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I don't think SEPTIC FLESH need any introduction. This band has been around since the early 90's, and they have always respected their fans and their ideals and never compromised themselves or their music; instead of getting softer, they have become even more brutal, and their latest creation, "Sumerian Daemons" is the proof. What was the reason to justify this choice, you'll find out from the discussion I had with Sotiris.
Necromantic Art: Hello Sotiris and welcome into the pages of Necromantic Art magazine from Romania! First of all, I want to congratulate you for this masterpiece that is "Sumerian Daemons". It's one of the best albums I've listened to recently. I won't bother you with questions regarding your activity so far, although you are for the first time present with an interview in our zine, but I will ask you a straightforward question instead: why did you left HOLY RECORDS and what have you done after the break-up with them? You've been for a long time with them, so why was necessary to make this step?
Sotiris: Although we had a good relationship with HOLY RECORDS, we felt that with "Revolution DNA" they reached the peak of their potential. And after the expiration of our contract we received quite a few proposals from labels. So we spent a lot of time thinking about what would be the best for the future of the band. And HAMMERHEART convinced us that would do a lot more than our previous label.
Necromantic Art: How did you get in touch with mighty HAMMERHEART RECORDS? Had you received any offers from other big labels as well before deciding to sign with HAMMERHEART?
Sotiris: We had long negotiations with the Greek department of EMI and then with NUCLEAR BLAST before we reached to a final agreement with HAMMERHEART.
Necromantic Art: Had you also considered signing for a smaller label, which could have dedicated entirely in promoting your band, just as NAPALM DEATH decided to do after leaving EARACHE? Or you just wanted from the start to sign for a big label (not that HAMMERHEART RECORDS is too "big" - rather well-known)? You know, many well-known bands I've heard not to be really satisfied with their status in a major label, but I suppose you had your offer signed with HAMMERHEART the way you wanted?
Sotiris: Indeed. We wanted a label that would stand 100% behind the release and not just put its moniker on the album cover. HAMMERHEART is a rising force that is working very hard and makes the right moves. Even from these first months of our collaboration we see that their promotion is really strong.
Necromantic Art: Before you signed with HAMMERHEART, what were your aims? What would you have wanted from the new contract?
Sotiris: One of our main demands was to obtain a good studio budget and book Fredman Studios for the recordings. We wanted also our album to have a wide promotion around the world and be easily available to the fans.
Necromantic Art: OK, enough with these things, let's get to the music. I have only listened to SEPTIC FLESH so rarely since I got this latest album from HAMMERHEART. I know you are quite old in the scene, so how do you see this album compared to your previous releases?
Sotiris: I won't say something original but I really feel that "Sumerian Daemons" represents the best effort of this band until now. It has the maturity that was developed through out all our previous recordings while it sounds fresh. We don't make carbon albums. Every release we have made has its unique identity while the result is of course SEPTIC FLESH. "Sumerian Daemons" is a dark hearted album with the raging fury of metal and the stylistic approach of a soundtrack.
Necromantic Art: As far as I could notice, you are attracted by industrial and strange noises that you like to include at times in your music and to be honest, they fit well in it. What is the feeling you want to transmit to the listeners by incorporating these kinds of sounds in your brutal metal? What about the contrasting operatic female vocals?
Sotiris: We love to experiment with our sound exploring different ideas and arrangements before reaching to the final version of a song. And we keep exactly what we feel that fits to the music and atmosphere. I find that the electric noises that we insert to our music using the samplers are making the sound richer and at the same time extreme and grim. As for the operatic vocals we always had a lot of influences from classical music. Now, our budget is higher and the experience of Chris on classical composition wider and we feel confident to blend metal with classical arrangements. The choir if used properly and for a reason can create a majestic and powerful feeling beyond the limitations of the sheer use of keyboards.
Necromantic Art: Had you worked a lot for releasing "Sumerian Daemons" compared to your previous releases? Were there any new territories that you maybe wanted to explore on this album or perhaps to offer something new to the fans? Are you satisfied with the result of your latest album?
Sotiris: Hell, yes. We feel satisfied from the result. We worked a lot and given attention to even the small details that are not grasping your attention at first. We have built the compositions on a solid and groovy rhythm section with an emphasis to the sharp and heavy riffing, while we inserted a lot of unconventional elements on the background. "Sumerian Daemons" is more extreme, more direct and at the same time avant-garde.
Necromantic Art: Your album seems to me as full of hate and brutal as hell, though mixed with melody, yet kept under control. What has inspired you in writing such savage rhythms for "Sumerian�"? What has determined you to head towards a more brutal territory with this album? The fans' reaction, your will, or what?
Sotiris: The fan's reaction was very warm to the melodic approach of "Revolution DNA". The most logical move would have been to follow the direction of "Revolution DNA" on the new album. However we don't like to be predictable. And we felt a strong urge to sink in the depths of darkness. We missed playing in ultra blast speeds as we had quite a long time to use a machine gun as a guide to the tempo.
Necromantic Art: Were you influenced by anything when you wrote the tracks for "Sumerian Daemons"? Did you want to express something with your lyrics as well? And what does that interesting cover symbolize?
Sotiris: On the cover you can see the union of three different elements: the machine, the body, and the spirit (symbolized from the goat skull in the position of the head). "Sumerian Daemons" is about confronting your fears in order to open "doors" that lead to higher, forbidden knowledge. There are different perspectives about reality. You could say that in "Sumerian Daemons" I was influenced from the perspective of the "night".
Necromantic Art: In your biography it is mentioned on purpose that you are pioneers in the Greek metal scene. What is the feeling you try when thinking about this thing?
Sotiris: The sense is close to what it feels when you are looking to a picture of yourself as a baby. I can recall a lot of crazy, disturbing or funny memories from what you can call the primitive age of the Greek metal scene. I feel happy that we managed to survive and prevail following our own path beyond obstacles and limitations.
Necromantic Art: How's the Greek metal scene? You know, in Romania is quite a shitty one. How are you treated as a band in Greece? Both by metal community and by other people?
Sotiris: Like the gods of Olympus. No, just kidding. The number of followers of the dream lord is rising in the Greek metal community with each release that we make and we have built our reputation step by step. About the other "normal" people they don't give a damn. At best we are considered as low life satanic scum. But of course we don't care as we never indented to be the smiling all popular rock stars.
Necromantic Art: Which is in your opinion the best track on the album and why?
Sotiris: "Red Code Cult" is my favourite song. It is probably the darkest and more extreme song I have ever written. When I listen to it, I feel a rash of my adrenaline while a cold embrace surrounds my soul. Hail to the Announaki and their brethren.
Necromantic Art: Your album counts almost one hour of music! In a time when the majority of the bands barely cross the 30 minutes border with their albums, you came out with a 56 minutes album. Why this decision?
Sotiris: We just didn't want to throw out good material as we felt that all 13 songs deserved to be in the album.
Necromantic Art: Most part of your tracks on this album is theatrically composed, and this aspect is even more accentuated by the operatic vocals of your soprano, as I said earlier. Despite this, there was a period when you temporarily ceased cooperation with Natalie Rassoulis. Why?
Sotiris: "Revolution DNA" had a more futuristic atmosphere and demanded a different approach on the arrangements. We felt that the songs demanded a more dark and melodic way of singing. So we gave more space to the clean male vocals instead of using female vocals that fit to a more ancient and epical atmosphere. The vocals of Natalie are always an option but we are not bound to use them without a reason. We always do what we feel it is more effective for the song and we treat the vocals as instruments. Only the bestial growling of Spiros is a permanent element to our albums.
Necromantic Art: I would say that your album has a very powerful bass sound. What did you want to record it like that?
Sotiris: A journalist recently asked me if we mixed the album inside a nuclear reactor. Ha, he was not so far away from the truth. We had lethal equipment in our disposal and the radiating mind of Fredrik Nordstrom on our side. He did a great job, creating this huge and yet bright bass sound that torments your speakers.
Necromantic Art: Have your tastes regarding the music changed throughout the years? I am asking you this as your album is a piece of sheer brutality so rarely chosen to be played by nowadays bands. Have you always wanted to give up or soften your style for a more commercial one? What has kept you eager for brutality all these years? And what do you think about those bands that compromise themselves?
Sotiris: We always act in accordance with our inspiration and emotions. I think that if you start compromising in order to please someone, you instantly stop pleasing yourself and probably you will neither please the one that you intent to. Music is basically about emotions and you can't fake with emotions. When I listen to someone's music I can sense the existence or not of authentic emotional power behind a song and I think that most people can sense it too. And I am really disappointed when I find that a favourite artist of mine is compromising his talent.
Necromantic Art: Do you think that big magazines are in a way responsible for delivering commercial stuff to the public?
Sotiris: Big magazines are part of the music industry. The commercial stuff is designed to bring easy profit to all those involved to the music industry, based on already successfully tested recipes. It seems that a considerable part of the public can be easily influenced from the massive and continuous propaganda of a specific stuff. And when you buy something you make a vote of confidence. So be careful in what you are buying.
Necromantic Art: I've never asked any band about its album sales, but may I ask you where are you most popular, I mean in what country do you sell most of your albums? What about the U.S? The public there is quite reticent when it comes to European bands, especially in metal music. Do you receive feed-back from those lands as well?
Sotiris: Our main audience is in Europe. We have some interest from U.S and Japan but we sale a lot more albums in countries like France, Greece or Poland for example.
Necromantic Art: A quite interesting thing I have noticed while listening to your album was that your style seems very original. How do you like to name it? Do you agree with my statement that SEPTIC FLESH is performing a top-quality avant-garde extreme metal?
Sotiris: I like this description of our music. Actually I have seen a lot of different descriptions about our music in magazines and I can understand why. We are not following a specific trend and we don't aim to sound like anybody else. So you can call our music as you feel like, it is OK to me.
Necromantic Art: In a message received from your label, I was told that your album has received some of the biggest marks in the zines, just soon after its release. How do you see this thing? Had you expected such a great feed-back from the press? What about the public? What do you expect from the people? Do you think zines can influence them in order to appreciate this album at its real value?
Sotiris: If someone needs a magazine to realize that what he listens is good or not he is definitely not our desired audience. The importance of a magazine's review is to awake a spark of interest to the reader so that he will listen to the album and make his own judgment.
Necromantic Art: To me, the most interesting track on the album seems "Magic Loves Infinity". I love especially the intro (providing a very majestic feeling to the listener) and the part when Natalie enters the scene with her theatrical voice. Give me more details about this very track.
Sotiris: This song is about the path of the sorcerer. The music just follows the emotions that the lyrics awakened in me during their creation. The song has a dark hedonistic mood while its tempo is imposing and triumphant.
Necromantic Art: What is the reaction you expect from the Greek public? Do Greek fans buy your records massively?
Sotiris: The Greek audience supports our releases at a big extend. As it seems from the sales and the opinions we have heard until now, "Sumerian Daemons" is going to surpass all our previews releases.
Necromantic Art: What else could be said about "Sumerian Daemons"? Are you going to promote it through intensive tours? Tell me about a place where you have never toured but would like to. I know it is Romania, ha, ha!
Sotiris: We will participate on the Generation Armageddon festivals at the end of April until the mid of May around Europe with other bands of HAMMERHEART RECORDS. Unfortunately Romania is not on the tour but we are open to proposals. The band never toured also in Japan and I think it would be great to do so in the near future.
Necromantic Art: In the early 90's, Greece has given several valuable bands to the scene: SEPTIC FLESH, ROTTING CHRIST, NIGHTFALL, DEVISER, but for some years no newer band has raised from Hellenic lands. What is the possible cause of this aspect? Is the Greek scene lacking the talents lately?
Sotiris: I hope not. A healthy scene must always present some fresh blood to the audience. You can check out some newer bands that have a lot of potential like ORDER OF THE EBON HAND, NAAR MATARON and SWAN CHRISTY.
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