Sympathy for Nothing

The band was formed in 2006 in Schwanenstadt/Upper Austria by Klaus Schobesberger, Thomas Putz, Christian Danninger, Martin Wagner and Christina Stur. Stur left the band in June 2008 because of personal problems. In October of the same year, Richard Thallinger was the new singer. In May 2008 the band won the International Live Award. Martin Wagner won the title as "Austria's Best Young Drummer" in the same year.[1] They released their first EP called Look at these eyes in 2008, too. Fans who travelled to the semi-finals of International Live Awards got that CD when they bought a special ticket of the festival.

In 2009 they reached the fifth place at Myvideo Musicstar.[2] The winner would get a recording contract at Starwatch Music (Monrose, Queensberry, Marquess) a label founded by ProSiebenSat.1 Media. In August 2009 they played at Frequency Festival with bands like Herbstrock, Kreisky and Petsch Moser at the Donauinselfest.[3] The band played concerts in front of 8,000 people.[4] They played concerts in Austria, Hungary and Italy. The band was support-act for the band End of Green in November 2009.

Their second EP called Living Shades was released in 2009 and includes four tracks including "Roads to Rome" and a music video of that song. The video won at MTV Rookie in March 2009.[5] The EP was sold at their homepage to fans in Austria and Germany.

In the end of February 2010, the band signed at Terrasound Records and they recorded their first album for the Vienna label.[6] They played concerts with Low Found Guilt, Remember To Breathe and Horse Skeleton.

In 2011 Klaus Schobesberger left Sympathy for Nothing. The debut album, A Taste of Light was released at the end of 2011.

The band's lyrics are written by Thallinger. They deal with personal experiences of all band members and are most times socially critical. The band says that they are non-political. The lyrics are written in English because they can't imagine a metal band with non-English words. They can reach more people when they write in English.[7]

In an interview with BezirksTV in April 2009 that Sympathy doesn't mean sympathy alone but cosuffer also.[7]

The band plays "Melodic metal rock". The style is melodic rock with melodic death metal influences. The band uses scream vocals which is normal for metalcore bands. Vampster.com describes their music as a mix consisting out of nu metal and melodic death metal.[8] Metal-inside.de compares their music style with Bullet for My Valentine and Seether.[9]

• 2008: International Live Award (won)
• 2008: Austrias Best Young Drummer for Martin Wagner (won)
• 2008: Local Heroes (Finalst)
• 2009: MTV Rookie for their music video Roads to Rome (won)
• 2009: Myvideo Musicstar (5th)
• 2010: Austrian Newcomer Contest (won the User voting)

• Official Homepage
• Sympathy for Nothing at MySpace