Melbourne Heavy Act Sydonia Are Splitting Up As Of... Now

After nearly two decades of crafting and putting out tunes in a project that has seen its members tour the country and overseas, playing gigs and festivals, Melbourne heavy outfit Sydonia are calling it a day.

The band broke the news on social media today, sorrowfully explaining that Sydonia "is, from today, no more".

"It has not been an easy decision to make amongst ourselves," the band wrote. "Sydonia has been a huge part of our lives — especially those of us who have been in the band from the very start."

Thanking their fans and other supporters, as well as ex-members Sam Haycroft and Eric Simon, Sydonia reassured that they "will all continue to play music via our other bands and projects, so we're sure that we will catch up with some of you in the future".

"So long and thanks for all the beers," they signed off.

Sydonia released two full-length albums over their time, as well as a handful of EPs to boot, from 1998's Sojourn to 2012's Waiting For Words That Don't Exist. Their second album, Reality Kicks, drew positive responses upon its release in 2014, arriving eight years after their 2006 debut effort, Given To Destroyers.

During their career together, the band shared stages with an impressive list of alternative acts, including Slipknot, Lamb Of God, Between The Buried & Me, Caligula's Horse, In Flames, Trivium, Machine Head, Dead Letter Circus, Voyager and more, and featured on the BIGSOUND live showcase line-up in both 2014 and 2016.

Sydonia released a new single, Eyes Of Sand, mid-last year, which at the time was billed as being the first taste of an impending third album. However, given that the last real news on that release came in October last year, when they advised a fan enquiring about it that the release would manifest in 2017, it's unlikely that an accompanying full-length will eventuate after all, leaving the song as likely the last new Sydonia work to see the light of day.

C'est la vie; at least we have the memories. Thanks for everything, Sydonia, and the best of luck with the future projects.