Insected
Insected is a brutal death/thrash
metal band that hails us from Greece and I strongly believe that you should
keep this name in mind, cause they will enthrall you with the power of
their music. Undoubtedly one of the best demos I've listened to and it's
not an exaggeration to say that they compete in professionalism with most
of the already signed bands. Do yourselves a favor, read this interview
and order their demo work!!!!! You won't regret it!!!!
1. FIRST OF ALL CONGRATULATIONS FOR “KILLING
FOR RECREATION”!
Thank you very much. This mini cd was really
made out of our pure dedication and we wanted to make a powerful entrance
in the music scene. This acceptance from fans and media was very important
for us.
2. SINCE YOU ARE A NEW BAND AND THIS IS THE FIRST
MATERIAL YOU RELEASE, I’D LIKE YOU TO PRESENT YOURSELVES TO THE READERS
AND TELL US WHICH YOUR GOALS ARE WITH THIS BAND…
The band members are the following: Nicolas
SIC Maiis(vocals), Chris Veleris (guitars), me Tristessa (bass/backing
brutal vocals) and finally ice(drums). We mostly care to keep alert the
interest of listeners, to take more and more fans by our side and of course
to gather positive reviews from magazines. This will motivate us to enter
more and more into the music scene and of course at the same time we will
work on the new tracks and the new material which will be possibly released
officially. These are our long run plans.
3. “KILLING FOR RECREATION” CONTAINS SOME OF THE
CATCHIEST RIFFS AND SOME OF THE BEST IDEAS I’VE LISTENED TO RECENTLY IN
BRUTAL DEATH METAL. WELL TO BE HONEST I THINK THAT YOUR MUSIC IS MAINLY
MELODIC DEATH/THRASH AND THAT NICK’S VOCALS MAKE YOU SOUND MORE BRUTAL
AND EXTREME. DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS COMMENT OR NOT?
At first, my comment on riffs and the whole
music output is that it is total uninfluenced, and it is based on a personal
way of playing and personal music conception. This is the “secret”. On
the other hand, the vocal part adds a great variety to the whole outfit
and makes it extreme and brutal. Nicola’s vocals are very powerful.
4. FURTHERMORE I THINK NICK’S VOCALS ARE GREAT
AND THAT THEY OFFER AN EXTRA SPICE TO THE SONGS, MAKING THEM DIFFER FROM
THE REST OF THE RELEASES. HOW IMPORTANT ARE GOOD AND ORIGINAL VOCALS FOR
YOU? DO YOU HAVE TO BE IN A SPECIFIC MOOD IN ORDER TO SING THIS WAY?
He knows how to adapt the vocals into different
kinds of music. He is very flexible and he has the attitude to make his
vocals work. That means that he is experienced and the truth is that Nicolas
has not the ordinary brutal vocals. As far as I’m concerned, I do not have
to be in a specific mood. All I need is to be concentrated because it is
not such easy as it seems.
5. TRISTESSA HAS ALSO CONTRIBUTED IN THE VOCALS
SECTION AS WELL. GIVE US SOME MORE INFO ON THAT…
I have taken the role of making some additional
brutal vocals to some music parts that can add aggressiveness to the songs.
Making a Brutal duet is very tempting and interesting as an idea. The vocals
are not so obvious, but they are there just to point out the phrases and
words we wanted to point out.
6. LET’S SUPPOSE THAT YOU ARE ASKED TO REVIEW
“KILLING FOR RECREATION” YOURSELVES. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY, ALWAYS TRYING
TO BE AS OBJECTIVE AS POSSIBLE?
Nicolas: We play aggressive music with
brutal Death Metal Vocals, the guitars are influenced by various Death
and Thrash elements with a modern way and production. Good technical sound
and an “in your face music” mood.
Tristessa: The musical style and the way it
is presented convince me. A mature material, which has created its personal
sound and members have worked very much for the production and the final
sound. As a first release I will say that the band has opened a very strong
way and what it counts is to continue with even higher goals. I can not
take the role of saying more, but for sure I can make even more.
7. WHERE DO YOU AIM LYRIC-WISE WITH INSECTED?
WHICH ARE THE TOPICS THAT INTRIGUE YOU TO DEAL WITH?
We talk about the situation(s) in our society.
We stress issues about how world shifts and we take position on all this
mess by pointing out problems, we create future questions and we try to
keep alert the audience by being raw and straight.
8. WHAT AMAZED ME IS THE PROFESSIONALISM OF THIS
WHOLE EFFORT. THE SOUND IS VERY GOOD, THE COMPOSITIONS SIMPLY SUPERB AND
THE COVER ARTWORK AMAZING!!! WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT? IT’S REALLY ASTONISHING!
First of all, talking about the production
I want to say that it took place in the studio Nemesis. We knew what kind
of sound we wanted and we worked a lot until we got the desirable output.
We worked in distance because Nemesis studio is out of Athens. Secondly,
about the compositions I need to say that the music is targeted on Death
Thrash elements but the secret is that it has a unique and personal style.
It is not inspired from other bands. It is inspired by the music as an
idea. Very important and very rare. Finally the cover, and whole artwork
were inspired and created by Nicolas Maiis. It is very clever and catches
the eye. It also passes the message of the “war” themes that we use and
enters in the music atmosphere.
9. SO, ARE YOU IN TOUCH WITH ANY LABEL? WHAT ARE
YOU LOOKING FOR IN A RECORD LABEL IN ORDER TO SIGN WITH THEM?
Yes we are already having discussions with
some labels. Still we are trying to make a good deal. The practical things
that we ask are to see what kind of promotion it undertakes, the countries
that the album will be distributed and sold… Very important it is
also the contract and the flexibility of the company towards the band.
As a beginning we can make good partnerships in order to run the band,
so we want to have a good collaboration and support from the Label to achieve
our goals. Standard things but very important to make them work.
10. WHAT WAS THE BEST AND WHAT THE WORST COMMENT
YOU’VE HEARD TILL NOW?
Nicolas: The best so far is that we became
the Demo of the Month in the Greek Metal Hammer with rank (8.5/10). And
the worst?? …. Hm it has not come yet!!!!
11. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS? HOW
CAN A GREEK BAND “SURVIVE” WHEN THERE ARE SO FEW CHANCES FOR LIVE APPEARANCES?
According to my experience, the band itself
has to create the connections and has to work and search to create the
chances to play lives. Surely things are not easy but we as humans and
as a band create the chances to play lives and to build a name. So there
is not a matter of “chances”, but it’s a matter of creating conditions
and work on taking the chances. Insected for the moment have some future
plans for lives but this will take us time because of the distance that
we live with the drummer.
12. IF YOU COULD INVITE FAMOUS MUSICIANS TO PARTICIPATE
IN THE CD, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?
From God Dethroned!!! It would be a very “brutal”
choice!!!
13. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD DO IF THERE WAS
NO MUSIC IN THE WORLD? HOW WOULD YOU CHANNEL ALL YOUR CREATIVITY?
Nicolas: Better Dead, than without music in
my head!!!!!!!
Tristessa: I can imagine the opposite that
fears me more. What if I was deaf and could not listen!!!?? But if there
was not music in the world I would spread my creativity on clothing design.
14. TRISTESSA YOU ARE ALSO A MEMBER OF THE FAMOUS
GREEK BLACK METAL BAND ASTARTE. HOW CAN YOU COMBINE THESE BANDS? I MEAN
ON ONE HAND WE HAVE BLACK METAL AND ON THE OTHER BRUTAL DEATH. SO, WHICH
SOUND DO YOU THINK EXPRESSES YOU THE MOST AND WHY?
Both are very important. I can not play only
one kind of music. It is better for me to make some shifts and to give
even more to music. I try to have time for both bands and I like both music
expressions equally. Black Metal is a kind that I have experienced more
and I am more connected, on the other hand Insected was always a kind of
music that I always desired to play. Brutal Death and Trash was my first
steps into Metal and still remain on top. Astarte is a band that I make
all the roles and I have all responsibilities and managing. With Insected
things are easier, since I make some basic music things, the rest are managed
from Nicolas Maiis so there is more like team spirit.
15. MOREOVER IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN ALL THE BAND
MEMBERS ARE INVOLVED IN OTHER PROJECTS AS WELL… LIKE FOR EXAMPLE NICK WHO
IS IN QUITE MANY BANDS… DO YOU WANT TO TELL US WHAT DIFFERENT EACH BAND
OFFERS TO YOU?
Nicolas was the vocalist of Dark Vision, Naisant
and he is also the vocalist of LLOTH where I play too and we have played
some lives, the last ones were with Rotting Christ. Also, he is preparing
right now another Melodic Black Metal band, where he makes the recordings.
Ice, the drummer, plays also in another bands, it is Thrash Punk called
Taka Tuka and the other one is called Coin. Playing in different bands
for me is like making a “puzzle” of experiences and fulfilling my energy
which is so great that you can not imagine.
16. BY THE WAY NICK ALSO ORGANIZES LIVE SHOWS
FOR GREEK BANDS WITH S.I.C TEAM. PLEASE TELL US MORE THINGS ABOUT THAT
AND ABOUT YOUR PLANS IN THE FUTURE…
Nicolas: SIC team is a team of people which
supports the Greek scene, organizing live shows and supporting Greek bands
of all kinds of Metal and not only. More than one hundred bands have played
the last two years in these live shows. Some of them are Rotting Christ,
Rafferty Rules, Inveracity, Wastefall, Kinetic.. and many many more.
17. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST AND WHAT THE
WORST PART IN YOUR MUSIC? WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU NEED FURTHER IMPROVEMENT?
Nicolas: Music and people need always to be
better and to evolve themselves. So, this is what we do for ourselves.
We learn from our mistakes.
18. WHAT FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS DO YOU WANT TO
CREATE TO THE LISTENERS WITH YOUR MUSIC?
Nicolas: First of all the anger, and the mood
for the listeners to head-bang with our music and to have fun. We have
some messages in the lyrics. We want to be simple, straight to what we
play and brutal. So, what we aim to create to our audience is to
keep them alert and every song we write to be better from the other.
19. WHAT TITLE WOULD YOU LIKE THIS INTERVIEW TO
HAVE?
Nicolas: BRUTAL IS OUR BUSINESS AND BRUTAL
IS GOOD!!!!!
20. THANK YOU! LEAVE A MESSAGE TO ALL THE READERS.
We want to thank “Behind the Veil” magazine
and to thank all of you who have supported our music so far.
Christine Parastatidou
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