Sinner
Rider
Sinner Rider is a new Greek
classic heavy power metal band that I bet will make a strong impact on
all the fans of this genre all around the world. This is why we thought
that interviewing and presenting them to the public was a really good idea.
So, read what Vasilis, the band's bassist told us...
1.HELLO, VASILIS, SINCE SINNER RIDER IS
A NEW BAND,CAN YOU GIVE US SOME INFO ABOUT THE GROUP AND PRESENT THE CURRENT
LINE UP?
HELLO TO YOU!! SINNER RIDER WAS FORMED IN
THE SUMMER OF 2002 BY ME (VASILIS KIRKOS, BASS) AND VASILIS BALOZOS (GUITARS).
MANY THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE BACK THEN UNFORTUNATELY, SO THE CURRENT
LINE UP IS: VASILIS (BASS), BILLY V. (GUITARS), ARIS (DRUMS) AND WE ARE
SEEKING FOR A NEW SINGER AT THE TIME.
2.I READ IN YOUR BIO THAT IN THE BEGINNING
THE BAND HAD A PROBLEM TO FIND A STABLE LINE – UP. WHICH WAS THE REASONS
OF THIS DIFFICULTY? DO YOU STILL HAVE GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE FORMER MEMBERS
OF THE BAND?
WELL IT WAS MOSTLY OUR ARMY OBLIGATIONS AS
IT HAPPENS WITH ALL THE GREEK BANDS. EVERY MAN IN GREECE HAS TO SERVE THE
ARMY FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND THAT'S WHY WE HAD PROBLEMS TO FIND A STABLE
LINE UP. IT'S COMMON I AM AFRAID. WE STILL HAVE EXCELLENT RELATIONSHIPS
WITH THE FORMER BAND MEMBERS. WE ARE STILL FRIENDS, GOING OUT TOGETHER,
DRINKING BEERS, GOING TO CONCERTS, SOMETIMES WE ACTUALLY REHEARSE TOGETHER
AS WELL. WE PARTED WAYS IN A REALLY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT. AFTER ALL GREEK
UNDERGOUND BANDS HAVE RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER AND LIVING IN A CITY LIKE
LARISSA, WE ALL KNOW EACH OTHER.
3.YOU HAVE RELEASED RECENTLY A DEMO WITH 5
SONGS. CAN YOU TELL US HOW LONG IT GOT YOU TO RECORD IT? HOW MANY COPIES
HAVE YOU SOLD SO FAR?
WELL WE RELEASED THIS DEMO IN FEBRUARY 25TH,
2004. IT'S SELF-FINANCED AND IT'S CALLED "DEMO 2004". WE WERE IN THE STUDIO
FOR A WEEK, CONCERNING THE RECORDINGS, BUT WE WERE PLAYING THESE SONGS
TOGETHER FOR 2 YEARS. SO, YOU UNDERSTAND WE WERE ALREADY VERY TIGHT AS
A BAND AND WE DIDN'T NEED MORE TIME TO RECORD THE TRACKS. WE RELEASED 200
COPIES. MAINLY WE SPREAD THEM TO RECORD LABELS AND MEDIA FOR PROMOTIONAL
PURPOSES. I ASSUME WE HAVE SOLD AROUND 130 COPIES SO FAR. PEOPLE KEEP ASKING
US FOR THE CD BUT WE HAVEN'T GOT ANY LEFT, SO WE MUST PRINT AGAIN SOME
COPIES.
4.AS INFLUENCES OF THE BAND YOU MENTION IN
YOUR BIO, GROUPS LIKE JUDAS PRIEST, RUNNING WILD AND ACCEPT. CAN YOU NAME
YOUR FAVORITE ALBUMS OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED BANDS? ARE THERE ANY OTHER
BANDS THAT HAVE INFLUENCED YOU APART FROM THE ONES I HAVE JUST MENTIONED?
ALRIGHT. JUDAS PRIEST: "DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH",
"PAINKILLER". RUNNING WILD: EVERYTHING!! ACCEPT: "BALLS TO THE WALL", "RESTLESS
AND WILD" AND "METAL HEART". SURE, THERE ARE MANY BANDS THAT I HAVE BEEN
INFLUENCED BY, SUCH AS MANOWAR, KING DIAMOND, LIEGE LORD, GRAVE DIGGER,
SAVATAGE, OLIVER MAGNUM, LIZZY BORDEN, CLOVEN HOOF, RIOT, GRIM REAPER,
OMEN AND THE LIST GOES ON.
5.LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE LYRICS.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM? WHAT KIND OF THEMES DO YOU LIKE TO WRITE ABOUT?
WE ALL WRITE THE LYRICS TOGETHER BUT WE HAVE
TO THANK A CLOSE FRIEND OF OURS WHO PROVIDES US WITH MOST OF OUR LYRICS.
HIS NICKNAME IS "LORD" AND YOU MAY SEE HIS NAME IN OUR BOOKLET. HE IS ACTUALLY
THE FIRST DRUMMER OF SINNER RIDER BUT DUE TO ARMY COMMITMENTS HE HAD TO
LEAVE THE BAND, ALTHOUGH HE IS LIKE THE FIFTH MEMBER OF THE BAND. THE THEMES
ARE MAINLY STRAIGHT HEAVY METAL INSPIRED. LIKE IN OUR TITLE SONG "SINNER
RIDER", THE LYRICS ARE ABOUT A MAN THE SO CALLED "SINNER", LIVING HIS LIFE
THE WAY HE WANTS WITHOUT HAVING ANYONE TELLING HIM WHAT TO DO. THERE ARE
NO HIDDEN MESSAGES. STRAIGHT IN-YOUR-FACE WORDS. THERE ARE SOME CONCEPT
STORIES LIKE THE ONE IN "THE WAR WITHIN US", WHICH IS ACTUALLY A FIGHT
BETWEEN GOOD AND BAD. THINGS COMING FROM OUR LIVES AND OUR EXPERIENSES,
ALTHOUGH "STARLIGHT" IS A FANTASY STORY.
6.IN YOUR LYRICS YOU CLAIM THAT THE PEOPLE
HAVE TO FIGHT IN ORDER TO MAKE THEIR DREAMS COME REAL. HOW EASY OR DIFFICULT
IS IT TO DO SUCH A THING? HAVE YOU DONE ANY COMPROMISES SO FAR?
I THINK IF YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, YOU CAN
DO EVERYTHING! IT'S THE SO CALLED "INNER POWER" THAT GUIDES US TO ACHIEVE
THINGS THAT WE MIGHT THINK WE CAN'T REACH OR DO. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND
FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU THINK IS TRUE. PLAYING SUPPORT TO FIREWIND IS OUR BIGGEST
ACHIEVEMENT AS A BAND SO FAR AND THAT PROVES THAT HARD WORK AND FAITH IN
YOURSELF CAN MAKE DREAMS REAL.
7.ARE THE 5 SONGS YOU HAVE INCLUDED IN YOUR
DEMO THE ONLY ONES YOU HAVE COMPOSED SO FAR OR DO YOU HAVE MORE? WHEN DO
YOU PLAN TO RELEASE A SECOND DEMO?
WE HAVE MORE THAN 10 SONGS COMPOSED SO FAR.
IN OUR GIGS WE ALSO PLAY NEW SONGS THAT PEOPLE HAVEN'T HEARD AND THE RESPONSE
IS VERY GOOD. WE ARE PLANNING TO RELEASE A SECOND DEMO AFTER THE SUMMER.
AS I SAID ALREADY, WE ARE LOOKING FOR A NEW SINGER RIGHT NOW, SO THAT CAN
TAKE A WHILE BUT WE ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO RECORD A SECOND DEMO WITHIN
THIS YEAR.
8.ONE OF THE BIGGEST MOMENTS OF THE BAND SO
FAR I BELIEVE IS THAT YOU HAVE PLAYED SUPPORTING FIREWIND… WHAT DO YOU
REMEMBER FROM THAT NIGHT? WHAT KIND OF PERSONS ARE FIREWIND? DID THEY COMMENT
ON YOUR MUSIC?
OF COURSE. PLAYING WITH FIREWIND WAS OUR BIGGEST
ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR AS A BAND. THE SOUND WAS REALLY GOOD, PROBABLY THE BEST
SOUND WE EVER HAD IN A CONCERT. THAT'S MAYBE BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS VERY
WELL ORGANIZED AND WE HAD THE CHANCE TO DO A DESCENT SOUNDCHECK FOR ALMOST
2 HOURS. THAT HELPED A LOT. FIREWIND ARE REALLY NICE PERSONS, VERY KIND
WITH US. WE WERE TALKING WITH ALL OF THEM, THEY HAVE A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR
AND THEY ARE SKILLED MUSICIANS. WE FELT LIKE WE KNEW EACH OTHER FOR A LONG
TIME. THEY REALLY LIKED OUR MUSIC. CHITY (SOMAPALA, VOCALS) WAS AMAZED
BY OUR SONGS AND HOW STRONG AND TIGHT WE SOUND AS A BAND. IN THE BEGGINING
HE THOUGHT WE WERE NOT A GREEK BAND. OUR SOUND WAS MASSIVE AND WE REHEARSING
THE SONGS FOR ALMOST 3 YEARS NOW, SO THEY SOUND REALLY TIGHT. AS THEY SAID
AFTER THE GIG, THEY LIKE OUR MUSIC AND ATTITUDE.
9.IN YOUR SITE YOU SAY THAT YOU ARE READY TO
SIGN WITH A LABEL. DID YOU HAVE ANY PROPOSALS SO FAR? WHAT DO YOU
EXPECT FROM A LABEL TO OFFER YOU IN ORDER TO SIGN?
THERE IS A MISUNDERSTANDING. WE SAY IN OUR
SITE THAT WE ARE ENTERING THE STUDIO TO WRITE A NEW SONG FOR A COMPILATION
CD. THIS WILL BE RELEASED BY A RECORD LABEL, BUT WE HAVE NOT BEEN OFFERED
A RECORD DEAL YET. CONCERNING YOUR SECOND QUESTION... I DON'T KNOW, I AM
WAITING FOR OFFERS HAHA.
10.LET’S SUPPOSE THAT YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO
COOPERATE WITH A FAMOUS METAL MUSICIAN. WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?
THAT'S A HARD QUESTION. IT WOULD BE RATHER
JOEY DEMAIO OR ROLF KASPAREK. I WOULD CHOOSE DEMAIO CAUSE I RESPECT HIM
A LOT AND BECAUSE HE GIVES OPPORTUNITIES TO NEW BANDS, TO BE HEARD WITH
HIS RECORD LABEL. ROLF KASPAREK ON THE OTHER HAND... HE IS A GREAT MUSICIAN
AND I LIKE HIS ATTITUDE A LOT.
11.HAVE YOU SENT YOUR DEMO TO THE PRESS? WHICH
WAS THE MOST POSITIVE REVIEW THAT YOU RECEIVED AND WHICH ONE YOU DIDN’T
LIKE?
AS I SAID WE SENT OUR FIRST DEMO CD TO THE
MEDIA AND THE REVIEWS WERE MOSTLY POSSITIVE. METALZONE MAGAZINE WROTE EXCELLENT
WORDS FOR US AND WE THANK THEM. THERE ARE MANY MAGAZINES, WEBZINES AND
FANZINES AROUND THE WORLD THAT WROTE A WORD FOR OUR DEMO. MOST OF THEM
LIKE OUR EFFORT. I CAN'T RECALL ANY "BAD" REVIEWS OTHER THAN THE GREEK
METAL HAMMER (WHICH THEY GAVE US 5 OUT OF 10). THATS TYPICAL OF COURSE
FOR THE GREEK UNDERGOUND SCENE. SAME THING HAPPEND WITH MANY OTHER BANDS
BUT AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME THESE BANDS SIGNED RECORD DEALS AND RELEASED
ALBUMS AND AFTERWARDS THE SAME MAGAZINE PRAISES THEM TO THE HEAVENS. OF
COURSE THAT'S WHAT THEY DO, WHEN SOMEONE PAYS THEM FOR PUBLICITY.
12.I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR THIS INTERVIEW…
THE LAST WORDS BELONG TO YOU AND LEAVE A MESSAGE TO THE READERS OF BEHIND
THE VEIL WEBZINE…
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INTEREST IN SINNER
RIDER, WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. LISTEN TO OUR MUSIC AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL
MEET SOMEWHERE DURING A CONCERT TO DRINK SOME BEERS TOGETHER. THANKS TO
ANYONE THAT TOOK THE TIME TO READ THIS INTERVIEW. CHEERS!
Nick "William_Kidd"
Parastatidis
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