Sykofant Premiere Their Sizzling New EP ‘Red Sun’

If there’s a shortage of high-level, traditional rock music in your life, then you should be glad you have found Sykofant. The band returns today with the premiere of their new EP, Red Sun, ahead of its March 20th release. It’s a quick follow-up for the Norwegian progressive rockers whose “Strangers” single we premiered last May. “Strangers” came from the band’s self-titled debut full-length record, which introduced you to the band’s riff-heavy approach.

That approach remains fully in force with Red Sun, as the band sounds more confident and well-rounded than ever. Interestingly enough, you could think of Red Sun as sort of the first part of the band’s next LP. It has been arranged as the first of two interconnected releases that are both thematically and musically joined together. Part 2 is set to arrive later this year and when it’s released, you’ll then be able to fully realize the harmony and connection between the two.

Discussing the sound of Red Sun, the band states:

“We weren’t interested in just writing ‘desert rock.’ This album isn’t about some cool, sunburnt road trip—it’s about being lost in something ancient and indifferent. The music had to feel like that. Vast, crushing, and at times, eerily calm. Some parts of the record feel like a sandstorm, others feel like watching the last ember go out in a dying fire. That push and pull—chaos and stillness—is something we leaned into hard.”

“We didn’t just want the music to sound heavy. It needed to feel heavy. Not in a chugging, detuned way, but in the way time itself can feel heavy when you’re isolated, waiting for something that never comes. The songs aren’t traditional structures. They expand, collapse, and shift. It’s a record that moves like a hallucination—you can’t always tell where you are in it, but you feel the direction it’s pulling you in.”

With Red Sun, Sykofant has taken their sound to a new level, but it also marks an evolution in the storytelling aspect of the band. It dives deeper into the concept introduced on their debut record and expands on its desert theme. That theme was fleshed out in songs such as “Strangers.” As a record, Red Sun is a cohesive listening experience. All three songs link together beautifully, 23 minutes of divine-level progressive rock. It’s not hard to recognize how musically advanced this release is. There is a lot of experimentation, with unconventional time signatures meeting innovative instrument layering and highly innovative transitions.

Sykofant tries very hard to be the band that doesn’t sound like anything else you’re listening to. They accomplish that in full force on Red Sun, an ambitious record that’s not hard to enjoy.

Red Sun EP Track Listing:

1. Ashes
2. Red Sun
3. Embers

Tour Dates:

Apollon Prog Nights: Trojka, Panzerpappa & Sykofant
Hellbotn Metalfest 2025
Haugaland Prog and Rock Festival 2025

Sykofant “Red Sun” single artwork, painted by Lars Kvernberg

Sykofant ‘Red Sun’ EP album artwork, painted by Lars Kvernberg