Interview with death metal from Greece - ABYSSUS.
Answered Kostas Analytis (bass, vocal), thank you!
Translated Duzl, thank you!
Questions prepared Jakub Asphyx.
Recenze/review - ABYSSUS - Death Revival (2022):
https://www.deadlystormzine.com/2021/12/recenzereview-abyssus-death-revival-2022.htmlAve ABYSSUS! Greetings to the Serpent Realm! I have had your new album "Death Revival" at home for some time and I must say that it is a great trip for me when I was young and I started with death metal. Excellent jam! How did the record come about and where did you want to move compared to previous recordings?
Thank you for your kind words. ”Death Revival” is just a new step that takes us to the next level. It’s the continuous logical progress of a band that enjoys playing old school metal and being very strict with itself, without sacrificing quality and looking forward, every time, for the better result. “Death revival” is at this moment our best release and we are proud for this album.
The cover by Andreas Marschall has already introduced me to the morbid game. Great job! How did you choose the motif and how does it relate to the music and lyrics? How did you get together with Andreas and why him?
As I have already mentioned, every time we have a new release we are looking to make something greater. Not only on the part of music. Artwork for us is something very important. The classic metal albums have artworks amazing and memorable. In many of those colossal albums, responsible was Andreas Marschall. We wanted very much to cooperate with him and everything was about timing. I found a way to contact with Andreas and here we are. It’s not a specific connection between artwork and music but both are totally death metal!
The sound of death metal in particular. Did you manage to achieve a sound that is as cut from the turn of the eighties and nineties of the last century? He acts like an analog to me. Am I right? Where did you record the album, who is signed under mixing and mastering?
We were looking to get a final result relative to the classic albums. We have worked hard on this direction. Few things recorded in an analogue way, this is true. The album recorded in the same studio (Unreal Studios, Athens) where its predecessor has been recorded too. We are responsible for mixing and mastering and we think we have done a cool job.
Death metal lyrics are often about ugly and bad things. What are they talking about on "Death Revival"? Who is their author and where did you get the inspiration for them? Did Greek mythology, for example, influence you?
I write down all the lyrics (Konstantinos Analytis – vocalist). Most lyrics are referred on historical events, battles and people. Also morbid daily things such as war, social oppression, corruption ect. are parts of my inspiration. I read a lot of books, especially historical. For example the track “Genocide” is talking about the genocide made on Armenian and Greek populations from Ottoman Empire or ”The Beast Within” is talking about a serial killer; his name was Jenkins, who was killing in the name of the Egyptian serpent lord Apophis.
How is death metal perceived in Greece? I come to you quite often on vacation. They are resorts, but it doesn't occur to me that I would meet too many fans in metal T-shirts. Are you more underground? How does it work for you, what about the fans, the bands?
Actually, there are too many metal-heads living in Greece but of course we are talking for a music that is no more mainstream. In Athens there are too many rock bars and a bunch of metal clubs also. Most metal heads here listen to black metal or stoner but of course there are people listening to death metal. Bands like Dead Congregation, Death Courier, Mass Infection are few names of a large list of great bands.
You'll probably agree that concerts are the best anyway. Today, one can listen to a band from the other side of the world, but when he goes to a club and sees it live, he gets under the stage, buys a CD, a T-shirt, and gets a completely different relationship. Do you play often and like? What about tours, festivals? How do you perceive live performance as a musician?
Heavy metal is a music that should be performed live. We love playing live but this entire situation with covid-19 has ruined every single plan. We have cancelled two tours around Eastern Europe and also it gives us no opportunity to organize something new at all. Of course we are going to play a live show here in Athens but nothing more at the present time is fixed. We are a very active live band, having played with great names in the past (Possessed, Rotting Christ, Aura Noir, Sinister, Suicidal Angels and more) and we miss all that feeling and experience.
We in the Czech Republic are all more atheists, the church in our country does not have much influence. At least it's not visible. How is it with you? I have noticed that there are quite a few active believers in Greece. I know that in Poland, for example, the Catholic Church is causing a lot of problems for bands, concerts, covers, etc. are forbidden. Have you encountered something like this in your country?
Greece is relative to Orthodoxy. Church has power but won’t see extreme things happening, such as cancelling live shows or any controversial actions. You can realise that the most famous Greek band is Rotting Christ, extreme name, isn’t it?
Death is a frequently cited topic in death metal. Personally, I often remember Greek myths and legends, the Realm of Hades. How do you feel about death? Do you think there is anything else? Another dimension, hell? At one time I was very interested in Greek philosophers and these are amazing ideas. Did they affect you in any way?
Only death is certain, nothing more. I believe that when we die we are nothing more than food for vermin. I hope that there could be a place as heaven, Valhalla or something like that but all these are stories made from man to have something to wait for when the end is near. Greek mythology is amazing and I read a lot of such things, stories of Hades, Persephone, Ixion, Hecate, Sisyphus and more and of course the legacy of Philosophers such as Heraclitus.
Personally, I perceive ABYSSUS as a great old school death metal band. I wonder what your goal is, the direction, the goal you want to get to. Is it a big label? Festival? Or maybe a tour with POSSESSED?
A tour with Possessed! Hehe! That would be beautiful for sure. They are amazing guys and we had a great time when they were here in Athens. We just play the music we like to hear. We are metal heads who want to have a good time, escaping from our daily routine. We are always suffering for the greatest result, mainly for ours pleasure. If people enjoy our music that is really awesome but the main aim is our satisfaction. We want to play to festivals around the world and spread our music, that’s for sure. A big label is not always a blessing but often becomes damnation as many bad things may be born, such as contracts with bad terms, strict deadlines and more. When the artist is imprisoned in such things he can’t be dedicated to music and then the magic is lost.
How did you get into death metal? When did you first take the instrument and start playing? Who was your role model? And what was it like growing up in metal Greece? The first concert?
Well, now you turn me almost 25 years back. I was listening to classic heavy metal bands and I was into thrash, you know, Slayer, Kreator, Sodom. I had sold my BMX at the age of 14 to buy a very bad second hand guitar. Back then, there was no internet and such bullshits, it wasn’t easy to get to the music, there was a primitive situation but full of romantism and magic that I recall it with nostalgia. A friend has given me a tape with a new album; it was Six Feet Under’s “Warpath”. That was the death metal beginning. I love this album ‘til now. After that, albums like “Mercenary”, “4rth Crusade”, “The Ten Commandments”, “Cause of Death”, “Leprosy”, “From Beyond” and many more has shown me the right way. There were too many metal heads in school but few of them keep the flame ‘til nowadays. My first live show was a local band called Inertia before they changed their name to Secret Show and be more famous with a cool discography. After few months I saw Iron Maiden when Dickinson returned, it was 1999.
What are ABYSSUS planning in the coming months? What can fans look forward to?
We are going to have a release show for “Death Revival” here in Athens with our brothers Cursed Blood. We will wait how the things will go with covid-19 to fix any other live shows as a new lockdown seems not too far away. We will work on new material, we won’t live time waning.
Thank you very much for the interview. I appreciate it. I'm going to play "Death Revival" again. It is excellent! Thank you so much for your new record. I wish you the best sales and may you prosper in private!
I thank you for the interview, for your time and your kind words. Hope to see you soon by visiting your country.
Recenze/review - ABYSSUS - Death Revival (2022):
https://www.deadlystormzine.com/2021/12/recenzereview-abyssus-death-revival-2022.htmlabout ABYSSUS on DEADLY STORM ZINE:
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