Sarissa
Sarissa may not be a well
known name outside the Greek borders, but this band has a cult status over
here. It's a group that has offered some classic songs, some real diamonds
that have set their seal on the Greek underground epic/heavy metal scene.
Now, with their recent album "Masters Of Sins", released many many years
after their previous work, they try to regain some of their past glamour
and approach new listeners. Check them out! They deserve it!!!
1.HELLO! THE ALBUM “MASTERS OF SINS” IS VERY
GOOD! NOW CAN YOU TELL ME WHY IT TOOK YOU SO LONG TO RELEASE IT, SINCE
SOME OF THE SONGS WERE COMPOSED A LONG TIME AGO?
HELLO TO ALL THE VEIL ZINE READERS!!! THANK
YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS. ALL OF THE MASTERS..SONGS WERE COMPOSED AFTER
2001,WITH THE EXCEPTION OF NEMESIS,AND THE STRUGGLE.THE FIRST IDEAS FOR
THESE SONGS WERE BORN IN THE EARLY 90’s, BUT GOT FINISHED ONLY 2 YEARS
AGO.
2.THE TITLE OF THE ALBUM IS “MASTERS OF SINS”.
WHY DID YOU NAME IT THIS WAY? WHO ARE REALLY THE MASTERS OF SINS? IS IT
IN A WAY PERHAPS A CONCEPT ALBUM?
AT THIS POINT LET ME INTRODUCE YOU CHRIS LAMBROUDIS
THE MAIN MAN BEHIND THE LYRICS.
Christos: First of all I would like to send
my best greetings to all and to thank you for giving me the opportunity
to say some words about the lyrics. I believe that it's obvious that most
part of “Masters of Sins” is a concept. It's not only the Middle East.
We are totally against the whole “New World Order”. We can't accept all
these that has happened and still happen in Serbia, Afganistan, Middle
East, Iraq, Africa etc. Genocides, killing of children, massacres of innoncent
people and all these what for? Is there any excuse? Is anyone really convinced
that all these happen for good reasons? We are first of all HUMANS and
with this cd we want to show our aversion and abomination. This is the
least we can do about it. My personal belief is that this cd is an epic
one too. Epic is not just Mythology, History, ancient battles etc. Epic
is also same life itself. There are many kinds of “Thermopyles” to defend
every day. There are many kinds of “Omerus Opuses” that we live every day.
Unfortunately with more pain and sufferings. Ending I would like to say
that I’m very glad about this cooperation with Sarissa. Our principles
are same and they are very good friends. The most important thing is that
this work of Sarissa really worths!!! So I would like to ask from everyone
to give them the chance to prove it.
3.YOUR NEW RELEASE IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM YOUR
PREVIOUS WORKS. IT'S MORE PROGRESSIVE AND SYMPHONIC ATHER THAN EPIC. HOW
DID THE SARISSA FANS ACCEPT IT TILL NOW? AREN'T YOU AFRAID THAT YOU MIGHT
DISAPPOINT THEM AND THAT THEY MIGHT TURN THEIR BACKS ON YOU?
DON’T FORGET THAT SARISSA HAVE BEFORE THIS
CD ONLY 2 MORE RELEASES, AND THE TIME BETWEEN THE LAST ONE AND "MASTERS
OF SINS" IS EXCACTLY 10 YEARS. SO ON ONE HAND YOU HAVE A PORTION OF DIE
HARD FANS WHO'VE EXPECTED FROM ME TO GO ON FROM WERE WE STOPPED IN 1994.
THE TRUTH IS THAT I WENT ON AS A SONGWRITER BUT ALSO AS A METAL MUSIC LISTENER,
SO FOR ME IT WOULD BE THE EASIEST THING TO DO, TO MAKE A 1994 CD NUMBER
TWO, AND MAKE THE DIE HARD FANS HAPPIER. BUT IN THIS MATTER THERE
WAS NO CHALLENGE FOR ME AND I TOOK THE DIFFICULT WAY, TRYING TO COMBINE
A LOT OF DIFFERENT STYLES AND MAKE THEM SOUND AS THE USUAL WELL KNOWN SARISSA
STYLE. SO THE OLDER FANS WHO GOT STUCK IN THE 80’S EARLY 90’S AND DIDN’T
GO ON MUSICWISE, MAY HAVE GOT DISSAPOINTED BECAUSE THEY WERE WAITING FOR
A MORE TRADITIONAL WAY, ON THE OTHER HAND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE , IN
MY AGE TOO, BUT ESPECIALLY YOUNGER AGES THAT WE’VE WON. IF
YOU LISTEN CAREFULLY, I THINK YOU CAN FIND A LOT OF THINGS IN OUR MUSIC,
FROM THE GLORIOUS 80'S TILL OUR DAYS.
4.I DISCOVERED, BY LISTENING TO THE ALBUM CAREFULLY,
INFLUENCES FROM BANDS LIKE CRIMSON GLORY (“ASTRONOMICA” ERA) AND THERION
WITH SOME ORIENTAL ELEMENTS THAT REMINDED ME OF THE TURKISH BAND THE PENTAGRAM
(NOW MEZAR KABUL). DO YOU AGREE? HOWEVER, YOUR SOUND IS ORIGINAL. HOW DID
YOU ACHIEVE TO CREATE SUCH A PERSONAL AND UNIQUE MUSIC?
MAYBE THE FACT, THAT WE LIVE IN HELLAS, THE
CENTRE OF EAST AND WEST CULTURES.
5.IN THE PAST SARISSA GOT VERY CLOSE TO SIGNING
WITH NOISE RECORDS, WHICH THEN WAS A HUGE METAL LABEL. WHAT HAPPENED AND
YOU LOST THIS OPPORTUNITY? WHAT MADE YOU CONTINUE AND NOT QUIT AFTER ALL?
IT’S SIMPLE THEY PREFERD TO SIGHN AN OTHER
BAND, A RUSSIAN BAND CALLED KRUIZ.
WE SPLIT UP, AT THE LATE ’95, FOR ABOUT 4
½ YEARS. THE THING THAT MADE ME GOING ON, IS ONLY THE LOVE THAT
I HAVE FOR MUSIC, AND NOTHING ELSE, WE WERE NEVER A PROFESSIONAL BAND IN
THE SENSE OF LIVING FROM THE MUSIC THAT WE ‘VE COMPOSED, IN THE OPPOSITE
WE HAD TO FIGHT A LOT OF BATTLES AND WE'RE STILL FIGHTING.
6.DO YOU KNOW IF THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE ABROAD
TAHT REMEMBER SARISSA? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
BELIEVE ME IN THE UNDERGROUND SCENE WE’RE
STILL CULT. I HOPE NOW WITH OUR COMEBACK WE WILL WIN A LOT OF NEW FRIENDS.
IT FEELS ALWAYS GOOD TO NOW THAT YOUR MUSIC CAN REACH AND UNITE OTHER PEOPLE,
IT’S MAGICAL, IT’S LIKE SHARING A SECRET WITH HUNDREDS OF FOREIGN PEOPLE.
7.DO YOU HAVE PLANS TO RELEASE OTHER ALBUMS BESIDES
“MASTERS OF SINS”? OR IS IT THE LAST ALBUM WE WILL HEAR FROM YOU? IS IT
SOMETHING LIKE YOUR SWANSONG?
NOW WITH THE MAKING OF OUR OWN STUDIO, YOU'LL
GET BOMBARDED EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE WITH NEW SARISSA STUFF, BE SURE FOR
THAT.
8.FROM THE ORIGINAL LINE UP ONLY YOU DIMITRIS
REMAINED. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHERS AND THEY QUIT? I BELIEVE THAT THE
SUPPORT OF THE GREEK FANS TO YOU WAS QUITE ENCOURAGING...
FIRST, MUSICAL DIFFERENCES, SECOND PERSONAL
DIFFERENCES AND THIRD, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, WE WERE NOT LIVING FROM OUR
MUSIC SO BELIEVE ME IT’S A HARD SPORT AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS. YES OF COURSE
AND NOW I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THANK YOU ALL, BELIEVE ME THERE WERE
A LOT OF TIMES WHEN I WAS THINKING TO STOP PLAYING , BUT READING ALL THIS
ENCOURAGING LETTERS FROM YOU GOT ME MOVING ON, REALLY, THANK YOU PEOPLE.
9.ANYWAY, SARISSA NOW HAVE 2 NEW MEMBERS. CAN
YOU INTRODUCE THEM TO US? DO THEY HAVE ANY PRVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER
BANDS?
THE NUMBER HAS GROWN TO 3. ON THE DRUMS IS
BILL KANAKIS, ON THE VOCALS NICK IGLEZOS, AND THE NEW MEMBER IS OUR GUITAR
BASS PLAYER BILL PERPERIDIS, ALL OF THEM HAD EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER BANDS
AS WELL.
10.ALL THE INSTRUMENTS ARE PLAYED BY YOU DIMITRIS,
EXCEPT FOR THE DRUMS (BY BIL KANAKIS). SO, DOES THIS MEAN THAT SARISSA
ARE A STUDIO BAND OR DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS?
WE ARE A REGULAR BAND, EXCEPT FOR THE ORCHESTRA
AND CLASSIC PARTS WHICH WILL BE SAMPLED AT OUR LIVE APEARENCES. THERE ARE
PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS, AT LEAST HERE IN HELLAS, BUT IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE
SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROMOTERS!!!
11.TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE SONG “DEATHDANCE”
AND WHAT GAVE YOU INSPIRATION TO COMPOSE IT?
DEATHDANCE IS TALKING ABOYT A HISTORICAL EVENT
IN THE NEAR PAST, IN A BATTLE WITH THE TURKS AFTER THE LOSS OF THE BATTLE
ALL THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE GATHERED AT THE EDGE OF A MOUNTAINSIDE,
AS THEY SAW THE TURKS WINNING THE BATTLE, THEY PREFERED TO KILL THEMSELVES
AND THEIR CHILDREN JUMPING DOWN THE MOUNTAINSIDE, INSTEAD OF SURRENDERING
TO THEIR ENEMY. BRAVE HELLENIC WOMEN,THIS IS A TRIBUTE TO THEM.
12.DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS TO MAKE A VIDEO CLIP
FOR THE ALBUM? IF YOU HAD A LOT OF MONEY TO SHOOT ONE, WHICH SONG WOULD
YOU SELECT AND HOW DO YOU IMAGINE IT TO BE?
OK, LET'S DREAM, OF COURSE ALL THE MASTERS
OF SINS CD SINCE IT IS A CONCEPT CD AND THEN OUR NEW ONE THAT WE ARE WORKING
AT THIS TIME, WHICH IS A CONEPT TOO, AND IT’S NAMED THE…………HAHA!!! BE PATIENT,
I THINK ALL THE DIE HARD ONES WILL LOVE THIS ONE!!!
13.IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT WOULD IT
BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
ANGER, FRUSTRATION, BITTERNESS….
14.IF YOU COULD INVITE FAMOUS MUSICIANS TO PARTICIPATE
IN YOUR ALBUM, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?
TONI IOMMI THE MASTER OF HEAVY METAL,THE BIGEST
INSPIRATION FOR ME, DEFINETLY.
15.THANK YOU! THESE LINES ARE YOURS... MENTION
WHATEVER YOU WANT...
MASTERS OF SINS IS WRITTEN WITH OUR OWN BLOOD,
AND REFLECTS WHAT'S GOING ON TODAY, SO GIVE IT A TRY, IT’S NOT AN EASY
LISTENING CD, SO HAVE PATIENCE AND LISTEN TO IT A FEW TIMES, I GUARANTEE
YOU THAT THE MORE YOU LISTEN TO IT THE MORE YOU WILL DISCOVER. HAVE FUN
WITH IT
JIM A.D. SELALMAZIDIS
Nick "William_Kidd"
Parastatidis
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