Burst Issue #24, February 2015 by BURST Magazine

February 2015 Issue #24 | Free

“I have no secrets, you know that already…” Tiamat’s

Johan Edlund A mental journey to

Club 27 A beginner’s guide

9 772241 538000

ISSN 2241-5386

Shameless

Inside BURST

Tony Palermo talks new album

Photography is a miracle. Do you believe?

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3 BURST MAGAZINE

pages 6-13 Articles

pages 14-23 Interviews

page 32 Director’s Cut

T ony P alermo It’s been 20 years since Papa Roach released their first EP and two decades later the band is still going strong. They are currently on tour supporting their 8th full length album “F.E.A.R.” (Face Everything And Rise) which debuted at #15 on the Billboard Top 200 when it was released this January. Read the whole story and interview on page 16

page 34 Film Reviews

page 36 TV Series Beginner’s Guide

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publisher

Raphael Aretakis

editor in chief

Spiros Smyrnis

senior editors

Sissy Fanouraki Jo Gogou Angie Rouska Panagiotis Tsoutsis

editors

contributing editors

proofreading / translations photographers

Alexis Seitanidis Eleni Lampraki Gabrielle Koch Helen Marie Joyce Joe Prostredny Kostas Tsotsanis Mike Ritchie Barbara Pavone Dialekti Angeli Giorgos Kotrozinis Paschalis Koutsogiannis Alexia Lampropoulou B|S|Orestis Matina Katsarakou B|S|O Jo Gogou Raphael Aretakis

USA photographer

Joe Prostredny

special guest

Karolina Pacan

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Raphael Aretakis Eleni Lampraki

2 Ag. Theodoron str, Athens 14451, Greece

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AC/DC

Rock or Bust the Next Chapter By Mike Ritchie

The legendary Aussie rockers have been going through a turbulent period. Dealing with and accepting the ailing mental health of rhythm guitarist and helmsmen Malcolm Young; which caused him to retire. Phil Rudd getting caught up in a public legal entanglement, charged with trying to procure a hit-man to commit murder and possession of drugs. Though the procurement charge was dropped the next day the drug and threat of death charges remain. On the good side nephew Stevie Young stepped in, playing on the new record and will tour with the band in 2015 celebrating 40 years of rock n roll. Since the death of singer Bon Scott in 1980, Johnson and the Young brothers have been the bands core with Malcolm being the main yet silent, behind the scenes mentor and motivator of the band’s sound and progression. Angus has stated in interviews that on the Black Ice tour Malcolm had to practice/rehearse BURST www.afternoiz.com

songs that he’d played for years every day to remember them. After the tour ended he was treated for lung cancer which was caught early then later a heart condition was discovered which was also treated. Physically he was getting what he needed, but the mental toll was deteriorating to the point of Malcolm saying he wasn’t going to be able to do it anymore. Malcolm’s acknowledgment of the illness and telling them to keep going when the time came was his way of seeing things go forward. Angus consulted his older brother George, ex-Easybeats frontman, who encouraged him to play on but it was ultimately his decision.

previous albums by Young. By recording standards everything came about quick despite the weird feeling of Malcolm not being there. Released in November 2014, Rock or Bust is their 15th international release, follow up to 2008’s Black Ice and shortest record at 35 minutes. The album’s first single ’Play Ball’ was played on Turner Sports 2014 Major League Baseball Postseason coverage. The video, similar to Thunderstruck, for the second single and title track was filmed in London in front of 500 fans. Both videos were filmed with former Shogun drummer Bob Richards who stepped in for Rudd. They’re also one of the bands rumored to play the Grammy’s in February.

Before recording singer Brian Johnson said they were going into the studio and see if anyone had any ideas for songs. The recorded song’s, were largely constructed from unused/unreleased material from

The show will go on as a world tour is looming and even without Malcolm rocking the stage, the passion and the guitar fire will still salute you.

BURST is against animal cruelty.

“Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others.” -César Chávez-

www.argophotography.com No animals were harmed in the making of this fur coat BURST www.afternoiz.com

XStorieS Ray Nicki Minaj, The way up by Jo Gogou

“I understand. That’s why I’m here….”

Sometimes the top is hard to reach. Other times the top is the only way there. Nicki MInaj, a rapper, singer and songwriter rose immediately to the top of the music industry. The industry keeps talking about her and she keeps on being provocative. Songs like Anaconda have kept hwr to the center of attention for sure! Recently she has appeared in the Mtv awards with Ariana Grande and Jessie J. But what about before all this? When she was very young she live with her grandmother in saint James.She moved in Queens, an urban neighborhood. She has three brothers. Her family was facing a lot of struggles, financial and other. Her mother had to work various jobs ( clerk, foreignexchange teller and gospel BURST www.afternoiz.com

singer) to support the family and I guess that showed NIcki the way. The realization that life is about getting over the hardships and keep fighting. Her father was an addict. He had a fit and actually burned their house down.

tomers. She got fired from most of these jobs for the same reason. Well, thank God for that! Rap would have missed her talent otherwise.

Her upbringing may have had rough edges but it certainly transformed her to a woman with the right attitude and spirit.

Thinking about the situations she had to face in her life,an attitude is the best thing that can come out of it to help her go on. She is a hard working person, a perfectionist and always gives a 100% to her work.

She states she is an actress first. She has studied acting and tried to pursue a career in that area as well. That did not came exactly as planned, so she had to do other jobs as well. She worked as a waitress for sometime; being a girl from the hood though had granted her with an attitude that was “unpleasant” for cus-

Her musical start came with backing vocals for other artists, Myspace and mixtapes. Her first one was released on Dirty Money Records. In 2009 Lil Wayne discovered her and everything took their path from there. She made it to be the first female solo artist to have seven singles simultaneously charting on the U.S. Billboard

Hot 100. According to the New York Times she is “the most influential female rapper of all time”. Yet she remains a girl that cares about her family. In interviews she always states that her family and her friends and the time they spend together is far more important that fame and money. For a person like her, that really had to push through to get somewhere, she is down to earth and able to handle all the craziness of the industry. I guess it is true what they say, that if you base is solid, then you have what it takes to face the world. This fast flowing lady has taken over the scene and will be here for a very long time!

Milton H. Greene

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RandoM ramblings by helen marie joyce

What if, Club 27 exists? It would exist somewhere between Heaven and Hell, somewhere above our worldly sorrows, somewhere where the 27 Club members’ music never ends. I like to think of it as a safe haven of musical tragedies, where the members enjoy the Elysian fields of being among dead peers, conversing, creating, indulging, while sipping the endless supply of beer, in dim light, under a ceiling of a supernova in which the dying stars are sometimes fallen angels and other times fallen demons.

Club 27: A Mental Journey Photo by leggendemitimisteri.forumfree.it

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The Club is darkly light and extremely smokey; visibility is somewhat low, as the peripheral lights are few and weak. Some are broken. Some are blinking, threatening to fade away, yet blinking in beat in

tune with the rock music that plays in perfect decimal levels and experienced surround sound quality. Through the gray smoke, a humid vapour emanates from the sentient occupants of the space and caresses the dusty yellow light bulbs above the bar. It’s noisy; it’s busy; people and their voices are everywhere. Glasses and bottles clinking, muffled murmuring, guitar notes being struck, laughing, cackling, bellowing, stomping, and screams of excitement fill this place to the brim. A canopy of thick pungent smoke settles at just about two thirds of the venue’s height. But it has no ceiling. The hempishtobacco particles intertwine with virtual viscous clouds that

form a mental barrier between this place, and the enormity of the universe of which the Earth is a mere sand grain. Planets, stars, supernovas so cosmically beautiful and almost tangible strewn across for the eyes to feast on. This sky has no limit. This is Club 27; the disputed Rock Reloaded place of ‘the beyond’. The red neon sign that bears the logo on the wall behind the bar buzzes constantly in a frantic rhythm. Walls are covered in a livid tapestry of gig posters, worn and torn at the edges, that most certainly come to life if you ‘stare too long’; Corrosion of Conformity is coincidentally playing in background in a sound quality that sounds simply celestial as it bounces off the multitude of surfaces in this

11 adorns a dark interesting face of a charismatic black man with a strikingly white smile, all dressed in mauve velour and gold tasseled shoulder pads. He looks like he is enjoying himself. A lot of ‘Oh yeahs’ and ‘Right there’s’ are being uttered in pleasurable moaning, while subtly moving his lower seated body; he soon lets out a sigh of climax as a redheaded ethereal muse of a woman gracefully lifts her head from his lap, licking his neck in a long slow stroke to seal the deal. “That was very foxy, baby” he said. “Scuse me, while I kiss the sky! I’ve gotta go give God his midnight guitar lesson”. And he’s off, strutting across the bar towards the stage, saying goodbyes as he passes, and picking up his infamous Woodstock Fender from the stage. This is Jimi, in Club 27. Hell-Heaven shrine of music. There is a cage at the immediate left of me, where a scantily clad dancer is suggestively swaying her hips on tempo. To the far left end of the Club there is a dark stage with instruments perched up, a complete set: Gospel Mosrite and Gibson Flying V guitars, a very recognisable ’68 Fender Stratocaster, a Serenader bass, Ludwig drums and a microphone in the middle as the center part...The bar, which is next to the stage and smack in the middle of the venue, is long and wide. Familiar rugged faces and inked arms grace its surface. The bar stools are taken by people who don’t look over 30 years of age, relaxed and aloof with an air of victory and omnipotence about them. They chill with hands holding full glasses of spirit, and bottles of beer while exuding an aura that speaks volumes of ‘No Fucks Are Given’ in body language. To the right of the main bar there are pool tables lined up, with bright headlights making a narrow lustrous emerald impression on the

faded green felt cloth below. Some of the tables are already occupied and the eight ball is at its prime moment. The blonde haired slim framed ruffian, with the long over-sized tattered cardigan who is holding the cue stick, with a lit cigarette balanced between his lips, leans over, concentrates on aiming into the hole of victory, shoots in one decisive movement, and scores. His leather attired bald opponent scoffs at him, while the victor chuffs and does an awkward little dance, holding the match point eight-ball that was so effortlessly returned to the table’s ball womb. “I admit, you ripped me a new asshole with that eight-ball!” the skin head said. “Man, don’t sweat it! No one dies a virgin. Life fucks us all in the end. Now, where’s that drink you owe me?” This is Kurt, in Club 27. And there, beyond the pool tables, in the most exotic and darkest corner of the Club, you can sense a euphoric commotion. Peering through cautiously through the shadows and the purple haze of a fat blunt, a thick afro of hair

On the crimson brick wall above which Jimi had just busted a nut, on a massive flat plasma screen, plays a silent astral projection of earthly anecdote gigs, with the majority of artists that are still in the realm of the living. Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd grace the silver surface in a definition that delivers a sense that there is a portal into another time and space where what you are seeing, is actually happening, in a parallel existence. There, standing in front of it, watching with deep devotion without even blinking, stood a gentle looking man. He was top-less, with a chiseled core, and a well structured face covered in wavy locks. He moved his groin back and forth; in a trance like state, he hummed mantras and mystic incantations and gestured to spirits while staring blankly into the soundless vivid broadcast of epic rock music. He was however, in a flash curiously distracted from his daydreaming when ‘Jesus Christ Pose’s riff was heard playing through the speakers. He flamboyantly

struck the aforementioned pose and held it in adoration, while the whole place was starting to get aroused. He slammed his hands on the stage to the beat of the Soundgarden drums, then climbed onto it and spoke with his deep dreamy voice into the microphone. “You feel your strength, in the experience of pain” and again, and again, and again he said, while scanning the area. He pointed out to a tall beehive somewhere in the crowd. “Come on Amy, light my fire”. This is Jim, in Club 27. Amy was the perennial drunk, whose voice however was never corrupted by the liquor; her senses were. And she could never refuse Jim’s charming smile. “You know I’m no good!”, she said melodically while grabbing Brian’s arm and dragging him up to the stage with her as two other dudes grab guitar and bass. Brian casually sits on the drums set, and waits for her cue. She falters, trying to find her balance and slurring on about how she never remembers any lyrics when she’s hammered. She goes for some blow she’s had stashed in her bra and starts reverberating her favourite Jay Lin song, ‘Piece of my heart’, while Janis with her distinct glasses is watching her from the bar. She’s coaxing her to “C’mon C’mon C’mon” and belt it louder; Amy’s in her usual state and apologises but no one is judging. Janis joins her and asks Brian in the ear to take the song into a mash up with ‘Rehab’. This is Brian, Amy and Janis, in Club 27. A general state of elation prevails; the cosmic sky above glows and glistens like nothing else has ever glowed and glistened before. This is the eternal place of rock; the temple of talent, of tragedy and closure from personal demons. This is Club 27: where the good dogs that have done bad things go to. BURST www.afternoiz.com

would you kill for a photo? www.argophotography.com

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WordsOf Wisdom by Karolina Pacan

Nickolas asked Karolina: What’s your opinion about religions and the effect they have on music expression. Answer: Hello Nickolas, Religions can be very inspiring in music. In fact many bands are taking ideas from their own religions, or mythology, which is great because it maintains, in a way, part of their cultures alive.

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Religions are very rich in emotions, which can help to understand the inner feelings of musicians sometimes, something you can understand when you listen carefully. Unfortunelly, depending on the style of music, some are supported more, and some less or even are pushed on the black list, like rock, metal etc. Because of the heavy riffs and sometimes agressive look of musicians, they are being taken as evil ones, but they are often very good people and would help you more than the others who play ‘softer’ music. So yes, religion can help in expresion if it’s taken with a blink of an eye, or it can be very devastating if its taken too serious.

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Face Everything And Rise Papa Roach’s

Tony Palermo by Joe Prostredny

It’s been 20 years since Papa Roach released their first EP and two decades later the band is still going strong. They are currently on tour supporting their 8th full length album “F.E.A.R.” (Face Everything And Rise) which debuted at #15 on the Billboard Top 200 when it was released this January. The band has extensive touring planned over the next several months throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. We had a chance to catch up with the band’s drummer, Tony Palermo, for some questions about the tour, the new album, and life! Here’s how it went: BURST www.afternoiz.com

15 Hi Tony, how are you doing today? Doing well and thank you for your interest. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions! So, let’s get right to the big news. Papa Roach just released their 8th studio album “F.E.A.R.”. Now, “F.E.A.R.” is an acronym for Face Everything And Rise, which seems like an awesome inspirational statement about life. What is the story behind the album and the title? The story behind the album is one of hope and self empowerment. With everything going on that is negative we feel it is time to rise above what oppresses one’s self. It basically stems from our vocalist, Jacoby’s own fight for a positive change. FEAR was something he had written on the studio walls for inspiration. We then turned it into the acronym, Face Everything And Rise.

Do you feel like there have been any changes of style between this record and the previous albums? Do you feel like your music evolves with time? I believe the changes in our style have been enhancements. On “The Connection”, we implemented the electronic element more so than in the past. I think we knew we’d be revisiting that element on “F.E.A.R.” But we never let [the electronics] take over the song. They’re always just used as part of the musical landscape. Evolving musically with time is something we pride ourselves on. It can’t ever be a forced thing though. “F.E.A.R.” is also the title of a song on the album and you recently released a great video of the song. I’m sure that you guys did all of those motorcycle and car stunts yourselves, right? (Laughs) Actually Jerry got to drive the Dodge Hellcat but a

pro driver and riders did the stunts. The video has some really cool imagery and seems to tell a story of escape from oppression. What more can you tell us about the story behind the video? The video for F.E.A.R. was deliberately set in a desert environment. Having done the recording in Las Vegas we were in that desert vibe. Again, the video premise is that of overcoming ones’ darkness and seeking out that light in life. You must exercise a daily effort to achieve positivity. There are a lot more great songs on the album. One that really reached out to me personally was “Gravity”. It’s a very dark yet uplifting song, that conveys a tremendous amount of emotion. How much did real life experiences go into the song, because the lyrics really put a lot of dark relationship stuff out there?

“Gravity” is solely based on Jacoby’s personal relationship with his wife. It was his way to put to rest the troubles they went through and how she is his gravity that keeps him grounded. Obviously it’s a topic many people can relate to. I believe they are the most personal lyrics he has ever written. Plus it pretty much opened the door for him to throw some rap back into the P. Roach repertoire. Maria Brink from In This Moment does guest vocals on the “Gravity”. It seems quite natural for the song to be a duet. How did this collaboration happen? Having Maria on the track was something we had discussed for quite some time. We just didn’t know which track it would be. When the lyrics to “Gravity” came about it was obvious there needed to be a female perspective. In This Moment just happened to be in the same studio working on their new record so we asked Maria if she was into the track. It was an undeniable collabora-

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18 tion and we’re really proud of the way the whole thing turned out. Well, we really liked the way it turned out too! It’s a great song! Another song from the album that I really liked was “Broken As Me”. You’re the drummer, but rumor has it, you did some of the guitar work on this song. How did that happen? Was Jerry just not feeling it that day, or…. ? (Laughs) I just happened to be sitting in the control room with a guitar on and our producer, Kevin Churko, said “I need a guitar part”. I jokingly said, “I’ll do it”. A couple takes later we had the part! Everyone was in the room and agreed it was fine. Well, now you have to let Jerry do some of the drums on the next album (laughs). So, what is it like in the studio with Papa Roach? Are you guys all there together working on the album?, or do you each come in at different times… do your

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thing and leave? We have many ways of writing and recording. We’ll put ideas down on the computer and then they’ll be presented at a writing session. My favorite way is when we all get in a room and play our instruments. The new songs “Skeletons” and “Devil” came from jams. The way the studio was set up this time didn’t allow us to jam too much. The music always comes first then the lyrics and melodies. We had a few rooms going so after the song was written each guy would be working on his parts until it was finished. I actually did the drums last which was something new for me. That being said I would do that same process again and again. You worked with new producers this time… in Las Vegas of all places! How did that go? We worked with Kevin and Kane Churko at their Vegas studio The Hideout. Their production quality was what drew us to them and other bands

were telling us we had to work with them. Kevin came from the school of Mutt Lange who has done some of my favorite records. It was a quick process due to their songwriting and production knowledge. Everything we did on this record was a deliberate and precise decision. We all got along great and fed off each others’ talents.

now, what would I find on there?

Do you have a favorite song on the album, and if you do, why is it your favorite?

I love Mother’s Finest! I grew up listening to them, but not many people I know of have heard of them. You have a great mix of styles on there! You’re currently touring North America with Seether, then you head to Australia, New Zealand and Europe. You certainly get to travel the world, but do you actually have any time to see the world? Do you ever have time to get out and experience the cities you play or is it all rushing from one show to the next? Most of the time the travel is so fast paced you really have to make time to see what that particular city has to offer. We do

Picking a favorite song is really difficult, but it’s between “Face..” and “Skeletons”. I love the sinister vibe captured in “Face…” and I also love the unexpected direction in “Skeletons”. With the latter track the vocals are performed in a more elongated way unlike most of Jacoby’s vocal stylings. I love the laid back shuffle beat as well. It has just enough challenge to it. What songs do you like to listen to when you’re not playing for Papa Roach? If I grabbed your iPod right

If you grabbed my iPod you’d find some Mother’s Finest, Slipknot, Mark Ronson w/Mystical, Miles Davis, James Brown, Quicksand, The Bronx, Bob Marley, Slayer, Stevie Wonder, Eminem, AC/DC, Gojira, Failure…

19 frequent the same places a lot so if I hear of something I missed I can always look forward to catch it the next time. Constant traveling can be tough. What do you do when you’re on the road that keeps you sane? Basically, Face Time with the family keeps me sane. Also playing my drums nightly keeps me sane. Family is very important. What is it like traveling so much without your family. How do you find a balance? If I [think about] the fact that I’m not around my family a lot, then it’ll make me crazy. That’s where Face Time comes in handy. But, we have a strong passion and drive for what we do and feeling that daily helps ease the pain of being away. What does your son think about having a famous “Rock Star Dad”. Does he think: “Whoa, this is so cool!” or does he just take it

all in stride like it’s no big deal? I think he enjoys seeing me on T.V. and coming to the shows. I’m not sure that he grasps the big picture yet, as far as the worldwide exposure. Do you have any favorite tour memories that you can share with us? Some of my favorite memories include the first tours I was involved with. Polish Woodstock was another monumental gig due to the enormous size of the crowd. We’ve slowed down a bit on the indulging side of things, but we’ve managed to do the party thing in large proportions. Almost going through the front window of the bus as we were driving down the road was an indication [we were] hitting it too hard some nights! What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you on tour? The other day our production manager called me [pretend-

ing to be] an Australian interviewer. He carried on with some questions that just felt weird. Everybody was in the room with him and at about the fourth question I heard laughter in the background. I knew then it was a hoax. After your European tour, you come back to the States to play some festivals this spring. Do you like playing the larger festivals? Do you approach them differently than a headlining show, as you might be playing to more fans that aren’t as familiar with Papa Roach? I do like festivals because it gives us a chance to prove ourselves in front of larger crowds that may not have seen the band. With these shows comes a shorter set and that makes us have to reconfigure our song choice. It’s also a time to meet up with all of our fellow musician friends. Festivals are usually one big party. We like to make the big shows feel intimate and the smaller shows feel huge.

What are the band’s plans for later in the year? Taking time off to be with family?... or will you be hitting the road again? We will be out [touring] most of the year but do have some quality family time planned. Hitting Australia, UK, US festivals/ headliners, Europe, US headliner, then back to Europe for the winter. Well, Tony, thank you so much for chatting with us. We wish you and Papa Roach all the best! Do you have any parting words for your fans before you leave us? I just want to say thank you for all of the support! We feel such an overwhelming reaction to the new release and we appreciate it. We’re all up on the social media thing so follow us for updates, funny shit, and informative content.

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Tiamat’s

Johan

Edlund By Kostas Lolis

“I have no secrets, you know that already…” BURST Magazine had the chance to sit down with Johan Edlund, lead singer of Tiamat. Sit, read and enjoy a wonderful man and artist! All photos by Sofia Theodorou and Dimitris Balabakis.

Photo by Dimitris Balabakis

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22 You live in Greece for almost 9 years now. Was it easy to go through that change? I mean after Sweden and Germany? Yeah, it was because my life was crap in the end. My last time in Germany was not nice. So, I found, you know, I thought, the lady I was together with for a long time, she was very very young, and I thought there was no way, they were very conservative, the family, you know, they were very protective, she was the youngest, she always said she was the youngest of the family. I thought there is no way, if I try to hit on her there will be some people killing me (laughs) or something. So, I gave it time. And, yeah, we met at a concert, but not in that way that many people think. Yeah, you’re a rock musician and you meet a lady, you go to her place and fuck. You know, it wasn’t at all like this. It took long time, and this was very good. It came naturally and it became for a long time real love. So, no it was not. The culture change, I didn’t have a problem with. I didn’t care. I mean, I’m used

to be in countries where I don’t understand the language. What happened here was that it was hot. Hot weather and a nice lady, what else can you ask for? No, it was super easy. Ok! And this was before the crisis. So, back then, it was, you know, good. Cool! So, 2014 reaches its end, and your last album was released almost two years ago. How was the response for the album so far from the fans? I honestly don’t know. I don’t follow. I’m not interested to tell you the truth. I mean, I don’t … Some of my friends, some guys in the band, they’ve gone to blabbermouth and stuff like that. I don’t care at all. I’m not interested in… I know what I think. I know when I have done something good and I know when I have done something bad. I know my weaknesses and my strength. I don’t need anybody else to tell me that. And there are very few people that

I listen to. There are people that I would listen to, I mean, Fernando from Moonspell, I would listen to. Gregor from Paradise lost, I would listen to, if he had something to say. The guys in my band of course, but what people write on the net, or how people, you know, if they like it or not, or how it’s received, it’s a question of interpretation also! Yeah! Some people that have interviewed me, they start by asking like, why do you think the last album wasn’t so well received? It depends on how you see it. Of course you can find thousands of comments with people thinking that our last album sucked. But, if you look at it from another direction, you can also see thousands of comments where they say that they loved the album. I think it’s always like that! Always! There are always will be good and bad critics.

For everybody. That’s the truth, and that’s why I just feel like I know best myself and I really, I really know when I have done something bad and I try to pretend that I did the right thing. I lie to myself, I find this out very quickly, so really, I’m not interested. I know a... he worked for Century Media then and I stayed at his place, and he is a great guy. I wish him all the best. And he did something that was successful, but for me it is not of any interest. Because he brought gossip into metal. And I’m a punk in my heart, I’m not into gossip. I thought that metal and punk should be something, like a revolt or something and it became just gossip. Yes, kind of a gossip news site. Yeah! It is. Kostas: The only difference is it there are metal heads! Exactly. But, you know, If you are true to what they want to be, what they pretend to be,

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23 and they think that we are not. Because we use keyboards and play too slow and have female vocals or whatever, I don’t growl and all that bullshit, you know. Go to your fucking self, you know. You’re gossiping! Like a fucking lady, sitting and waiting for the hairdresser, reading this stupid -whatevercosmopolitan or something! That’s how it has become. And that’s not true metal. I can honestly say it. If true metal exists then we are there for you. Yep! Lets got to the next question… What are your future plans? Any shows planned for the near future? Have you started working on new songs? I really don’t know. I want something to happen. This year has been very tough… The decisions, how do we continue. I have one plan for example, to let the other guys in the band write music. And I concentrate only on singing. Not in playing guitar or anything. Write the lyrics, because still this is something that I feel comfortable with and something that goes forward. But, my ability for two things at the same time, Multitasking… I don’t have that. And I have to be honest to myself, you know.

I’m getting older. And I have lived a life that has obviously destroyed some parts in me. And I cannot, I cannot, there is no way I can be like James Hetfield, to play strings, complicated riffs and sing something completely different at the same time. I don’t understand how he does that. This is amazing. But I’m starting to have problems to even play a minor and g, you know. All our songs are in a minor or g, it fits my voice I guess. We have other people, I just would like to maybe send the other guys in the band some songs, to say I wanna go a little bit in this direction, and then they are of course free to send me back; what about this? Or can we try that? And come to a kind of a conclusion. But I wanna stay out. I don’t wanna produce, I don’t wanna be programming, q-base, sound engineering, or anything. Or even play the guitar. Just go in with my hand written lyrics, that none can read, barely myself. And just fucking record the vocals. And give them all the credits for, because I know that they can do it. And they know me, if we start to work together like this, we will find a way. It will be cool, I think. Is there any artist that you would like to cooperate, as a musician? Or to work with a producer?

Yeah, I think, a lot of them. We spoke some days ago about this, that I still get very starstruck when and I like that feeling. Because that makes me realize that I still care about music. If I wouldn’t care to meet, you know, someone from Prodigy or something, then what would be the point of continuing this? And we have talked about, I think I told you this too, that we should try to get hold of Dave Grohl. It’s worth the question, you know. It will be interesting! And I do not think he will be offended! He is a metal fan! Yeah, maybe we cannot afford him, maybe he doesn’t have time or all that. But I don’t think he will be offended from getting the question. None gets, everybody needs a boost. And the same with Lyon from Prodigy. But he said no to Madonna so… (laughs). But yeah, there are many, many people. And also many of my friends. We have been talking about that we should do a show. Because we have had so many members, you know. That are now playing for Evergrey and Opeth and stuff like this. It would be cool to have a show with everybody.

To honour them. Yeah, but this is impossible of course, because they are, you call to Frederic of Opeth and he says sorry, but I’m in South Korea or.. whatever! Yeah! That has planned very…

It’s impossible. But it’s a dream that we have still. Because, I feel that we’re four guys now that -the main guys in the band- me, Lars and Anders and Roger. And we all love everybody and Henric from Evergrey for example, Gustaf from Niki and the dove, pop band. I mean we have had so much fun together. We never created any problems, I saw so many bands with problems, that shouldn’t be. That it was unnecessary to fight over bullshit. Like if should fight like we have 3 pieces, who would get the third? (both laugh) We’ll cut it! Exactly! Or, you just take it. Like, Black Sabbath. Yeah, I don’t wanna say bad things about them because I was immature when we toured with them and we toured with them way too long. They were complicated. But I know that I was complicated too. So, no blame.

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25 But, when I look back at it, it was a lot of a created problems that were nothing. In your daily life, when you’re back home, you don’t start to argue about how many sneakers you had in the backstage room, you know? Yeah! Who the fuck does that? You want another sneaker? Cool. Go out and buy one! And then I became a bad tour manager, I haven’t been doing a lot of tour managing, then we needed to start save money and so on and I cannot do that. Because musicians can sometimes be like, they just wanna sit and have everything served. Yeah, but come on! A sneakers is just around the corner. Go on and fucking buy one instead of sit and complain about it. It takes more energy to argue about these kind of things than it does… Start to live your self and your life, don’t be a spoilt, whatever. Black Sabbath were also at some point extremely very, very nice to us. So, it’s not that I want to say, we just had troubles I thought shouldn’t exist. Sure! Which concert you’ve had, you think is your best? There was one show, this year. And I don’t think, I think it was in Hungary, I’m not so sure. Because… Rock Palace? I think. Maybe. I had a very, very problematic year and that I said that I would leave the band and all that stuff. Because I thought I cannot do this any longer. And this show was, I forgot so many lyrics and I just started to improvise and it was so up and down. I felt like now, we have always said like, as a rock band, it’s us against the rest of the world. And it was the first time that I felt that we all meant it, I saw and then I looked to the other guys… I was like fuck! I dropped the guitar cable and I was playing for a long time without having electricity. Still, the energy that was there was the most intense we had ever done. And I thought these are my best

friends, no, they are brothers, they are family. Like, so fucking into it was so very, very, very far from perfect, but we got messages the day after like, oh my God I mean, they even have noticed that the mistakes were sometimes there, none cares, none noticed. I forgot a whole song’s lyrics, started singing another lyric to the wrong song. I mean completely fucked up. But they appreciated it. So, yeah, that’s probably the best, until now. What do you think about bands playing like anniversary shows, playing their whole albums. It’s almost 20 years, it’s 20 years now, since Wildhoney was released, would you do it? I saw that they re-released it, and it was my idea actually. But German people have a tendency, they want to come up with the idea. So, you have to plant it, you cannot say: “Wouldn’t it be a great idea?”. You can’t say it like this, you have to say, “Oh my god, imagine, it was 20 years ago, you know what would be a good idea?”. I just want it to happen, I don’t care who comes up with the idea. You can take credit for it, but I reminded them of this and they released it again. Which they should, of course. It for sure, Century Media is most wanted album, ever. One of the best selling for sure, but also for sure the one that meant most for the company. And you plan to do a concert? We, our booker, a couple of years ago, asked me, you wanna play in Wacken? We have headlined Wacken back in the days. The festival was not as big as it is today, but… It was the first Wacken I think, with what? seven bands? Yeah, we had like 1995, so still, it was a big festival, we had like dynamo festival, full force, everything. But, when we played a couple of years ago, I don’t remember when it was now, on Wacken, it was my idea to say, we will play the full album.

It’s a metal festival, and I mean we didn’t get extra paid for example. Maybe, you know 300 euros more. Nothing that mattered. It was not the point. We were supposed to headline one of the smaller stages in a tent, so there was nothing you know, to gain for all of us. And lets say that we got 300 euros as an extra. We decided, because on Wildhoney we had, much bigger light show, projectors, we probably had spent, you know 1.500 euro on the light show. Which we could have kept, in the end we actually… I get so pissed when people start to blame me without knowing what they are talking about. I just thought it was a good idea and then we didn’t like it. We came of the stage and we were like, this was maybe not such a good idea. But, what the fuck? We tried. We thought it was a good idea. And sometimes you are wrong. You do not play songs from the first albums anymore? No, I cannot. I hate, I want to say that I am not nostalgic. But it’s so wrong, because I am very, very nostalgic. That it’s even a problem. I don’t want to. I see. I don’t want to look back. It has been bad for us. People say that we sold out, whimped out, we became a pop band or whatever, bla, bla, bla. No, the most commercial thing for us would have been to just stay as we were in the Clouds and just go for it. Then it would have been commercial. We did so many things, only for ourselves. Because this is what we want to do. And we don’t fucking care. Do people think that we started to sell more because we got more mellow and atmospheric? We would have sold a lot more if I had done strange vocals, headbanging or whatever. We went our way and… Just like Anathema did. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. They are exactly like us. Complete freaks.

Yeah, I love them like brothers. I don’t even recognize who is who. They are very looking alike. (laugh) Anyway, I remember the drummer, John I think, very cool guy, didn’t speak so much and then one day he came in with a big bandage. I said what happened? I took a bottle of wine, I smashed it to my head, yeah… Ok, why? Something needed to happen! I love these guys, they are amazing. (laugh) Ok! Last question. Do you have any advice to give to new starting bands? Boy! No, I don’t know how it is to start a band today. Technology, internet, all that? Yes, but, ok, I will speak truly. I might be very wrong with this. So, this is maybe a bad advise, I don’t know, but I think, try to stay away from constantly over promoting yourself. It’s just getting boring. If you’re posting, you know, you’re trying to sell yourself all the time. All those social media, instagram, twitter, facebook… everything. If you are a good band, you will succeed, so relax a bit. And rent some analogic equipment, maybe go back to tape! Don’t quantize everything and try to focus on what do you wanna say. What is it you wanna happen. How do you want the music to speak to other people. Ok, do you wanna say something to all the Greek fans? Yeah, I wanna thank Greece for having welcomed me. I’ve really felt very welcome and very thankful for that. Maybe life goes on now, maybe I’ll end up in another country but, these years in Greece has meant really, really a lot for me and it will have a very big place in my heart. So, thanks! Thank you!

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by Spiros Smyrnis

Universe 217 Ease

Do you dare?

It’s Not Greek to Me started as a way to express my admiration to Greek musicians and bands that covered the rock/ metal community! I have already written 35 articles and I am happy that I have material for hundreds more. This is the exact same introduction I used for “It’s Not Greek to Me” published on March 2014 trying to write about the new masterpiece of Need titled “Orvam, A song for home”. So I decided to keep this as an introduction to the upcoming “It’s Not Greek to Me” tributes. I’ve never written an EP Review for It’s not Greek to Me before. Don’t ask me why! Probably I don’t know the answer myself. Probably I’ve been raised believing that full length albums are the one that matter. When I was twenty years old I couldn’t count my Ep’s on my cd and vinyl collection. Couldn’t be more wrong! Especially when Eps, just like Ease prove my above statement wrong, cause they are fucking awesome! But let’s clear out few things first. “Ease” is the brand new EP of Universe 217! Those who know the band, you’d better stop reading because I am pretty damn sure you’ve already listened to their new music and you are very proud of calling yourselves Universe 217 fans. Those who saw the Universe 217 name for the first time, keep reading and you may find a hidden music diamond. Universe217 is one of the most vibrant heavy acts in Greece nowadays, with lots of gigs across the country and steadily frequent record releases. The band’s impressive performance on stage (whether it’s live shows with other Greek bands, festival slots or supporting international artists like Amenra, Anathema, Madder Mortem, Om, Saint Vitus, Scott Kelly, Wovenhand, Karma To Burn etc) has earned them an excellent reputation as a live act. Up to now, the band has released 2 full-length CDs (“Universe217” – 2007, “Familiar Places” – 2011), an EP (“II” – 2009) and a 7’’ vinyl split-single with Lucky Funeral (2009), with the new album “Never” being the most recent addition in its discography. If you google them you may meet the experimental doom music term as a characteristic of their sound. On “Ease” the band dives in post metal waters under the holy name of Isis, Neurosis and Amenra. The theatrical atmosphere, plus the poetic lyrics give “Ease” a cinematic approach I’ve enjoyed very much. The dynamic voice of Tanya (one of the best female singers in the European underground scene) sounds more mature than ever, giving blood-curling performances. A music journey that flows from “The Burden of Evil” “Towards the Sun”. Doomy, heavy, post, atmospheric, cinematic. This is Universe 217. Embrace them!

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In the next pages... Bitchin’ with Barbara By Barbara Pavone

Confessions of a Blockbuster Addict By Angie Rouska

TV Series Beginner’s Guide by P. Tsoutsis

Also... Articles Movie reviews Director’s Cut Interviews

Photo by Christian Wagner

For the BIG screen... and for smaller ones! BURST www.afternoiz.com

with

itchin’ arbara

by Barbara Pavone

Dear, Academy Awards, why do you keep disappointing me so? Yes, I am well aware of the fact that one of the biggest honors in Hollywood is receiving a coveted Oscar and yet, does it really mean that much? With every year that passes, the ‘wow’ factor accompanying the once uber prestigious award slips. Why? Because predicting the nominees and winners is easier than ever, and because the votes aren’t solely based on talent and merit, but also on money and influence. Whereas the red carpet is full of glitz and glamor, making for great TV viewing, the ceremony itself lacks excitement. Not only is it enough the watch the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards, but you can also look around at which films are getting the most advertising support (usually those backed by the Weinstein Company) in the weeks leading up to the show to get a pretty good understanding of which actors and actresses are going to take home top honours.

The 87th Academy Awards Photo by Katherine Dydyk

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When the presenter on stage says, ‘And the Oscar goes to…’, chances are you can finish the sentence before they open the envelope. There’s a great article in The Independent (http:// www.independent. co.uk/arts-entertain-

ment/films/oscars/ oscars-2015-hollywood-producers-using-elaborate-strategies-for-picking-upawards-10046803. html) pointing out the absurdity of the current Oscar voting process: “In Hollywood, in the desperate last days of the Oscars race, it’s hard to escape the campaign ads, whether or not you’re a member of the Academy. One billboard for The Imitation Game looms over Santa Monica Boulevard, exhorting citizens to: ‘Honour the Man. Honour the Film.’” Is that way too intense or what? Voting ends the Tuesday before the live ceremony on Sunday and Harvey Weinstein has made quite the reputation for himself as someone who is never afraid to pull out all the stops. As that same article points out, “During his first major Oscar campaign, for My Left Foot in 1990, Weinstein sent thousands of chocolate feet to Academy members… In 1999, Weinstein is said to have spent an unprecedented $5 million on the campaign for Shakespeare in Love, winning Best Picture. Nowadays, studios routinely splurge up to $10m to persuade the Academy of a film’s merits.” What’s the point of it all? To boost prestige and possible box office revenue, in America and abroad. I’m writing this piece a week before the

handing out of the statues and I’m ready to make some predictions to (hopefully) prove my point: Julianne Moore is most likely to take home the Best Actress award for Still Alice, while Michael Keaton will be dubbed Best Actor for Birdman, despite Weinstein’s efforts to secure the win for Benedict Cumberbatch. Best Picture is trickier to call. It should go to the beautifully shot The Grand Budapest Hotel, but American Sniper and Boyhood, or even Selma, seem to be way more likely candidates. No matter who wins, though, a mere Oscar is not going to change anyone’s mind about the actual merits of any of these films. Sure, maybe more people will watch the nominated movies, but winning an Academy Award can’t help make something that’s crappy awesome. Take last year’s Best Picture winner: 12 Years a Slave. I rented it the week after it won and was beyond disappointed. Unfortunately, as I said at the very beginning of this piece, it’s not the most deserving that are rewarded, it’s the richest. The one exciting thing about the 87th Academy Awards? Neil Patrick Harris will be hosting! Hey, at least they got something right.

To Venus and Back Fall - Winter 2014

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32 For the fan of the blockbusters, like me, a necessary prerequisite is to have the best quality of sound and picture, aka the best theater room. Usually this means a multiplex and unfortunately in the last years I have realized that this option has minimized (not to say eliminated) the enthusiasm of “going to the movies”.

Confessions Of a blockbuster t c i d d A

by angie rouska

“7 Blood” th

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A couple of days ago, actually nights, I was in the mood for paying a visit to the dark room and lose myself there, forgetting the exhausting -way too many- hours at work. The point is that there was not even one LOCAL theater near me. Therefore, I had to drive to the nearest multiplex-mall - but I don’t drive, don’t own a car. So, I had to take the bus, but at least 1 hour would be a total waste (waiting for the bus, getting to the multiplex, leaving from the multiplex, waiting for the bus, getting home). So, I decided to go there by a cab, but had I done that, it would have cost me almost 20 euro, which I wasn’t willing to pay. In the end, I stayed in for the night. Wasted time and money is a huge disadvantage for going to the movies. There is no joy in it anymore, only some kind of anxiety hoping that the movie will be good and it will prevail over this cons. Hell no! This is not how it was supposed to feel. Before the multiplex-mall, it was much simpler. Just a phone call “Hey dude, what are you doing tonight? Wanna go to the mov-

ies and grab a beer afterwards?”. You just walked a few blocks and there you were, in the cosy embrace of a world of movies. Now, you have to decide which room, at what time, how to get there, how to get back (use of google maps 100%) and then no time for discussing the movie, no time for beer, because you have to get the last bus/train for the day. Sometimes I wonder whether the so called “piracy”, “illegal download” is an emergency exit for avoiding spending wasted time and money, sacrificing the cinema experience though. If this is the case, then I think that THESE “pirates” and “illegal downloaders” have compromised with a home-cinema alternative (which let’s face it, it does not correspond to the majestic idea of cinema) and can complain as well to the big studios and distributors for destroying what it used to be fun. It was a month ago when I visited my hometown. It used to have 6 theaters. The 5 ones closed about 8 years ago. The last one has become a stupid store with cheap clothes; while seeing that I felt really sad. I watched Interstellar in a local theater (I was in the right place, the right time) which had a sufficient visual/audio 2D technology and I enjoyed it very much. Damn, this blockbuster addict starts to fear that maybe the best visual/audio quality is not a main prerequisite.

33 Ladies and Gentlemen Illusory are: (bio and members) all we need to know!!! Dee Theodorou – Vocals George Papantonis – Guitars Jon Moodrix – Guitars George Konstantakelos – Keys & Guitars Niki Danos – Bass Costas Koulis - Drums Biography ILLUSORY come from Athens, Greece. The band was originally founded in 1992 by two friends who used to jam on top of their building. Dee Theodorou and Costas Charalambidis decided to pursue what every teenager was dreaming of at the time, so they formed a band to play their beloved Heavy Metal sounds. First name that popped in was “Blessed Death”, which was dropped a bit later. “Ivory Tower”… that was more like it. Maybe way more like it! They started recruiting members and then the band began rehearsing and then found “shelter” in various studios in the area. The band’s hometown, Moschato Greece, is utterly well-known for the fine wine, basically produced ages ago but still haunting the name of the city. Thus, like good wine “in the process”, “Ivory Tower” was maturing nicely, obtaining a better taste by the day, the month, the year. Numerous line-up changes happened through the years. The band was rehearsing, composing and playing at various Rock clubs and bars in the Athenian area. Mostly covers and a couple of their own songs. Things were getting tougher and tougher as those believing in the band had to leave to serve their country (obligatory in Greece) and hiatus become a fact. However, since “What does not kill me makes me stronger”, when those people came back, it was back on the table with the band. Constant rehearsing, composing and live gigs again. Enthusiasm, tension, a lot of sweat in the middle and the first song bouquet is ready to be served. The band handled the whole issue as a collective, creating the album cover, arranging the sleeve, printing and packaging the promo-album. It was the year 2006 and “The Ivory Tower” saga was about to begin! They started selling their newborn in gigs, via mail and thru their website to those who had listened and wanted to listen some

more. Soon the band became an underground attraction and a fan-base shadow had appeared in the background. Line-up was an issue until then but luckily, with the addition of a few people believing in the band, the “Ivories” (members’ beloved nickname) became stronger and dared challenged their own fate. Comes June 2008, the sextet is opening for the legendary Blue Oyster Cult, at a fantastic open air venue in Athens. Gig was an absolute bliss, headliners did actually pay attention to the Greek youngsters and history began writing itself in a whole new chapter. A few months later the band was finding a place of their own… Their own studio, the “iCave”, their lil’ creation and implementation place/ refuge. The idea was to have a place to go to, be free of schedules and other peeps interfering and things not relative to them. The basic concept was to recreate a truly phenomenal story. To re-record their promo-album, to turn it into a fresh sounding, ultra-complete professional feature. They began recording, adding new ideas, painting a totally different landscape. Then, when the songs were recorded, the best possible way and their concept was ready for some serious mixing and mastering, the boys decided to send it to one of the most experienced teams in doing so. The valuable package was shipped to Germany, Mystic Studios and R.D. Liapakis & Christian Schmid. These two gents forged the songs and boosted them up, creating an album sound that was ready for the big market, attracting the labels and mostly the fans. The only problem was the name of the band. Some years ago the “Ivories” discovered there was a German band called “Ivory Tower”, thus it was going to be extra hard to continue with their name, should they wanted to pursue a professional edge to their musical way. Brainstorming led to the name “Illusory” which sounded the best solution at the time and still does. The band decided to name their debut “The Ivory Tower”, completely logical and consequential to their lives and works so far. Which is the biggest obstacle in the way of a newcomer band in order to release an album?

Truly, the biggest obstacle for a newcomer’s release is the cost of recording, mixing engineering etc. Especially in Greece, where the economic situation lately is far more difficult than it used to be. The feedback of “ The Ivory Tower” release so far… A year back, when we released the debut album, we wouldn’t expect that kind of feedback, especially for a concept album. Every review is far better than expected and that is what gives us the urge to create more music and hopefully better music…

amazing groups that it would take us days, even months, to decide. We have been listening to all these fantastic bands for years, seen almost all of them live, even travelled abroad to watch some of them perform. As you can easily imagine, we are simple Metal dudes, living their dream via lyrics and melodies, via albums and live gigs…

Tell us about the new album …What are we going to listen to? The men behind your new album! Mixing, mastering, production, artwork... The new album is currently being recorded at iCave Studios and the production will be done by the band and Yiannis Petrogiannis at Matrix Studios – where mixing and mastering will take place. You will have to wait a bit in order to listen to our new material… we believe that the sophomore album is more matured musically and it seems to lead us to a slightly different “path” than the previous album. A small hint is that in the forthcoming album we will have a small continuation of the UTOPIAN STORY… There is a song that follows up the story of Steven Towers, described by the band in the debut album. The moment of Glory ….so far! There are many moments that we like to remember as “Moments of Glory”… the biggest two of them are the gig with the legendary BLUE OYSTER CULT back in June 2008 and of course the release of our debut album on May 14, 2013! On the road to hell! (Upcoming gigs and tour plans?) At the moment, we do not have any plans for gigs due to recording sessions. On the other hand there are some discussions about appearances in the not so distant future! Which band would you like to play at your funeral? We do not intend to die! (laughs) Seriously, we love so many bands, we are actually fans of so many BURST www.afternoiz.com

Directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cut

Yorgos Lanthimos From Kinetta to Alp; the strange journey of Yorgos Lanthimos By Spiros smyrnis

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Yorgos Lanthimos was born in Athens, Greece. Throughout the 90’s he directed a series of videos for Greek dance-theatre companies. Since 1995, he has directed a number of TV commercials in addition to music videos, short films and theatre plays. Kinetta, his first feature film, played at Toronto and Berlin film festivals to critical acclaim. His second feature Dogtooth, won the “Un Certain Regard prize” at the 2009 Cannes film festival, followed by numerous awards at festivals worldwide. It was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award (Oscar) in 2011. Alps, his latest film, won the “Osella for best screenplay” at the 2011 Venice film festival and best film at the Sydney film festival in 2012. He is currently working on his first english language film “The Lobster”. These were the lines with which Yorgos Lanthimos describes himself as a filmmaker on his official website, www. lanthimos.com. If the name doesn’t ring a bell to you, then I have to add that Lanthimos is responsible for Dogtooth, a film that many cine-philiacs have put it in their favorite list with the strangest films they’ve ever seen! Lanthimos draws cinematic’ s world attention, along with other Greek Filmmakers like Panos Koutras (immediately check out his wonderful Strella), Yannis Oikonomidis, Alexis Alexiou and Athina Rachel Tsangari to name a few. “The growing number of independent, and inexplicably strange, new Greek films being made has led trend-spotters to herald the arrival of a new Greek wave, or as some have called it, the “Greek Weird Wave”. Whether or not the catchy label fits, if there is a wave, weird or otherwise, Lanthimos and Tsangari are undoubtedly at its crest” states Steve Rose on Guardian, trying to explain what’s going on over the last years in Greece. Lanthimos on the other hand says that: “Well, the truth is that at some point people have a need

to start noticing something,” he says. “It’s not quite a coincidence, but I’m afraid there is no foundation for this. There is no common philosophy, which is a good thing, I think. The common thing is we have no funds, so we have to make our own very cheap, very small films.” Lanthimos made his first feature film Kinetta, in 2005 and gained some recognition out of it. Kinetta, is a defunct Greek resort town, inhabited by migrant workers during the off season. A plainly clothed cop with a passion for automobiles, tape recorders and Russian women, investigates a series of recent murders in the area. He enlists the help of a photo - store clerk, a loner who is a part - time videographer and a young hotel maid who will be performing the role of the female victims. This trio engages in a succession of murder re-enactments, directed by the cop with exhaustive attention to detail but questionable scientific purpose. In this film Lanthimos sets his personal style for the first time in cinema, but he is a bit immature. The absence of dialogues may surprise some viewers but the beautiful photo-frames and the intense performances show a man who can guide his actors and his coworkers as well. Kinetta is definitely a difficult movie to watch but you can see Lanthimos’ talent and his interesting point of view. Harsh, violent and tough to handle Kinetta is a place you may have to get back to so you can understand her story! Let’s go on Dogtooth now, a film which is very important to the history of New Greek cinema. Dogtooth is the story of a dysfunctional family, in which the parents keep everyone isolated from the rest of the world. The only way for the kids to communicate with the outside world is through Christina, a woman who works at their father’s factory! The father, the mother and their three kids live in a villa outside of the city. Τhere is a tall fence

around the house. The kids have never left the house. They play, they get entertained and get bored just like their parents want to, with the total absence of an outside stimulus. They believe that airplanes are flying toys and the yellow flowers are zombies. Only Christina, from the outside world, has access to the house. She works as a security guard in the father’s factory. The father has a one and only purpose for her visits, just to have sex with his son. Everybody loves Christina, especially, the elder daughter. One day Christina will give her a set of tongs, asking for something else in return. Lanthimos wrote this very interesting screenplay with Efthimis Filippou, but after the fame that Dogtooth gained many critics underlined the similarities between Lanthimos’ film and Castillo de la Pureza by Arturo Beristáin. If you want my opinion I think that Lanthimos didn’t steal the Beristain film. He created a unique film experience you should all watch. Lanthimos deconstructed the family idea by putting a dysfunctional family under his lens. We don’t know the names of his characters. With the exception of Christina we don’t who these people are! We don’t know where or when! We can assume where by the use of the Greek language. Even the Greek language is used in a strange way as salt becomes telephone, armchair becomes the sea, pussy becomes lamp and vagina becomes keyboard. Dogtooth distorts the ordinary cinematic and narrative structures and dethrones the patriarchal family. Dogtooth, as we’ve already written

won the “Un Certain Regard prize” at the 2009 Cannes film festival, followed by numerous awards at festivals worldwide. It was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award (Oscar) in 2011. It is definitely one of the most controversial films of the 2000s and one you couldn’t miss. The next chapter on Lanthimos career was Alps, for which he won with Eftimis Filippou, “Osella for best screenplay” at the 2011 Venice film festival. If you ask me Alps’ screenplay is one of the most interesting and stranger ones in the history of European and World cinema. A group of people start a business where they impersonate the recently deceased in order to help their clients through the grieving process. Lanthimos uses everything that made Dogtooth such an interesting film and sketches a breath-taking movie with an amazing performance by Aggeliki Papoulia in the main role. With a dark humorous approach, he delivers by captivating the viewer through a story you won’t forget. Violent, dark, strange, of few words, Alps is a film that proved Lanthimos was not a one-movie director. We can’t wait for his upcoming one, “The Lobster”.

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IEWS FILM REVIEWS FILM REVIEWS FILM REVIEWS FILM REVIEWS FILM

Horns (2013) By Sophie Dermati The idea is thrilling. A young man is being accused for his girlfriend’s murder. Then horns start to grow from his temples and everyone around him starts to get brutally honest and sometimes even violent.

Hill’s novel (Joe Hill is an alias for Joseph Hillstrom King. Yes, my darlings, Stephen King’s son). In the first half of the movie, you are quite taken by the photography and some spins on the plot, but as the end approaches you feel disappointment. You were watching a thriller with dark atmosphere and then someone kicked you into a drive-in b movie. I haven’t read the book (although I’m a huge Stephen King’s fan, I don’t know if I should try his son, too. Woah! That sounded …strange. So I could rage on how movies don’t always live up to readers’ expectations, but on this one, I don’t think it would matter anyway. (<- Yeah! That was mean.)

Mister Potter …er sorry, mister Daniel Radcliffe as Ig Perrish is quite interesting, so is his “brother” Joe Anderson. Alexandre Aja is directing this film with promising scenes and the script is based on Joe BURST www.afternoiz.com

If you want to hang out with friends, you will have a great time with pizza and beers. But don’t you dare watch it to a cinema. Birdman (2014) By Angie Rouska

Birdman is magnificent! Birdman is a masterpiece! If my text wasn’t subject to a word limit, these 7 words would have been my review for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s latest film. I cannot find the words to describe my feelings about this tough look on the reality of Hollywood, star system and social media. Starring Michael Keaton, the story follows Riggan Thompson, a washed up actor, who after a blockbuster success of a superhero trilogy, tries to stage a play on Broadway in order to claim back his acting career even his life and family. Does it work? Well, you have to see it by yourself. Despite the excellent performances by the whole cast, it is Iñárritu’s filmmaking that makes this film so special. Edited as an one long shot – kudos to that- with an upbeat tempo, Birdman never ceases to amaze and keeps its audience staunched in every line, every moment of this hallucinatory madness. I felt like a sponge that was trying to soak

up every frame, every detail, and every truth. But following this 119 minutes long shot, I was struck by the exacting roles and how each actor and actress succeeded in delivering such powerful performances, especially Michael Keaton and Edward Norton. Zach Galifianakis was a surprise watching him in a more non-comical role. Let’s not forget the ladies, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough and Amy Ryan. They all are accompanying Riggan to his freedom in a madly way. But Lindsay Duncan’s character Tabitha is the one that pulls Riggan on the edge, through a dialogue that contains too much truth. And you know, when the truth was spitted out, I felt good and at the same time uncomfortable because I realized I have done my part in this truth, as you most probably have too.

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Shameless A Beginner’s Guide By P. Tsoutsis

Shameless is a TV show first aired in 2011 and consists of five seasons. It belongs to the drama-comedy genre and it is a remake of the British TV show with the same name. It follows a family in Chicago, with an alcoholic father, a non-existent mother, and six brothers and sisters of various ages, trying to make a living on their own. Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) is an alcoholic and a drug addict. Although he has six children, he doesn’t care much about raising them, and he is always in conflict with them. He is very resourceful, in making money, like receiving disability checks, although he’s fully capable of working; but irresponsible enough get into trouble, like doing stupid bets that he can’t pay off. The rest of the Gallagher famBURST www.afternoiz.com

ily are: Fiona Gallagher (Emmy Rossum), the oldest of the siblings and the person responsible for raising them, after their bipolar mother abandoned them. She does half a dozen menial jobs at the same time in order to support them, and at the same time she tries to be a loving mother and sister to them. Philip ‘Lip’ (Jeremy Allen White) is the brain of the family, highly intelligent, topgrade student, but also drinks, smokes, and steals cars. Ian (Cameron Monaghan) is homosexual and dreams of joining the army in order to do better in his life. Debbie (Emma Kenney) is the other female of the siblings, more responsible than her oldest brothers, and very forgiving towards her father. Last of the Gallagher children are the twelve-year-old Carl (Ethan Cutkosky), a troublemaker in school, and the three-year-old

Liam. Other characters in the show are the next door neighbours Kevin (Steve Howey) and Veronica (Shanola Hampton). Veronika is Fiona’s best friend, while Kevin works at the Alibi Room bar, where Frank spends his waking hours drinking. They also make home-made erotic videos, and they often help the Gallaghers with their money raising schemes. Shameless is focused on the lives of this dysfunctional family and shows the way they deal with everyday problems like paying the bills or bring food to the table. Fiona is divided between raising five children and having a personal life. Steve (Justin Chatwin) becomes her love interest during the first seasons, a person who lives a double life. He steals cars for a

living, while his parents think that he still studies medicine at college. Frank, on the other hand, is always unwelcome to his house by his children, so he comes up with all kinds of ideas in order to find a permanent residence, even pretending to be a homosexual. Eventually he finds shelter to Sheila Jackson’s (Joan Cusack) house after her husband left her. She is an agoraphobic, but she likes taking care of people. Her sex-addicted daughter Karen (Laura Slade Wiggins) is also Lip’s girlfriend. The show is a remake of the British Shameless, which run for eleven seasons from 2004 until 2013. Both versions are highly praised, and they have received many awards and nominations.

Remembering the 70s By P. Tsoutsis

That 70’s Show is a comedy TV show that first aired in 1998 and it consisted of eight seasons. It was period specific, as it took place in the mid 70’s, and it focused on the lives of a group of teenagers and their parents during that era. The show resembled in many ways other similar TV shows, but with a 70’s touch, and it addressed many issues of the period, like the drug use, the economic recession, and the Star Wars phenomenon among others. Most of the show took place at the Forman’s basement where the gang used to hang out. Eric Forman (portrayed by Topher Grace) was an everyday person, smart, geeky, and in love with the next door neighbour Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon). Other people on the group of friends

were Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) the good looking - but also the idiot of the group, his spoiled and rich girlfriend Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis), the easy going Steven Hyde (Danny Masterson), a permanent residence of the Forman house after his mother abandoned him, and Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) a shy foreign exchange student, obsessed with candies and always thinking about sex. The adults of the show were: Red Forman (Kurtwood Smith), a veteran of the Korean war, ill tempered and with strong political views, Kitty Forman (Debra Jo Rupp) a cheerful house wife and nurse, and the next door neighbours Bob (Don Stark) and Midge Pinciotti (Tanya Roberts). The show was focused on the activities of the group after school, like hanging out at Eric’s base-

ment, going to the cinema, listening to music and of course smoking marijuana. They used to do a lot of jokes on Kelso, while they had to put up with the egocentric Jackie who always talked about her problems. The various stages of Eric’s and Donna’s relationship was also explored, like their first kiss or their secret engagement, as well as Jackie’s and Kelso’s relationship and later on Jackie’s and Hyde’s. Fez’s shyness with women was always on the first line, but on the later seasons he became more confident with them. As for the adults of the show, Red had a loving relationship with his son Eric, but he liked to address him “dumb-ass”, or even threaten him to put his foot on his ass, if he did something wrong. Kitty on the other other hand was always cheerful, trying to solve the problems be-

tween the two men. That 70’s Show boosted the careers of many of its protagonists like Ashton Kutcher’s and Mila Kunis’, since for both of them it was their first major appearances on the TV. As a result some of them started leaving the main cast in order to pursue other things in their careers, like Topher Grace, who left at the end of the sixth season, and Ashton Kutcher, who appeared in only only five episodes on the eighth. The show was never the same after that, and ended after eight seasons. Grace and Kutcher both appeared on the series’ finale. It’s worth mentioning that all the main cast appear on the official video clip for “I Wanna Rock’N’Roll All Nite” by KISS, in which they tried to enter a KISS concert without tickets. BURST www.afternoiz.com

195 million children worldwide suffer from the effects of malnutrition. In 2011, MSF treated 408,000 children in more than 30 countries. Copyright: Francesco Zizola

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