SepticFlesh Interview

(1) Thank you for accepting to answer a few questions for MFG!! Could you please introduce yourself and SepticFlesh to our readers?

I am Sotiris V. guitarist, lyricist and clean vocalist of Septicflesh, a band from Greece that cannot be easily put under a strict description concerning its musical style. It is basically aggressive stuff but it doesn’t lack melodies and atmosphere.

(2) Why did you choose SepticFlesh as band-name? Have there been other proposals when your band was formed?

Septicflesh maybe brings in mind a gore – Death Metal kind of band and we are definitely not that kind of band. We were very young when we chose the name but on the other hand a lot of great bands had simple names as that at the time. Anyway at one point we tried to change our name to something more dark and dreamy and asked the opinion of our fans, but the fans were used to this name and they didn’t wanted any change. Also we created a good reputation about what we play and so there is no confusion now.

(3) Your band was split-up in 2003, what was the reason to reunite in 2007?

The reason the band was disbanded was the will of the members to pursue different personal goals. After all those years a lot of personal goals were achieved and we all feel now less pressure concerning our lives. In addition the fans were always supporting the band even after the split up. So eventually we get together again. We discussed about all the important maters, we tried to create together some songs and the magic was still there. The songs of Communion gives the answer about why we had to reunite.
It is probably our best album until now.

(4) O.k let’s talk about the new album “Communion” that you released last month: What’s the meaning of the CD-Title?

Communication with non human entities. This kind of strange fellowship is shrouded by mystery and reported during different eras and on various parts of the world. There are even sacred rites on many different religions to symbolize this “communication”.

(5) Mythology is one main theme on “Communion”, but is it a concept-record or isn’t there any coherence between the tracks.

Although there are some interconnections between some songs, Communion is not a concept album. I had so many things that i wanted to tell that I decided it would be better not to focus on only one theme. I use mythological elements from various ancient civilizations including Sumerian, Egyptian and Hellenic as they are perfect for deep symbolism. I am walking the left hand path and so there are references also to this journey and point of view.

(6) You have worked together with the Filmharmonic Orchestra of Prague and the genius result of this cooperation is in my eyes the big strength of you latest release. But how can we imagine this co-operation? Did you met the orchestra and told those guys your idea?

Chris Antoniou, our second guitarist, has a master degree in concert music from the London College of Music. And during the time of Septicflesh’s inactivity has worked with orchestras including the Filmharmonic Orchestra of Prague. So actually things were easy for us to convince them to work together. Actually they work usually for the making of soundtracks. And they have played in some famous movies as Hostel and Starship Troopers for example.

(7) Until now, what was the reaction on “Communion” from the fans / press?
Do you like the new record? What are the strengths and/or is there something that bothers you about it?

The reaction is massive. We are very happy to receive this amazing reaction and especially after all those years of inactivity. Also we are very proud of the result as it is the most mature and at the same time extreme album we ever created. It came out exactly as we indented it to be.

(8) SepticFlesh will start their Europe Tour this month, what are your ambitions? How did you plan to make every gig an unforgettable event for your fans? Will there be a special live-show like Amon Amarth with their Viking-show?

At the moment there are no plans for a special show. On the other hand it is not a bad idea to plan something on the future, as our music is actually very theatrical and “visual”.

(9) When you are playing live, the orchestra will be playback; doesn’t this constrict you as musician?

The only way to reproduce the orchestral parts without being left broke is the use of samplers. However we already tried the new songs live and we were amazed from the result. You should check it out for yourselves.

(10) SepticFlesh was formed already in 1990, when you look back, what was the most exciting/positive experience you’ve made with the band? And which the most negative?

I remember our first European tour with Misanthrope and Natron. It was a great experience as it was the first time. The most negative was of course our split up. I was very disappointed for the turn of events and it was definitely a very hard decision from all of us.

(11) How can we imagine the metal-scene in Greece? Are there a lot of bands who think that they are Spartans or Sons of Zeus (like the Viking-Hype in Scandinavia?)

No. There are very few bands in this field actually, and they are more into ancient Hellenic pagan mysteries than the more “popular” themes.

(12) As the last question for our interviews, we always chose something abnormal, so here is my question for you: Let’s imagine aliens would attack our planet and they would transform all humans into vegetables, in which vegetable would they transform you and how would you live with that handicap? How would the rest of your band look like?

What a question! It sounds like the story line of a crazy cartoon. Well, what matters what kind of vegetable we were going to become, if we were going to be consumed? Hm, maybe we could become…. red hot chili peppers?

(13)O.k thanks for the interview, any last words?

The gates are open. We are back from the dead.

Interview made by: SvArt
Thanks to SepticFlesh for those illuminating answers!

Official SepticFlesh Homepage

Tour Dates

~ by SvArt on April 8, 2008.