Zemial
It's really great and challenging
to talk to a person that has lived in so many countries, had the chance
to blend in with so many people and managed to deeply understand other
civilizations and surroundings. One more thing that makes this interview
special is the fact that we are dealing with a musician that has been involved
literary with all kinds of music and is still in search of Zemial's identity
through music and lyrics. That's why "In Momentum" is special. It's
a mosaic of different elements and influences...
1. FIRST OF ALL I’D LIKE YOU TO TELL ME HOW
YOU FEEL ABOUT “IN MOMENTUM”. ARE YOU CONTENT WITH THE FINAL RESULT?
Certainly. I am more satisfied with
“In Monumentum” than with any other Zemial release. That is not to
say that I find it perfect and beyond improvement. Working in the
studio is something I really enjoy, particularly as I experience the music
taking new shapes as it moves through the recording process. So many
times I find it difficult to stop and put a halt on that evolving process.
It is a matter of deciding where to stop and do so on a good point.
In this recording, the amount of technical
obstacles was larger than ever before and perhaps it is because I managed
to work through all of them in order to finish this album that I feel so
pleased with. To begin with, I only had segments of 3 songs before
we entered the studio. No lyrics, no arrangements… We also
engineered and produced the whole thing ourselves, so particularly when
I think of the circumstances I am quite happy with the result, though I
never want to repeat that process!
2. YOU EXIST AS A BAND FROM THE LATE 80S, SO YOU
HAVE WITNESSED HEAVY METAL’S TRANSFORMATION. WHAT HAVE YOU REALIZED AND
OBSERVED ALL THESE YEARS? WHAT PERIOD DID YOU LIKE BEST?
An interesting question. The very early
days had a really great feeling, since the music and the ideals were fresh
and under development. Everyone involved knew that something new
was starting and the support for others following this new way was notable.
It felt good to be involved in creating something new. However, my
favourite time is now. I know more than I did then and musical expression
has an entirely different dimension for me now.
3. WHICH ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS OF YOUR
CAREER? YOU ARE BROTHERS AND THE ONLY MEMBERS OF ZEMIAL. WHY? WHY DON’T
YOU ADD OTHER MUSICIANS IN YOUR LINE UP?
Most important moments of my career…
The moments when I went beyond playing heavy metal were very significant
to me. I love music altogether and I did not want to limit myself
to playing one style of music only. However I had no other experience
aside from heavy metal. So it felt very satisfying when I first performed
with an orchestra in concert hall, when I first played with a jazz band,
when I first played with serious musicians in a progressive rock band.
Those moments made me realize the beauty of my instrument and gave me a
stepping stone into the future, which in turn made me pursue music on a
professional level.
I am the sole member of Zemial. I employ
session musicians for live shows and for some years my brother has been
one of those members as well as a contributor to recordings (mainly with
guitar solos). I have been writing everything for Zemial for so long
that I find no need in augmenting the compositional personnel. Of course
I still use session musicians for live appearances and this formula works
very well with me so far. That is not to say that there will never be another
Zemial member. I prefer to not say never.
4. LET’S SUPPOSE THAT YOU WERE ASKED TO WRITE
A REVIEW OF “IN MOMENTUM”. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TRYING TO BE AS OBJECTIVE
AS POSSIBLE?
I would say that this is the most mature album
of Zemial so far, as it shows the broader spectrum of what Zemial can achieve.
5. IF YOU HAD TO COMPARE IT WITH YOUR PREVIOUS
WORKS, WHICH SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES COULD YOU FIND?
There are countless similarities. Some
include the way the riffs were written as well as little trademark intricacies
that characterize Zemial music (such as sliding riffs and very simple drumming).
There are similarities in the way that we approached the recording and
that feeling comes across through the performances just as it did in previous
recordings. The most outstanding difference is in my use of clean
vocals, as well as an unusually large (for heavy metal) variety of percussion
and auxiliary instruments. Part of the sound and production also
differ. We blended techniques that we used in the past, along with new
ideas that we developed in the studio. Another notable difference
is the overall concept approach of the lyrics of the album. The recurring
themes about the loss of life and the emotions that surround that experience.
In the past I scripted each piece without thinking of an overall approach.
Since this album is a tribute to the memory of Quorthon, I focused on tales
of living and dying and the frailty of human life. That is why this
album has attracted many new fans whilst giving the old fans what they
always expect from Zemial.
6. TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE LYRICS OF “IN
MOMENTUM”. WHICH ARE YOUR SOURCES OF INSPIRATION?
The title piece was inspired by the death
of Quorthon and is an existential view of human life and death. For
the other pieces I was mainly inspired by themes of ancient battles and
Hellenic mythology. "For a Fallen One" for instance was predominantly
inspired by the almighty Ajax and "H Tan H Epi Tas" was of course inspired
by the heroic last stand of the 300 Spartans at Thermolypae in the face
of an advancing Persian army numbering over 10,000 men. If those
men had not held the Persians on that long summer day, Hellas and indeed
Europe would not be what it is today. Folk tales also found their
way into the lyrics in this album.
7. YOU’VE DEDICATED ONE OF YOUR SONGS TO QUORTHON.
WHY? AREN’T YOU AFRAID THAT SOME MIGHT ACCUSE YOU OF COMMERCIALITY AND
OF “EXPLOITING” QUORTHON’S DEATH?
I have dedicated the title track and in fact
the entire album to the memory of Quorthon, for being my main source of
inspiration to form this band and to play as I have with this band since
1989. If someone lacks foresight and clarity so as to interpret this
dedication as an attempt to exploiting Quorthon’s death then clearly we
are referring to individuals with limited observation capacities.
I cannot hold a grudge toward such poor people. They utter gibberish
as part of how they are. I understand that.
8. I LIKED THE COVER ARTWORK A LOT. SUITABLE AND
REALLY DARK. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT? CAN YOU DESCRIBE IT FOR THOSE THAT
HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET?
It is a photograph of an ancient “standing
Stone” monument in Britain from the Bronze Age. It was captured by
Italian photographer Diego Meozzi who graciously granted me the permission
to use it. The front cover design was done by me.
9. “IN MOMENTUM” IS RELEASED THROUGH YOUR OWN
LABEL. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO DO THAT AND NOT SIGN WITH ANOTHER LABEL? HAVE
YOU GOT DISTRIBUTION WORLDWIDE? HOW CAN A FAN ORDER YOUR ALBUM?
I decided to do this because I was tired of
having fans and magazines write to me and tell me that they are unable
to obtain our music. We have mainly dealt with underground labels
and I realized that I could just as easily do their work and have more
control as to where the album is distributed as well as how the album is
promoted. So far this move has been the most rewarding move I have
made with Zemial. I have also managed to obtain all the rights to
the entire Zemial back-catalogue which I intend to release again for the
fans that never had the opportunity to obtain copies of the earlier versions.
We have distribution in the United States,
Australia, parts of Asia and many countries across Europe. We have
not covered all territories so we are open to dealing with distributors
from around the world. Fans can order the album directly from us.
Those interested can visit our MySpace page (www.myspace.com/zemial)
and check the NEW MERCHANDISE Blog for more information on what merchandise
is available and how to order.
10. THROUGHOUT THE YEARS OF YOUR EXISTENCE YOU
TOURED ALMOST ALL AROUND THE WORLD. SO, WHAT’S IN STORE FOR ZEMIAL IN THE
FUTURE? HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO PROMOTE YOUR NEW ALBUM AND HAVE YOU PLANNED
ANY LIVE SHOWS? WILL YOU VISIT GREECE AS WELL?
Since settling in Germany after our “In Monumentum
Tour 2006” I have a new Zemial line-up and we are preparing for the “March
of the Giants Tour” next March. We will be going through Scandinavia
(Finland, Sweden, Denmark) and some Baltic countries (Latvia, Estonia +
Russia), touring around Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland
and yes, we will come through Hellas as well. We want to cover as
much of Europe as possible so we will endeavor to play in the U.K., France,
Italy, Spain and Portugal as well. Since I have moved back to Europe,
touring will definitely take a more prominent role for Zemial.
11. WHICH WERE THE REASONS THAT FORCED YOU TO
LEAVE GREECE AND SETTLE IN OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE AUSTRALIA, GERMANY, ETC.
WHY ARE YOU SO RESTLESS AND WHY CAN’T YOU SETTLE IN ONE PLACE?
I was 18 when I left Athens. There was
very little pointing toward a prosperous future for my brother and I, so
we pursued our chances in Australia. We planned our moves carefully
and we reaped the fruit of our labor. Things went according to plan
and facilitated our return to Europe with a safety-net (in terms of skills
and finances). That enables us to pursue our goals here.
I think Life has very much to offer for those
who wish to Live and I also view life as something that constantly evolves,
changes and moves forward. Hence my methodical approach to experiencing
more of this world and pursuing my dreams wherever I choose. I am
happy to have seen the world as I have, instead of spending all those years
in the same place, doing the same things. The unknown is a challenge
that rewards well once you adapt to it.
I prefer to control my environment than to
be controlled by my environment.
12. IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT WOULD
IT BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
My music IS emotions. Not one but many.
The new album for instance, has entirely different emotions from song to
song. "Born of the Crimson Flame" invokes something entirely different
to "In Monumentum" or "Remembering Those Lost". I have never looked
at Zemial as a band that has one side only though I am the first to admit
that the music spectrum of Zemial has, until now been limited in its scope.
Still, we move forward (consciously not at a fast rate) and refuse to limit
our output to that of a single approach to anything. If our music
were a painting, the canvas would be entirely black and open to interpretation.
13. IF YOU HAD A HUGE BUDGET TO SHOOT A VIDEO
CLIP, WHICH SONG OF YOURS WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND HOW DO YOU IMAGINE IT TO
BE?
Without thinking of it in too much detail
I thin I a huge, as you put it. Budget would allow me to do a great job
with “Face of the Conqueror” or “In Monumentum/Stone of the Ages”.
"Face of the Conqueror" would feature exactly what is described in the
lyrics: a Daemon-king from the dark lands of Stygia and the total darkness
he brings to the land. "In Monumentum/Stone of the Ages" would be
much harder to set into images as it is much deeper in its essence, but
certainly something grandiose would fit it well – it would demand it.
I actually have already begun the first ideas
for a video clip of “Born of the Crimson Flame”, since I was very influenced
by the surroundings of my current location and my visits to many old German
castles over the past 2 months. It will be uploaded on our MySpace
page upon completion.
14. WHAT TITLE WOULD YOU LIKE THIS INTERVIEW TO
HAVE? A TITLE THAT COULD SUM UP THE WHOLE ZEMIAL ESSENCE…
Hmm… Yes… I think ”Sport Billy
and the flying goats” best sums-up my mood for the day and general outlook
as I toiled over this very interesting and challenging interview.
Thank you Christine!
15. THANK YOU! IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE
TO SAY?
Christine Parastatidou
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