Hero In A World Of Demons

NIGHTRAGE

Interviewing a good friend of yours is one of the most difficult things to do. Especially if you have followed his band’s steps from the very beginning till now and you know everything about it, then it’s hard to find original and interesting questions. However, we are dealing here with an incredible album, that whoever wants to brag that he discovered a classic album, at its birth, should obtain it! The driving force behind Nightrage is no other than the leader, lyricist, composer and guitarist of the band Marios Iliopoulos. Let’s see what he told us in this huge but nevertheless so interesting interview!

1.FIRST OF ALL TELL ME SOMETHING THAT I DON’T ALREADY KNOW REGARDING NIGHTRAGE?

Hmm…I think you know everything! Hahaha! What should I say now? You know everything…I am just waiting to see your questions! hahaha

2.WHAT DID YOU DO AFTER YOU LEFT EXHUMATION TILL NOW?

Look, after Exhumation, a band for which I spent a big part of my life, disbanded I felt frustrated, disappointed and depressed cause I really loved this band a lot and in a way I lost my appetite and faith to play music and my friend Gus gave me a kick in the ass that period, whilst I was passing a difficult phase in my life and told me that he had faith in my musical vision, so we started Nightrage the summer of 2000 like a continuance of Exhumation. I had many expectations from this band this is why I left Greece and I’d like to say that this made me really sad cause it’s hard to leave your country behind in order to achieve some personal goals. I felt like I had to go to Sweden, cause I had a past with Exhumation over there, we have written 3 albums there and it’s a country that gives you all the possible opportunities and a positive atmosphere in which you can move. Sweden helps you do something really well and I felt I should go there, leaving behind my friends, my family, my job…I have always believed that if you want to achieve something good in music you should sacrifice some things in your life and this is why I left Greece.

3.WHERE DID YOU TAKE THE NAME NIGHTRAGE FROM?

I don’t know if you remember but on the last Exhumation album there was a song called Nightrage. Basically I wanted in the first place to name the band Traumaticon but Kostas (Gus) gave me the idea for Nightrage cause he thought it was much better and I also liked the idea and in a way symbolizes a continuance. I’d never want to neglect the Exhumation fans and I’d like to make them realize that somehow Nightrage is a better version of Exhumation. This is definitely what I’ve always wanted to do in my life, to work with people dedicated on music and this was my decision regarding the band name.

-WHY THEN DIDN’T YOU INCLUDE A REMAKE OF THE SONG NIGHTRAGE ON YOUR NEW ALBUM? DON’T YOU THINK IT WOULD FIT?

I don’t think it would fit cause I thought I should only have fresh material in Nightrage cause I faced a big problem regarding the songs whilst being in Exhumation. The rest of the guys didn’t allow me to perform my ideas the way I wanted to, so now with Nightrage you can listen to my ideas in a better way and surely the atmosphere that existed throughout the recordings is the best I’ve felt till now.

4.SOON YOUR DEBUT WITH NIGHTRAGE WILL BE RELEASED. TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT ITS PRODUCTION, HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO RECORD IT AND SOME OTHER GENERAL INFORMATION.

This album will be released in Europe on 30 June from Century Media and it will also be released in the U.S. on 29 July. We also got license with a Japanese label for the end of August. I can tell you that a great deal of things happened till this album got recorded and released. It was very hard for me to survive in Sweden and the first 1.5 year I was confronted with many difficulties, having to work in shitty jobs, I changed house 6 times, I tried to reach some musicians to help me, but nothing seemed to happen and in the end the key to get in the studio was Fredrik, who gave as a big offer and chance and I thank him for that! He allowed us to enter the studio and record for free cause he believed in our material and he is a fan of the style I have on my guitar playing. He has always tried to kick my ass cause he likes my style and so this man gave us a chance and from that point on he took over everything, to find us a label and the rest but I want you to know that it wasn’t easy for me till that day came! I faced a Lot of problems in the meantime.

5.HAVING THE CHANCE TO BE FAMILIAR WITH MANY OF YOUR SONGS A LONG TIME NOW I OBSERVED SOME IMPORTANT CHANGES BETWEEN THE DEMO AND THE ALBUM ON THE IDEAS AND THE ARRANGEMENT. WHY DID THIS HAPPEN? WAS IT YOUR DECISION OR THE PRODUCER’S? ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE FINAL RESULT?

Surely you are right in what you say and it’s because Fredrik is an experienced producer on the song arrangements and he gave us some really good ideas in order to make the songs sound even better. There are definitely differences between the demo and the album but I think that we made them sound better. I don’t regret for any of the changes we did and I was always able to listen to my producer, Fredrik, and I think this worked out in a positive way for Nightrage and you can realize that by listening to the whole album.

6.THE MUSIC WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY COMPOSED BY YOU EXCEPT FOR SOME LITTLE HELP YOU GOT FROM GUS. RIGHT?

Yes, that’s true! I am the main responsible for the compositions and lyrics and I have taken some elements from Gus, who is a great guitarist and a good friend and he believed in my vision for Nightrage and tried to help me as much as he could, but know this…I am the one to be held responsible for the compositions and the lyrics.

-YES I KNOW. GUS TOLD ME THAT HE HELPED YOU ONLY IN SOME SOLOS AND SOME GUITAR BRIDGES…

Yes, he is an incredible lead guitarist and I think he has contributed with his lead parts and some ideas on the riffs and helped Nightrage sound even better!

-YOU SHARED THE LEADS FROM WHAT GUS TOLD ME BUT THE RHYTHM SECTION IS COMPLETELY YOURS…

Yes, half leads are mine and the rest are played by Gus!

7.DO YOU LIKE TO HAVE THE ABSOLUTE SAY TO YOUR SONGS OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET SOME HELP BY OTHERS? ARE YOU AFRAID THAT SINCE YOU WROTE THE SONGS ON YOUR OWN YOU MIGHT HAVE CREATED AN ONE DIMENSIONAL ALBUM OR DO YOU HAVE FAITH IN YOUR MUSIC?

I always believe that it’s good to get some ideas by your companions, but I still have the first say…

-SO IF YOU’LL HAVE A STABLE LINE UP IN THE FUTURE, WILL YOU LISTEN TO THE IDEAS OF THE REST OF THE GUYS?

I am open to ideas I don’t feel I am something special I’d never want to leave such a belief floating around me. On the other hand I am the one that has this musical vision that we have chosen for Nightrage and I know exactly how we should sound. This might sound a bit egoistic, but some times it works out fine for some bands.

-WELL, TO BE HONEST I DON’T THINK DEMOCRACY WORKS OUT IN A POSITIVE WAY FOR MOST OF THE BANDS…

Look this is exactly what I wanted to tell you about Exhumation. We were 3 composers and we were all contributing material to Exhumation, but many times I was confronted with many obstacles in order to express myself like I wanted. Now I had all the time I wanted and the best possible atmosphere to compose and take out what I really wanted, cause as you know I am influenced by various guitar styles and generally metal styles and I always try to pass many ideas in the music of Nightrage. This is obvious in our album.

-YOU WERE WRITING MOST OF THE SONGS IN EXHUMATION TOO BUT NOW IN NIGHTRAGE YOUR IDEAS ARE BETTER DEVELOPED AND STRUCTURED...

Yes, indeed and this is because we worked really hard in the studio and we spent a lot of time in it, a month ore or less, so I had many days to record my guitars and to make sound better and I think this album fully reveals my talent in music and composing. This is the first time I feel so free and so nice for what we have created. I have played really heavy guitars and this is something I wanted to do a long time now and it’s also the first time I play all the rhythm guitars on one of my albums. I think this is the most mature material I’ve ever released.

-THERE IS THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF MELODY SOMETHING THAT IN EXHUMATION WASN’T THAT CLEAR.

We had melodies in Exhumation, but this time the way we perform the material is more mature and I think that me and Gus create a very good guitar duet and prove that there are good musicians in Greece that under better circumstances can create miracles.

8.I HEAR FROM MANY BANDS THAT THE LABELS LOOK FOR HIT ALBUMS. ON THE OTHER HAND YOU WRITE SONGS THAT REVEAL YOUR INNER SELF. DOESN’T THIS BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS YOU AS A “HIT” BAND OR A “HIT” ALBUM MAKE YOU FEEL BAD? LIKE YOU ARE A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT?

The record labels are not interested in the fact that we offer our souls to the public. All they know to do is sell records and this is what they try to do. This is their job. I am a musician and I don’t think this way at all, I try to write from my heart. I am not interested in hit albums or easy fame. I can tell you that these last 10 years, I’ve had all the shit of the world but I managed to stand on my feet and have a band to play. From that point on I think the people will judge better someone’s music and I think Nightrage music speaks for itself and in connection with the lyrics I truly believe that I feel my soul vulnerable to all of you. After all the labels have been created to get advantage of the artists. This is what I found out all these years of hard work. There is no middle way. We are musicians and music comes from inside of us and they are a label created to sell records and this is all that interests them. It’s Hard to find the perfect solution.

9.REGARDING NOW THE LYRICS. YOU ARE HERE ONCE AGAIN THE ONLY RESPONSIBLE. WHICH ARE YOUR SOURCES OF INSPIRATION? COULD YOU SAY THAT THERE IS A CONCEPT BEHIND THESE TRACKS? THE LYRICS ARE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. AREN’T YOU AFRAID OF BEING VULNERABLE TO YOUR LISTENERS, WHI CAN LOOK INSIDE THEY VERY DEPTHS OF YOUR SOUL?

This album means a lot to me and I’ve waited for it for so long. Yes, when it comes to the lyrics I am held responsible once again and they are influenced by personal things that have happened in my life, but I think there are many people that could feel connected to the lyrics cause I refer to things that happen everyday. Look how bad we treat one another everyday. So, basically through my personal experience I want to show that there is light at the end of the tunnel. If you look at the cover artwork you’ll understand what I am talking about. I’ve been through a lot al these years and I’ve tried to pass all these in a poetic way in my lyrics. After all I am a great Edgar Allan Poe fan. I want to show how rotten and bad are the feelings contemporary people have and that even friends can stab you in the back. The lyrics deal with things that annoyed me or I got confronted with and things I faced in the past and have hurt me. I want to show that there is light at the end of the tunnel and this is the voyage of a lonely man.

-BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY YOU ARE AN OPTIMIST…

If you listen to the last song of the album, “The howls of the wolves” it reveals optimism. I want to say something to the people out there…guys be careful! Life is hard, take care of yourselves and always follow your dreams as much as it may cost you.

10.YOU WROTE THE LYRICS WHILST BEING IN A SPECIFIC STATE AND FEELING SOMETHING IN PARTICULAR. NOW THAT THE ALBUM IS FINISHED AND YOU SIT AND LISTEN TO IT AGAIN DO YOU FIND THINGS AND FEELINGS THAT YOU HAVEN’T BEFORE REALIZED?

Yes of course! Great question. Every time I listen to the album it’s like a flash back, like a movie I’ve seen before. I feel many times things I haven’t noticed before and I try to find peace and tranquillity in there, but sometimes I see chaos and I get frightened! Hahaha

-GENERALLY WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS ALBUM EXPRESSES?

From what I’ve realized the album expresses optimism. It wants to show that this man leaves something behind him and moves forward. There is definitely light at the end of the tunnel as long as you believe this and I think that if someone truly believes in his abilities and is pure, then he can achieve many things in his life no matter how difficult things may come…

11.THE ALBUM IS ENTITLED “SWEET VENGEANCE”. WHY? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DECLARE WITH IT? IS IT PERHAPS A MESSAGE WANT TO PASS TO ALL THOSE WHO DIDN’T BELIEVE IN YOU?

I think you are right! This is exactly what I wanted to show with this title to some people that didn’t believe in me. That I am not like them. I have never hurt anybody, I have always had some ideas, which I 100% believed in and I was ready to sacrifice everything for them, but it just happened to meet with the wrong people and this album is the living proof that I wasn’t a dreamer, but I have always had faith in the dream that is called Nightrage and I am very happy that I managed to make it come true.

12.YOU HAVE MANY AND BIG PARTICIPATIONS IN YOUR ALBUM. HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO DO THAT? DO YOU HAVE TO NARRATE ANY WEIRD INCIDENTS DURING THE RECORDINGS?

Yes, I could say that the recording of this album was an adventure since the very last minute I didn’t know who would play the drums or who would sing cause it was extremely difficult to find the right people to get in the studio and record and surely I am more than satisfied, cause when I came to Sweden, I have always had in my mind Tomas Lindberg, cause I believed in his musical style and his voice was dramatic and did a perfect match with my concept. I approached him when I came to Sweden, December 2000 and gave him some demos but he never answered back so when the time arrived to record the album I just called him , he remembered me and told me he liked my ideas and that he’d love to sing. He said we had a lot of devotion to our material and it was the first time he saw a band like this and at the end he felt really proud for his performance on the album. To be honest it’s hard to find professionals in order to do something good so I’ve decided for my first album, and I want to make clear that Nightrage is not a project, to hire some professional musicians to perform the songs as like they should and as you understand we have very good material and I didn’t want to waste it.

-YES AND IT ACQUIRES MANY TECHNICAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE.

Yes, indeed it acquires many technical skills and this was a dream come true and I’ve always wanted my music to be performed by professional musicians, something that indeed happened and as you’ve seen it sounds very well in the end.

13.THERE ARE MANY FAMOUS PEOPLE IN YOUR BAND. AREN’T YOU AFRAID THAT PERHAPS THE FANS WILL NEGLECT THAT NIGHTRAGE IS YOU? AREN’T YOU AFRAID THAT YOU MIGHT BE CATEGORIZED AS ONE MORE ALL STAR PROJECT BAND?

To be honest I believe in the music of Nightrage and every musician that participated offered a part of his talent and devotion. The reason why we signed with Century media is, I want to believe, the good songs we had and after all I don’t think all those great names would play on the album if they thought our music was crap. I am sure that they played because they saw something in our music, what else can I say? It’s very positive for me to have all those great names and it’s something I didn’t expect! Generally everything happened in such a short period that I didn’t really realize what was happening. Truly I feel proud I managed to create this album!

-ARE YOU ANXIOUS FOR YOUR NEXT RELEASE, NOW THAT YOU HAVE ALL THOSE PARTICIPATIONS IN YOUR DEBUT?

Yes, it’s a cause of anxiety, but in a positive way. It gives me a kick and I want to believe that the next Nightrage album will be even better. It intrigues me in a positive way!

-HAVE YOU ARRANGED COOPERATION WITH ANY OF THESE GUYS FOR THE FUTURE?

I think that Tomas Lindberg will be on the next album, cause he is a fan of our music and I have already discussed with Nicholas Barker by Dimmu Borgir, who personally came in the studio and he told me so many nice things for my album when we were recording it. He had the chance to listen to it during the recording sessions of Dimmu Borgir’s new album and he told me that he’d be interested in appearing with us in the summer festivals. So, there is a chance he might be the drummer for our next release, but to be honest my dream is to have a more stable line up in the future. I don’t want to constantly change members and people to think that this is a project.

-SO, RIGHT NOW THE ONLY STABLE MEMBER IS BRICE. RIGHT?

Right now stable members are me and Brice and Tomas most probably…

-BUT HIS MAIN BAND IS GREAT DECEIVER IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN.

Yes, his main band is Great Deceiver something that we respect, but we have a very good relationship and friendship and we like each other, so he will sing on our next album as well.

14.I KNOW THAT YOU WERE RESPONSIBLE OF THE CLEAN VOCALS IN THE BEGINNING, BUT AFTER FREDRIK’S ADVICE YOU CALLED TOM FROM EVERGREY. HOW DID YOU FEEL BACK THEN? DO YOU THINK THAT IT WORTHS AFTER ALL?

I think that, although I was the singer who tried to do the clean vocals in the demo, Fredrik was right, cause I am not a professional singer. I was just singing because of the feeling I had, because I wanted to express some things since I was the one who wrote the lyrics and I had a certain feeling, but the selection of Tom was right. He is a professional vocalist who contributed his talent on the album. However, I wouldn’t like to have a session singer on our next album. If we will have clean vocals, I am the one doing them and I don’t think there will be any kind of problems with Fredrik. As far as I know Century Media didn’t like my vocals either cause they thought they were romantic and the way I sang them didn’t fit with the album’s style, but I think my vocals could be used as well although I can’t say I am really sad about it.

15.IF SOMEONE FROM THESE MUSICIANS PROPOSED YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN HIS BAND WOULD YOU GO?

Good question! I need had such a proposal but honestly I wouldn’t have any problem to play a session solo, to help another band, but I want to spend my whole power and energy on Nightrage. I am a man of one band, I have absolute faith in the Nightrage vision and I wouldn’t want anything to spoil the band’s energy, restricting me as an artist, who plays in various bands.

16.THE FUTURE SIGNS BRIGHT AND YOU HAVE ALL THAT IS NEEDED TO MAKE A SUCCESS. HOWEVER, I THINK YOU PUT THE STANDARDS TOO HIGH WITH ALL THESE PARTICIPATIONS AND BESIDES THAT YOU HAD ALL THE TIME YOU NEEDED TO COMPOSE THESE SONGS. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE HARD TIMES AND DAYS OF PRESSURE THAT ARE ABOUT TO COME?

I’d like you to know that I create good music when I am in difficulties and when I am stressed. This is the perfect atmosphere for me to work in cause I could never work smoothly in a relaxed atmosphere. I always want to have energy around me and feelings and this might be my inspiration to compose, but I think the upcoming album will be even better than our debut, cause Nightrage is a band getting stronger day by day.

17.DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW IDEAS READY? HAVE YOU WRITTEN ANY NEW SONGS OR ARE YOU WAITING FOR THE REACTIONS FIRST AND THEN PROCEED WITH THIS?

Right now I don’t have the energy to write new songs. As I told you I need the right atmosphere, but I have some ideas for the next album, which I’d like it to be faster and heavier and I have some ideas regarding the lyrics that will deal with loneliness and solitude, but nothing is yet certain.

18.THE COVER ARTWORK WAS CREATED BY ONE OF THE BEST ARTISTS IN MELODIC DEATH, NIKLAS SUNDIN. TELL US WHAT THE COVER REPRESENTS? HOW WAS IT INSPIRED BY NIKLAS? DID HE LISTEN TO YOUR MUSIC OR DID IT HAPPEN IN A DIFFERENT WAY?

I was shocked when I saw the cover, cause this is the idea I had in mind. I wanted a lonely guy walking in a lonely road, but I never mentioned anything like that to my label or to Niklas, so I was extremely impressed by the final result, cause Niklas managed to capture the essence I had in my lyrics. The cover shows a man leaving things behind him and searching the light at the end of the tunnel. He is leaving behind him bitter recollections and feelings and tries to find himself through loneliness and the power lying within himself, so he can find the things he really loves.

-WHY IS MAN REPRESENT IT WITH RED COLOUR?

The red colour symbolizes the rage, the sadness, the energy, all those sentiments together. I think it’s a very symbolic cover and it’s connected with the album’s lyrics.

-DID YOU SELECT NIKLAS TO DO THE COVER ARTWORK OR DID THINGS HAPPEN IN A DIFFERENT WAY?

This is something that my label arranged. They’ve just sent some of my lyrics to some artists and I was truly amazed by the cover Niklas did. He managed to catch the meaning and the true essence of what I wanted to express with the music of Nightrage. It’s like he has represented our music in a painting.

19.WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE LIVE APPEARANCES? HAVE YOU SETTLED ANY TOUR WITH OTHER BANDS? IS THERE A CHANCE TO COME TO GREECE?

At the moment we receive positive feedback by the press and people that had the chance to listen to our album and Century Media is enthralled and they have some plans but right now nothing is final, though I’d like to play in some festivals and shows in the summer to share our music with all those who like Nightrage.

20.AS WE SAID EARLIER ON THE CD PLAYS GUS G., WHO STARTED AS A STABLE MEMBER BUT AFTER ALL HIS RESPONSIBILITIES WITH HIS OTHER 3 BANDS, DON’T ALLOW HIM TO CONTINUE. WHEN I ASKED HIM THAT HE SAID THAT IN THE LIVE SHOWS YOU’LL BE FULLY RESPONSIBLE OF THE GUITARS BY CHANGING A BIT THE SONG ARRANGEMENTS. HAVE YOU GIVEN A SERIOUS THOUGHT TO IT OR WILL YOU TRY TO FIND A SESSION GUITARIST?

Look Gus, besides everything else, is a very good friend of mine and what you just said is true. He has many bands and a lot of responsibilities, but if we have a chance to appear in a festival or tour this summer and he doesn’t have anything else to do, he is interested in playing with us since he likes our music a lot.

-HE SAID HE WON’T BE ABLE TO FOLLOW YOU FROM SEPTEMBER AND ON…

Yes, he has many responsibilities with his bands but I think it’s all a matter of good programming and schedules. If he will be free that period, he will help us. However, you are right on what you said. I might consider finding a second guitarist, but I think it’s difficult to find a guitarist with whom I will be able to cooperate.

-YES THERE IS A VERY GOOD BONDAGE BETWEEN YOU AND GUS…

Yes, we have boded very well together cause as I said earlier we started Nightrage together back in 2000, we are good friends and I think we match as musicians. He is younger than me, and he has different influences. I think that our styles have glued together very well in Nightrage.

-TO BE MORE SPECIFIC HE SAID YOU’D HAVE TO CHANGE THE SONG ARRANGEMENTS BUT HE IS NOT AFRAID OF YOU, CAUSE YOU MIGHT BE ONE BUT YOU SOUND LIKE 10 GUITARISTS PLAYING TOGETHER…

Yes I have a completely personal and unique way to play the guitar, I am completely frenetic and it might be hard to find another guitarist that will be able to cope with me. What Gus said is right! There won’t be a problem if we have one guitar only and I think we’ll be able to present our material as good as it is on the album. However, it would be much better if Gus was with us!

21.WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THE DRUMMER POSITION? WILL NICOLAS BARKER TAKE IT? WHAT ABOUT TOM’S CLEAN VOCALS?

Yes, most probably. We talk often with Nicolas via email and he so eloquently told me he is interested in playing with 2 Greek guitarists and this is a big honour for me and I am extremely happy, cause I think he can play Per’s themes. We are just waiting for some plans from Century Media to play in the summer, cause from September and on Nicolas will be devoted to Dimmu Borgir, who start their European tour. As for the clean vocals, I am the one who will do them, since my voice has the same sentiments with Tom’s.

22.YOU HAVE A BIG KNOWLEDGE ON MUSIC. WHAT COMES FIRST TO YOU THE TECHNICAL SKILLS OR THE FEELING?

I always believed in feeling. I never wanted to play very technical like Malmsteen or Steve Vai, etc. I was never interested in that. What I always wanted to do is compose good songs and I am influenced by guitarists like James Hetfield or Eric Peterson who are masters on rhythm guitar. My choice is obvious in the way I play the guitar and I also value guitarists such as Adrian Smith, Jimmy Hendrix, guitarists who played with feeling and put skills aside.

23.IF YOUR MUSIC WERE A FEELING WHAT WOULD IT BE?

It could be tears…hahahaha

-ARE YOU SERIOUS? ONE ONE HAND YOU TELL ME THAT YOUR MUSIC IS OPTIMISTIC AND ON THE OTHER HAND YOU TELL ME THAT IT COULD BE TEARS?

It could be tears that are transformed into tears of joy! Hahahaha!

-IF IT WERE A PAINTING WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?

It would show the cover artwork of our album!

24.SO AFTER ALL DO YOU THINK GREECE “EATS UP” ITS CHILDREN? DO YOU BELIEVE YOU’D BE ABLE TO DO HALF OF THE THINGS YOU DID IF YOU STAYED IN GREECE?

Unfortunately I don’t think I could achieve any of these. Greece is my country and I love it a lot, but I think it’s too limited to play metal in Greece, cause people follow trends from abroad and don’t support the Greek bands. There are groups in Greece like Horrified, whose I am a great fan or like Rotting Christ and Septic Flesh, who appreciate melody and aggressiveness but from that point on I don’t think that professional attitude exists that much, not only from the bands but from the fans as well we are not still able to have a scene worthy like the Swedish or the German one. I think this was the best thing I could do, cause after Exhumation disbanded I lost my interest in playing music and I was searching for something new and the only way out was to go abroad. I wanted to find dedicated people, who would believe in what they were doing and they’d want to be in a band, to play in and love it and I think that after all I’ve been through, it rendered.

25.DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE HAPPINESS OF SOME PEOPLE IS BASED ON THE SORROW OF THEIR FELLOW HUMANS?

Yes! You could say that! But true happiness is based on personal feelings that each person has and I believe that if you follow your heart you can find true happiness. Never listen to what the others tell you. They might lie to you, so every person must follow his/her heart and don’t listen to the lies. This is what I did. Although most of the times this is the hard way cause the roads are not laid with carpets, but are filled with thorns. You need to bleed to discover truth…

-ISN’T THIS AFTER ALL THAT MAKES YOU TO CONSIDER SOMETHING AS QUALITY WORK? THAT YOU MANAGED TO SURPASS ALL THE OBSTACLES? THIS OFFERS VALUE TO YOUR WORK!

Surely! For me, Nightrage and the album “Sweet Vengeance” is a personal success. A sweet revenge. I tried to prove to some people that I am not like them. This is my whole life!

26.WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE YOU’D DO IF YOU COULDN’T INVOLVE WITH MUSIC? HOW WOULD YOU PIPE ALL THIS NEGATIVE ENERGY AND RAGE, WHICH I THINK ARE YOUR DRIVING FORCES?

Honestly this is something that scares me! I can’t imagine myself and think of how I’d pipe all this energy and bitterness I have for what I’ve been through. Luckily, I have music. I wouldn’t want to end up like Edgar Allan Poe, who I look up to. He ended up in the streets of New York, left alone with no money and syphilis. He died crazy. I’d never want to end up like that! Hahahaha! Music allows me every time I am at the edge of sanity and where madness begins, to find myself!

27.WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH YOUR MUSIC AT ALL, TO INTRIGUE HIM? WHICH ELEMENT IN YOUR MUSIC DO YOU THINK CAN ATTRACT THE LISTENERS?

Surely the honesty, surely that we play metal music and not a manufactured to sell product, surely that above all we are metal fans and secondly musicians and surely that Nightrage are a true band that wants to play the best possible metal they can!

-ARE THERE SOME ELEMENTS IN YOUR MUSIC THAT YOU FIND WEAK AND YOU’D LIKE TO IMPROVE?

I think that the next Nightrage albums will be even better. What will follow will be greater. We might have started off with a good album but the next ones will be much better!

28.ANOTHER THING NOW… THERE IS A CONFLICT. YOU PLAY MELODIC DEATH METAL AND YOU ARE IN BETWEEN, SO SOME EXTREME FANS CONSIDER YOU AS HEAVY METAL BANDS WITH BRUTAL VOCALS AND THE THE OTHERS THINK YOUR SOUND IS EXTREME. WHICH IS YOUR BELIEF?

I am influenced by various metal genres, from 80s bands like Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, I like hard rock a lot, black metal and bay area thrash, like the old Testament and Metallica, I also like melodic rock and rock music in general. I try to combine all those elements in Nightrage. Of course and I am influenced by the Swedish scene. I never believed we are the most original band of the planet. This is not valid, but I think we try to be pure and play from our hearts. I’d never want to sound like copycats of another famous band, but I think the fact we have Tomas Lindberg on our album, might drive some people to believe that we try to be At the Gates number 2, something that has nothing to do with reality. However the fact that our album is described in the German Metal Hammer like the next album of “Slaughter of the Soul” by At the Gates it’s an honour for us!

29.ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE FEEDBACK YOU GET BY THE PRESS? WHICH SONG DO THE MAGAZINES LIKE THE MOST?

I am very satisfied and the German Metal Hammer gave us 7/7 and we got a raving review. The publisher of Metal Maniacs and Metal Edge is a great fan of our music and he spoke to me with a lot of enthusiasm generally we have received very good reviews and feedback by the people and this is something that surprises me a lot! I’ve never expected anything like that! Our interviews are presented in big magazines and Century Media believes in us a lot and I think it’s more than obvious that our music is honest and you can’t fool the fans by only using big names or having only a good production. Our music speaks for itself. Yes, I think there are some songs like “The Tremor”, “Macabre Apparition”, “In My Heart” and the “Glow Of The Setting Sun”, which I think already stand out.

-I’D EXPECT YOU TO MENTION THE SONG “HERO”. PERSONALLY I THINK IT’S AN INCREDIBLE SONG WITH CATCHY RIFFS AND THIS IS THE ONE I’D EXPECT TO BE ONE OF THE HIT SONGS OF THIS ALBUM.

I think that all the songs of this album have energy, honesty and dignity and I think we managed to mix many different metal elements in our music, in songs like “Circle Of Pain” you can listen to some clean guitar parts that bring to mind Dream Theater or bands playing rock music and all these are combined with death metal guitars. I like to combine different elements of metal music within a song and I think this offers honesty and originality in our music.

-YOU KNOW WELL THAT “CIRCLE OF PAIN” IS ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES! IF I TOLD YOU TO SELECT A SONG, WHICH WOULD THAT BE?

I’d select “The Glow of the Setting Sun”, which combines mid tempo rhythms with heavy guitars. It’s not a very fast song and it has beautiful melodies that you can listen in the background, dramatic melodies. I think I’ve selected a very classic style to play with Nightrage and Exhumation before them. I have strong melodies and some clean guitar passages with strong death metal guitars.

30.BY THE WAY A SPECIAL JAPAN AND U.S. EDITION WILL BE RELEASED. RIGHT? WILL IT CONTAINS EXTRA SONGS?

There will be one bonus track on the Japanese edition, which will contain the demo version of “Gloomy Daydreams”, sang by Gus who is also playing the bass, I am playing the guitars and we have programmed drums. This will be the only bonus track for the Japanese edition. The album will be also released in the U.S. and we are under negotiation for a license in countries like Taiwan, Korea, Peru and Colombia. They’ve shown great interest for Nightrage there!

31.IS THERE A CHANCE TO ADD IN YOUR MUSIC SOME ETHNIC GREEK ELEMENTS? HOW DO YOU THINK SWEDES AND ALL THE PEOPLE IN GENERAL WOULD ACCEPT YOUR MUSIC?

I think that when you try to pass elements of your culture in your music, the whole thing sounds very original to foreigners. I’ve never thought of doing anything like that, although you never know hat the future might bring. Surely there are things in the traditional Greek music that can offer plenty of inspiration, but in a way I think we, Greeks, have this in our blood. This exotic use of melody, wanting it or not there are such elements in our blood and in the way we play music, in the way one sings or plays the guitar. Thus, I think we add an ethnic character in our music without even realizing it!

32.HAVE YOU BEEN ASKED A WEIRD OR FUNNY QUESTION THIS FAR?

Till now no and I think that all the questions I’ve been asked were serious and this shows that people really like what we are doing! I can’t say that I’ve been asked anything weird though I’d love to!

33.WHICH ALBUM WERE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING AND LET YOU DOWN? WHY?

Hmm…honestly this is a difficult question, but I’d say the new Metallica album, which left me speechless. I was let down by the sound and the band’s performance. I declare sad and cheated by Metallica because I am a big fan of them and I appreciate all their older album besides Load and Reload where they tried to do something different. I was expecting to listen to something else on this new album, but maybe after hearing it a lot of times, I might start liking it some more. I don’t know…

34.THANK YOU! IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO MENTION AND I HAVEN’T ASKED YOU?

I’d like to say a big thank you to all of you and especially to you Christine for your interest and we really appreciate it and I hope that all the Exhumation and metal fans in general will like this release, cause we tried hard to create something true from our hearts. I’d like to play live soon for all the guys and this is one of our next targets. Thank you!

Christine “azriel” Parastatidou

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