PATHOS
Pathos
exist quite a long time. However it wasn't until now that their name started
to be mentioned some more. After the release of an excellent album entitled
"Katharsis" everyone should only speak with respect and admiration for
what these guys managed to do. So, grabbing this opportunity I had a quite
long talk with one of their guitarist Lennart, who proved to be an excellent
person with a very good sense of humour and we ended up having many common
friends. It's a small world after all... However the line could be better...I
could hear him talking with difficulty.
1.ALTHOUGH PATHOS HAVE ALREADY
RELEASED 3 ALBUMS, THEIR NAME IS NOT KNOWN IN GREECE. COULD YOU TELL ME
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BAND?
We started in the early '90s.
Actually Pathos started in 1995, we released 3 albums (along with "katharsis").
The first one was released in 1997 and it was called "Hoverface" and the
second one was called "Human Versus Universe" (note: the line was terrible
so, I am not perfectly sure if this is the title of the album) and it was
released in 1998. We did a big break after that cause we wanted to do something
better, to do the right one, so 4 years later we released "Katharsis".
2.YOUR NAME AND THE TITLE OF YOUR LAST
ALBUM ARE GREEK WORDS ADOPTED BY ENGLISH LANGUAGE. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU
FIND ATTRACTIVE IN IT?
It's the psychology behind the
words. Ancient Greeks were often the "inventors" of psychology and they
sound good too! hahahaha
Good language!
3.WHAT PROCEDURE DO YOU FOLLOW DURING
THE SONG WRITING? I'VE REALISED THAT YOU RARELY COMPOSE SONGS THAT LAST
LESS THAN 5 MINUTES AND ALWAYS START WITH A POWERFUL AND CATCHY RIFF THAT
IMPRESSES THE LISTENER. AM I CORRECT?
Yeah! Of course. We start with
the music. Compose some riffs along with the other guitarist, then we lay
the drums and they bass on it and we are quite finished with the songs
before we put the vocals on and of course we may change or enrich a song
to fit in the vocals.
4.DO YOU TAKE UNDER CONSIDERATION THE
BANDS YOU LIKE WHEN YOU WRITE MUSIC OR DOES INSPIRATION COME OUT NATURALLY?
Yeah! It comes out naturally to
us. I don't think that we are thinking of other bands so much. Of course
we are influenced by some bands, but we have our own style. When people
try to compare us with other bands, they find it hard... We've been playing
this kind of music since the early 90s so we are one of the first bands,
but of course we get influenced by other bands, by different kinds of music,
progressive rock like RUSH or from metal like thrash, death metal too...
-I THINK THAT THE FACT YOU LISTEN TO
MANY DIFFERENT THINGS IS OBVIOUS IN YOUR MUSIC.
Yeah, yeah! I think so too. I think
it's a strong...a big plus for us. We listen to many things and we are
not afraid to mix them. This is what describes Pathos I think. Sometimes
our music can be slow and beautiful and sometimes it can almost be like
death metal. It's this contrast...
-YES. I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT THIS...YOUR
MUSIC IS REALLY INFLUENCED BY THRASH METAL ALTHOUGH YOUR MUSIC CAN NOT
BE CATEGORIZED AS THRASH. IT SOUNDS TO ME QUITE CLOSE TO NEVERMORE. SO,
CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR OWN DESCRIPTION OF YOUR MUSIC?
I think it's hard...Well, it's
hard because I'm in the band! hahaha It's not like I listen to this music
for the first time and tell someone how it sounds, but of course the only
thing that I can say is that it's I think everything between classic metal
to death metal and of course it has some progressive stuff in it. It's
very hard to say...The journalists should do that! hahaha
-WELL SOMETIMES IT'S HARD EVEN TO US
TO CATEGORIZE THE MUSIC.
hahaha...Yeah, yeah! I can understand
that! I think it can sometimes be "dangerous" to put a label on a band,
likt metal or progressive or death metal...Of course it's in the people
the need to orientate.
5.THE PRODUCTION OF THE ALBUM IS GREAT!
CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT IT?
We recorded the album in February.
We started in early February and it took us 5 weeks to finish it including
from the first drum to the mixing. It was recorded in Rostenhouse Studios
(note:as I said above the line was terrible, so I am not sure whether I
caught the name of the studio correctly), in the outer Sweden. It's a great
studio. I think it's one of the best studios here in Sweden. I think it's
quite funny because there are these other studios here in Sweden that are
very famous and many bands have been recording there, so there are so many
bands that have the same sound, so there are quite new things to listen
to. We are very pleased with it. We worked with the producer and the studio
tech.
6.IF I TOLD YOU TO PICK OUT ONE OF
YOUR SONGS AS THE MOST IDEAL TO REPRESENT YOUR SOUND WHICH WOULD THAT BE?
MY FAVORITE IS "SUICIDAL SAVIOUR LIES". IT COMBINES SO MANY THINGS...LIKE
AT THE GATES, MEMENTO MORI, THE HAUNTED...SO WHICH IS YOUR OWN MOST BELOVED
SONG?
I think that I agree! hahahahaha
Also it's the last song we wrote
before we entered the studio, so I wrote this song a week before starting
the recordings. It's the freshest one and like you said it describes many
things. I like it a lot and I also like "Revelation".
7.TELL ME SOME THINGS ABOUT THE LYRICS.
FROM THE SONG TITLES I THINK THAT YOU MOST PROBABLY DEAL WITH HUMAN EMOTIONS.
RIGHT?
Yes! That's correct. It's like
self experience things from me and Paul. It's about human emotions and
the feeling of katharsis, the cleansing of the soul. It also deals with
different apsects of katharsis. It's all about human emotions and trying
to cleanse our souls and start all over again.
8.EXECUTIVELY THE BAND STANDS ON A
HIGH LEVEL! WHICH ARE YOUR KNOWLEDGES IN MUSIC AND MUSIC THEORY? BY THE
WAY GIVE MY CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DRUMMER!
I think our strongest thing is
that we have been rehearsing a lot since the early 90s, without a singer.
Our first singer was living 85 Swedish miles away. It was a long long way
from where we live. So, in the beginning the songs were instrumental, so
we were rehearsing 3 days a week for many hours. Everyone is very good
on his instrument. Just that! We like to play complicated but it's not
that we are trying to show something, it comes out naturally, the mixing
of progressive metal with bands from the old school thrash metal like Dark
Angel combined with technical riffs.
9.YOU ALSO HAVE A GREAT SINGER WITH
A WIDE VARIETY OF SOUNDS, FROM TYPICAL POWER TO THRASH AND EVEN DEATH METAL
VOCALS, BUT YET MELODIC WITH A PERSONAL TONE. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT
HIM?
Yeah, I can say that our singer
is great! We are very pleased with him. It's good! ...and the death metal
vocals in the album are done by me, but...hahahaha...It's one thing we
did in the studio. We didn't plan it. We came to the studio and we said
ok let's do it, because I am an old death metal singer. But our singer
is very good!
10.BY THE WAY, DO YOU BELONG IN A DEATH
METAL BAND AS WELL?
Yeah I do! But not as a singer.
As a guitarist. It's a thrash death metal band called Dimension Zero.
11.YOU GUYS FROM SWEDEN NEVER CEASE
TO SURPRISE US WITH THE QUANTITY AND THE QUALITY OF YOUR BANDS. DO YOU
HAVE A THEORY ABOUT THAT?
Ohh...I don' really know, why it's
like that. Maybe it's bcause it's so dark and boring up here, so we just
have to play the guitar...
-DO YOU THINK SO?
hahahhaha! Ohhh I don't know! I
don't think it's so boring. I have a great time everyday. I don't know!
It's maybe because there are not so many big cities, so when people have
to get to a big city to see a band, then the band has to be good, cause
we must travel a long distance...It's the same thing for people going to
the United States. I don't know why Swedish bands get the higher grades...
12.WHICH ARE YOUR GOALS AS PATHOS AND
AS A PERSON?
We really hope to get out on a
tour. this is our first goal, because we have now 3 albums. We didn't have
good labels in our first 2 albums, so that's probably why we didn't tour
back then. Now, I hope to go to Europe. this is our first goal and I don't
really wanna see too far. We exist since the early 90s so hopefully getting
a little bigger and going for a tour would be good.
13.DO YOU ENJOY PLAYING LIVE? IS THERE
A CHANCE TO SEE YOU LIVE IN GREECE SOMEDAY?
Of course we love to play live.
That's the most precious thing for us. We are all quite good at playing,
so people told us that we are a live band and that we sound good live.
We are a small band to go out and tour Europe, I don't know if people know
us yet, but if we had the chance to decide we would get out to play. It's
up to them! It's up to the management and of course the money.
14.ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE FEEDBACK
YOU GET FOR "KATHARSIS"? DO YOU GET MUCH ATTENTION FROM THE LABEL YOU SIGNED
WITH?
Yeah we are very pleased with the
feedback for "Katharsis". It's very god! Very good! We are very pleased,
we get 8/10 or 4/5. Nice scores and the people understand what we are trying
to deliver with our music. We are very pleased with it. Couldn't be better!
Swedish magazines wrote some nice reviews and it can be really hard here
in Sweden because as we said before there are many good bands here. Good
point everywhere.
Which was the next question?
-ABOUT THE LABEL. DO THEY PAY ATTENTION
ON YOU?
So far we are pleased with them.
Great management, great promotion I think. We did a lot of interviews and
that part is very good! But let's see in the future what happens. If we
get out on a tour...that will be nice! We want to get out and play. You
can't just sit right there and record an album. It's boring! Let's see
in the future, but so far we are very pleased with them!
15.CAN YOU NAME SOME OF YOUR MOST FAVORITE
BANDS AND BELOVED ALBUMS?
It's a hard question. Of course
it will be bands like JETHRO TULL and their classic album "Wild Horsemen"
maybe.
-GREAT ALBUM!
Yeah!I love it!
Hmm...other bands like RUSH...
-WHICH ALBUM?
I don't know. All the albums! And
we can go to bands like FATES WARNING. They have very good albums as well.
I think their latest album is really great. Also DARK ANGEL are among my
favorite bands, JUDAS PRIEST and their labum "Unleashed In The East", bands
like SLAYER, MALEVOLENT CREATION, SUFFOCATION. I think that the new STRAPPING
YOUNG LAD album is also very good. Many bands from all genres, rock, progressive,
heavy metal, death metal. Everything!
16.WHICH SONG OF YOURS WOULD YOU CHOOSE
TO MAKE A VIDEO CLIP AND HOW DO YOU IMAGINE IT TO BE?
Which song? Hmmm...that's a hard
one. Maybe "Suicidal Saviour Lies". If I would be thinking of that song
it would be like a very industrial feeling of it. A lot of machines...maybe!
I don't know! hahahaha
Haven't thought of that! It'd be
nice to make a videoclip though if we had the money...It's very expensive.
17.IF YOUR MUSIC WAS A PAINTING,
WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
Hmmm...I'd think of a painting
that would have everything between hell and heaven. Everything in between.
-AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THERE IS BETWEEN
HEAVEN AND HELL?
Yeah! What is it? hahahaha
I don't know...
-MAYBE EVERYTHING AND NOTHING THEN...
Yeah! Everything and nothing! Exactly!
hahahaha
18.IF YOUR MUSIC WAS A FEELING,
WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Ok!Hmmm...It would be Pathos. If
you translate the meaning of the word Pathos, then that's what our music
is all about. All that it means, all emotions. Passion for the music. I
think passion is a good word! (note: actually Pathos is an ancient Greek
word which means passion).
19.IF YOU COULD TRAVEL BACK
IN TIME, WHICH HISTORICAL PERIOD WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT AND WHY?
Ohh...It would be nice to see the
Vikings. I heard so many things about them, to taste the freedom... It'd
also be nice to visit ancient Greece. Many things...
-WELL, I'D LIKE TO GO TO MANY PLACES
MYSELF.
-THERE ARE TOO MANY THINGS THAT WE
COULD SEE.
Yeah! Too many! But I don't want
to see my mother and father when they were doing me! I don't want it! No,
no!hahahahaha
-BUT IT WAS A GREAT MOMENT IN HISTORY...
Yeah!! The greatest moment!! hahahaha
20.IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET THE
CREATURE THAT CREATED THE UNIVERSE, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK HIM?
Why is it so cold in Sweden?
-I CAN ANSWER THAT! MAYBE BECAUSE YOU
ARE LIVING NEAR NORTH POLE?
I think so too!hahahaha
Ohh..it's not so cold as people
think. We have great summers. Really great summers and sometimes it may
be hotter than Spain or Greece.
-WELL I DON'T THINK YOU REACH 40 DEGREES
LIKE WE DO HERE.
Well sometimes we get high temperatures.
You know there are quite many Greek people living here and I actually have
a friend who is from Thessaloniki.
-REALLY? I AM FROM THESSALONIKI. YOU
ARE ACTUALLY TALKING WITH THESSALONIKI.
Really?!?! Great! Ok!Good! hahahaha
-IT'S A SMALL WORLD. RIGHT?
21.THANK YOU! HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK
YOU ANYTHING AND YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION?
Hmm...I don't know. Is it a paper
magazine or a webzine?
-IT'S A WEBZINE.
-WELL INTERNET IS USEFUL TO THE BANDS.
Yes it is! It has many imformation
We have uploaded some mp3 tracks from all 3 albums. We have 2 tracks from
each album.
-I HAVE YOUR FIRST AND YOUR THIRD ALBUM...
Is there a problem finding the
second one?
-WELL I DON'T THINK I CAN FIND IT ANYWHERE
HERE IN GREECE.
Yeah. I don't think so too, but
you can find some info in our site and you can buy it. There are links
where you can find it and order it.
-I SHOULDN'T KEEP YOU. YOU MUST HAVE
SOME OTHER INTERVIEWS COMING UP RIGHT?
Oh..tonight it's quite calm. Drink
a beer and relax! haha
-SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN!
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