grit, mysticism, vulnerability, and unfiltered rock ’n’ roll defiance.
In this in-depth conversation, David Wachsman (SÖNUS) speaks with Fok ‘bs‘ about authenticity beyond marketing buzzwords, live studio energy without click tracks, resilience in the underground, and why ambition still matters in a culture obsessed with immediacy.
Stoner rock often romanticizes heaviness as atmosphere rather than consequence.
On ‘Planes of Torment‘, are you portraying torment – or aestheticizing it?
“I personally feel like heaviness for its own sake can be pretty wearing for 45 minutes on an LP. Our approach harkens back to those heavy rock albums of the 70s where you get the big loud riffs as well as more dynamic change ups. I think it makes the music more interesting that way, personally. Every song on this album came from a very dark period of my life and this is how I processed a lot of those feelings. That doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom the whole way through though – sometimes you need get funky to get yourself out of a funk.”
You recorded the album live in the studio, which implies authenticity, but authenticity has become a marketing term in modern rock.
What does it actually mean to you beyond the slogan?
“I think authenticity means that an artist is writing and performing something from the heart. That’s why I chose this approach – I love the sound of albums recorded live in the studio – I love that fly on a wall feeling while listening to an album, and I love those imperfections and the energy it brings. We didn’t even use a click track, if the songs are in time, it’s a credit to us as a band (and thankfully they all are). I think time align and autotune has made Rock music in particular too stale, so this is my approach to making an album that excites me – and after recording the first two EPs on my own, layering tracks to a click in my room, I’m sold that I greatly prefer this way of doing things.”
David, as the central creative force, is SÖNUS ultimately a collective – or a vehicle for a singular vision?
“It began with just me trying and recording in my room (with a cardboard box vocal booth I ‘constructed’, if you could even call it that). With Colin and Dave joining shortly after I began putting a band together (and a slew of other guitarists that have come and gone before our recent decision to remain a 3-piece), both have always been very respectful and supportive of the songs I’ve brought and the fact that, yeah, it pretty much is a singular vision – but one where we’re all aligned and every suggestion is tried, respected, and often implemented in the writing process. I always let them know how grateful I am to have them. I’d still be one guy in my room without them and I wouldn’t be able to do the cool things we’ve done together.”
The album moves between myth, ritual, and cosmic symbolism.
Are these metaphors shielding personal vulnerability, or are they amplifying it?
“I’ve always been a fan of that rock n’ roll mystique. I think it’s lyrically boring to just spell it out, especially if the lyrics are informed by the music – which is how I always write. Imagine that incredible flute solo in ‘Scorpio’ and then I come back and sing ‘I’m really depressed because of a break up!’ That would be so boring. That being said, I’ve usually written about the world or politics through a much-more-fun metaphorical veil, but I’ve never really written much about myself – I’m more open and vulnerable on this album than I’ve ever been.”
Bands influenced by Zeppelin and Sabbath often struggle to escape their gravitational pull.
At what point does homage become creative dependency?
“I think that comes at the point of pure imitation. And I don’t believe we’ve ever reached that point. I think this album really spanned all of my favorite influences, but it sounds like Sönus. That being said, the foundations that made me musically are those two bands more than any others – that’s what I grew up on, and those bands mean so much to me (and countless millions of other people).”
‘Sisyphus Stomp‘ suggests repetition and futility.
Do you ever fear that heavy rock itself is stuck in its own mythic loop?
“It definitely can be – especially given how little attention all these really incredible bands in this scene are given by the mainstream. There are bands that are writing some absolute gems that live completely underground. This keeps the big rock legends of the old guard at the forefront and in rotation on corporate radio while ignoring all of the great bands that have come around for the past 20 years or so – only a few have managed to break through. I we’re in the midst of a rock renaissance that has gone largely unheralded outside of it’s own (thankfully very passionate and supportive) underground scene.”
Three years in the making – was that refinement, hesitation, or transformation?
“It had to do with several key factors: Getting a stable enough lineup (outside the 3 of us, we had a revolving door of guitarists for a bit until Mike Gorman stayed with us for 2 years and left very amicably after the completion of recording). During that time I was in a dark place and literally couldn’t write. Every line I managed to squeeze out of my brain just felt meaningless and the words just wouldn’t come to me. The riffs did, but structuring them into a song felt like a chore – my own mind was just too disordered to be able to create any order. As I began to process the breakup and other things that happened in therapy, it became a little easier to open up – I couldn’t just write an album of epic fantasy stories to distract myself (I certainly tried), it just didn’t feel inspired – I had to open up, and process everything – it took a lot of time to unpack.”
Your music balances grandiosity with grit.
Do you see ambition as necessary in modern rock, or is it a risk in an era that rewards immediacy?
“I think without risk, what’s the point of creating? We’re definitely not in this for the money (what money?). My ultimate goal is to make music I love, that makes me proud to say we made it. Music that I want to listen to and that I forget it’s us playing it as I’m listening to it. I think the true reward is in creation. Whether it’s a song like ‘Pagan Woman’ which just came out of my brain sounding like it could be on classic rock radio, or something like ‘Scorpio’ where I play a 3 minute guitar solo after a flute solo and the whole thing is nearly 10 minutes long, but it somehow never feels like it is. I think that immediacy culture is antithetical to good music and art in general. I think that the people who want something deeper and more challenging will find it and even if they don’t – it’s there until a nuclear war or a solar flare or something wipes out civilization and all technology.”
The record feels cinematic and tightly structured.
Did you consciously reject the streaming-era mentality of disposable singles?
“First of all, thank you! Secondly we do have two singles from the album, and I think we could probably release 4 given the strength of the tracks – I love a well written and well structured song as much as anyone – but those songs definitely all have a lot of meaning to me and every single one was created with passion, even our cover of The Cult’s ‘Phoenix’. Which was our first cover and chosen because it fit the themes of the album and I thought we’d do a killer version of it – I think we succeeded. I really think music is atmosphere and I write to create an atmosphere and a mental picture – that kind of writing is what I think differentiates rock music from all other genres. Our stories are a lot more epic in scope, and that all comes from the music itself. Some songs are meant to be 5 minutes and some just have to be 10 and I love writing both equally – it’s all organic, and never forced. It also helps to be in a scene that absolutely worships an album like Sleep’s ‘Dopesmoker’ which is one song for an entire album.”
There’s talk of resilience and rebirth surrounding this album.
Is resilience something you earned – or something rock culture likes to narrate onto artists?
“I think rock and metal music itself gives people resilience – it certainly is what I turn to when I need to feel empowered. I think that’s one of the gifts that this kind of music can give. That defiant spirit. That’s what ‘Sisyphus Stomp’ really is – everyday is a miserable struggle, now here’s my middle finger and a ripping rock and roll guitar solo. Having played with and gotten to know so many great bands in the California Bay Area rock scene, I know that resilience is just part of living the rock n roll lifestyle – and I’m not talking about drugs and groupies, I’m talking about loading up your gear to drive 2 hours in traffic, drive around looking for a nearby parking spot, unload and carry all this heavy gear to the venue, set up, sound check, tear down, rock out to the other bands, set up again, rock out, pack up, and drive home to sleep at 4am. Add to that the very common band lineup instability, and all of the other things that can happen in a bar or on the road and yeah, it definitely takes a lot of resilience and a lot of love to live this live. And with success enough to quit your day job seemingly further and further out of reach with every new tech bro press release, it truly is a (Sisyphean) labor of love to play rock and roll. And strangely enough, I love it! We all do!”
In a heavy scene that often prioritizes volume over nuance, how important is intellectual depth to SÖNUS?
“I’ve always been the type of person to read the lyrics while listening to the song. I’m a big reader and always have been, and I’ve always loved hearing literary references in songs. The poetic and visual nature of a lot of early heavy metal lyrics has always appealed to me and sometimes I just lay in my bed and listen, and dream up the pictures the lyrics conjured as if I were reading a book. I definitely agonize over the lyrics more than anything else – knowing full well that most people never even glance at a lyric sheet or even think about them outside a memorable chorus – but I’m not writing for them, I’m writing for me, and if I’m not stimulated by my lyrics, I’m going to work on them until I am. To me, the lyrics are just as important as every other aspect. They have to say something, they have to have meaning to me while also, hopefully, being able to mean something to complete strangers, they have to be able to project an image into the listener’s mind, and they have to feel integral to the music itself.”
You are entering competitive spaces like Wacken Metal Battle.
Does competition align with your artistic philosophy – or contradict it?
“I will say, I’m not a very competitive person, but I am confident in my band and our music, and the energy we bring to the stage and project from it. We’re a fun band to see live, and we definitely believe in putting on an entertaining show. Ultimately though, just the idea of being able to play Wacken fest with its statues and shrines to Lemmy, amidst the throngs of heavy music lovers just sounded like way too cool of an opportunity to at least give it a try – especially for an unsigned band in the underground. You never know unless you go for it, that’s definitely proven true over the course of the existence of Sönus.”
If SÖNUS had to confront its own limitations today, what would be the uncomfortable truth?
“We’re 3 men against the world with no label to support us, and limited (though ever-increasing) experience with promoting ourselves. We need jobs to survive and support our families in the most expensive area to live in the entire United States, yet we need to be able to regularly take time away from those jobs to truly be able to dive into touring, and we live in a country where good healthcare is only for those with a certain tier of job and we get 2 weeks a year of vacation, which I generally spend seeing my family who live in another state… and to that I say: now here’s my middle finger and a ripping rock and roll guitar solo!”
For David Wachsman, SÖNUS is neither nostalgia nor imitation – it is conviction forged in instability, vulnerability, and relentless work ethic.
Recorded live, structured with cinematic ambition, and driven by a refusal to dilute intensity for algorithms, ‘Planes of Torment‘ stands as both personal exorcism and collective statement.
In speaking with Fok ‘bs‘, Wachsman makes one thing clear:
rock music is not meant to be convenient.
It is meant to challenge, to endure, and above all, to live.
by Fok ‘bs‘