Inward
Sanctum - Northern Breeze
Inward Sanctum and Norhtern
Breeze someone could say are the two sides of the same coin, meaning that
both bands consist of the same members, who try to filter and channel through
each band their different artisitc needs. Behind The Veil has recently
received both demos so we thought that in order to understand the music
better, asking some questions is essential. This is what we got...
1. FIRST OF ALL CONGRATULATIONS
FOR BOTH YOUR DEMOS! HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THEM? ARE YOU CONTENT?
KRIS: FIRSTLY I’D LIKE
TO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY YOU GIVE US TO INTRODUCE OUR BANDS TO
THE AUDIENCE. WE ARE SATISFIED FROM BOTH DEMOS BECAUSE WE HAVE WORKED VERY
HARD ALL THESE YEARS AND HAVE SUFFERED A LOT IN ORDER TO MANAGE TO RELEASE
THEM.
2. PLEASE INTRODUCE BOTH BANDS
TO THE READERS AND POINT OUT YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS…
KRIS: BOTH BANDS CONSIST
OF KRIS (RHYTHM GUITARS, LEAD VOCALS) AND VAGELIS (LEAD GUITARS, VOCALS,
AND BASS). THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR US TILL NOW IS THAT WE STILL CREATE
THE MUSIC WE LOVE ALTHOUGH WE HAD MANY PROBLEMS IN THE PAST.
3. PLEASE TELL US SOME GENERAL
THINGS ABOUT “SECRET OCEAN’S SORCERY” WHICH IS YOUR RELEASE WITH INWARD
SANCTUM. ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH IT? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO CHANGE?
KRIS: “SECRET OCEAN’S
SORCERY” IS A SAMPLE FROM OUR COMING ALBUM WHICH IS ALREADY BEEN RECORDED.
OF COURSE THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE’D LIKE TO CHANGE AND THIS WILL HAPPEN
AT THE FINAL MIX. TO THE PARTICULAR SONG WE WILL RE-RECORD THE CLEAN VOICES
AND TUNE UP SOME DRUM PARTS.
4. NOW TELL US SOME THINGS
ABOUT NORTHERN BREEZE’S DEMO, WHICH IS MORE INTO BLACK METAL COMPARED TO
INWARD SANCTUM’S PROMO. WHAT’S THE THING THAT MAKES YOU REALLY PROUD OF
THIS PROMO AND WHAT’S THE THING YOU THINK SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE IN A DIFFERENT
WAY?
KRIS: WELL, I FEEL
HAPPY WHEN I LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE I THINK WE MANAGED TO TRANSFER THE FROZEN
ATMOSPHERE THAT INSPIRED US. WE WILL ALSO RE-RECORD THE GUITARS FOR “NIGHT
BREED” BECAUSE WE USED A DIFFERENT AMPLIFIER AND DO THE SAME FOR SOME OTHER
TRACKS.
5. WHICH ARE THE MAIN SIMILARITIES
AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INWARD SANCTUM AND NORTHERN BREEZE? YOU ARE THE
SAME LINE UP IN BOTH BANDS, SO WHAT LED YOU TO FORM 2 DIFFERENT BANDS INSTEAD
OF CONCENTRATING IN ONE ONLY?
KRIS: THE SIMILARITY
AS YOU MENTION IS THE SAME LINE-UP. BUT THE MAIN DIFFERENCES ARE THAT EACH
BAND HAS A SPECIAL MUSICAL AND MENTAL BACKGROUND. NORTHERN BREEZE SOUNDS
MORE AGGRESSIVE AND THE LYRICS ARE RELATED TO THE NATURE. ON THE OTHER
HAND INWARD SANCTUM MUSICALLY IS MORE PROGRESSIVE WHILE THE LYRICS ARE
MORE SELF-ABSORBED. FOR THESE REASONS WE WILL KEEP ON WORKING WITH BOTH
BANDS.
6. COULD YOU NAME SOME OF
YOUR MOST BELOVED BANDS AND ALBUMS? WHO ARE THOSE MUSICIANS THAT HAVE SET
THEIR SEAL UPON YOU?
KRIS: I WOULD PREFER
TO MENTION SOME BANDS ALTHOUGH I WILL BE UNFAIR TO SOME OTHERS I LIKE.
SOME OF THEM ARE TIAMAT, KATATONIA, ROTTING CHRIST, EVERGREY, ENCHANT AND
FROM BLACK METAL EMPEROR, IMMORTAL, ABIGOR, MARDUK ETC. I RESPECT MANY
MUSICIANS BUT THE LAST SEVEN YEARS I AM AMAZED BY THOMAS ENGLUND (EVERGREY)
BECAUSE HE COMBINES EMOTIONAL LYRICS WITH VERY PERSONAL SOUND AND HE ALSO
HAS A GREAT VOICE.
7. IF SOMEONE CAME ASKING
YOU TO DESCRIBE HIM YOUR COMPOSITIONS, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL HIM? WHICH WORDS
DO YOU THINK DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY (IN BOTH BANDS)?
KRIS: MY ANSWER IS
THAT WHATEVER EMOTIONS AND THOUGHTS OUR MUSIC CREATES TO THE LISTENER THAT
EXACTLY IS THE DESCRIPTION OF OUR MUSIC. THE ONLY THING WE ARE TRYING TO
DO IS TO EMBRACE WITH OUR MUSIC OUR FEELINGS, DREAMS, PERSONAL THOUGHTS
AND IMAGINATIONS. SOME TIMES THESE ARE EXPRESSED BY AGGRESSIVENESS AND
SOME OTHERS BY MELODY.
8. OK NOW LET’S GET TO THE
LYRICAL PART OF YOUR MUSIC. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM AND WHICH ARE YOUR
SOURCES OF INSPIRATION? CAN YOU TELL US SOME THINGS ABOUT THE LYRICS OF
EACH DEMO?
KRIS: I AM EXCLUSIVELY
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LYRICS AND ANYTHING THAT TOUCHES MY MIND AND SOUL CAN
BE A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION. AT NORTHERN BREEZE I EXPRESS MYSELF BY WRITING
MORE EPIC LYRICS IN WHICH I DESCRIBE THE NATURE WITH A TOUCH OF MYTHOLOGY.
WITH INWARD SANCTUM THINGS ARE DIFFERENT BECAUSE LYRICS ARE MORE RELATED
TO PERSONAL THOUGHTS WRITTEN IN A POETIC WAY.
9. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR
LIVE SHOWS? CAN YOU PERFORM LIVE? DO YOU USE SESSIONISTS OR AREN’T YOU
INTERESTED IN GIGS AT THIS POINT?
KRIS: WE USED TO PERFORM
LIVE IN THE PAST AFTER OUR FIRST DEMO-CD WITH INWARD SANCTUM BUT SINCE
THEN WE HAVE DONE NOTHING. WE WOULD LIKE TO PLAY BUT DUE TO LACK OF MEMBERS
THIS IS IMPOSSOBLE AT THE TIME.
10. THE ARTWORK IS SIMPLY
BEAUTIFUL AND IDEAL FOR YOUR KIND OF MUSIC. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT?
LET’S TALK FIRST ABOUT NORTHERN BREEZE’S COVER: IS IT A REAL OR AN IMAGINATIVE
PHOTO?
KRIS: THIS PHOTOGRAPH
WAS TAKEN BY MY ESTONIAN FRIEND NAMED FILIPP KEKS WHILE HE WAS ON HOLIDAY
AT NORWAY. HE GAVE IT TO US AND WE MADE IT LOOK SO FROSTY BECAUSE OUR PURPOSE
IS TO GIVE A VISUAL ASPECT OF OUR MUSIC.
11. AS FOR THE INWARD SANCTUM
COVER NOW, I’D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IT SHOWS…WE SEE THE SKY, BUT WHAT’S THAT
RED SPOT DOWN BELOW? IT LOOKS LIKE BLOOD… CAN YOU EXPLAIN IT FOR US?
KRIS: THIS PHOTO IS
ALSO REAL AND TAKEN BY ANOTHER FRIEND, NAMED DIMITRIS TROGADIS AT MOUNT
ATHOS. IT SHOWS A WAVE THAT SPLASHES ONTO A ROCK BUT I LIKE THE IDEA OF
BLOOD.
12. ARE YOU THINKING OF ADDING
OTHER MEMBERS IN YOUR LINE UP OR DO YOU PREFER BEING A DUO? DO YOU THINK
IT’S DIFFICULT TO FIND HARD WORKING AND COMMITTED TO THE BAND MEMBERS?
KRIS: WE WERE A FIVE
MEMBER BAND IN THE PAST AND IT DIDN’T WORK SO WE PREFER TO WORK AS A DUET.
13. ARE YOU IN A SEARCH OF
A LABEL OR AREN’T YOU INTERESTED IN SIGNING YET?
KRIS: OF COURSE WE
ARE IN A SEARCH OF A LABEL AND WE HOPE TO FIND SOMEBODY TO DISTRIBUTE OUR
WORK.
14. IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN
EMOTION, WHAT WOULD IT BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
KRIS: THE COVERS WE
CHOSE FOR BOTH DEMOS SHOW EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE THINKING IF OUR MUSIC WERE
A PAINTING. AS FAR AS THE EMOTION IS CONCERNED I CAN’T TELL SOMETHING IN
PARTICULAR.
15. WHAT’S, ACCORDING TO YOU,
THE BEST AND WHAT’S THE WORST PART IN YOUR MUSIC? WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU
NEED FURTHER IMPROVEMENT?
KRIS: I WOULD SAY THAT
WE NEED TO IMPROVE OUR CLEAN VOCALS. AS FOR THE BEST AND WORST PARTS LISTENERS
ARE CAPABLE TO JUDGE THAT.
16. ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE
FEEDBACK YOU’VE GOT THIS FAR? WHAT WAS THE BEST AND WHAT THE WORST COMMENT
YOU HAVE RECEIVED?
KRIS: WE ARE VERY SATISFIED
BY THE UNDERGROUND PRESS BUT NOT FROM THE LABELS. THE WORST COMMENT WAS
FROM A PORTUGUESE MAGAZINE ABOUT OUR FIRST DEMO-CD WITH NORTHERN BREEZE
BECAUSE OF ITS BAD PRODUCTION. THE BEST UNTIL NOW IS YOURS.
17. WHICH ARE THE FAMOUS MUSICIANS
YOU’D LIKE THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN YOUR ALBUM? WHY?
KRIS: THIS IS TOO DIFFICULT
TO HAPPEN SO I’D PREFER NOT TO ANSWER. SORRY.
18. THANK YOU! ANYTHING ELSE
YOU’D LIKE TO MENTION?
KRIS: THANK YOU IN
ADVANCE. FOREVER UNDERGROUND.
Christine
Parastatidou
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