Crystal
Tears
I am familiar with Chrisafis
and his band Crystal Tears many years now and actually I know them since
their very beginning. Considering everything in retrospect I only have
to say that the band's evolution and progress are remarkable with their
most recent attainment being the release of the great "Choirs Of Immortal".
So how could we leave the chance to talk about this and various other issues
with Chrisafis pass by? Here's what we got out of it...
1. HELLO CHRISAFIS! HOW ARE YOU? YOUR FIRST
OFFICIAL RELEASE IS FINALLY OUT! HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
CT: Hi Nikos! I am doing fine, thank you!
Actually, you find me serving my time in the army now, so things could
be better for me, but it is OK. Patience is my middle name :-) Yes, a couple
of months ago (October '06) our first official release, "Choirs Of Immortal"
was unleashed! We feel very happy about it and anxious of course, but generally
talking, there is a very positive mood about the whole thing! We really
love what we do!
2. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO COMPLETE THE ALBUM
“CHOIRS OF IMMORTAL”? WHICH COMPOSITION THAT YOU INCLUDED HERE CAME TO
YOU VERY EASILY AND WHICH ONE TOOK YOU MORE TIME TO COMPLETE AND WHY?
CT: Well, "Choirs Of Immortal" took a lot
of months to be completed, actually, a whole year! You see, after the release
of our third work, "Embrace The Horror", CRYSTAL TEARS had to deal with
different stuff, like various gigs, the METALLY INSANE metal project etc.
and line-up changes at the same time. It is really hard to work under this
pressure, but it is very creative too. Aaa... which track came up easily
and which one took more time... Arrgghh, I truly do not know, you see,
you compose some stuff, you cut and add stuff along with your band mates,
you record a demo, you record the official thing... Every procedure has
its own story and you see it as a whole maybe, not as a song-composition-precedure
separately.
3. ONCE AGAIN IN THE NEW RELEASE YOU HAVE CHANGED
THE LINE-UP OF THE BAND, EXCEPT FOR YOU OF COURSE. CAN YOU INTRODUCE US
THE NEW MEMBERS OF THE BAND AND TELL US WHERE THEY HAVE PLAYED BEFORE CRYSTAL
TEARS?
CT: Of course. Natasa Pandreia is CRYSTAL
TEARS' new singer. Don't get her and the band wrong; she might be a woman,
but her voice is rougher than some males :-) She sounds like Blackie Lawless
of W.A.S.P. or like Ronnie James Dio. Or like Bonnie Tyler in a very bad
mood :-) Dimitris Goutziamanis plays the guitars. A previously CRYSTAL
TEARS member - you can hear him in "Embrace The Horror". Stratos
Dionisopoulos is the new bass player and as Natasa, he played in some other
acts in the past, but nothing officially.
4. DID THE NEW MUSICIANS THAT HAVE JOINED THE
BAND CONTRIBUTE IN ANY WAY IN THE COMPOSITIONS AND IN THE CREATION OF THIS
ALBUM?
CT: Of course they did!! Even if the songs
were ready, they put THEIRSELVES in them! Everyone in the band has a strong
personality both in life and music and they pass this thing in our music
as well. "Choirs Of Immortal" is a result by all four CRYSTAL TEARS members.
5.WHY DID YOU NAME THE ALBUM “CHOIRS OF IMMORTAL”?
IS THERE A MESSAGE BEHIND IT?
CT: There is no special or mystical meaning
behind the title. It is a nice name for a heavy metal album, which can
take you to many places unknown. And it perfectly fits with our cover;
a battle between angels and demons contacted by a demon orchestra, which
plays the soundtrack of death. Cover painting credited to legendary Joe
Petagno (MOTORHEAD, PINK FLOYD, LED ZEPPELIN, ALICE COOPER etc.).
6.BEFORE THIS ALBUM, YOU ALSO RELEASED 2 DEMOS
AND ONE OFFICIAL ALBUM. DO YOU PLAN TO RE- RELEASE THEM OR INCLUDE SOME
OF YOUR SONGS IN UPCOMING RELEASES?
CT: A good question, but a slight correction,
before I go on. Our last work, "Choirs Of Immortal", is our first
and only official release. All the others are demo works: "Skies Of Eternity"
(demo CD, 1999), "Promoworks" (promo CD, 2000) and "Embrace The Horror"
(demo CD, full-length, 2002). Yes, it is in our plans to record again some
of our strongest songs from all three demo works. There are tunes that
are very qualitative and they deserve to be unleashed officially anymore.
Besides, old stuff are performed on stage and people seem to enjoy them
a hell of a lot! And we also take under consideration the poll there is
in our website about the tracks of our demo works (www.crystal-tears.com).
If anyone wishes to take part, please, feel free to contribute (sometime
in the future the poll will go down though).
7.YOU ARE A NEW BAND AND YOU HAVE SIGNED TO A
LABEL THAT NOW MAKES ITS FIRST STEPS IN THE MUSIC OF HEAVY METAL. HOW DID
YOU COME IN CONTACT WITH THIS LABEL AND HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
CT: I actually happen to know one of the guys
that work in the label. He is a very good friend of mine for a lot of years
and a true metalhead. One day he announced to me the founding of Pure Steel
records and asked me for a copy of our new work. After listening to it
with his other label partners, they suggested we co-operated together.
Discussions of various kinds started, thoughts, worries, concerns etc.
were expressed by both sides and we ended up working together. I really
cannot tell about our co-operation, because it is still very early. I do
not have any numbers in hands, nothing at all. Time will tell. So far,
the movements the label does about the production and the promotion of
our work seem to go fine. Mmm... we have to be realistic as well. Let us
not forget it is a label new in the scene. Anyway, ask us again in a year,
in our next interview :-) I just wish that our work is not buried somewhere
in a mailorder or I do not know where else. I really wish this.
8. WHO WRITES THE LYRICS IN THE BAND? CAN YOU
TELL US IN A FEW WORDS, WHICH THE MEANING OF EACH SONG INCLUDED IN YOUR
NEW ALBUM IS?
CT: Everyone in the band knows (and approves)
what the songs talk about. "Sworn To Avenge" talks about the strength of
vengeance. "Nightmare Terror" is dedicated to one of the most beloved villains
of horror cinema: Freddy Krueger (Nightmare On Elm Street). "Rock Survivors"
is an anthem to heavy metal. "Master Of Deception" talks about politics;
it feeds people nothing else, but lies. "Megas Alexandros" is for those,
who dare to defy Alexandros' Greekness, a slow and bombastic tune. "Stealer
Of Minds" talks about slaves and masters in real world. "When The Night
Is Cold" is a heavy metal ballad; when the loss of a very beloved person
is unbearable. In "And The Arrows Fall" anger and revenge are the main
themes again. Lastly, "Legends Never Die" talks about legendary men; they
keep the memories alive.
9. IS THERE A QUESTION THAT YOU’D LIKE TO BE ASKED
IN AN INTERVIEW AND PEOPLE NEVER ASKED YOU? HERE IS YOUR CHANCE...
CT: Oups, you got me now! I cannot think of
one right now...! In our next interview then :-)))
10. HAVE YOU CONSIDERED UNDER WHICH CIRCUMSTANCES
YOU BECOME MORE PRODUCTIVE AS A MUSICIAN?
CT: Mmm... I do not know! And I really do
not want to force myself into thinking about it... I think we can be productive
under any circumstance, as long as we breath and feel!
11. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS!
THE LAST LINES BELONG TO YOU...
CT: Thank you very much for the interview
and for your support! The world needs real rockers nowadays with the broader
sense of meaning, there is too much fakeness. Strong and honest characters!
Rock until we fall!
Nick "William_Kidd"
Parastatidis
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