Burst Magazine | Issue 3, March 2013 by BURST Magazine

March 2013, Issue 3

Andi Deris

“great to see the crazy greek metalheads again”

Efthimis Karadimas “Music to me is a kind of self-healing”

Rob Liotti The man who portrays Bon Scott Exclusive interview

Burst { music magazine }

Burst Magazine

Rob

liotti

“The man who portrays Bon Scott” Exclusive interview! Burst Magazine had a long conversation with Rob Liotti, himself, for this upcoming film project, AC/DC, Bon Scott and much more. Read everything on page 18.

pages 6-15 Tributes

pages 16-45 Interviews

pages 46-50 Album reviews

Karolina Pacan On Voices of The Soul

Tim Roosen

“Between the Hammer and the Anvil”

ge Page The Pa Tu rn Th Turn

ner r o C p Po

Director’s Cut

Burst { music magazine }

publisher/editor in chief

Raphael Aretakis

managing editor

Spiros Smyrnis

art advisor

Aikate D.

editors

Andy Phelps Byron S. Orestis David Anthony G. Dimitris Tsantoulas Eleni Lampraki Eleni Leonida Hope Vnz Korina P. Pana Apostolidou Sobieski Sisters Stathia S. Pedioti

contributing editors

Cristina Alossi Elias J. Kay Emm Den Giorgos Kotrozinis Gogo Apostolaki Jo Gogou Kalliope Tsouroupidou Matina Katsarakou Sissy Dragonfly Sophie Tsekoura Sotiris Stilianos Vana Valma Zack Papadakis

editor/proofreading

Marianna Kofinaki Matina Katsarakou

photographers

Apostolis Kalliakmanis Byron S. Orestis Eileen Von D Jo Gogou Myrto Cat Penelope Tripatzi Raphael Aretakis

int. photographer

Kalliope Tsouroupidou

special guest

Karolina Pacan

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Join us Do you want to be part of the Burst crew? We are looking for live reporters, columnists, news writers and photographers from around the world. Contact us now at info@burstzine.com

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www.argophotography.com

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When you’re talking about the hard rock music of the ‘80’s, Whitesnake is one of the first bands to come to mind. This award-nominated British band, consisting of great musicians managed to make their own way in hard rock scene by making songs that became classics. Whitesnake haven’t been created in a day. It was an idea that David Coverdale, the founder and lead singer of the band, was working on while he was still singing in Deep Purple. However, the project was not implemented until 1978, when Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody, Neil Murray, David “Duck” Dowle and Brian Johnston became the original Whitesnake. One of the original members’ quitting the band in the starting year resulted in a series of changes in the band’s line-up for various reasons. To be more specific, still in 1978, the keyboardist’s place was changed twice with Pete Solley (Procol Harum) replacing Johnston, and later replaced again by Deep Purple’s Jon Lord. Their original sound was different from the mainstream-hard rock Whitesnake we know today. More Blues and 70’s oriented, with a really evident Deep Purpleinfluenced sound, they make their first release, the EP “Snakebite” that made a first good impression with the cover of “Ain’t no love in the heart of the city”. The same year, their first album is also coming out to reach No50 in the UK album charts. In the end of the 70’s, a quite spicy fact was the release of “Lovehunter” with an ‘interesting’ sensual cover, depicting a naked woman with a snake, creation of the artist Chris Achilleos. As you can understand, it was natural for controversy to follow. The 80’s was a milestone decade for the ‘snakes, bringing a lot of changes in musical style and line-up once again, not to mention hits and international success (Japan, U.S.). In the beginning of 1980, there are some more replacements, most significant of which is the entrance of Deep Purple’s drummer Ian Paice, commencing the recording of the 3rd album “Ready an’ Willing”. Finding out that their hit “Fool for your Loving”, included in this album, was originally written Burst { music magazine }

for...B.B. King was quite surprising! Meanwhile, the band feels ready to make their first attempts outside Europe, opening for names like AC/DC and Jethro Tull in the States. A couple of albums came, but around 1982 Coverdale had to take a mini break from band action, due to family reasons. The absence of Whitesnake from the music scene fortunately lasted just a few months, as in the same year, after a yet another reformation (including Cozy Powell taking Ian Paice’ s place), they release “Saints and Sinners”. A barrage of important events for the band takes place in the next year. Which one to mention first? John Sykes, guitarist of Think Lizzy, comes along, co-operation starts with Geffen label in US, the double platinum album “Slide it In” is released and many live performances in US and Latin America are scheduled. All these paved the way to their big burst of success in 1987,which we could call the Whitesnake year! “1987” album signaled a new era for the band, establishing a new sound closer to the late 80’s mainstream rock n roll scene. Although this different music orientation divided their fan base, because they considered them more commercial, it gave birth to a lot of killer hits that made Whitesnake the band we know today. How many of us haven’t dedicated the power ballad “Is this love” to our significant other or haven’t rocked out with the sounds of “Still of the night”? More success came with the playback of their catchy videos on MTV, with Coverdale’ s later wife, actress Tawny Kitten starring in most of them, making boys and girls

admiring not only their band’s music and performance, but also Tawny’s long legs. It is worth mentioning that, except for Adrian Vandenberg, who entered the band along with Vivian Campbell in order to replace Sykes, none of the band members who played the songs on the album appeared in their videos. A serious injury of Adrian Vandenberg led Whitesnake to co-operate with the guitar legend Steve Vai, who became an official band member after recording “Slip of the Tongue” (1989). Both guitarists were appearing in live performances after Vandenberg’ s recovery. Despite all this great success in the 80’s, we could say that Whitesnake’ s star started to wane in the 90’s and part of 00’s. In 1990 the band took a break from the music business to come back with a new line-up in 1994 and release “Whitesnake’s Greatest Hits” on the same year and Restless Heart in 1997, and to be folded again after some tours. In 2002 Coverdale reformed Whitenake for their next year’s 25th anniversary. From that time on and during all these years the band had been touring in many countries all around the world, along with names such as Alice Cooper, Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne and released two more albums (“Good to be bad” in 2008, “Forevermore” in 2011). However, it seems that somehow their glory and glamour had faded away. We have to recognize that they’re still trying to do their best in order to satisfy their fans but it’s unlikely for them to regain their old splendor. Nevertheless, the band’s image, to which we still can relate today, is still stuck in the glam of the 80’s; that’s why we could say that they are still benefited by it. Being for more than three decades in the “neighborhood”, having some must-have albums under their belt and hits that will never get old, they are for sure one of the most significant names of the 80’s era and of course we can’t overlook their contribution to rock n’ roll music.

Photo by Raphael Aretakis

8 Searching for the appropriate words to start this tribute to the legendary band Rush and I find myself staring at the keyboard and a blank word document for hours; where to begin with, how to proceed… The only reason I’m feeling so confused is because Rush is not only a well-known band - no doubt about that- it’s not only a rock band, it’s a progressive religion! “People say we’re the soundtrack of their lives and I really like that!” said Neil Peart, in 1991 and it’s the gospel truth. Rush have given the world 20 extraordinary studio albums, 9 amazing live albums, 11 astonishing compilation albums and 10 video albums and gained totally 24 gold and 14 platinum (of which 3 multi -platinum) records. Rush have been awarded 16 times – 8 Juno Awards from 1975 to 2011 – and have been nominated for a Grammy Award 7 times… Not to mention that they have been awarded separately, as best musicians (guitarist, drummer and bassist) by various magazines many many times throughout their career. It’s a fact not a fantasy… Rush inspired musicians, journalists, simple listeners and definitely altered music borders and perspectives. Did you know that in May 1996 all three members (Lee, Lifeson and Peart) were made Officers of the Order of Canada? It is an honor awarded by Canada’s monarch (2nd highest honor for merit) and they became the first rock musicians to receive it! Rush music has for many years and still is inspiring literature, films, theatrical acts and pop culture in general. There are numerous journals, books and magazines featuring Rush, starting from 1982 complete story “from early days in the suburbs of Toronto to their present envied position as the number one hard rock band on earth” written by Brian Harrigan (RUSH, Omnibus Press, 1982) to a 2012 cookbook in which Rush songs have been deconstructed into food, written (and probably cooked) by Matt Kantor (Rush As Food - The Cookbook, Beets Working Inc, 2012). Individually, Neil Peart has published 12 books (1985 – 2012) and of course there is also The Complete Tour Books 1977-2004. Never tired of bringing out to the world his “works on paper” Neil Peart is one of the most awarded and distinctive drummers ever. In the early years: Before the first tour, for the promotion of the debut album, Rush had been performing in Toronto and Ontario for approximately six years. In 1971, the band played weekly gigs at Toronto bars. However, very little is known about these years… According to Alex Lifeson (Alex Lifeson, Chum TV, 2002) the first live gig ever was on September 18th 1968 and the first one with Geddy Lee on bass, was on September 25th, 1968 (Geddy Lee, Guitar Player, June 1980) both in The Coff-Inn in Toronto. After the release of RUSH album in March 1974 in Canada (July 1974 in USA) Rush went on tour from March 18th, 1974 till January 31st, 1975 and opened the live gigs of Uriah Heep, KISS, Manfred Mann, Rory Gallagher, Hawkwind, Blue Oyster Burst { music magazine }

Cult and Nazareth. It’s futile to count and record all Rush tour-dates… However, after the “Test for Echo” tour in August 1997 Neil’s daughter, Selena Taylor, was killed in a single-car accident. After the funeral of his daughter Neil told his band mates “consider me retired” and left Toronto with his wife. But the “curse” upon Neil Peart has just begun… Ten months later, his wife Jacqueline Taylor succumbed to cancer. Peart then embarked on a long motorcycle journey that eventually ended after 90.000km of highways, mountains and wildlife. Meanwhile, that series of unfortunate events made Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee to lose their interest in writing or composing new material. At that point, RUSH members seemed to have ended their

Photo by Andrew Mcnaughtan

music careers. The impact was tremendous on both Alex Lifeson, who couldn’t even listen to music or play the guitar, and Geddy Lee, who didn’t want to play music without the others. It took Neil Peart two years to recover his wounds and sit again behind a drum kit and yet, another two years to cre-

9 ate new material; he expressed his feelings and his story differently. After approximately 14 to 15 months, on May 14th 2002 the 17th studio album of Rush “Vapor Trails” was released and Rush had another world tour promoting it after six years of absence. The band performed live in Brazil too; in

Porto Alegre, in front of 35.000 fans, in Sao Paolo, in front of 64.000 fans (the biggest crowd ever in the band’s history) and in Rio de Janeiro, in front of 50.000 fans. But R30: 30th Anniversary Tour had been, beyond doubt, a life experience. Started on May 26th, 2004 in Tennessee, Rush visited numerous states of America till August 2004, passed through England, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic and Sweden to end this tour on October 1st, 2004 in Rotterdam, Holland. In the exact words of Alex Lifeson (TimesLeader.com, August 4th, 2004) the relationship with the audience was really special: “Judging by the response to this tour there will always be an audience for us... We like getting together. We come out and share this one moment together and think about all the years (performing for them). As long as we have the heart to do this to the same degree and level we’ve always done it, it

will go on forever.” Rush influenced many young people to start playing the bass, guitar or drums and guided them to chase their dream professionally; Rush have indirectly molded their lives. The existence of more than 250 Rush tribute bands worldwide reveals partially the Rush-affection! One of those persons, who was mostly influenced by “A Farewell To Kings” (1977) and still got-the-chills, shared a thought with me, when told about this article “Despite the fact that music has progressed and even though some consider Rush to be obsolete or/and outdated, their music should be considered as an everlasting diamond which still teach and inspire us no matter how many years have passed.” Rush & video games: Being in love with video games I conducted a small research and these are some of my findings for gamers and fans of RUSH… In 1997 Warcraft, Orcs & Humans, real-time strategy computer game used as cheat codes some lines from Rush songs i.e. for extra wood type “Hatchet, axe, and saw” (The Trees, Hemispheres, 1979), for more gold type “glittering prizes” (The Spirit Of Radio, Permanent Waves, 1980). In 1999, in video game Star Trek Starship Creator the starships were named “USS Syrinx” (The Temples of Syrinx, 2112, 1976) and “USS Lamneth” (The Fountain of Lamneth, Caress of Steel, 1975). In 2002 in Gore video game there were two maps called “UMC Anthem” (Anthem, Fly by Night, 1975) and “Stepps of Cygnus” (Cygnus, Hemispheres, 1978). In 2004, in World Of Warcraft online multiplayer game, there were many references to Rush; in the instruction manual, page 204, in section Additional Thanks there is a quote “Happy 30th to RUSH” and in level 49 in the “Un’Goro Crater” area there is a quest named “Roll the Bones” (Roll the Bones, 1991). In 2010, Rush have teamed with Activision for the release of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock video game “In our story, the caves of 2112 are where our hero finds the lost guitar” said Geddy Lee, “This rediscovery of music is much like the Guitar Hero warriors’ journey to find the Demi-God of Rock’s legendary guitar, which has been trapped in a cavern”. Earlier that year, in Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty video game, one of Raven’s sayings was “This vessel has assumed control, it has assumed control” (2112, 1976). Not to mention the numerous 2112 references in video games, TV Series, Movies etc… Rush music is neither easy-heard nor easy-understood. But once you get rid of narrow-minded-metal sound and decide to open your ears for real, one thing’s certain… Rush will set you free expanding your music horizon. ~ Many thanks to my friends Lefteris Statharas (Rockmachine.gr - Rockpages. gr) and Manos Matsos (Session Drummer Drums Instructor at Modern Music School, Athens) for sharing precious information and their personal thoughts. ~ Written by Sissy Fanouraki Burst { music magazine }

10 “In the midnight hour she cried more, more, more”... The first thing that comes to your mind while singing along to those lyrics is a “bad boy”, an everlasting rebel, the image of an unruly child, in other words Billy Idol! His platinum blond short hair was definitely a trademark and he surely had this extra something that attracted the ladies. With the punk element always present in his tunes and his wild punk-rocker image, Billy was the ideal representative of this unique music mixture! Billy Idol found a way of playing mainstream pop-rock music by adapting it

EP included his first hit, “Dancing with myself”, originally performed by Generation X and the cover of the song “Mony Mony”. A new, more commercial sound is established, but the punk essence stays. As Billy mentions himself “I definitely took punk with me wherever I’ve gone. That was the whole idea really. I wanted to transform my music, but I didn’t want to ever lose sight of that punk rock attitude. Whether we turned to hard rock or disco or whatever the hell else we did over the years, that helped give the music a spirit it would not have had if I hadn’t come out of the punk movement.”

No music news from Billy until 2001, when he reunited with Steve Stevens and concentrated in live performances. After almost 12 years, new material is coming out in 2005, with the release of the “Devil’s Playground” and the next year holds a surprise album - the bad boy sings cheerful Christmas songs! His next move was to tour worldwide and make as many live appearances as possible, rocking the stage until today. Having seen him on stage, although he’s not in his prior youth, we should say that Billy is still incredibly energetic and not far from the image of the forever-young

BILLY IDOL Written by Sobieski Sisters

Provocative, artistic Sexy

to his own punk-rock style. In this way, he managed to create an original sound. Born in UK in the mid 50’s, he experienced the punk movement at its peak and it seemed that it matched perfectly with his anti-conformist, wild nature. As a matter of fact, during his school years, he was characterized as idle by his teachers and lately that gave birth to his name Idol (original name William Michael Albert Broad). However, Billy is complaining that he was misunderstood throughout his entire life and career. Young Billy Idol, fan of Sex Pistols and punk scene in general, made his first attempts as a musician by joining the primary form of the punk rock band “Siouxsie and the Banshees” in 1976 and by being the guitarist of “Chelsea” one year later. His first important project was the foundation of the band “Generation X” in 1976 with ex bandmate Tony James (Chelsea). This was time for Billy behind the microphone, as he became the band’s lead singer. Generation X released 3 albums under the label of Chrysalis records. Most of the punk bands back then were against the British bands of the mid 60’s that gave birth to rock n’roll; as an exception to the rule, Generation X were one of the few bands that were accepting their roots and admitted their influences by “The Beatles” and “The Rolling Stones”. Due to various problems, the band didn’t make it and in 1981 Billy decided to pursue the American dream. Billy moves to NYC and launches his solo career. He starts his cooperation with the glam rock-styled guitarist Steve Stevens, who was meant to became his longtime partner, as well as with Phil Feit and Steve Missal. The outcome of this collaboration was the release of his first solo EP “Don’t Stop”. Among others, the Burst { music magazine }

One year later it was time for his first, homonymous album to come out. This album was like Billy begging of the promotion by MTV, with videos such as “Dancing with Myself” and “White Wedding” being in its daily programme. This wide exposure brings him audience awareness in both the UK and USA. The year when actually Billy Idol was established and major success was brought to him was 1983, when he released his double platinum album “Rebel Yell” with his probably most famous hit that earned him a nomination for the Best Male Rock Vocal Performance award. “Whiplash Smile” follows in 1986, which although didn’t have the previous album’s impact, it sold well. The ballad “Sweet Sixteen”, which is inspired by the former love of sculptor Edward Leedskalnin, is one of the highlights of the album. The next album “Charmed Life” comes out in 1990 and it is recorded without Steve Stevens, who left the band after their previous release. The song “Cradle of Love” , which is coming from this album, was nominated for a Grammy, and its video was awarded by MTV as the Best Video from a Film. Last album for the decade of the 90’s was “Cyberpunk”. Darker and more into the 90’s electronic sound, but always filtered through the familiar style of Billy, the fun fact is that this album was recorded in a home studio, using a computer, something that sounds ordinary today, but back then it was something groundbreaking.

rebel we are used to, through his music. Seeing him jumping up and down on stage like a teenager, we would never have guessed that back in 1990 he got a really serious motorbike accident, that almost costed him a leg, resulting in the insertion of a steel rod. Except for his songs, which have been used as soundtrack in numerous movies and videogames, Billy Idol himself also appeared on screen and experimented with acting, by playing small parts in the films “The Doors” and “The Wedding Singer”. He was also recommended for taking the role of T-1000 in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and the role of the villain in “Highlander: Endgame” but he had to refuse because of his accident. An original punk rocker, the leather jackets and blond hair, smoldering sensuality that burned a lot of hearts and a unique way to combine punk attitude with mainstream sounds made Billy Idol a perfect symbol of the 80’s. Undoubtedly, Billy created songs that were meant to last a lifetime.

Official photo from billyidol.net Burst { music magazine }

The following artists already promised their appearance: <1979> (D) G A SPLIT SECOND (B) G ABNEY PARK (USA) – exclusive German show 2013 G ALEXANDER PAUL BLAKE‘S AETHERNAEUM (D) – world premiere (D) G ALTAR OF PLAGUES (IRL) G ASLAN FACTION (GB) G BANANE METALIK (F) G BLOODY, DEAD & SEXY (D) G BRIGADE WERTHER (D) G BRUDERSCHAFT (USA) G BURN (D) G C-LEKKTOR (D) G COPPELIUS (D) G CREMATORY (D) G DARKWOOD (D) G DAS ICH (D) G DESIRELESS & OPERATION OF THE SUN (F) G DEVILISH IMPRESSIONS (PL) G DIE SELEKTION (D) G DIGITALIS PURPUREA (I) G DUNKELSCHÖN (D) G ECHO WEST (D) G ENABLED DISASTER (D) G END OF GREEN (D) G ENSIFERUM (FIN) G FEJD (S) G FIRE+ICE (GB) G FORMALIN (D) G FRANK (JUST FRANK) (F) G GITANE DEMONE (USA) G GOD MODULE (USA) G GRAUSAME TÖCHTER (D) G HAGGARD (D) G HALO EFFECT (I) G HAUTVILLE (I) G HECATE ENTHRONED (GB) G HENRIC DE LA COUR (S) G HYPNOSKULL (B) G I LIKE TRAINS (GB) G IAMX (GB) G IN MITRA MEDUSA INRI (D) G IN STRICT CONFIDENCE (D) G INCITE/ (D) G INCUBITE (D) G IRM (S) G ISZOLOSCOPE (CDN) G K-BEREIT (F) G KARIN PARK (S) G KMFDM (USA) G KOFFIN KATS (USA) G LACRIMOSA (D) G LEAETHER STRIP (DK) G LETZTE INSTANZ (D) G LORD OF THE LOST (D) G LUX INTERNA (USA) G MARTIAL CANTEREL (USA) G METALLSPÜRHUNDE (D) G NACHTGESCHREI (D) G NAMNAMBULU (D) – reunion G NAUGHTY WHISPER (I) G NIN KUJI (D) G NOISUF-X (D) G NOMANS LAND (RUS) G OBJEKT/ URIAN (D) G ORANGE SECTOR (D) G OTHER DAY (D) G PASSION PLAY (GB) G PATENBRIGADE WOLFF (D) G PATRICK WOLF (GB) G PHOSGORE (D) G POKEMON REAKTOR (D) G PREDOMINANCE (D) G PROYECTO MIRAGE (E) G READJUST (D) G REFORMED FACTION (GB) G ROBOTIKO REJEKTO (D) G – exclusive world premiere G SALTATIO MORTIS (D) G SEX GANG C H I L D R E N (GB) G SHE PAST AWAY (TR) G SHIV-R (AUS) G SKELETAL FAMILY (GB) G SLEEPING DOGS WAKE perform “Understanding“ – worldwide exclusive show (NZ/D) G SOFT KILL (USA) G SORIAH (USA) G STILL PATIENT? (D) G SUICIDE COMMANDO (B) G SUTCLIFFE JÜGEND (GB) G TALVEKOIDIK (D) G TEARS OF OTHILA (I) G TERMINAL GODS (GB) G THE 69 EYES (FIN) G THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE (USA) – exclusive German show 2013 G THE BLUE ANGEL LOUNGE (D) G THE BREATH OF LIFE (B) G THE KVB (GB) G THE MESCALINE BABIES (I) G THE OTHER (D) G THE SPIRITUAL BAT (I) G THE SPOOK (D) G THE TWILIGHT GARDEN (USA) G THEATRES DES VAMPIRES (I) G THUNDRA (N) G UNITARY (S) G UNZUCHT (D) G VELVET ACID CHRIST (USA) – exclusive German show 2013 G VERMALEDEYT (D) G VNV NATION (GB) G WELLE:ERDBALL (D) G WHISPERS IN THE SHADOW (A) G WINTERKÄLTE (D) G WIPEOUT (A) G X-IMPROVISO (NZ) G X-IN JUNE (D) G XANDRIA (D) G XENO & OAKLANDER (USA)

Furthermore we recommend to you: three soirees at the Opera House G Richard Wagner soiree G baroque ballroom dancing G Victorian ball G Readings G videoshow G live adventure role playing G autograph-shows G exhibitions G motion pictures in the CINESTAR G concerts in sacred venues G organ concerts G theatre & variety G Aftershow parties with well known DJs G Gothic-scene-fair in the agra exhibition hall No.1 G medieval mile “Celebrant 2013” G pagan village G horse-drawn buggy rides G knight performances G medieval acrobats G fashion shows G fetish party “Obsession Bizarre” G fetish performances G fire and light performance G esotericism More details will be published soon!

The following tickets, including the below listed range of services, you can acquire in advance sale. Ticket-Order at www.wave-gotik-treffen.com or call **49.341.2120862

Treffen-Event-Ticket:

Obsorge-Karte:

The Treffen-Event-Ticket includes free using of public transport (tram, city-busses, regional trains, suburban trains) within the zone 110 of MDV (”Mitteldeutscher Verkehrs Verbund”) from 17th of june, 8.00 am to the 21st of june, 12.00 am (except for special routes)

Limited up to 9999 Tickets for 25,- € each (including advance sale charge), contains the following service-package: • Camping at the Treffen-Campingground (agra-fairground) • “Pfingstbote” (“Whitsun-herald”) - the Treffen-programbook

Please note:

Entrance and usage of the campingsite is not possible without the ”Obsorgekarte“. The ”Obsorgekarte“ is only valid in connection with the Treffen-Event-Ticket.

4-Days-Ticket for all events within the 22nd Wave-Gotik-Treffen Whitsun 2013, 89,- € each in advance ticket sale (including advance sale charges).

Parking Vignette:

For car parking at the Treffen-area you have to purchase a Parking Vignette for 15,- € (including advance sale charges). Please note: Parking at the Treffen-area (agra-fairground) is definitely not possible without a Parking Vignette.

Treffen & Festspielgesellsaft für Mitteldeutsland mbH

Fernruf: 0341/2120862 G Weltnetz: www.wave-gotik-treffen.de G Elektronise Post: info@wave-gotik-treffen.de

The first time I heard of the band Helloween I was 9 years old sitting in my uncle’s car listening to the self-titled EP. The sheer power and speed that EP unleashed on my ears was enough to get me hooked; back in 1985 my motto was “the faster the better”. The German metal scene was exploding with metal bands, from the famous holy triad of German thrash Kreator, Destruction and Sodom, down to true metal bands such as Accept and Scorpions, who were already established on an international level of the metal world. It is my belief that that Helloween created their own style and founded German power metal by means of combining the more melodic aspects of Scorpions and Accept with the speed of the thrash bands. The band’s album “Walls Of Jericho” is still a landmark debut album and one of my all time top 10 albums to this day. The album has everything a metal fan ever needs; it’s more like a blueprint of what power metal should sound like with some added extra twists and turns, not to mention the overwhelming technical structures that no one ever dreamed of playing at the time. Timeless classics such as “Ride The Sky”, “Guardians”, “Heavy Metal Is The Law” and “How Many Tears”, one of the best tunes ever written, that still hold their own place in the expanding genre of power metal almost 30 years after their recording. During the “Walls Of Jericho” tour, Kai Hansen had problems coping with both playing guitar and singing, which is a very demanding task for any musician. For this reason, the band decided to recruit Michael Kiske on vocals so Hansen could concentrate all his energy on the guitar work. The “Keeper Of The Seven Keys Pt1” album took the world by storm, firmly proving the band had the potential and ability to push the boundaries of metal even further. With Kiske’s vocal range being considerably wider than Hansen’s, the bands overall sound was adjusted to a clearer less raw sound. The album has more classic songs that almost every metal head will know in one way or another. The band even came up with a unique epic 13-minute track called “Halloween”. Back then, there were Burst { music magazine }

only two bands who had attempted to write songs of that length, namely Venom with “At War With Satan” and Iron Maiden with “Rhyme Of The Ancient Mariner”. Although the album did have a reduced aggression level, it certainly made up for that with the high level of technical ability and a wider scope of dimensions to explore, fusing many different aspects of the metal genre. In my opinion, the “Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 2” was the most well-structured Keeper... album with Hansen. It features some fun elements like “Rise And Fall” and “Dr. Stein”; I found the lyrical themes hilarious. Although there was some fun involved, this did not mean in any way that Helloween lacked their trademark high intense technical constructive writing; far from it, this album is probably one of the most complex albums ever released. Everything about this album is perfect. The riffs and guitar solos, the hammering drum sound and the vocal arrangements are simply mind-blowing. During the tour for this album, Hansen was having difficulties with certain band members and also other personal issues and consequently decided to leave the band mid- tour. Roland Grapow, formely of Rampage, replaced him shortly after his departure and recorded the Live In The UK album. Helloween’s first album with Grapow was “Pink Bubbles Go Ape”, which was a bit of a

flop in most aspects. I think the fans (myself included) were either expecting more from the album and/or were just disappointed that Hansen was gone. It is hard to find any consistency with the former albums in order to achieve a comparison with the “Pink Bubbles” album. Indeed all the following albums with Grapow seemed to be below par with any of the band’s other releases. Chameleon

was more of a pop album and was not at all greeted well by the fans. This harsh time in the band’s career led to the band going through even more line up problems, with Weikath refusing to work with Kiske. This resulted in Kiske leaving, and drummer Ingo Schwichtenburg, who had mental and

Written by Andy Phelps

drug related problems being fired. In 1995 Ingo committed suicide by jumping in front of a train in his home town of Hamburg. With the addition of Andi Deris of Pink Cream 69 and former Gamma Ray drummer Uli Kusch the band attempted to go back to their roots. “Master Of The Rings” was a gallant attempt, it was heavier than

the previous releases indeed, however there was still something missing. With “The Time Of The Oath” the band regained some more popularity in the metal world, and with “Better Than Raw” they crossed over in to Japan and other countries

they had not toured in years. Maybe the sheer heaviness of the album was the missing link to their former glory. The band had re-established themselves and were back on track. I can’t understand the reasoning behind the Metal Jukebox release, after such a promising heavy hitter like “Better Than Raw”. In fact, I was expecting to hear something along the same lines being released so that the momentum was upheld. A covers album containing tracks from ABBA, The Beatles and various rock classics was not what anyone was expecting at all. The new millennium saw the band bounce back with “The Dark Ride”; as the title suggests the album is dark, powerful and yet experimental. In my opinion, this was the album that won me back as a fan. I was not overly convinced by some of the previous releases that they would ever release a truly awesome album with any flat spots, but “The Dark Ride” took me back to the “Walls Of Jericho” era, amalgamated with elements of the Keeper albums. It was during this period that as rumour has it, Grapow and Kusch were more focused on their side project Masterplan, as a result of which both members were asked to leave the band. The recording of “Rabbit Don’t Come Easy” was more than a challenge with the drums being started by Mark Cross and completed

by Mikkey Dee of Motorhead. The album itself was overall lighter in contrast to “The Dark Ride”, bit still it had a crisp heavy sound. Touring on this album was none other than drum legend Stefan Schwarzmann of Accept. After the previous album tour, the band finally found a line up that is still in place today, they recruited Daniel Löble on drums and started work on The Keeper Of The Seven Keys Legacy album. Now I know a lot of fans were thinking how are they going to pull this album off? No Hansen, no Kiske and no Schwichtenburg, so three vital members who recorded those classics were not on the album, a gamble? I was pleasantly surprised with the album myself, with the additional vocals of Candice Night, which in turn lent more dimension to the album. A gallant attempt which paid off handsomely for the band. Now “Gambling With The Devil” is an album I am not sure about, since it is very hard for me to give it a listen, purely because of the overkill of keyboards. I know Helloween have been using them a lot throughout their career but I believe this album’s heaviness was drowned by synthetic parts. It seems the powerful structures were diluted for some reason. This album also demonstrated Deris’ best vocals ever, including his Pink Cream 69 days. On “7 Sinners” the band seemed to have taken notice of what the fans criticised on “Gambling With The Devil”; the power and intensity were the main focus and the keyboards are hardly noticeable, back to the true power of Helloween. Still regarded as the ultimate power metal band of all time, the band still have what it takes to produce quality. As an added bonus, the band have been touring with Hansen’s band Gamma Ray over the years, which also coincides with Hansen joining his ex colleagues on stage for some classic Helloween tunes on guitar and vocals. It is safe to say that Helloween are here for many years to come, much to the joy of any power metal fans across the metal globe. Burst { music magazine }

Andi Deris

A few days before the Helloween concerts in Greece, we had the chance for a quick chat with Andi Deris, lead vocalist of the band. Their new album, Straight Out Of Hell has raised the bar and we simply canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to see them blow the stage in Athens and Thessaloniki! By Eleni Leonida

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17 Can we say, “New CD, New Helloween”? No, not really... it´s just a more “happy, happy Helloween” follow up to 7 Sinners. Helloween are back and ready to hit the stage. The name is ‘Straight Out of Hell’. What was the inspiration for the name? Markus was very drunk when he said that - after the world ends in 2012 and only a few would survive - we would come “straight out of hell” with the new album. “Straight out of hell” has very strange song names and lyrics. Enlighten us...

Being under a major label helps a band grow or is it like a curse in disguise?

since the late 70’s. Back then, did you ever think that you will end up being who you are now?

For a newcomer it is not to be recommended because Majors have a bad reputation when it comes to release an album worldwide... only a few countries will and the others will struggle.

I dreamt of being there but not really dared to believe it.

All these years you have Charlie Bauerfeind on your side. How it is to work with him? He´s like a family member....you don´t have to explain much....and the trust is

Very much... entertainment will not fill your fridge so this is the first thing you will skip if money gets short. Greece is looking forward to the 9th of March. How do you feel about playing in Greece and of course about the fans? As always great to see the crazy greek metalheads again....let´s sweat;-))

We felt that the song shows pretty much all of the styles of the album.

What is your opinion on Greece? Do ever come here on vacation?

Are we gonna see more video clips?

Depends on my mood;-) They are all my Babies, so I love’em all. Do you believe the two previous years were creative? Very much...well, as always...we are constantly collecting ideas.

Which piece of advice would you give to a kid that looks up to you and wants to be like you?

We are facing a global economical crisis. How, in your opinion, has that affected the music business?

Nabataea was a different and much unexpected song. What pushed you to choose this one, as the intro and video clip song?

Do you have any favorite song from ‘Straight Out of Hell”?

Yeah, my first guitar would be a Gibson Les Paul and not a Fender Start;-))

Never stop working and believing... Most of the bands split up after a few years trying... Only the ones who continue will be there when it´s their time.

Well, its only “Nabataea” which has a strange name;-) It´s a very old (2000-3000 years) legendary nation....which turned out to not be a legend only but a very real thing. It was a too good to be true nation... No military, no slaves, no wars and probably the first country with democratic structures. It was placed in the nowadays Jordan desert; there you can find the nearly untouched metropole “Petra”.

That pretty much depends on the demand... can´t say.

If you could travel in time, would you change any decisions you made?

there after all these years. How do you feel about sharing the stage with Gamma ray and especially Kai Hansen, a founding member of Helloween? How did this co-operation began? The idea was born some 5 years ago and then we did the Hellish Rock Tour Part1 with GammaRay....turned out to be that cool that one we´ll do it again;-)) You have been an active musician

Twice to Athens and once to Thessaloniki... You might have considered me as a bloody tourist;-) The last words are yours... Just played the 70.000 Tons Of Metal. Nearly 3000 metal fans of over 30 nations on a cruiser ship driving through the Caribbean. These were the coolest people on earth... metal unites the world... I´m proud to be a metalhead;-)) !!!!

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How many of you know the name of Rob Liotti? Not many of you, I guess. How many you know the name of Bon Scott? I can see that most hands are raised. So, for those who didn’t know Rob Liotti, he is the man who is going to portray Bon Scott in the upcoming docu-drama: Bon Scott: The Legend of AC/ DC. Liotti has written the screenplay and with the association of Director J. R. Getches and High Voltage Productions Pty. are now in the pre-production stages of the film. The creators of the film stated “This docu-drama film is the first of its kind and will chronicle the musical career of the late Australian music icon, Bon Scott, and the band AC/DC. The film concentrates on an integral period of the band’s history when Bon Scott helped to catapult AC/DC to international stardom, yet never really gets to experience fruits of his labor. He even struggles with bouts of loneliness and isolation whilst often reaching out to ordinary fans for companionship and social interaction. Examined and portrayed is an accurate depiction of the emotional dynamic surrounding the band based upon true events. The film is sure to leave fans and admirers alike drawn to Scott and his often hysterical antics and to the band which made him famous. It is a mustsee for any AC/DC fan.” Burst Magazine had a long conversation with Rob Liotti, himself, for this upcoming film project, AC/DC, Bon Scott and much more. Read and keep your fingers crossed for this movie to be released! By Spiros Smyrnis

Bon Sc

The

cott

e Legend of

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20 Hey Rob. How are you? I’m very happy we’re having this conversation. Anytime mate. So where did I catch you man? I’m at work right now, but I have some time for our conversation. The project of “Bon Scott: The Legend of AC/DC” is one of the most expected film projects for millions of hard rockers out there. How do you feel about it? Rob: I am very enthusiastic about it because I am a fan like you. I’m probably more of a fan than some people, but this is a story that many people wish to be told. 33 years after his death, I think it’s the right time for this story to be shared. As we know you have written the script of the film. Am I right? Correct. Who is directing the film? The director is a man named J. R. Getches. J.R and I started to discuss this project back in March 2012. J. R has past television and film experience. He is a musician, too, and he is well- equipped to undertake this project and understands the dynamic of this story. I found it to be very important that most people involved have to understand the dynamic of the band and of a musician like Bon Scott to capture both the content and visual contrast between him and a normal person walking down the street. Are you at the pre-production now of the film? High Voltage Production Pty. will do the production of Bon Scott: The Legend of AC/DC, right? You are right man, and we are in the preproduction of the film. I read somewhere that you’re gonna make a trailer in order to promote the film seeking for fundraising. Let me bring you up the speed of the progression so far. First of all, I had to do a ten month physical conditioning regimen to get my weight down. The physical part was very important to me and J.R. Then, as you probably read, we shot the first dramatic portrayal ever of AC/DC and Bon Scott last month. We also did the reenactment photo for the back of the Highway to Hell album. That was our first official press release photo and then is the film trailer promos. Is the film going to be a biography? A rockumentary?

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Most news agencies throughout the world have referred to the film as a biopic and obviously I have to correct that and use a VH1 term, it is a rockumentary. It walks the line, Spiros, between a biopic and a rockumentary. Theatrically speaking, it is a docu-drama. Tell us more about Rob Liotti, the man who is going to portray Bon Scott. Hmm, I’m thinking... Let me stick with what directly relates to the film, b cause that’s most likely what your readers care about more than the actor. I have been performing Bon Scott’s music vocally as a singer for a number of years. I have the uncanny ability to sing like Bon Scott. That’s how I came involved some years ago with the music. Now I am in the position where I have the knowledge of the band, and I have the ability to sing

the music. We now have the proof of concept and show the public that I can act. In a project like this, there are going to be what people in the U.S.A often say: “ Haters are going to hate...” I’m sure you heard that somewhere. So this is a project that is highly scrutinized and meticulously judged before we’ve ever started to shoot anything. However, statistically speaking, 95% of the fans have been very supportive. We are trying to pay homage to the man and the music, but people need to realize that unless you dig Bon Scott up from the ground and prop him up with a stick, it’s never gonna be Bon Scott! It’s gonna be someone playing Bon Scott so I’m going do my utmost to do that right. Will the film be focused on the music side of Bon Scott or on his personal life?

21 That’s a good question. Here is the beauty of this particular project: It is based upon true events. I’ve been asked many times how are you going to tell the story? Or, what’s the story gonna be? The direct answer must be that the story is based upon true events. Then, it’s much easier to interpret, and there is very little artistic licence to dramatize the events that happened. The storyline and the dramatization of his story will be very interesting and accurate I feel. A mix and a dynamic of music and drama, conflict, love and sex and the disappointment we all experience in human nature . I think that so many people would be able to identify what made him who he was. The challenge is to make it not only real, but hopefully surreal. Which is the biggest challenge you have to go through for this film? I know a lot about AC/DC. I’m acquainted with people who have played in the band and with many people who knew Bon. I have a lot of inside info from people who knew them personally, or people who covered them journalistically. The biggest challenge was to lose 40 pounds! LOL! I’m Italian and you are Greek, so you can understand I like pizza, pasta, and sweets. One of the greatest pleasures in life has been to take my 12-year-old goddaughter, Giovanna, out for pastry. Can’t do it anymore and it sucks! Let me

tell you something - the first time I got to the studio for the filming of the teaser we were about to shoot. I look myself in the mirror and I realize that I did ten months of intensive exercise only for a 3 and a half minutes teaser. It was crazy to realize what it takes to make it even start to work. Are Angus, Malcolm, or any of the founding members of AC/DC aware of this film project? Are they gonna have a cameo on the film? I have been in contact with a number of people, some of who are involved somehow with the band before and they are supportive to the film. I wouldn’t plan on cameos but you will never know. Again, this is a tribute to Bon and them. Bon Scott was a rock rebel, a rock icon and a semi god to the fans of AC/DC out there. What does Bon Scott mean to you? A good friend of mine back in the early 1980s gave me a copy of the AC/DC High Voltage album for my birthday. I was playing bass guitar back then in a band called Malice. In my flat, I have the entire band P.A. system as my own personal stereo. So, one afternoon I put the High Voltage on the turntable and I start singing along to the album. I sounded just like him. I’m waiting on my guitar player

to pick me up for rehearsal, right. When the guitar player comes to my apartment, he stood there for like five minutes listening to me and he starts banging on the door! So, I open the door and he pointed at me and said: Ok you are the new singer!! That’s how I became the lead vocalist. Let me give you a little trivia. Do you know what Bon Scott father’s name was? No. It was Charles, but his nickname was Chick. Guess what my father name’s is! Bon and I definitely share some personal similarities. Of course, many people have said that when they saw me on stage with TNT. You have a tribute AC/DC band named TNT. The audience is wowed by your live performances and you are mentioned as one of the best tribute bands out there. More info please! TNT originally started back in 2004. It is a good band and we take it very seriously. It is really an acting gig for a pro musician. From 2004 till now we are still rocking. I’m actually scheduled to record a theme song for the trailer and members of TNT will be performing on that record. With TNT, I let the music to do the talking.

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22 Singer, writer, composer, actor... Which is the role you love most? Out of the things I do, I enjoy the girls mate! Girls. Plain and simple! I have a beautiful one called Jennifer by the way. In all seriousness, all roles are very different. Writing is a tough process but an interesting one. You have to have a certain talent to paint your thoughts on paper. I’m a published writer, and I’ve released a couple of books and I’ve been published in a number of magazines as a writer. The script that I’ve written is another thing but everyone that has read it liked it very much. Singing on the other hand is much more entertaining, it’s fun to be the guy on stage. The acting part really comes naturally. I’ve done it since I was a child. I’ve been in films (small roles), done commercials, voice over. This is in my comfort zone. Mainly like the girls as I told you. LOL! I will write it down. Except for your name, no other actor names are revealed. Why’s that? Making a film is a process. Let’s start with that. We are not make some shit horror film. This is a docu-drama about an iconic Australian singer that millions of people know. Moving through the process, I wanna be careful and reserved and conservative about doing the right things as best we can because so many people are watching. The actors that participate in the trailer may not be the actors that participate in the picture. I do know one person that would be i it for sure. It’s

Rob Liotti. I got the job I’m in HaHa! I’m gonna press release the name of the woman who is set to play Bon Scott’s love interest in the trailer, however. I think Burst got that exclusive by the way! An exclusivity! Yeah. You know I don’t want this film to be only something men want to see. I want the sheilas to like it too! AC/DC are more appealing to the male audience, that’s why we wanna have some feminine elements. The film has been announced to be on theaters in 2014. Would you guess a release date? Is everything now going according to schedule and timetable? Everybody wants a fucking timetable. The most important thing is that we move with the right executive producer. I want to make sure that we get in bed with the right person. The executive producer will need to be on the same page with High Voltage Productions, and I have to make sure that it will have the same vision and the same passion about this project. Because of the nature of the project and because it’s a hot commodity, I wanna be careful who is involved. I want the story told properly, I want production quality, and I want everything to be perfect so that every fan would be satisfied by the result he is going to watch on screens. Let’s face it, the important thing is that the film is made. Movies from the time of inception till the time you put it on screen

Currently the team is looking for the right executive producer for the film, that will guarantee the optimum result. Stay informed through the following links. thebonscottmovie.com twitter.com/RobLiotti facebook.com/pages/Bon-Scott-The-Legend-of-AcDc-MoviePage/215524691885425

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it takes at least a couple of years. In February, I have a meeting with an independent film investor partnership who has the ability to finance the entire project. Somebody is gonna come along very soon that sees the value in the production and the potential not only for income but the potential historic value of having his/ her name attached to a project like this. It’s not all about the money. It is also about the artistic direction and doing the right thing and about having a quality program. That’s why timetable is not as important as doing it properly for me. Over the past six months the interest in film has been multiplied exponentially. People know it is happening now! So the last one is a tough one: What’s your favorite AC/DC song with Bon on vocals and in the Brian Johnson period? Wow, shit. Thanks for saving that till last. I really like Jailbreak a lot, but If there’s one single song that epitomizes AC/DC and Bon Scott and who they are and where they came from and is straight-away bad ass, it is A Long Way to the Top if you Wanna Rock N Roll. So with Brian Johnson I think Im gonna choose Shoot to Thrill. So Rob, thank you very much for this interview. I’m looking forward for this the film to be released. Thank you too Spiros . Any time man! Cheers!

Burst { music magazine }

Efthimis Karadimas

Photos by Raphael Aretakis

It is very hard to me to write an introduction on an interview with Efthimis Karadimas of Nightfall. For many years Nightfall was the answer to the most common question among metalheads: Which is your favorite metal group? Mine was Nightfall. As years pass, I understand that I cannot have only one favorite group but lots of them, but still Nightfall are very special to me. I cannot be objective about them, I confess. I will always be a dedicated and hardcore fan of them.

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So we met with Efthimis at Apsenti bar in Thiseion, Athens, in order to discuss on to the release of Cassiopeia, the new Nightfall album. Although I have my questions ready for a long time ago, I found out that I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need them after all. We have been talking for more than two hours about Nightfall through the eyes of a fan and the eyes of their creator and frontman. I hope you enjoy what Efthimis told us about the New Nightfall album, called Cassiopeia and his bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history, as much as I did. Read that loud before your world turns into a Lesbian show. By Spiros Smyrnis

25 So as you may understand this is not a typical interview. I shared with Efthimis a story of my youth when I met a very good friend of mine because of a Nightfall t-shirt (Cheers Bill!) I’m very pleased to hear it. These are the most beautiful stories about music. So the conversation drove us back in 1999-2000 when Diva Futura was about to release. The first time that I’d listened to it I was so impressed because this was not the “successor” of Lesbian Show that many people awaited. It was a “big sound gap” between them. Diva Futura was the proof that Nightfall are here for the art itself. We are here for the expression and not the reception, as I usually say. I don’t wanna be misunderstood though. This doesn’t mean that I don’t mind the opinion of someone who’s gonna give their personal time listening to the album and the money to buy it. No way. But for me the beauty of creating something musical ends when the last person closes the door in the studio. Then there are the marketing issues, promotion etc. However, the biggest “sound gap” was between our first albums: “Parade Into Centuries” and “Macabre Sunsets”. I remember that the guys in Holy Records went crazy because we had a doom metal debut and our second album was far more different from doom metal.

This is the biggest achievement for Nightfall and the biggest challenge we have to get through when we are recording a new album. There were three active periods for Nightfall I think. 1991-1999, The I Am Jesus- Lyssa period and the Astron Black- Cassiopeia. You have some dead spots but you never broke up. No, we’ve never broken up and we have never promoted our new albums with big words. Actually the promotion of Cassiopeia was “Astron Black and The Thirty Tyrants” album. An album, released from the legendary Metal Blade, like Cassiopeia too. A great achievement of Nightfall indeed, signing in one of the most historic labels, out there.

You recorded separately in Cassiopeia? Look how it goes. In “Astron Black…” we recorded all together but we decided to take advantage of the technology for some practical reasons, so we make this record according to our timetable. Evan and I wrote the music and then everyone else worked their part, filtered his ideas by respecting what the song needs at the same time. It is a controlled brainstorming to me. In my opinion, I think we did it!

Yeah you are right but I have to insist here that the first time I’d listened to Diva I said to myself. What is that? It was food for thought for you, right? Sure Then our job was done. The flaming issues for Diva were two. The first one that it was, like you said, the successor of Lesbian Show; many people had been waiting to listen to Lesbian Show number two and the second one which was away ahead of 2000 was the gothic/industrial approach on the vocals of Diva. I appreciate the fact that Nightfall have never lost their personal music identity and the Nightfall filter that diversified from the other bands out there, despite the sound differences among their albums.

ing till the time we speak, is that the musicians you mentioned left something special each time to Nightfall. They jumped on the chariot of mine and together we expressed what we felt that time. Then some of them alighted from the chariot leaving their “contribution” to Nightfall . I always seek for people who can walk with me and share the same vision bout Nightfall. In “Lyssa” album, for example, we have a well-known line up; however, I had already taken a decision not to follow the rock n roll lifestyle and obey to the music business demands. I decided that Nightfall would exist to express everything that tortures our soul, that touches us and needs to be told. Nightfall are not a one-man project band. I want to be loud and clear. Everyone gives his idea and deposits his music approach. I am very happy that Nightfall stand here 22 years after their “foundation”.

Probably the most historic one. Metallica and Slayer signed there. Do I have to say more? I’ve said it before I think but beware of the sirens, my friend. You have to stay committed to the cause. You have to walk this road. I choose not to be disposable to marketing tactics and promotion techniques. You said once that Nightfall is a chariot of artistic expression to you. To me is a music project which is framed with the appropriate musicians (which were great like Mike G, George Kollias, Bob Katsionis, George Bokos, Mark Cross) through the time. The main difference with other bands, which have one founding member play-

The lyrics of Nightfall have always been special to me. Ironic, biting they had a interesting story to tell and to fill the music. Like the ones in Lesbian Show, which are not referred to a sexy threesome, like many would think for a death metal band. God no! I’d like to break these metal stereotypes and I’m very happy seeing today that we broke down these castles. Back then, there was no reason at all to judge the profile of a metal musician, metal fan but I think that we are all have some stereotypes and we are bound to live with them. So in Lesbian Show I epitomized Life and Fate who fell in love with each other leaving our hero alone. I always believed that our music has a unique cerebral sound and direction. This opposed heavy metal to the mainstream music styles. That’s why we call this an underground music style, a unique subculture. I’m very glad that many people focus on the lyrics these days, because the main problems for the metal music are two: The lyrics and the distorted fuzzy Burst { music magazine }

26 guitars. Generally heavy metal deals with the conflict, is a warlike music. I’d like to focus on the reasons of the conflict. In Cassiopeia, for example, I used the Greek mythology which I respect. It is not as straightforward as the Scandinavian one, because it deals with eternal problems, questions which are garbled to the majority. Proklos once said that humans are nothing, we are grains of sand in universe infinity. We are not something special, we do not know everything, especially we the Greeks who think that we know everything. We are broken as we wrote in Oberon and Titania. Cassiopeia has an epic feeling in her compositions. For me Cassiopeia is a brutal heavy metal album. A successful combination of classic heavy metal riffs and guitar-play with brutal vocals. There is a thin line you know; if you cross it you can sound even

ridiculous, because melody and brutality are totally different. The tracks themselves are balanced between melody and brutality and this was the most difficult part in the recordings. For more than twenty years you have been the frontman of Nightfall and an active member of the Greek metal scene. You managed to leave the artistic quality of Nightfall untouched. Music to me is a kind of self-healing. I wound never sell the artistic quality of Nightfall according to the marketing and mainstream demands. We, in the band are some people who try to find their demons, lead them towards the light and kill them. Some people throw stones on the walls, others go to psychologists, we are making our music. For so many years we have been standing here as a band for Burst { music magazine }

the expression not the reception. This is the most important thing to us. If you have to dig out the strongest memory of the early 1990s when you formed the band, which will be? I’m not the kind of person who would make a top ten list of his most important moments and achievements. I feel blessed and lucky that I have a band for 22 years which has never made any knock-downs. Nightfall still exist and have an artistic stature that exceeds the commercial one. The mission is accomplished. I am not a judge to say what is wrong and what is right for the Greek scene but I wanna ring a bell because heavy metal had always been a part of the underground subculture. When we were young we were looking for some rare demos and fanzines to listen to something obscure. Nowadays most people want to listen to the same

shit millions of people are listening to out there. We reached an era, when numbers is the big deal. Bands that sell thousands of albums, touring all around the world in front of thousands of people. This is a press release for Madonna or U2, not for a metal band. Metal is a cult, period. So, we are not looking for customers. We are looking for men that believe in the same Gods. Believers like us. We do not produce music. We compose music not to sell CD’s and T-shirts. This is not underground. Slayer, Motorhead, Voivod as we said before are underground too. These are the pylons of our music. There is absolutely no connection with the other bands who try to impress you, making you say “wow, man”. The only thing we have in common with these guys is that we play music with instruments. I observed that the last two or three years the Greek metal audience

stands by the bands. How do you perceive the connection and the bonding between the fans and the bands in our country? That’s a good question. I’m a bit of anti-social so it’s hard to tell about the bonding you mentioned, between the bands and the fans out there. I noticed that today fans are trying to communicate with the bands through the internet but I’m suspicious with that. I don’t believe in “internet love stories” if you know what I mean. Back then it was very difficult to reach a band member. It was the distance, the tough communication that hardened their efforts. So the ones who reached, they really want it. I think that the release-“bombing” we experience makes it harder for any metalhead to be in touch with the scene. Back in the 1990’s the process of buying a new release was something like a ritual. It was an important moment in a metalhead’s

life. Today it’s not the same. You’re right. I still remember me and a good friend of mine standing outside a record shop in order to buy a copy of I am Jesus album the first day the album released in Greece. Speed is totally opposite to quality, but you cannot do otherwise. We cannot stop playing music of course, so we adapted to this situation. In my opinion I think that bands and new musicians would stop buying sound. For example back in the 90’s Nightfall, Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh didn’t have the money to buy the best amplifiers, gears and the sound equipment we wanted, so we had to choose. The first option was to be copycats of great metal bands or to form a scene with a unique sound, the one that named and defined Hellenic metal sound.

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28 We don’t need bands that sound like other bands. So I think that the economic crisis would be prevented from buying someone else’s sound. I wait to listen something different from a Greek metal band. Something that would have identity and quality. How do you think that internet affects music nowadays, in a good or in a bad way?

It’s not black or white to me. I think that education would be the key to use the internet in the way you’d benefit from it. There are some people that perceive guitar, bass, drums as an extension of their penis. So they used internet in the same way, to gain likes, recognition and Facebook friends. I don’t see it that way. I would be a romantic lover of music. As I said before, education is the key to everything. Here in Greece society’s fabric is wrong. Unfortunately, we have missed the point. We live in a dictatorship of mediocrity. You have to deal with that. If you are in a room with ten people and one sees and understands while the other nine don’t, then the problem is yours, so

you act accordingly. To me music is a way of expression, where I can say everything I feel deep inside of me. I express these feelings with the other people who join the band. To understand the meaning of Nightfall you’ve got to see the bigger picture. How this band was formed back in 1991, what we believe, what we wanna say and, in the end, what we finally say. Because there is a huge gap between the verb “want” and the verb “do”. If we real-

ize that we are nothing, that we are broken as I sing in Oberon and Titania, then we will realize the power of forgiveness. We try to walk the path of life with our head up. If we manage to gain something from this, ever better for us. The last question: Nightfall on stage. I’ve understood through the years that Nightfall are not a live band! So how do you see the “live issue” for Nightfall? It is no bed of roses to me. Most people are going to concerts to have fun. Our songs have a mystical character, a hidden meaning which is much more to difficult

for someone to capture it in a gig. Another factor is that in most cases people from clubs where the concerts are held are not capable of doing it perfectly. So I found it hard to make live performances because the result isn’t satisfying for me in most cases. For me a Nightfall listener would understand what the band wants to say by putting the earphones on and by taking a 2-hour journey.

I agree with you. That’s a lonesome journey like mine. Let me tell you something here. There are a lot of people asking about the line-up changes. For me is refreshing. Everyone who joined Nightfall at some time influenced the band by giving a new direction, a new approach to Nightfall’s dark music. Thank you very much Efthimis It was a great pleasure. Thank you too my friend.

Special thanks to Absinthe Cafe for the warm hospitality. web: www.apsenticafe.gr email: info@apsenticafe.gr location: Herakledon 19, Thiseio tel: +302103424224

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Yossi Sassi “Ah Ellada sagapo!”

Undoubtedly the metal scene is full of great bands and artists. However, very few of them make the difference and give something really new and pioneering. Orphaned Land began their musical journey back in 1991 in Tel Aviv. The band perfectly combines metal music with oriental, folk, progressive and death elements; all in one! How cool is that? Plus, this band is based on one pure and clear principle: “We are all the same and we have to accept each other by not hating the ones who are different from us in any ways”. Apart from playing music, these special artists have a big dream: to pass on this message to the world through their art. After all, as they always say, music unites us all. Yossi Sassi took a break from the recordings of the new Orphaned Land album in order to answer to our questions. He was honest, straightforward and revealing. Well, here goes: By Korina P.

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32 Ηello Yossi! First of all I would like to thank you very much for this interview! Let’s start! Orphaned Land are currently recording a new album. The recordings are taking place in Tel Aviv and Sweden. Two different studios? Can you give us some more details about that? Hello! Actually, we are recording the new Orphaned Land album in 3 different locations, Turkey, Sweden and Israel. We chose to do it like that in order to maximize the facilities and promote the talent in those countries. So far, the results are great. I also noticed a picture of “Fascination Street” studios (Sweden) on your facebook page with the message “Let us introduce you our home for the next few weeks :)”. Jens Bogren is a well-known producer (he has worked with Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Enslaved, Amon Amarth, Hammerfall, Opeth, Turisas, Soilwork and many other huge bands). So, I guess that he will do the production, the mixing and the mastering for the new Orphaned Land album, is that right? Yes, Jens is planned to do the mixing and mastering of the album and, yes indeed, bands like Opeth, Katatonia, Paradise Lost (and many more) have cooperated with him. I hope the results will be satisfying!;-) You also gave us one more “small” detail on the new album: There will be lyrics in other languages than English. Maybe in your mother tongue? This is kind of risky you know because the majority of the bands choose to write lyrics in English and not in their mother tongue. We have already done this again in the past (writing lyrics in multiple languages), so there’s no “real” surprise in this. I can only say that we have some cool guest musicians! I love the addition of other musicians into the “story”. In my solo album, (“Melting Clocks” (www.yossisassi.com). I also invited Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth), Roy Zu-arets, Marina Maximilian and many other talented musicians to share their musicianship with me, the results were great. So also in the new Orphaned Land album we have some cool guests who sing in different languages. ;-) So, according to your updates on Facebook the drums are done! The guitars are done, too! Uri seems to be also done with his bass recordings. I guess that you are currently recording the vocals. How is it going so far? I also noticed that Sami Burst { music magazine }

Bachar (ex Orphaned Land drummer) wrote two riffs for the album and even recorded one of them! (this is another reason I really admire you: the ex OL bandmates are still in the “family”!) Are you tired? How do feel? Optimistic? Thrilled? Extra-thrilled? Did you face any misfortunes during the recording sessions? Any funny moments when in the studio? Recording a full length album is actually a long process; we’re mainly excited about the whole process so far. We feel tired sometimes during the whole process, its normal, but we keep focusing on the next step. We still have 2 months of work ahead of us. Let’s dig a little more: each Orphaned Land album is a kind of a concept involving two opposites (like East and West, light and darkness etc). Is this concept part of the new album as well? Is this kind of a rule for the band? This album is more centered on a “theme” but it is not really a concept album. It is based on the ultimate truth that we are all the same and we should not hate each other just for being different. More details will be published soon, I promise! I was wondering if there will be any female vocals in the new Orphaned Land album? (and I mean the amazing Shlomit Levi by that!) In every Orphaned Land album you invite some very good musicians (traditional musicians actually). For example you already told us that Amram brothers did some guest vocals. Plus, in every album there are quotes from the Koran, the Bible or the Torah and there is also regular participation of musicians and performers from different countries and backgrounds. I guess this is going to happen again in the new album, right? Yes, there will be some NEW female vocals in this album and as I said before there will be featured some nice guest musicians from different backgrounds and countries, too. I really hope you will like it guys. I was also wondering if you have ever thought of making Shlomit a permanent member of the band. She even appeared in the promo shot for your previous album! I love Shlomit, and personally I think she is a great artist and a lovely person. She is planning to extend her career and personally I totally support and like this. Regarding the new album, we decided

not continue our long-standing collaboration. It just wasn’t right for few specific reasons, yet she remains a dear friend of mine and all of us in Orphaned Land family. There was another pleasant surprise for us: The newest OL bandmate is a fan (Chen Balbus). What really made you choose him? (in my opinion it’s a very clever move to make he is a loyal fan). Chen is a student of mine. He knows my sound quite well, and even before that, he used to grow up as a big Orphaned Land fan for many years, playing our songs on the guitar and stuff like that. We are twice his age but that doesn’t interfere with the fact that we have a great collaboration. Above all, he is a great guy. Yossi, during 2012 you released a supreme solo album entitled “Melting Clocks”. Oh man! To be honest this one was one the very best albums I’ve been listening to in 2012. It was so good that I even failed writing a review on it! It left me really speechless! What can I say about a diamond after all???). First of all, I really liked the concept of the album: describing a typical day of every human being. (we all have dreams and we all have our routine, our day to day life, living each and every day similar yet a little bit different from the day before…). Also, the melodies and everything… It’s a really “soothing” album! Congratulations! What kind of feedback have you received for your first solo album? Are you satisfied when you look back on it? Efharisto! I am very happy from the feedback that my solo album “Melting Clocks” got from all over the world (see www. yossisassi.com). Producing my debut solo effort was a process of years of evolution, after over 20 years of musicianship as co-founder, producer and composer/ arranger for Orphaned Land and some other artists. The feedback I got was warm and very much appreciated. Everyone gave their best, Marty, the band, each and every one of them. Be sure that this album was only the 1st release out of MANY more to come, hopefully next year at latest. You did a tour along with Marty Friedman and Stephan Forte (“Guitar Universe Tour”). Marty participated in your solo album, as you already said! How did you feel about this? Touring in Europe with Marty was great; this was truly one of the best tours we ever had in our life time. The crew was

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Photo by deadlineteam.com

34 awesome, as well as the bands, Stephan Forte and his guys, Marty and Charge from Japan. Marty was playing with my band (Lubianiker on Bass, Ben Azar on guitar, Shay Ifrah on drums) every night so I am extra proud that my boys nailed it. I feel truly blessed because I have great people and musicians around me! What about bouzouki-guitar? It seemed to me like a personal Yossi Sassi “invention”! Haha, that’s for sure! The ‘Bouzoukitara’ is my musical journey in an instrument; east meets west and the Balkan. It was born from a clear need to go from traditional Bouzouki to Electric guitar during live shows, so I designed a double-neck Bouzouki-Electric guitar, with both acoustic and electric bouzouki, in the same body with a full-blown electric guitar. It Rocks! It sounds better than I expected it to be. The ‘Bouzoukitara’ beat all other bouzoukis in the studio, and in the new Orphaned Land I use it a lot. I was lucky to have Benjamin Millar as my luthier, he did an amazing job building this one of a kind instrument. Yossi, let me ask you about something that seemed very strange to me when I read about it on the internet: two years ago there were some “strange” news about Johanna Najla who was touring with you back then. If I remember well she has been issued a fatwa and has been forbidden to travel in her native Lebanon. I even read on the internet that some people threatened her! What was this all about? Johanna is a great friend and she per-

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formed for us on stage. She is from Lebanon so this action had not been seen in a nice and positive way from the side of the Lebanese government and other people, appearently. I believe no one should be judged for his/her right to express himself/herself through art. Music united us and we did nothing wrong. I support her spirit and hope we will collaborate again in the future. Actually she performed in the “Guitar Universe 2012” tour, too (on the “Melting Clocks” shows). Back in 2010 you did something very nice: you donated the revenues of your Turkish shows to the victims of the earthquake in Van! This is not something we see every day. And this is one of the reasons that I really admire you guys! And I guess this is one of the reasons why Turkish people REALLY love you. How do you feel about that a few years later? You even won a peace prize for this, right? Our relationship with the Turkish people is long-standing through the years. We support the people there and try to come back there every time and help as much as possible. Turkiye seviyorum! There was also a petition in order to encourage the Norwegian Nobel Committee to consider you for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. And I really wish our voices will make the difference! How is this going? Did you have any news from the committee? It’s a nice notion, and we’re honored that people proposed us for this important prize. We truly have some remarkable

achievements in our history and I want our story to be heard, regardless of the prize. Kirk Hammet revealed that the last album he bought was “The Neverending Way Of A Warrior”. I guess this fact made you really happy. Metallica is one of the most wellknown metal bands; even the aliens must have heard of “The Black Album” or “Master of Puppets”!. Personally, I was not surprised at all. Also, Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) who did a tour with you once if I remember correctly, said “I think this band is one of the best metal bands, not just in Israel, but in the whole world”. Well said! You totally worth that vote! Can you describe us your feelings and thoughts on this? Steven Wilson, Kirk Hammet and other well-respected friends and musicians have shown their support to our music. I will be honest with you, this is more than I could have ever imagined as a teenager 25 years ago when I was sitting with my guitar at home in Petah Tikva, Israel and playing Oriental melodies with heavy rock elements! Speaking of other musicians, do you have any idols or any musicians that really influenced you? What’s the reason you admire them so much? I love many artists and music genres. Last year I went to a “Dead Can Dance” concert in Istanbul with a good friend and

35 I was thrilled to see them performing. On a more personal note, I adore Joe Satriani as a guitar player, he shaped a lot of my influences as a rock guitarist in the early years. You have released a live dvd (“The Road to Or-Shalem”). I noticed that you did something very uncommon in our days: you uploaded it on youtube. Many bands and labels do not really want their stuff leaking on youtube. Since I saw it on your facebook page I considered it as a decision made by the band. As I said, this is not a typical decision though. Musicians need money to buy food and clothes, like everyone else; free downloading does not really help you with that, I guess. So, are there any reasons that make this DVD special in order to buy it?

bad things like insults or even threats (like Johanna experienced back in 2011) but still it seems that this did not stop you at all. Century Media guys are great, we have great relationship with them, they totally support us artistically and they totally understand our needs (God knows how long they wait for our albums..! Ha ha ). In my solo career I work independently and directly with the distributors. It’s quite different, but I am happy that Verycords (through Warner Music France) is distributing my solo album “Melting Clocks” in Europe. They did a good job so far.

The DVD is awesome, just watch it and get it! ;-) That’s all I can say! Pure genius work by Sivan Magazanik who was the director, cool photography work, what else can I say? Honestly, it is a piece of art and we are very proud having it in our discography.

Yossi, Orphaned Land make a difference in my opinion. You guys created a whole new music genre (oriental metal, this is how I prefer to call it). This is something new and many other bands followed your example (Myrath and Arkan for example). You are some kind of pioneers. Do you feel proud? Do you guys feel that you really made the difference and passed your message to the world? Do you feel that you have reached your goal?

Century Media is your record label. Here is my question: did the guys from the label ever put any kind of pressure on you, like “do not do this or that”? I mean you are kind of a controversial music project if we consider your lyrics and the message you want to pass. People and fans are not that open-minded all the times. I guess that you guys have experienced many times very

Let’s put it like that: we were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time in order to invent and evolve the genre of Middle-Eastern metal. We love the bands that followed us, especially Myrath, they seem very inspiring to me! Also, they are great friends! For me as a guitarist and a solo artist, being the Oriental rock guitar pioneer is also a great source of honor. Especially, when I see young guitarists playing covers of my

solos or covering songs from Orphaned Land albums or from my solo album. That really warms my heart! Greece is next to Turkey. You visit Turkey every now and then but I can assure you that your Greek fans here feel kind of neglected. I am one of them actually (laughs!). Are there any plans for a gig in Greece? I wish! Just invite us and we will come. Actually, I am in touch with a Greek promoter in order to bring my solo group with Paul Gilbert. And for sure we’d love to come and play for you our new album! We LOVE Greece. Ah Ellada sagapo! :-) Yossi, thank you from the bottom of my heart for this nice interview. Do you have any message you want to share with us? Any last words, maybe? Efharisto to our fans worldwide and I hope to visit Greece soon! YAMAS!

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Beggarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s B Burst { music magazine }

Blues Diary By Eleni Leonida

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38 Let’s start with your new album. Which are your main influences? I would say that our influences mainly come from the 60’s to the 90’s. The band has always loved the 70’s. Although I can say I am a fan of the ‘70’s, there are plenty of elements from the 80’s and 90’s in the album, which came instinctively. You have released three albums from 2009 to 2013. It seems that it takes about 2 years before each album release. Is it easy or difficult for a band to release a new album almost every 2 years? Every year and a half... Look, it is defi-

nitely not easy and it requires constant work and inspiration, plus the resources that define a drive most certainly. However I feel that “Beggars” are in a very creative phase and I can tell you that we have already written a fourth album. We have not recorded it yet but we’ve got its content ready, and it will come out in the summer of 2014. In any case, this doesn’t mean that we are taking a break. On the contrary, we are continuously on stage giving vibrant live performances, so when on tour we don’t get any rest and this is a blessing for us right now. How can a band give 72 live shows in just one year? I’m referring to your tour in 2012.

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A lot of hard work is necessary. As I mentioned before, the “Beggars” are a band from the streets and we are born to play live music. There is an energy that binds us and gives us what we need to go beyond any sort of fatigue, especially when we travel to new places and meet people that did not have the luxury to see us live in Athens. So this is your choice and you like it! You’ll be on tour till March 30.Your last live will be held in AN Club, Exarchia. Which are the memories from this tour you’d share with us?

How do you feel about your songs “Dove” and “The River” being broadcasted by MTV and MAD? When you do something that gets into people’s homes in a good way, you are essentially doing your best to accomplish that. When you make a move and people like it you can’t help but feel happy and thrilled. The new album is called “The Truth”. What exactly made you choose that name?

We are in the middle of the tour right now. Today we returned from Ioannina,

If there were a message I would not reveal it to you. Anyone has the prospect to

where we had our 14th live in 15days. Today we will be presenting our new album “The Truth” in Garage in Heliopolis and I have to say that this tour has already exceeded our expectations. We went to cities and areas where the presence of the fans was stronger than we expected. It is the most beautiful thing we have experienced.

understand why we called it “The Truth” once they give the song a listen or read the lyrics. Do you have an all-album fave song?

Where does the inspiration for the lyrics come from? You never have an “appointment” with inspiration. Inspiration is in everyday life; you can describe life, a special part of you, or a special part of someone else; it could be either a real story or an imaginary one.

The always uncomfortable question to choose just one song. I could say that is not only one song, but many. Two favorites come from the new album and they’re called “not my war” and “truth”. From the album “back to bases”, “The River” is the song I have in my heart the most. Is there anyone you want to dedicate this album to? I could say that the record is dedicated to

39 the family of BBD, because Beggars is not only the 3 people on stage. There is an entire team consisting of producers, people helping on stage and the management. It’s those people who deserve the album to be dedicated to.

is a band whose albums we studied and we have a common style. That was the point for us…

Do you believe that friendship plays a role in the vitality of a band?

It was the third time that we went to the show. It happened during the album promotion in Northern Greece. It was fun more than ever. We love them and they love us back.

Of course! If you’re true to what you do and you live with this and this only, then you understand that relationships between the band members are more special and remind of a true family. There are good and bad times. The band became a family in every aspect. The quality of relationships plays a huge part in succeeding... or failing. BBD was the opening act for Thin Lizzy. Any comments on that? It was a huge moment for us to be the support band for Thin Lizzy. We have already been the opening act for “The Godfathers” and Dan Reed, however we really loved opening for Thin Lizzy, since they were our inspiration to start BBD. It

How being a guest in “radio-arvila” TV-show came up?

economy? We are part of that audience. We are going through exactly the same difficulties; Our way out is the BBD. I think everyone needs to find a way out and be close to each other. Only in this way can you maintain your mental balance! We have BBD and we are very lucky for that.

Your albums received very positive reviews and feedback in general. Any thoughts on that? Is there something you’d like to share with us on that aspect? I’m very proud and happy for that. For us, Back to Bases made the difference, which makes me really proud! When you came into people’s “houses”, you need to show some responsibility. What would you say to the Greek fans, who’re having a hard time due to the current condition of the local

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40 Hello Enrico, nice to have you here. Thank you very much for the interview request ! Domine is one of the oldest Italian Heavy Metal bands; you guys are around for 30 years now. Was

DOMINE it easy back then in Italy for new bands? Not at all. It was very difficult for every band which decided to play Metal or Hard Rock. We were also based in a small town for many years, so things were even harder there. No clubs, no record labels, not that many Heavy Metal fans. We started to play just for the passion of music and dreaming to record an album. Tell me a few things about your influences as a musician. Well, I am a music fan first of all. I love many different kind of bands but I started to buy albums by Queen, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Kiss, Thin Lizzy, Jethro Tull, Kansas, Genesis, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and only a few years later the Metal stuff like Maiden, Priest, Def Leppard, Saxon. So thestuff from the 70’s has always been my main interest, even though I totally got into Heavy Metal during the early 80’s. As a musician my fave guitar players are Brian May, Ritchie Blackmore, Randy Rhoads and Gary Moore. But there are a lot of great artists which influenced me. Also a lot of writers like Michael Moorcock, Clive Barker and Frank Herbert, just to name a few ones. Your first album “Champion Eternal” came out in 1997. Since then you had released several demos. What kept you from releasing the album earlier? Because we were not good enough to get a record deal and because in the early years it was difficult to get attention anyway. Even good bands were releasing very few albums and most of them were done with truly bad productions. I don’t think there was ever a proper scene in Italy. Our band was founded by schoolmates, we were just friends who happen to like Metal, in the first years we were just learning to play. Then we started to write our own songs and record demos, but we didn’t have any budget or money for a proper studio and honestly some members of the band were not real musiBurst { music magazine }

cians. But we were friends and we have grown up together. It took a life time to put together a real line-up of wanted to make a proper album and play correctly. By the end of the 90’s there was a kind of renaissance for Metal in Italy, with many good bands releasing good albums, that’s when we had the chance to do our debut

to sound well… “older”. Do you believe that things are better for bands now or worse?

More popular ? You must be joking... I think things are really bad now, as the “scene” is so difficult, with economy crisis, illegal download and the usual disinterest from the main medias. The underground festivals are great, but in the end they are attended by the same people who have been there for years and years, with only a few By Elias J. Kay exception. There have always been bands which sound “Older”, some because they CD. You can tell the process was EPIC want to, some because they just don’t indeed, AHAHAHAHAHAH ! have the budget to record an album in a real studio, other because… they are old ! Many people claim that “Heavy AHAHAHAH ! But this is not a popularity Metal died in the 90s”. Grunge, pop rise, I don’t really see it, we have played and other styles of music were very at an edition of the Heineken Jamming popular and the music industry Festival in 2003 with Iron Maiden and was focused there. What are your they attracted 40.000 people. That’s what memories from that era? I call popularity. The underground has always been there but of course it’s build by That’s a mainstream music point of view. a minority of people who really enjoy muIf you looked at the charts, it was true sic. They are keep the underground alive, that grunge and indie rock bands wiped but they are few in numbers (but the look away all the glam metal bands. Some of in their eyes…oh, that’s Manowar…). the grunge and indie rock bands were actually good, in my opinion. Boy-bands Looking back in time, which was were pretty bad. But in the underground the best and which the worst mothere were always good Metal bands ment of Domine? around, maybe more in the extreme styles than classic, but still heavy. In a way, Difficult to say. We were lucky to have it was actually a good thing that major some great moments during all these labels stopped to deal with Metal labels, years, not easy to pick up the best ones. so bands like Priest or Motorhead went to I really loved some of the gigs we have indie labels and the underground flourplayed, like being on tour in Europe with ished. And by the way, Metal was never Riot, Anvil and Agent Steel, the gig at big in Italy, not even during the 80’s. The Gods Of Metal festival 2000 with Maiden, biggest Metal festivals happened from or the one supporting Judas Priest, the 1997 on over here. big one at Heineken Jamming Festival in 2003 and 2007 and most of all, it was You also played in another band always great to get the band together called Masterstroke. What do you every time we have finished a new album remember from that? Have you and having a listening to it. In the end, ever thought of doing something we record the albums we would like to besides Domine? listen too. We are music fans. The first gig in Athens is a great memory too. I’m Well, that was just a fun thing. I was a sure I’m forgetting many more moments. friend of the guys and I played with them Worst moments.. well, there are many for a couple of years, we even recorded an days when I would want to stop but that album worth of material, it was a more happens from the very beginning. But US Power Metal kind of style, a bit like as a matter of fact life puts you through Agent Steel, Sanctuary and Exciter. When some really hard times, much difficult Masterstroke was over and our drumthan the problems of playing in a band. mer left, Mimmo, the drummer, became a member of Domine. He was one of the The last few years every band, big musicians who made Domine’s first alor small, is around the almighty bum possible, with his great playing and Internet Empire. Do you thing that his devotion to the band. the Internet helps a band or not?

An Eternal Champion on Burst Please welcome Enrico Paoli!

During the last decade, old school Heavy Metal got more and more popular. Old bands are reuniting; we have festivals that are 100% for underground and old-school bands and many new bands are trying

It would take hours to discuss this. Internet is a great communication tool, so of course that can help bands to promote themselves, but at the same time most people are just using internet to illegally

41 download music, movies, pornography, games, programs, books and that’s destroying everything. It is now impossible to think about a world without internet, as it has changed the way people are using their free time. But it should be used properly. I don’t know, maybe I’m too old, but when there will be Metallica and Maiden only, maybe kids will realize they should have bought the albums of the bands they like.

want to make. What are your future plans?

What are your memories from your previous concerts in Greece?

To record a new album and play a few good gigs. We would love to tour the world with a stage like the one KISS are using but I don’t think it will be possible in the near future ;)

Well, the first gig in 1999 was amazing, the club was packed with people and it was the very first gig of Stefano with the band and our very first gig outside of Italy. I got to meet people who supported the band in the 80’s, sending dracmas in envelopes to buy demo tapes. Demo tapes !?!?!?! It sounds like Jurassic era now !!

Your last album came out a very long time ago. What is the current state of the band? Are you currently touring or recording?

Of course. I do like In Solitude, Fast Animals And Slow Kids, Jess And The Ancient Ones, Foxy Shazam, Heart Of Cygnus, Portrait, Rival Sons, Purson, Witch Mountain… I’ve just bought a new live album by a band called Led Zeppelin, I think they are good enough to go places…

Domine is not a full time professional job, we all have our day-jobs and families and during the last years many things happened to our personal lives, we had some very important changes, so we are not fully dedicated on a new album, even though we have been rehearsing constantly. We are working on new songs but we want to take our time to make sure we will have the right songs. We want to improve with every album and not just do a copy of the previous one, we don’t have big budgets behind us or big commitments to honor. It’s not that easy but I’m sure we will come out with the album we

Are there any new bands that you’re currently listening to?

Last but not least, I want you to send a message to your Greek fans. Just want to thank you guys for all your support and we just can’t wait to play for you guys soon. “Conquest is mine into the fight, screaming the battle cry!”

You have a concert scheduled in Greece, at the Up The Hammers festival for the 8th of March. Tell us a few things about that. We are very happy to come to play in Greece. This is our fourth time and we always have fun with you people. We are going to play mostly songs from our first two albums, as you guys love those. I’m sure we will have a good time.

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1000 MODS Interview by Spiros Smyrnis

The proud village of Chilliomodi gave its name to one of the coolest Greek bands of 2010s. Tell us more about the story behind the band’s name. As I told you before, we made our rehearsals at Chiliomodi. We had something like a recording studio there, which was owned by the first drummer of the band. So, we were wondering with the guitarist; how should we name the band? We said to ourselves. Chiliomodi! So, 1000 Mods. (chilia= 1.000 in Greek) So Valley of The Sand. A 17 minutes track, 12” EP with a fucking desert rock front cover, the new release of 1000Mods. Look, this track is the first track we wrote as 1000 Mods with Andrew at the drums and Thanos at the bass. Two years ago we were playing the version which is on the EP. It’s jamming and we added a couple of riffs. We recorded it when we recorded Super Van Vacation. Billy Anderson also recorded some vocals for “Valley of The Sand”. Where did the recordings take place? Mixing? Mastering?

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The production and the engineering were made by Billy Anderson and our sound engineer George Leodis. Mixing and mastering both by Billy Anderson. I’d also like to mention the front cover was done by the guys in Fuzz Ink. So Billy Anderson (producer of Om, Los Natas, Hermano, Melvins, Sllep, Orange Goblin). The name speaks for him. The man travelled so many miles for you. And he missed his flight, so his arrival was delayed for a day. How is it to work with the greater heavy/stoner rock producer out there? Yeah he is a guru in this style of music. You know before we met him we are a bit of cow hearted. We didn’t know what to expect. Man we are talking about Billy Anderson man! But when he came he was so cool, he listened to everything we were saying to him. He listened to you, and then he told you what he thinks about the stuff you wrote and how he would do it. We trusted him, that’s why we followed his lead. We spoke

our minds but he was the one leading us to the final result. How did this cooperation happen? When we released the Blank Reality EP we had sent him a sample of our demo through myspace. “Billy, here is our demo”, we said. “Tell us what you think about it”. So an hour later he answered to our message. “Guys I liked very much the stuff you sent me. I’d like to work together someday”. So we used this conversation as a tool to talk with him again. So we asked him to do the mixing and mastering of Super Van Vacation. He answered back, immediately. So, we asked for a price. Billy Anderson used to travel in the countries where the bands he recorded come from, to work with them. So we took a shot and asked him to come in Greece for recording “Super Van Vacation”. Billy worked very much for Super Van Vacation. He touched something and the songs sounded differently, left us wondering how the hell did it! The vocals that you can hear in the album are by Billy. He led me to sing in a way I’ve never sang before. Billy helped me a lot. He said to me try it like this and then the result was great. Let me share this with you:

43 me. For example you see an old car and you fucking like it. Me, I cannot drive a new Porsche but an old one, Hell yeah! It is a matter of mentality as I’ve already said. We like the old guitars, music equipment, the old hecks, which these days -I don’t know why- is the new trend. We really love this vintage attitude and I believe that, hopefully, someday we would manage to record analogically. Music influences and favourite bands for 1000 Mods? In 1000 Mods we have a vast variety of musical backgrounds. The four of us have quite different ones but the common base is Black Sabbath, and there will always be Black Sabbath. I listen anything from Oasis and Foo Fighters to Sabbath. Graveyard Kyuss. The first guitarist he’s more in the 70s, while the other he is in the blues. The drummer on the other hand listens to Colour Haze. Black Sabbath, MC5, Kyuss and Acrimony. All these different backgrounds are filtered through 1000Mods music style. Super Van Vacation. Great reviews, while the audience loved it too. Did you wait for such a feedback? The only thing we knew is that we liked the stuff we have written. We had some negative reactions about the album’s duration, which was really long but we didn’t care. We gave all we had for Super Van Vacation and we really liked it.

The first time we took him to our studio Billy, lit some candles up and said to us: “Now play for me till I feel the vibes of your music”. So let’s talk about the artwork now. The artwork was made by Malleus Rock Art Lab from Italy. For us Malleus are gurus in their field. They have worked with great bands and everything that they have done, from posters to artwork, are amazing. I’d like to thank here our friend Vaggelis Skotidas, who paid the fees for this artwork as Vaggelis himself is a big fan of Malleus. As I have understood you really like vinyl. How’s that? Yeah that’s true. I like vinyls because my parents had a huge vinyl collection, so even from my youth, I knew what that meant. I also like the fact that you can touch it and feel it. It is something big and beautiful and of course the sound is different. If you record it the way it should be for the vinyl sound it is like the band playing next to you. Generally speaking you have a vintage attitude I’m personally keen on. Yeah I think that is a matter of mentality to

Super Van Vacation. What is the first thing that comes in mind, when you hear these words? Vacation. The 15-17 days we recorded with Billy in a House at Pergiali. We were recording, grilling, drinking. Vacation man! That’s why we named the album Super Van Vacation Super Van Vacation touring Greece. Experiences? The strange thing with us is that we made our European Tour first and then we toured Greece. It was amazing! Especially in the county! There the audience is much thirstier to see a live. There were times when we hated going back to Athens. We wanted to play more and more. More hours, more days! That does why we are gonna give more concerts.

awesome. The audience, especially in Bulgaria, was unbelievable and the feedback we got was amazing. Last year 20 people came from Bulgaria to see the concert with Karma to Burn in Thessaloniki. We built a fan base there. Romania and Croatia, also great gigs. Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Italy. So many great memories. The Greek metal/rock scene has made great steps over the past years. The audience stands with them so far. What do we need to take the next big step? I think that we have to take it one step at a time. If we keep releasing great albums maybe in three years from the time being, we would make the next big step. As far as my band is concerned, now, we keep doing what we really like. If bands keep taking themselves so seriously then we are going to make a scene like the ones abroad. The productions are flawless. The releases too. Check out Tardive Dyskinesia’s new album, Mahakala, Universe 217, Slavebreed, or the sold out concert of Planet of Zeus at Gagarin. The new bands give more gigs and help each other, as they help rock clubs too. You have to know that this time the clubs are looking for the bands. They see that something new is born and they wanna be a part of it. Some years ago it was much more difficult to give a concert. Thank God now things are different. There is trash out there for sure, but more and more bands release professional works and the audience supports them. You have to respect yourself, first of all. You have to give more and more gigs on the other hand. 1000 Mods have given hundreds of concerts. You prefer playing in small clubs which are full of people or in bigger events. Personally speaking I prefer a small club full of people. I don’t have the experience of playing in front of thousands of people to tell, but I fuckin’ love the smaller clubs. For example at Roadburn festival, Lambros (drummer) saw Church of Misery on the small stage and he was stunned. A live you ain’t gonna forget? Tough question. There are so many, man. To me the gigs in Korinthos are always special. We have a special bond with the audience in Korinthos.

Super Van Vacation touring Europe?

The upcoming plans?

We had already booked some gigs so we started our journey scared of what we were going to face out there. We had missed home for a month and we hadn’t known what we were going to see. I had to say that leaving Belgium out, where the turnout was a bit of flabby, everywhere else we had an amazing time. The road trip was also

Gigs, live promotion of Valley of the Sand and from June we are gonna have our own recording studio. After that the pre-production of next album will be next. Thank you man Thank you too. Burst { music magazine }

44 Four years after the release of “Jesus Heist”, your new EP “My Storm Upon” was finally released in December 2012. What was the basic idea/ concept behind this EP? The idea behind this EP was that we are somehow a band reborn and we felt so good with the whole thing of being together and strong and since we were recording new material for a full length album we really wanted to get something out there. We also thought that W.E.B. are around since 2002 and it is 10 years so why not make a release that has something to do with those 10 years. All this and the thing we did not give anything new since 2008 were enough reasons to not leave the studio and the next day that we finished the recordings of our full length album to start working on the EP.

W.E.B. is one of the very disti albums and has always been I bet you worked really hard for that. Are you happy with the outcome? Yes it was truly hard since we had to deal with very different approaches and even recording techniques for each song and we even had to use 4 studios to make it happen as we wanted it but in the end we are very pleased with the outcome no matter how strange of a project it sounded in the beginning it seems to be very solid. How did you choose the remixes and covers included in the EP? This was rather easy because first of all “Full of Sadness” was originally composed in a way very close to what you listen to in the acoustic version. “Cockroach” on the other hand is an industrial metal song by its own nature so it was also a very straight forward decision to make it even more industrial with experimental elements. It is not as straight forward song now in my opinion now but really energetic and interesting. When it comes to “Enthorned”, it is one of our most known songs and has a very dark and heavy character and for our latest live performances we have a symphonic intro for it so I just sat down and made an orchestral arrangement for the whole song that poured out more of the song’s feel. As of “Blessed Blood”, it is one of our favorites and I consider it to be like a signature song of W.E.B. so we just played it live in the studio as a rehearsal and recorded it as you would hear it live. More or less it all came out quite naturally then. You chose to work together with NikiBurst { music magazine }

After the release of the EP “M in Burst and in all musical me present their frontman, Sakis light in the darkness of their m

Rosa Frei and Androniki Skoula (Chaostar) in creating an excellent cover of the epic “Anubis” by Septic Flesh. Can you give us some more details on how this came up? In W.E.B. we always loved to do cover songs just for fun. To make a cover of a very beloved band of ours as Septicflesh was a real challenge because we needed to respect the original and deal with how they embed the orchestra in their songs but not make it the same way. So we treated both Anubis and Faust as if they were W.E.B. songs and the arrangement really “asked” for a choir. Synth-vst choirs though did not give the feeling I was searching for so I had to figure out something else. Eventually Androniki and Niki-Rosa were kind enough to like the idea and helped by recording a full choir with their own voices doing many takes and we built together the whole harmony. They are both very professional and talented and they made something so difficult a very awesome process. I will be more than happy to do the same again with those particular voices in the future in new material for W.E.B. The outcome of the cover speaks for itself. What’s the feedback you received

from the fans on the new EP so far? There is only positive feedback for the EP and we are very happy for it. Personally I was very anxious of how people would deal with such a controversial release but, it turns out they love it. Can you give us any hints on the forthcoming full album? How can you describe it? What else do we expect? The full length album we are about to release is something that fills us all in W.E.B. with pride. It goes even beyond the “Jesus Heist” album and I would describe it as an even more powerful and adventurous record. I am very positive anyone who will listen to it will enjoy it. There are things that we did for the first time in this record and some very venturesome moments await you there. It is full of darkness and blood. You seem to give your fans something new each time you make music and it seems that you’re really into many different musical styles. Do you believe that music is all about evolving or just staying “true” to one musical genre? My opinion is that the right recipe is to find

45 a show in Ukraine in Odessa where people were crowd-surfing with a Greek flag and the French tour we did with Septicflesh in 2011 was awesome too, especially the show in Paris and the Durbuy Fest in Belgium where we also shared the stage with Celtic Frost. There are so many memories and stories though that it is impossible to just put out on a single interview answer. A new drummer, Nick Yngve, has recently joined the group. He’s been a member of other significant bands like Eternity, Acherontas, Nadiwrath, Obduction and more. Can you tell us a bit more on how this choice was made? By the time we decided to part ways with our previous drummer, Nick was one of our first choices since he is an old friend of mine and an amazing drummer. He said he would like to be a member of the band, he auditioned, he did well and here we are. Which was the worst moment of the band so far?

inctive Greek dark metal bands, which has always been creating unique receiving excellent feedback in Greece and abroad.

My Storm Upon You” in December, which received really positive reviews edia and of course made a great impression in the fans, Burst is proud to s, who was happy to answer a few questions for us, in order to shed some music. By Marianna Kofinaki the perfect balance between your roots and your evolution. That means to evolve with respect to yourself in an absolute honest way. Which are your main sources of inspiration in terms of lyrics and music? There is no main source of inspiration for me. It can come out of anything that moves me into writing or composing. You never know where it comes from or when. It just comes and wants to get out there. Most of your lyrics are dark and have a deeper meaning. Can you tell us some more details on that? Every single song has a story behind it most of the times personal or even a thought. I am trying to get my own message through my lyrics and that is to achieve redemption through them by baptizing myself through screaming them out. Which are your major influences in your music? There are four albums that got into my life and changed it rapidly. “Cruelty and the Beast” by Cradle of Filth, “Wolfheart” by

Moonspell, “The Graveyard” by King Diamond and “Bloody Kisses” by Type O Negative. These albums hit me so hard like a kick in the balls of my soul and they pushed me to write the kind of music I do in W.E.B. In 2008, you have won the 4th place of the “Best Greek Metal Band” by the readers of Metal Hammer. How did that feel? This was something unexpected and I wish it happens again. I remember opening the magazine an afternoon at home to relax and it was like an applaud sound in my living room when I saw it. Awesome feeling!

I must say that the times after the 2011 tour were really hard since we had to create the band again according to the standards that the name W.E.B. had already made and this was very difficult and things were very uncertain for our future. Thankfully we are still here now and stronger than ever. Which was the best moment? I will never forget the moment I got a call from our record label announcing to me that we were the cover for Metal Hammer’s Horror when we released our first album. What’s your opinion on the Greek metal scene of today? Do you think it has more potential? I seem to be changing my opinion on this matter every day so I prefer not to give an answer concerning the whole scene but I would like to put a remark on the fact that in this country there are certain bands that are truly amazing and I am one of their true fans.

Any plans on going on tour?

Any message for the fans?

We do have plans and making contacts all the time right now. Nothing is sure though at the time being except a concert in Rethymno of Crete with Suicidal Angels and Biotoxic Warfare. Any updates on this matter will be in our official pages as soon as they are made official of course.

We hope you enjoy “My Storm Upon You” EP. The best of us is ahead. Visit our site at www.webdarkmetal.com and join our official pages through there. We thank each and every one of you who has supported us so far. See you soon somewhere out there.

You have toured with great musicians like Orphaned Land. Are there any good memories you’d like to share with us?

Is there anything else you’d like to add? Stay Dark

There are far too many. I remember playing Burst { music magazine }

ALBUM REVIEWS

46 tis album. This is kind of a mind-game that the band started from their third (“Trinity”) and fourth (“Delta”) studio album. We can not expect anything less than that, from a band whose name was inspired by a myth!

Visions of Atlantis – Ethera I was thinking of how should I start writing this album review. Well, as it is widely known, I am not a huge VoA supporter. Of course I have listened to many symphonic/power/female fronted metal albums (call this music a genre if you wish) but still this band never managed to impress me in any way. Their front lady, Maxi Nil (with her amaxi Nil!) is a very special person and a personal friend of mine. But still “Delta” and “Maria Magdalena” (EP) did not really work for me. And to be honest, I was rather disappointed because I knew that Maxi is one of the most talented people I have ever met in my life. I was feeling like it was not fair for her and she did not deserve that. But the time has come to shout “amen!” and wear a big smile on my face! Visions of Atlantis were inspired by the myth of Atlantis for their band name back in 2000. After many line up changes and 3 studio albums the band released their fourth studio album (2011) which was entitled “Delta”. Back in 2009 Maxi Nil joined the band and it seemed that Visions of Atlantis had turned the page. Maxi has been a much more different vocalist from the previous ones. “Etheras” is actually a Greek word which means pure, fresh air or clear sky. But this word has another meaning and use, too. Aether is the fifth element, the quintessence. According to mythology, aether along with fire, water, air and earth were the five elements from which the world was made of. Actually, this term was used by medieval alchemists for a substance which was used to remake the heavenly bodies. Etheras is the fifth element and also the title of the fifth Visions of AtlanBurst { music magazine }

The album was produced and mixed by Frank Pitters and Jakob Grabmayr at theWildonemusic Studios (Vienna). The mastering was done by Mika Jussila at Finnvox (HIM, Nightwish, Moonspell, Stratovarius, Apocalyptica, The 69 Eyes, Children of Bodom, Edguy, Tarot) in Helsinki, Finland. But we have some more interesting facts about this album! Roland Navratil (Dignity, Ex-Leave’s Eyes, Ex-Edenbridge, Ex-Sirenia, Ex-Atrocity) played the drums on the album and Fabio D’Amore (Serenity, Mirrormaze) played the bass. Two great musicians were hired to help the band with the recordings! The album contains 11 tracks. It opens with “The Ark”, a rather bombastic song with a catchy chorus and a very nice guitar solo! “Machinage” (a clever pun of the words machine and age) is a powerful track and if we consider its lyrics it is written about the madness of our days: technology has made such a progress that everything became a matter of automation, devices and buttons everywhere. “Avatara” is a rather mysterious track written by Cristian Hermsdörfer. Mario Plank’s vocals are quite aggressive. “Vicious Circle” follows. The song gives the impression of a ballad in the beginning but it is definitely not a ballad track! Beautiful piano melodies, another nice guitar solo and a rather nostalgic closing. I would say that this one is the most interesting song of the album! “Hypnotized”, “Tlaluc’s Grace” and “Burden of Divinity” prove clearly that the writing sessions were a team effort: guitar solos here and there, much more modern melodies in the keys, solid drumming (there some very nice and strong blast beats in “Tlaluc’s Grace”! ). “Cave Behind the Waterfall” is a track that Maxi Nil wrote some years ago and many of us have heard it in her live performances. Oh well, forget about the old version, this one is a totally different one! Actually, this track along with “Hypnotized” are both written by Maxi (lyrics, music, melodies,

everything). “AEON 19th” follows: here is the big party! Blast beats, solos and a dynamic duet. All you symphonic metal fans, trust me, you are going to love this one! Now, the time to slow down a little bit has come: “Bestiality Vs Integrity”, a powerful and dynamic ballad which features a sentimental closing with violin moments! The last track of “Ethera” is entitled “Clerics Emotion”, a track which closes the album in a quite unpredictable way. Usually, bands such as Visions of Atlantis (and I mean female fronted metal bands) prefer to put as a closing track a rather down-tempo track or a ballad or an instrumental track. This was a small and nice surprise for me! To sum up, in my opinion Visions of Atlantis will really make the difference with this album. The lyrics in the whole album are much darker and introspective and I guess one of the reasons for this is the fact that Maxi has written some of them. I knew Maxi from her “In Comma” days and she was always choosing to write more personal and emotional lyrics. “Ethera” is a very good album and I am really happy for Visions of Atlantis and my friend Maxi Nil for one and only reason: they did not reinvent the wheel! Not at all! But until this album Visions of Atlantis was one of the many symphonic metal bands that exist on this earth. In this album, I noticed that the band mates have started to settle down and find their own identity. They have a big advantage on their side: Maxi’s voice. Her tone is characteristic and I would say unique. Think about it! You can not confuse Maxi’s voice with any other vocalist’s. And this time they did not fall into the trap of the soprano-like vocals! Of course orchestras are still here but not in excess, guitar solos (actually I can not recall any single track of this album without at least one small guitar solo in it! Well done Mr Hermsdörfer!) are scattered, beautiful vocal lines and melodies are here, too. What else can we ask for? “Ethera” is a strong album and certainly with this album Visions of Atlantis prove that they are finally becoming a band. After so many line up changes it seemed to me that they had lost their way but with this album they prove that they are able to take their music many steps forward and find their own identity. It is not a masterpiece but the band certainly has made progress. What is “Ethera”? A mythical and bombastic journey into the heart of Atlantis! Enjoy it! (There will be also a limited edition of the album which will contain a bonus track.) Korina P.

47 death and ntou”. Ntou means a violent mass invasion to a place you wanna get in. Darkthrone over the past years followed a heavier direction close to true metal. “The Cult is Alive”,“F.O.A.D” and “Circle the Wagons” are much more different than “A Blaze in the Nothern Sky”, “Under A Funeral Moon” and Transylvanian Hunger” ever “Hate Them” their last black metal album. After that they marked a major shift in their musical style. Punk elements and speed metal influences presented us a side of Darkthone we’ve never seen Darkthrone- The Underground Resistance It was a really long time ago. A friend of mine gave me a copy of “A Blaze in The Nothern Sky”. Darkthrone was the name of the band. Holy Shit! What am I listening to man! Fucking pure Norwegian Black Metal, loud and clear. Freezing, grim and gloomy Black metal with cutting riffs and blast beat drumming. I named myself a Darkthrone fan ever since. Here in Greece there is a slogan or a motto -call it whatever you like- among the Darkthrone fans. I will translate it for you but unfortunately it won’t rhyme like in Greek. “Darkthrone everywhere,

before. So 3 years after “Circle of Wagons” the unholy duo of Fenriz and Nocturno Gulto (two of the most respectful figures in heavy metal nowadays) are about to release their 15th official album from Peaceville Records. I was so lucky having the chance to listen to “Underground Resistance” before it will come out in stores, available to buy it. The magnificent front cover prepared me for what I was about to hear. “This album will have an epic sense for sure”, I said to myself. The first notes of “Dead Early” are unambiguous. This is an epic journey through the history of Darkthrone. Recorded

Hate - Solarflesh HATE is a death metal band from Poland, formed in 1990. Having released eight full-length albums (from 1996 to 2013), the band is considered as a leading extreme metal act. HATE have performed alongside Carpathian Forest and Keep of Kalessin (2006), Blood Red Throne, Hypocrisy and Scar Symmetry (2010) as

well as in numerous festivals all over Europe such as Metalcamp, Neurotic Death Fest, Brutal Assault, Screamfest, Metal Mean and Summer Breeze. In 2008, HATE released the 1st official video-clip for the song “Threnody”, which was shot in a real coal mine in Poland. In 2009 they headlined a European Tour and then visited Brazil as well. Following the release of their new album in January 2013, they announced a European Tour along with Hypocrisy and Essency. “Solarflesh” is as raw, dark and extreme as a death metal album should be. It is important to mention that for this album HATE collaborated with singer Androniki Skoula, who is known for her work with Chaostar, Septicflesh and Rotting Christ. Sometime in October 2012 HATE frontman, Adam “ATF Sinner” Buszko, stated during an interview: “I believe “Solar-

at Necrohell studios the album has the unique close to analog sound we love from Darkthrone. Let me quote Fenriz here: “3 songs each, Ted’s are flown from the universe of metal with his strongest voice ever so far. Songs of mine are torn from the wombs of the riders of Rohan of metal; safely cradled in 1985 style”. “Valkyrie” has a violent ripping off chorus where Nocturno scares the shit out of me. “Lesser Men” and “The ones you left Behind” made me think of the title of this album again, “The Underground Resistance”. I instinctively imagine a battlefield in during a war in a strange land. There was a small village, a shelter for the outlaws and villains who are still fighting to survive. No, let me rephrase the last one. The people in the village took an oath. They swore to their gods that they will die fighting to protect what they love. They really love this underground circle in which they were born and raised. Darkthrone stand with them fighting in the front line. They fight well with their frozen dry riffs, their bombastic drumming and unholy screams. War fuckin’ metal is thy name! The last saga named “Leave No crosses unturned” is a song that Quorthon (Bathory) would be proud of. The only thing I have to say is this Long live Fenriz, Long live Nocturno, long live Darkthrone. Spiros Smyrnis flesh” is the most insane and haunting record we’ve done this far. It’s nothing but pure darkness. We’re extremely satisfied with this 61 minutes’ monster (12 songs) that we’ve put to life.” Guess what… He’s absolutely right. It’s officially a beast rising from pure darkness! The homonymous track along with “Endless Purity” and “Mesmerized” are the key tracks of the specific release; creepy melodies with malevolent vocals. Starting from the atmospheric intro, which sets up the mood for growls and haunted guitar tones together with catchy choruses and lethal chants, HATE prove that they can be both technical and “basic” without being obsolete or clone of other similar bands. There is no question or second thought about it, just buy the damn album and let its eerie atmosphere get into you!!! Sissy Fanouraki

Burst { music magazine }

ALBUM REVIEWS

48 careful though… “Posers will die! […] In a scene that is oversaturated with retro acts, Mortillery stand out with their holocaustic riffage, raw energy and dynamic female vocals.” That’s Mortillery quote and its new album “Origin of Extinction” will THRASH your brains out!!!

ocaust, Tankard and Warbringer should much appreciate this album. Frontwoman Cara McCutchen has the perfect thrash voice, the indispensable angry attitude and the ultimate rough growls. There are many different riffs and some quite interesting guitar solos; they’re definitely skilled… “No Way Out”, “Cease to Exist”, “Creature Possessor”, “Feed the Fire”, “Sunday Morning Slasher” are the key tracks of this album.

Mortillery - Origin of Extinction Are you a thrasher, a metalhead, a banger, a punk or a skid??? If yes, then you should be a fan of Mortillery too. Be

Mortillery’s 1st full-length album “Murder Death Kill” was released in February 2011 and in March 2012 the band signed with Napalm Records for the release of “Murder Death Kill” worldwide. “Origin of Extinction” is Mortillery’s 2nd studio album and it’s certainly a kick-ass-thrashheadbanging album. It combines the best elements of old-school classic thrash and speed metal and all the fans of Toxic Hol-

Beggar’s Blues Diary - The Truth

Blues Diary met Angelo Tanis (drums) in 2009. Since then they are one of the more active rock bands out there. “The Truth” is their best album so far. The material of their third album is very interesting. Nice rock-based songs with southern and blues (as their name indicates) influences. Beggar’s Blues Diary gave us an idea of their upcoming album when they opened the Thin Lizzy gig in Athens. “Not My War” and the self-titled opening track, are among the best songs of “The Truth”. Classic rock riffs mixed with a saxophone solo in a song you should listen.

The moment of truth has finally come for Beggar’s Blues Diary. The Athenian band was formed in 2009 and has already released two official albums: “The Pavement Stories”, which I remember buying from a CD store in Monastiraki, and “Back to Basics” in 2011. Now we reached 2013 and Beggar’s Blues Diary are about to release their third album, under the name of: “The Truth”. Yannis Passas (guitars, vocals) and Chili (bass) the founding members of Beggar’s

So, after being very impressed by the result of “The Truth” I moved on to the next one, which is probably my favorite: “Ain’t No Place to Go” is the title of a heavy rock ballad, where Sabbath riffing exchange looks with the American South. “I’m the one “ is the appropriate soundtrack for a road trip with the blues/country guitar-play and the sharp rebellious lyrics. “Let It Go” has a groovy, fuckin’ heavy introduction and a sing-along chorus that personally

To sum up, this is an album you should check out. This is not another boring progressive rock album. It is made by music lovers to music lovers (and vinyl lovers too like the artwork implies). Rock ‘n’ blues sometimes heavy, other times southern, always to the point. For those who walk alone, cause there ain’t no place to go. Make a stop here and you will listen to some very interesting rock stories. Do not waste your time. Ask the bartender for a Jack on the rocks. Buy the beggar standing next to you another one. He is the one who speaks “The Truth”. Spiros Smyrnis

Doro - Raise Your Fist The 12th solo album by German metal

goddess Doro is an upbeat adrenaline rush called “Raise Your Fists” with several rock anthems (Raise Your Fists, Coldhearted Lover), as well as beautiful ballads such as “Engel”, delicately sung in German, “Hero” dedicated by the late great Ronnie James Dio, and “It Still Hurts” a powerful metal duet with guest singer metal icon Lemmy Kilmister, lead singer/bassist for the groundbreaking band “Motorhead”. This album is a missing gem in the glory days of eighties extravagance, keeping the uprising of classic heavy metal alive for leather jacket metal heads around the world. Although, having a soothing angelic voice, Doro

Pesch doesnt hold back on belting roars of screaming sparks of energy, and with a more than impressive music career of just about 30 years, Pesch shows no signs of stopping, and with no reason to, her capability holds out among male or female vocalist twice her age. With a Painkiller-esque force of music, and a killer band that isn’t reluctant to pour ground-pounding rhythms, and sizzling solos to back her up, Doro’s “Raise Your Fists” is a great addition to her incredible library that could have been released 20 years ago or 20 years from now and still remains its epic nature. David Anthony G.

Burst { music magazine }

It’s the ideal sound for mosh-pit holding a gigantic beer and headbanging!!! Sissy Fanouraki

reminds me the Swedish Semigods Hellacopters. Born to be a hit, guys! The 7th track of the album is a “pure” blues song. The title is clear: “Midnight Blues” cause “Music is my mistress, she’s always there trough rhythm n blues”. Just a tease follows with a great wah-wah solo in the middle of the song.“Reconfessions” gives a taste of the blues before “Man on 2 faces” lifts us up with its killing up-tempo rhythms. The instrumental “Lullaby” is the ideal ending theme of the album.

49 On the 25th of November a new single, called “Temper Temper”, which was also the name of their upcoming album, came out and was the cause of a huge wave of disappointment among fans, who complained that the band has been ‘experimenting’ on their music and the result had nothing to do with what they presented in their previous albums like ‘Poison’ and ‘Scream Aim Fire’.

Bullet for My Valentine - Temper Temper It’s been almost 2 years since Bullet for my Valentine released their album “Fever”. And not long after it, rumors began spreading that the band has changed its style and that their new stuff is not ‘a great deal’.

As days got closer to the 12th of February, curiosity kept growing more and more about what we were going to hear. Once again, “Temper Temper” was produced by Don Gilmore (Pearl Jam, Eve6, Linkin Park), who was also the producer of “Fever”, so we can find many similarities between the style and the genre of the two albums. In my opinion,‘ Temper Temper’ presents a completely new, fresh sound, which blends hardcore guitars with harmonized What should I write about the Pioneers of Hellenic Black Metal, the best “dark metal” band of the world, the “front-liners” of the Greek Metal scene?

Rotting Christ - ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ “KATA TON DAIMONA EAYTOY” means “Do What Thou Wilt” and according to the infamous English occultist Aleister Crowley (1875–1947) this “shall be the whole of the law” of the coming Æon of Horus. “KATA TON DAIMONA EAYTOY» is the twelfth official album of Rotting Christ, including the “Passage to Arcturo” release. This is just an introduction on the upcoming album of Rotting Christ. I find it very hard writing a review on Rotting Christ. What should somebody write about one of his favorite groups?

Oh well, I will give a shot. “ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ DΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ” is to me the third part of a trilogy, started with Theogonia and continued with Aealo, which was released three years ago. Rotting Christ experimented with their sound mixing their black metal roots and their recognizable riff-ology with traditional Greek music. The result was outstanding, magnificent. A piece of Art. “ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ DΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ” is another Great album, a dive into the dark depths of our souls. There you can see Ancient Demons speaking unknown languages, fighting with your own personal Demons. Each and every song is a unique musical composition, including the appropriate dosage of both melody and brutality. The classic Rotting Christ riffs are more than obvious from the first listen, whistling like they should be. “ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ DΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ” song has the signature of Rotting Christ and a chorus you’re gonna sing again and again and again. Cine Iubeste ci Lasa is a Roma-

choruses and gives an extremely divine result. By putting less technical bits and by concentrating more on the vocals and the meat and bones of their songs, Bullet for my Valentine launched an album that can be accepted and appreciated by a wider audience. And, for me, this means progress. It would be pathetic if this new album were just a clone of their previous work. The main idea of this album, as Matt Tuck mentioned in an interview, is the rage towards substance abuse issues , that nearly led his band’s splitting up. The album consists of an incredible lineup of songs like “Truth Hurts”, “Riot” or “P.O.W.” and also, for long-term followers, a second chapter to the best-loved Bullet for my Valentine song, “Tears Don’t Fall”. A promising new album, a music masterpiece by one of the most talented British metal bands in the world today, ‘Temper Temper’ is absolutely worth your while! Hope VNZ

nian folk song which Rotting Christ adapt in their music, composing a haunting Curse casting a spell o the listener. “Iwa Voodoo” proves the love Sakis Tolis (mastermind of Roting Christ) has to classic heavy metal, highlighted with an awesome solo in the middle of the song. Grandis Spiritus Diavolos is the “hit” of this album with an addictive repetitive riff/chorus which is going to make you want to press the repeat button in your player for hundreds of times. Ahura Mazda- Anra Mainiuu and ΧΞΣ (666) are mystical anthems. There are many bands who claim that Occult is their music style. Rotting Christ may teach ‘em all a lesson. A trip into hell, a descent into ancient civilizations, where disfigured creatures speak unspoken languages. Tortured souls are mourning for the dead and are praising the fallen angel. Restless minds lost in oblivion. These are some of the images that came to mind while listening to “ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ DΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ”. A dark metal lament, an underground masterpiece, a muddy cursed diamond, a multicultural extreme sound amalgam. Where inspired songwriting meets experience, “ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ DΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ”rises screaming: NON SERVIAM! Spiros Smyrnis

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ALBUM REVIEWS

Exarsis – The Brutal State With almost 3 years of being around, Exarsis has definitely built up a name for themselves. The band has given numer-

ous live shows and they’re releasing something new every year, from demos to full length albums. Their new child will be named “The Brutal State” and it is the successor to their debut “Under Destruction”, which was released back in 2011. So, what do we have here? Some more old-school thrash metal, for sure! Although I’m still very attached to the band’s first album, I can easily say that this is way more destructive. It’s like a bulldozer of speed/ thrash. The album has not got a single relaxing moment, well, except the intro. The fact is, that this album will definitely blow your minds. The guitars are going from totally killer riffs to speedy solo,s in the blink of an eye. The vocals are definitely among the most aggressive and unique vocals around. Along the whole mosh-pit

atmosphere of the record, one can also find more catchy songs, such as “Vote For Crisis”, “Toxic Terror”, “Dying Earth” and “Under Destruction”. Generally, the record will not leave anyone into “Apathy, Ignorance, Oblivion” (pun intended). The themes that the band uses in their lyrics are mainly about political and social matters. These are very troubling times for Greece, as well as for the whole planet, which should make more bands focus even more on social matters and use music as a tool for expressing their beliefs or disbeliefs. I have no doubt that there won’t be a single thrash metal fan that will not enjoy this album, except the regular I-hate-myguts dudes of course. The band is giving a live show with Biocancer, Domination and Suicidal Angels at Gagarin 205 Club, Athens, Greece on the 19th of April, 2013. Elias J. Kay

EP REVIEW

Sacral Rage – Deadly Bits Of Iron Fragments Sacral Rage was formed in late 2011, from Vaggelis (drums), Dimitris (vocals), Marios (guitars) and Spyros (bass) and they’re heavusly (pun intended) influenced by bands as Agent Steel, Jag Panzer, Vicious Rumours, Annihilator, etc. After their first and very promising 2-track promo which came out last year, Sacral Rage is back with their first EP named “Deadly Bits Of Iron Fragments”. A little less than 30 minutes of high-quality speed/heavy metal unfolds in this EP, which will be released by Eat Metal Records in late February. Burst { music magazine }

Having heard a lot of albums from the majority of Greek bands around, I can definitely say that this EP is definitely among the most perfectly executed Greek speed/heavy/power metal EP’s ever. Usually such efforts lack of something, from vocal lines to guitars, or generally creativity. And I’m getting really tired of listening to more and more uninspired bands nowadays. One can tell from the very beginning that this EP is not among those. The guitars are top-of-theleague, from riffs to solos, from fills to harmonies, blending and backing up perfectly the speed with the melody. The vocals balance a lot from early Panzer and Priest to early Helloween, but they actually stand out on their own, without being just another bad copy of either one of those bands. What I also like is that –unlike many bands with high pitched vocals- the bass and drums have a big role in the EP as well. Generally this is a very good release for fans of the old US heavy school, but also for anyone who enjoys a fresh good speed/power blast in their ears. I definitely hope that the best is yet to come for this band. Hint: Go check a live show of Sacral Rage, they kick serious ass.

Tracklist: 01) Foreshadower 02) Return Of The Dead 03) Master Of A Darker Light 04) Born In A Cage (Raised In Rage) 05) Forced To Betray 06) Gladiator (Nasty Savage cover) 07) Burning Yearning Lineup: Spyros – Bass Vaggelis F. – Drums Marios P. – Guitars Dimitris K. – Vocals Elias J. Kay

Karolina Pacan “The Children of Auschwitz will remind you.”

My dear Friends and Warriors, Today I need to share with you something very special. Sometime ago I visited a very sad place with my friends in Poland, Auschwitz Birkenau in Oświęcim. I believe many of you have heard the bad stories about it. GPS directed us to the wrong entry, and we arrived on the other side of the camp, near houses of residences. A few children noticed us, and they ran towards us, and tried to explain the proper wayto the entrance. Their faces were dirty, they looked very poor, but honest at heart. They ran in front of the car, and went with us to the parking lot. In just few seconds we decided to offer those kids the sandwiches we had bought at the gas station, and a some money. We left the car, gave our little presents, and we went to the camp. After few steps we turned back, and we saw that those children actually shared a sandwich in 4 pieces, and ate calmly, with big smiles on their faces. We looked at ourselves, in our warm clothes and we thought about the comforts we have in our life... a place to sleep, food, etc… and at that moment we started feeling so grateful for every single thing we have . We looked once more at the children that were busy eating, and we felt so grateful for having met them. Please, remember guys, be grateful for everything you have, for not everyone has the luck or good fortune, to have what you have. Be happy and enjoy every moment of your life :- ) Burst { music magazine }

Photo by Stephane Stepix Odent

TIM ROOSEN

By Byron S. Orestis

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Between the Hammer and the Anvil

53 It seems only yesterday that I first saw a movie (not to be named here) where the hero was using an anvil to forge his sword. As a kid I felt what is in the blood of as all, the fascination of handcraftsmanship of METAL! Most of us gave in to it but only to the outside, so we ended up listening to early 80’s heavy metal music, but there were few, so very few, that made it happen! Among those gifted, is Tim Roosen!

following the nothing-but-rough curves of each creation and the hollowness of the faces makes imaginations fill the lines to the story of each carcass!

He is a genuine self-taught blacksmith and metal sculptor, born in Sint-Truiden, Belgium, in 1972. His first contact with iron works was through his family business manufacturing wrought iron railings and gates, and continues to do so through his company where he crafts furniture, lights, stairway railings etc. But for all those holding daemons within, this was the trigger towards overall expression!

A more recent theme is “Roboville”, inspired by the Fritz Lang “Metropolis” of 1927, a collection of small, colorful robots made of painted steel, stainless steel, aluminum and brass.

“Craftsmanship is the most important thing in whatever I do, be it my wrought iron work or my art. I strive for perfection and originality.” In 2004 under the project ‘Space for MUCO’ for the Belgian Society for Cystic Fibrosis Patients, consisting of 11 monumental artworks in 9 Belgian cities, depicting our planetary system on an exact scale, which at the time was the 2nd in the world largest scale model. Former member of the Society of Art and Imagination, he is a pronounced metal sculpting artist running his own dark figurative works, like his “Strange Fruit” series (a collection of plantlike wrought iron metal sculptures), and the “Asylum” project (life-size heroic warrior women, twisted creatures and masks, made of a variety and combination of metals, such as mild steel, burnt copper, stainless steel, cast bronze and aluminum). The shapes resemble medieval armors, but with the metal shaped as human. The sensation when you stand and stare is that the figure is staring back! The empty eyes resemble a time long forgotten but the shape dynamics give life to the models as if the iron is flesh! A mixture of feelings comes to mind when

“…A place for different creatures that have either escaped from the human world or are being hunted down and seek refuge in it, where every creature has his or her own story to tell…”

Since 2010 he runs his own art gallery called the “NovaBelgica Art & Design”, specializing in art nouveau through the spectrum of the fantastic and dark, where you can see metal’s potential in sculpture, being worked in great detail and care! Tim Roosen has participated in various group exhibitions, in Belgium, Holland, France, Luxemburg, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Poland, the UK and the U.S. as well as a number of solo exhibitions. His works are in private collections in Belgium, Luxemburg, Holland, Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic and the USA. His works take you to a mixed fantasy environment of entities like angels, warriors, androids and demons. His awesome “Dark Army” with a series of masks, as well as the “Angels & Demons” series of life-sized heroic warrior women is unique, creating an obscure and metal universe of creepy and cold-blooded figures. Metal is like never before cut, hammered, shaped and welded into organic, living creatures of dreams and nightmares! In the next two pages you can enjoy a small exhibition of his extraordinary work.

www.timroosen.be www.novabelgica.com

“Feeder”, photographed by Ansgar Noeth and Iris Bitter

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“Monocyte”, photographed by Iris Bitter and Ansgar Noeth, designed by Kasra Ghanbari and Menton3

‘Severina’, photographed by Ansgar Noeth and Iris Bitter

‘Sentinel’, photographed by Iris Bitter and Ansgar Noeth

‘Belladonna’, photographed by Iris Bitter and Ansgar Noeth

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‘Masquerade’, photographed by Iris Bitter and Ansgar Noeth

‘Judge’, photographed by Iris Bitter and Ansgar Noeth

‘Callisto’, photographed by Ansgar Noeth and Iris Bitter

‘Baskabas’, photographed by Iris Bitter and Ansgar Noeth

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e g a P e h T n Tur

by Hope Vnz

“ It seems excessive... but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen” “Slash” by Slash and Anthony Bozza “Slash” by Slash. Another rock star biography? Another journal of “sex-drugs -rock’n’roll”? The story of the rise and the fall of the comet called Guns N Roses? Slash, the most hated, the most admired, the reigning Guitar God, the eyes hidden behind the shadow of a magician’s hat.... At first sight it is much like any other rock-star biography. Slash talks about everything, about every aspect of an era when music, drugs, alcohol and easy sex were a life-style, he doesn’t leave out anything; his addictions, passions, relationships, Axel, tattoos, snakes. A book about music, bands, obsessions, suicidal destruction, Guns N Roses and the rebirth of Saul Hudson. It is quite symbolic for him to have chosen to start the book while experiencing his heart attack. His thoughts, feelings running through the pages, a life flashing before his eyes. The son of a British painter and African-American costume designer, he had a rather turbulent childhood and angry-youth adolescence, until he found himself and the purpose of his existence, in an old flamenco guitar with only one string that his grandmother had packed away in a closet. “Finding guitar was like finding myself; it defined me, it gave me purpose...It was a creative outlet that allowed me to understand myself...Playing become a trance that shooted my soul....” Right then and there, suddenly and innocently Slash was born and the instrument became the voice of his soul. Personally, I’d put aside all details of his stormy life, and skip up the chronicles of Guns N Roses, the sin, the madness, the suicidal ecstasy of the decade, the temper and the regrets. I’d rather focus on something more valuable than the common gossip-addiction to other people’s lives. After all, it was a time that was more or less the same story was on for all rock stars, though one must not forget it is the first book by a major member of the mythic Guns N Roses and it does contain a bulk of information, however one-sided. In my personal opinion, and only, the value of the book is the insight we get into Slash’s relationship with his guitar, and his love, his ultimate devotion to music. It has to do with what he projects when his fingers caress the strings, the energy he derives from it and the way he channels it, eliciting tears, joy and shivers. It is this, the story behind each piece of music, the quest towards the perfect sound and the gift of creating magic that I found most fascinating. So, no matter how controversial a hero he might be in the Book of Music, few would disagree on the immense magnitude of Burst { music magazine }

his talent and the spell he has cast on so many. “Once you’ve lived a little you will find that whatever you send out into the world comes back to you in one way or another. It may be today, tomorrow, or years from now, but it happens; usually when you least expect it, usually in a form that’s pretty different from the original. Those coincidental moments that change your life seem random at the time but I don’t think they are. At least that’s how it’s worked out in my life…” Slash, the half-naked guy with the long curly hair covering his face, the artist with the unique riffs and thrilling guitar solos. If you feel like reading a book, don’t hesitate to choose “Slash” by Slash, because he may be the reason you bought your first guitar.

www.in2music.gr

New CD Single out NOW!! Find it on iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Google play, and Last.fm! Find Skysent LU: On twosidemoon.uk, on www.skysentlu.com, on Facebook, on last.fm, on twitter, on Reverb Nation, on youtube, on soundcloud, or e-mail them at info@skysentlu.com

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er n r o C Pop

The rebel The star The woman

P!nk By Hope VNZ

“Where there is desire there is gonna be a flame/where there is a flame someone’s bound to get burned/but just because it burns doesn’t mean you’re gonna die/you gotta get up and try” One of the most distinctive and powerful female voices of today’s pop music scene pours out her soul in the most sincere way in her latest album. Pink doesn’t just sing, she is not another mannequin. And as she grabs the microphone in her tomboyish style a phantasmagorical, totally amazing voice fills the space, beholding the kind of pureness and honesty rarely exhibited by any major star. Born Alecia Beth Moor ,daughter of a nurse and an insurance salesman, she grew up in music while listening to her mother’s records and singing along with her father as he played the guitar. The teenage girl from Pennsylvania burst onto the music world, gaining stardom in 2002 with Moulin Rouge soundtrack and thus changing the scope of pop music for ever. This is Pink! After 7 albums, 40 million sold worldwide,

three Grammy awards, two Brit Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards and millions of miles touring, I raise my glass for her talent, hard working, truly human attitude and her power to inspire. A total pop star package, who stubbornly refuses to fit into any female singer stereotypes! From her ever-changing hairstyles to her incredible ability to communicate her feelings to the audience, Pink is no less than an unique phenomenon in the world of music. And yet, deep underneath she is more than real. “I decided at 15 that I didn’t want to be one of those artists that gets up and sings love songs they don’t mean,” Pink explains in regards to her debut album. “I decided that I was going to be me to the fullest extent, that my songs were going to reflect relationships I’ve had, things I’ve been through, and even the stuff I’m embarrassed about.” A life-statement from a star who wants to be considered first of all a “decent human being”, to be looked at as a woman, a wife, a mother. For Pink real power is not in fame and money, but in the gift of creating, inspiring, in the power of sharing your music.

‘’This is about you’,’ was released and his music was introduced to the public. One of his songs, called ‘’Sunday Summertime’’ was featured on NBC for the Olympics coverage. Gabe was also voted by Music Connection Magazine as one of LA’s hot 100 Unsigned Artists. This summer, he launched his follow-up album ‘’Shine Like the Sun’’ which was also a huge success. Recently he produced and co-wrote the debut album for Jim Verraros- American Idol Top Ten Finalist- including the hit dance single ‘’You Turn It On’’, which was ranked #21 on the Billboard Dance Chart.

Self taught in piano, guitar and bass, trained in classical theory, opera and jazz, Gabe Lopez made his first steps in music, being inspired by bands and artists such as Stevie Wonder and The Beatles. In 2007 his first debut album Burst { music magazine }

Now, Gabe Lopez has signed to Rondor/Universal and is currently producing and writing for Belinda Carlisle and New Kids On the Block. His new single ‘’Red Light’’ is a wonderful combination of pop rock music along with r&b elements. His extremely unique and characteristic voice gives his music a very personal shade. ‘’Red Light’’ was recently released and was added to Sirius XM and iHeart Radio. You can find out more about Gabe Lopez by following these links: www.gabelopez.com www.reverbnation.com/gabelopez www.facebook.com/gabelopezmusic By Hope VNZ

LADY GAGA By Dimitris Tsantoulas

THE ECCENTRIC SUPERSTAR OF 21ST CENTURY’S ARTPOP Lady Gaga, one of the most controversial artists and personalities of the international music scene who managed to be on the spotlight over the last 5 years conquering everything on her way like the touch of Midas captivating audiences and critics with millions of fans but also sworn enemies, and even more dissenters. But certainly whatever they say and accuse the New Yorker singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, actress, designer, etc. nothing can question nor challenge her multifaceted talent and all what she has accomplished in such a short time. One might say that Lady Gaga is a fully “cultivated” artist, she studied fine arts, musical theater and generally had a perfect music education by her family environment, 13 years old she started playing piano and write her own songs. Slowly but steadily she would be able to reach the pinnacle of glory but the road to the top was not easy. She was always a benchmark in small local clubs and bars of the Lower East Side of Manhattan where she played with a rock band she had formed, classic rock covers, it was a matter of time until music scouters to discover her and got fascinated by her unusually eccentric and provocative cabaret-like permormances. She immediately signed with the Streamline Records, though in the record company they do not utilizing her as to a talented performer but mainly as a songwriter of her masterful writing skills on hit songs that were given to other pop stars of the company. Akon, the famous singer of hip-hop was originally the one who tracked down her talent as a singer, soon major producers are persuaded and working with her on some few dance hits, but she did not want to get standardized in the eyes of the music industry as another yet simple dance/pop artist. She had higher aspirations and ambitions than that, she wanted to make history in the music business and succeed. She moves in L.A. and gets fully focused and completes her first solo album, which she had left unfinished, she combines uniquely pop melodies with the glam rock style of David Bowie and Queen of the ‘70s who she’d always admired and got inspired artistically, the result was the multi-platinum seller entitled ‘The Fame’ with numerous nominations and awards at the Grammy’s and BRIT awards from out of the blue, her blasting success was followed by the rhapsodic EP “The Fame Monster” along with impressive promo videoclips that inundate the music channels as well sold out concerts which she combines with fashion on quirky creations of hers that in the era of Vision and Image was impossible to go unnoticed, and then the rest is known as a fairytale that never ends.

extreme cases some are questioning her enormous talent, of course in the history of music who hasn’t been questioned and tackled similarly as anyone, David Bowie for example, who forgets his eccentric hermaphrodite appearances as Ziggy or even the album cover of “The man who sold the world” where he was in a woman’s dress and boots, and all the homophobics of the time started writing that he was using homosexuality to induce and attract attention of the public. Of course, the seasons and the correlations are completely different, but so everything was always going on to all those artists who dared to present something different from the mainstream acquisitions, as Lady Gaga could be another, female this time, Andy Warhol of music who dared to give some new splashes of color to a generally colorless musical landscape in pop music the last few years and Gaga inevitably made the fatal difference. Such a strong personality as Lady Gaga is could not be possible but not occupy the world with her intense political activism and philanthropic actions and charities with enormous personal contribution on them, such as in the battle against AIDS, against Racism, against Poverty or even after natural disasters such as in Haiti and Japan few years ago or recently in the U.S. with the Hurricane Sandy. She has donated huge sums to various relief efforts for the victims through either sold out concerts or auctions as with the Japan Prayer Bracelets she herself had designed after the earthquake in Japan which gathered in record time 1.5 million dollars, where she also received strong criticism for commercialization of pain, which of course was not the case. Also in 2012 she founded the non-profitable organization called “Born This Way Foundation” with a huge fund of herself and along other important donors that goal is to support the youth on critical issues that plaguing the U.S. such as bullying, violence, lack of self-esteem, health care, vocational rehabilitation, etc.. We do not know if Lady Gaga is a momentary phenomenon that will “deflate” in a few years, but she certainly has left an indelible spot in Music industry although in such a young age and Music History has already included her name within its golden written pages as one of the most inspiring and influential artists of all times.

Her eccentricity has always been a subject of debate and argument on a daily basis for critics and not, accusing her if we can say that, that she allgedly is causing her publicity while in Burst { music magazine }

Written by Eleni Lampraki

This month, let’s dive into the frenzy of the Oscars and pick one of the most interesting and probably one of the best movies nominated. “Beasts of the Southern Wild” is a 2012 American fantasy drama film, which tells the story of a Louisiana Bayou community through the eyes of the protagonist, a five-year old Hushpuppy. It’s based on Lucy Alibar’s one-act play “Juicy and Delicious”. Alibar wrote the screenplay, along with the director Benh Zeitlin, aka the “Court 13”. The film was shot on 16mm film and the production was made by a small professional crew with the help of dozens of local residents. Both Quvenzhané Wallis (“Hushpuppy”) and Dwight Henry (“Wink”) are non professionals. The film is nominated for four awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actress for Wallis. The opening scene introduces us with a tiny 5 year old girl, called Hushpuppy, which lives in a kind of container house in the forest, surrounded by animals. We can hear the heart-beat of the animals clearly, while Hushpuppy explains the balance of her own world: something is broken; something has to fit and fix the hole. Under the fireworks and the sound of cajun and creole songs we are informed about the local community she lives in. They call their homeland “The Bathtub” and they are cut off of the rest of the world due to a levee. People who choose to stay are not afraid of the water, although they know that one day it will rise and their little primitive town will be drowned. Free-spirited and harsh, the locals have chosen to stay and live their life in peace with the elements of the nature. “We are who the earth is for”, as they say. Hushpuppy’s world is mostly influenced by her father Wink and her elementary school teacher, Miss Bathsheba. Miss Bathsheba teaches the children prehistory, and specifically for “Aurochs” a kind of prehistoric buffalo whose story leads to their own concerning the forces of the nature. What we see is that Hushpuppy and presumably all the children that live in the “Bathtub” are taught to be strong, clever and capable of taking Burst { music magazine }

care of themselves. In order for us to understand some aspects of their life, we are informed that they have their own special funeral ceremony, during which everyone is drinking and no one is allowed to cry. For example we find out that Hushpuppy is capable of cooking and feeding herself when her father is absent (it is revealed that her father is ill, and ill-tempered himself, so he tries to make his daughter able to survive, in case she is left alone). For Hushpuppy the rule of the world is one and simple “The whole universe depends on everything fitting together just right. If one piece busts, even the smallest piece... the entire universe will get busted.”. At the same time, we see the icebergs at the Arctic melting, which leads globally to a rise of the water level, and which drowns the bayou community who lives in the same meter with water. A storm strikes out and the next day water has drowned everything. Wink and Hushpuppy with a few animals left, are setting sail in order to search for any other persons alive, just like a modern version of Noah’s ark. Wink teaches Hushpuppy how to catch fish, in case she has to feed herself and through the procession the find the rest of the people who survived the storm. Most of them are drunk but remain free minded; they plan to build their community again, which is impossible since the salt of the seawater has destroyed everything. Wink’s initiative to explode the levee with dynamite, makes their land inhabitable and the government declares mandatory evacuation. Government forces isolate the area and take all the habitants to a refugee camp hospital, which to Hushpuppy’s eyes seems like a fish tank without water; they try to escape with no luck. The doctors diagnose Wink’s illness and for the first time he has to explain to Hushpuppy that he is dying and he has to confront death himself. The only think he wishes for before dying is to return to his home, the place that he knows and is familiar with, and not to die in a cold refugee hospital. Hushpuppy decides that the only way she can help is to go search her mother, so along with some other kids of the community start swimming towards a light were Hushpuppy believes her mother is. The children are picked up by a mysterious boatman who takes them to his favorite floating nightclub. The girls that work there are very kind and gentle to the children, which are delighted of the love they receive. Hushpuppy meets a waitress who could have been her mother, but she doesn’t seem to recognize her as her child. Hushpuppy asks her to join her family and take care of her and her father, but the woman implies that she can only take care of herself. Hushpuppy understands that she has to return home. When the group reaches by, a bunch of Aurochs (which we see moving throughout the whole movie) starts chasing them. All girls run except Hushpuppy who stands with no fear in front of them. “Strong animals know when your hearts are weak”. They share a moment of primal understanding, and the beasts kneel before her. Her dad watches the whole scene and smiles. His purpose in life, to “teach his daughter how to make it” was accomplished. The movie is something between fiction and documentary. Realistic, beautiful photography and a tribute back to the human roots. The narrative of the film, though Hushpuppy’s being a little naïve but unwillingly true, in my point of view is just excellent. We see exactly the thinking processes of a child, and we are introduced to a completely different culture, which finds our way of living sad and depressing. Hushpuppy behaves like a wild animal, but this is the only way she can survive. “Everybody loses the thing that made them. It’s even how it’s supposed to be in nature. The brave men stay and watch it happen, they don’t run.” In my opinion, it’s probably one of the best movies of the year. Moving, original and realistic, a masterpiece to its kind.

Scan for movie trailer

61 The years go by; Jean Valjean lives as a runaway with the grownup Cosette, which is falling in love with one of the leaders of the revolution. From that moment the action takes a melodramatic propensity as the movie now centers more on their love story than the political unrest. Valjean will do anything to help his beloved Cosette, the person who changed him into becoming a true altruist. He decides to help both friends and enemies, following the example Bishop gave him.

Written by Pana Apostolidou

The incidents above demonstrate the timeless power of human will. We are watching a complete transformation of the protagonist from a prisoner to a mayor and from a fugitive to a hero. Hugh Jackman is playing a role of many variations. The director, moved by the spirit of Hugo, kept his work under the control of the theater conventions. Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway reached their acting skill to its peak by combining exceptionally good vocals with outstanding dramatic expressiveness (I was shocked when I found out that their singing was not a playback but a live performance). Russell Crowe didn’t have much of a voice to offer but the interpretation of his role was excellent. Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen (yes, Borat/ Bruno himself!) as the Thenardier couple are the perfect caricatures of “the Miserables”.

Tom Hooper, mainly known for his 4-Oscar movie “The King’s Speech”, is attempting a film adaption of the self-titled musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, known as “The Mis”, which is based on the classic French novel by Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, written in 1862. The main story deals with the lives of several French characters, who interact with each other for a period of over twenty years in the early 19th century. The film focuses on Jean Valjean, who gets released after 19 years of imprisonment. He is a strong man, who carries a doubtful morality. The reason why he was sent to prison in the first place was because he stole a loaf of bread. This is the legal system French people had to endure at those times. Poverty, hunger, plague are gradually added up to the revolutionary wave which is about to burst. Valjean cannot rehabilitate into society because of his parole status. He steals from the hand that feeds him on a cold and rough night and when the authorities catch him, this hand (Bishop of Digne) is saving his life, providing him the epiphany to change. After this incident, he breaks his parole and almost a decade later we are watching him being the upstanding mayor of a town in France and a factory owner. Through all this years, his prison guard and police officer Javert (Russell Crowe), who honors and protects the law in a moralistic way, is still searching for Valjean but being unable to recognize the true identity of the mayor, he works for him. The “mayor’’ unveils his true face in front of the court, in order to clear up for an innocent man who was about to be charged for Valjean’s crimes. Simultaneously, he promises to dying Fantine, an ex-worker of his factory, to take care of her little daughter, Cosette.

What I enjoyed the most about this film was its iconography. Samantha Barks, as Eponine, stands on the grey pavement under the rain, crying for her unfulfilled love. The last revolutionist falls dead from the window, half covered by a flag which is red, like the blood of the angry men. Jean Valjean walks towards God, who has the face of the Bishop, the man who saved his soul with his kindness. Nevertheless, the lyrical parts were too extended and made the movie last almost 3 hours. Inevitably, we are reaching the point where we have to make comparisons with the former works of art upon which this film is based. Hugo’s philosophical and political point of view depicted in the book has been left aside, and mainly the melodramatic part of The Miserables is what’s left. The classic quality that Hooper tried to add to the film led him to a childish treatment of the literary text, as it is just an excuse for yet another blockbuster. In any case though, the flaws above are covered by the exquisite (and expensive) production of the film, which reminds us that Europeans can also have high standards.

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62 Written by Eleni Lampraki

In 2012, Tim Burton decided to remake himself. Back in 1984, he directed “Frankenweenie”, a short film about a boy who brings back in life his deceased dog. 18 years later, he remakes his own film. The 2012 version is no longer a short film; it’s a full length 3D stop motion animated movie, both a parody and a tribute to Mary Shelley’s classic “Frankenstein”.

Written by Pana Apostolidou

Victor Frankenstein is living a normal life with his parents and his beloved dog Sparky, in the peaceful town of New Holland. Victor enjoys filmmaking and science. He admires his science teacher, Rzykruski, and spends most of his time with Sparky. In the meantime he is isolated from his fellow students. One day after school, Victor returns home and his father, in an effort to make his son more socialite, persuades him to go to a baseball game. The Frankensteins attend the match, but Sparky who runs to catch the ball, is hit by a passing car and dies. Victor is devastated, but, during his physics class something amazing happens. His teacher conducts an experiment which revives a dead frog and he gets dangerouslyinspired by it. He performs it, successfully, on Sparky’s corpse. Although Victor tries to hide Sparky, the dog goes out to the yard and is seen by Edgar Gore, Victor’s misfit classmate. Edgar black-

Kyle is trying to recover from a friend’s death and Sarah needs to overcome the writer’s block, since she’s a crime novels writer. They are moving to a renovated house in Hollywood, a house hit by a fire that totally destroyed it, which resulted in two deaths. They don’t pay attention to its ghastly past and they are trying to cope with their lives. A series of scary events start as soon as they set foot in the house. Furniture is moving by itself, horrible dreams are haunting their sleep and ghosts of the past residents appear. Detective Brills is called when the couple finds human remains, well hidden behind the walls. He was also in charge while the first investigation was taking place right after the fire ten years ago. We are also following the story of Brills, who is more that corrupted, abusing his power in the most brutal ways. His associate, Jackson, is also taking part in his corrupted business, but finally he starts to question Brills’ methods. Sarah is worried as the bizarre occurrences culminate, but Kyle, as the conventions of the genre require, refuses to leave the house. He is confident that they will find a way out of this. Disturbed sleep, deadly nightmares and the forensics team involved in the case found murdered… Who should they fear Burst { music magazine }

mails Victor to reveal his secret and Victor is forced to agree and show Edgar the procedure of the experiment. They bring back to life a dead goldfish but something goes wrong and the fish is almost invisible. Edgar wants to show off and recklessly reveals Victor’s achievement to his fellow classmates. Toshiaki and Bob try to surpass Victor, but this only leads to Bob’s injury. Mr Rzykruski gets fired, not before he is able to explain to Victor that science is not only brain but mostly it is heart, and that’s the reason of the failure of the second, goldfish, experiment. A few days later Victor’s parents discover Sparky hidden in the attic. At first they are terrified, causing Sparky to run away from the house. Victor explains to his parents what he has done and they agree to help him find him. At the same time Victor’s classmates perform the experiment individually with monstrous effects, because their deceased pets become monsters and attack the people of the city. Victor manages to save the city but Sparky is blamed for the disaster and the mob runs after him. Victor, Elsa and Sparky are trapped in a burning mill and attacked by the last monster left. Sparky saves them all but is killed once again. The townies realize their fault and agree to bring Sparky back to life by reviving him through their car engines. Sparky is once again alive and kicking and ready for new adventures!

the most? Dead people or human immorality? Killings, creepy basements, sensual women, drugs, corruption, even a tiger pops out! And what’s more it is based on some true events that took place in Tasara’s house, the very same house of Deadline. The story was inspired by some unidentified bones that were found in the backyard. Chris Tasara’s first feature film “Deadline” combines elements of a detective story with a classic thriller structure. The director approaches the classic horror movies in a different way, choosing to gradually move away from the typical stuff and trying to give us an alternate ending in which nothing is what is seems. Chris Tasara has directed music videos, as well as a documentary on Angelo Dundee. His first independent effort did not make it to the theaters but he has won many indie awards by the California Film Awards, the L.A. Movie Awards, the Lucerne International Film Festival and many more. Deadline Blu-ray is coming out soon!

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Directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cut

What the hell is happening in David Lynchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head? by Pana Apostolidou & Spiros Smyrnis

David Lynch

Sketch, based on a photo by Mark Berry

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65 What the hell is happening in David Lynch’s head? I am still wandering…. If I had the chance to get in someone’s head, David Lynch would be my number one choice. This man has rocked my eyes and my soul so many times that I’d really like to know if it was intentional: Eraserhead, Twin Peaks, Wild At Heart, Blue Velvet, Elephant Man, Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway are some of the masterpieces that the insane brain on Lynch once thought and filmed. David Keith Lynch, born on January 20, 1946 in Mossouna, Montana, USA is an American film-maker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. In reality Lynch is so much more than these characterizations. He is the living proof that everything you ever dreamed of, every nightmare or dark illusion you had can be depicted in the movies: Darker, more frightening, more evil. Lynch spent his childhood traveling around the United States, before taking up painting in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where he first made his transition to short film production. His first film was Eraserhead. I think that is not appropriate to call Eraserhead a film. It is more a nightmare to me, a fading memory of a madman. Eraserhead is the story of Henry Spencer. Hmm… correction. Eraserhead is the strange story of Henry Spencer. Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child. It was the crucial year of 1977 when Eraserhead was released and Jack Nance played one of the most unconventional characters in the history of cinema. “Everything’s fine in heaven” said someone in the movie although Eraserhead (a film for which Stanley Kubrick, John Waters and William Friedkin have expressed their admiration) is a personal hell Lynch made, captivating its viewers without their will. The lighting, the scenery, the photography indicate Lynch’s characteristics. “I felt Eraserhead, I did not invent it”, Lynch said once. Lynch told Chris Rodley that the only artist he could call a brother would be Franz Kafka. The next film Lynch shot was “The Elephant Man” in 1980; thirty three years later it is still the most “conventional” Lynch film: The story of John Merrick (played excellently by John Hurt), based on true events somewhere in 19th century London. Surgeon Frederick Treves

(played by Anthony Hopkins) discovers John Merrick in a Victorian freak show and “adopts” him. Through the Lynch’s lens we could see one of the most touching portraits of a “special character”, a man like John Merrick. A story about friendship, dignity but mainly about the human nature that is capable of responding in every problem even in other human’s pity. I am not an animal. I am a human being. I am a man! Compassionate, emotional. A reason for filming in black and white was their hope of alleviating some of the

world from the emperor’s rule. That’s the story of Dune, according to Imdb.com. I wouldn’t lie. In my opinion, this is the worst film of David Lynch. This doesn’t mean of course that is a bad film; on the contrary, Dune is a film with many hardcore fans and a high cult status. Dune is actually an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s cult science fiction novel. Herbert stated once “I get asked a specific question a lot of times, if the settings, the scenes that I saw in David’s film match my original imagination, the things I projected in my imagination. I must tell you that some of them do, precisely. Some of them don’t, and some of them are better. That’s what you would expect of artists such as David and Tony Masters! I’m delighted with that! Why not take it and improve it visually? As far as I’m concerned the film is a visual feast.”The biggest compliment a creator can get is his work to be acknowledged by another creator. “As wicked and contradictor as it may seem to be, Blue Velvet is quite clearly one of the few great films of the Eighties, perhaps even the most sensational film since Last Tango in Paris” With these words L.A Weekly presented in1985 David Lynch’s personal homage to film noir. A film about the innocence and perversion that characterizes childhood as the director himself stated once.

audience’s shock when Merrick’s physical form is revealed. What might look grotesque in color would look fascinating in black and white, making a more pleasant viewing experience without compromising the veracity of Merrick’s true appearance. The black and white images of The Elephant Man are outstanding, and to this day many people consider Freddie Francis robbed of a nomination, let alone a win, for his impressive cinematography for this film (as entertainmentguidefilmtv.blogspot.gr wrote in 35th anniversary of David Lynch). A Duke’s son leads desert warriors against the galactic emperor and his father’s evil nemesis when they assassinate his father and free their desert

The gruesome discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on a dark and dangerous journey into a dark and sinister underworld that exists in his hometown. Kyle Maclachlan gives an electrifying performance, while Isabella Rossellini is probably the sexiest and most beautiful figure Lynch ever shot! (along with Naomi Watts on Mulholland Drive ). The scene in which Dorothy is brutally raped by the perverted Frank Booth (insanely great performance by Dennis Hopper, who made a big comeback with this film) is just as shocking and disturbing as the shower Murder scene in Hitchcock’s Psycho; Blue Velvet is as important for 1980s cinema as Psycho for the 1960s, as film critic Jurgen Muller implies. While Blue Velvet was initially met with much controversy at the time of its release, its status as one of the Best American films of the 80s is indisputable. So we reached 1990 and my favorite Burst { music magazine }

66 David Lynch film, Wild At Heart. The story is simple: Young lovers Sailor and Lula run from the gang of weirdo’s, who Lula’s mom has hired to kill Sailor. It’s the filming of this story that counts the most and it’s actually magnificent. The surrealistic universe of David Lynch cannot be simple in any way. Wild At Heart is a delusional passionate masterpiece which could remind you of Terence Malick’s Badlands and the writings of Jack Kerouac. Spontaneous, is an «adult fairytale” about two cursed lovers. A photo-album about the moments we all love. Rock n Roll, Elvis, a cabriolet, rusty roads, outlaws and two lovers who love each other till death does them part. They introduce us a different America, far more different than the one we used to see in Hollywood films. At the same year Mr. Lynch decided to make a drama series which initially looks like a prime time soap opera. It involves a detective story, it is scary and a cult classic. Actually, Twin Peaks cannot really be placed within a particular established genre, since it is a melodramatic series with tons of fictional and supernatural elements and surrealistic touches (OK, who am I to put labels on David Lynch’s

was meant to float permanently above the action. Once it got solved, something beautiful was lost.”

work). Anyway, if you are a Lynch’s devotee, you got the picture. With a washed up dead body on the beach as a starting point, we follow the story of Dale Cooper, a special agent investigating the murder of Laura Palmer, a next door girl who lives a double life. The whole town of Twin Peaks is gradually involved in the murder, as they are not as innocent as they seem at first. Lynch is a master in exposing the inner darkness of the human soul, so the main idea of Twin Peaks is this human duality that devours the characters. The Twin Peaks movie is following, as a prequel, to explain us more than necessary. Lynch himself said that “... Laura Palmer’s killer was never meant to be discovered. The mystery

Manson adds “I put a spell on you” just to indicate that there is no way out if you choose to follow the Lost Highway. Then, the time had come for Lynch to film something totally conventional (an ironic quality in my opinion, as Straight Story’s tranquility cannot be compared with his prior films, and certainly not with the ones that were about to follow...–and of course I am talking about Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire. Along with Lost Highway they constitute the triptych of his most chaotic masterpieces.)

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1997. “Dick Laurent is dead». Lost Highway. The unexplainable film delirium starts. Until now we somehow managed to capture his idea of movie making but that did not make him that happy. He made a film that can be interpreted but never explained. He defined it as «A 21st Century Noir Horror Film”. A jazz musician, a femme fatale (or two if you want), a corrupt thug /gangster, one Mystery Man and many 40s references (the hairstyle, the Cadillac) are elements that give off an archetypal noir aesthetic. With a plot unfolding with dream logic, Lost Highway is a series of events that simply cannot occur: a man changing into someone else, a woman who might be dead seduces a man who perhaps is her killer, a man calling someone and he finds himself answering the phone on the other side of the line... It is obvious that in this movie, the only certain thing is uncertainty. The music, which “was meant to live in the film” built the story step by step: David Bowie sings “I am deranged” and Marylin

Straight Story is an alternative road trip, a true story, describing the 240mile journey Alvin Straight made using

his lawn mower to see his sick brother. Alvin (one of the most moving performances ever made by 75 year-old Richard Farnsgourth) is a wise, sweet and stubborn World War 2 veteran, who decides to do this difficult trip, so inappropriate for his age and bad physical condition, in order to clean his soul for not talking to his brother for an entire decade. We are witnessing his various adventures as he is travelling to Wisconsin, spreading the word of family love and the strength of human will (Richard Farnsworth actually had terminal bone cancer during the shootings. He made this film because of his genuine admiration of Alvin Straight and one year later he committed suicide because he couldn’t bear the pains of his disease - which only makes the story even more genuine). Lynch handled the story with more than sensibility, allowing us to see another side of the moon, the Lynchian bright side. I think I am allowed to say that Straight Story is Lynch’s black sheep, a bright and optimistic touch among the dark nightmares. In 2001, Lynch once again decided to give in his chaotic deliriums and made an-

other neo-noir film that definitely made critics feel awkward. Although Mulholland Dr. won the Best Director Award in Cannes Film Festival, some people considered the plot an offense against the narrative order. That kind of bad promotion served perfectly the purpose of the film. For me, even the thought of trying to approach this movie makes me nervous somehow; but I will tell you this: apparently, Mulholland Dr., on the first level, has something to do with wannabe Hollywood stars and their unknown future (see Sunset Boulevard by Billy Wilder, one of Lynch’s favorite movies). On another deeper level it has something to do with dreams and their ability to disfigure human lives. And even if dreams are not

67 responsible for the fate of his characters, then it has to be something they are not able to, even slightly, control. An exogenous force which is even scarier that their worst nightmares. We have seen this motif before, in different forms, in Eraserhead and in Lost Highway and we will see it again in Inland Empire. This is the universe in which Lynch is moving. He decides a surrealistically dark and dangerous fate for his characters. He is the puppeteer who enjoys playing with people’s weaknesses. Lynch kept moving through the same mood in Inland Empire, a story about an actress named Nikki Grace (Laura Dern) starring in a remake of an unfinished movie, in which something went wrong. For once again Lynch is obsessed with movie stars, particularly the ones who are in trouble. Jim Emerson reviewed Inland Empire using references of some of the mightiest films in the history of cinema, such as Sunset Boulevard, 8½ and Un Chien Andalou. I think that Lynch should have felt really

proud! Director, musician, actor: Lynch’s wide success and universal acceptance is based on some rules that keep being repeated in all his movies: dreamlike logic, persistent use of music and sounds, industrial environments, supernatural themes and a certain star system such as Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern, Justin Theroux, Jack Nance, Everett McGill and so on. All these are framed by surrealistically twisted plots, created in order to tear your soul into pieces. My advice? Imagine that you are floating into a universe, where space, time, actions and motives don’t matter, just like dreams. You cannot interfere; you cannot control your dreams. Just surrender to their obscurity.

“I think that ideas exist outside of ourselves. I think somewhere, we’re all connected off in some very abstract land. But somewhere between there and here ideas exist”. David Lynch “To me, a story can be both concrete and abstract, or a concrete story can hold abstractions. And abstractions are things that really can’t be said so well with words”. David Lynch Burst { music magazine }

Written by Spiros Smyrnis

There are some relationships that mark your life. I am sure that you all know that. Love relationships, social relationships even the musical ones. I have a very special relationship with Nightfall. It started in 1999. Copying from the first article of It’s not Greek To Me, column :I think it was Monday, July 12thon 1999. Rockwave Festival took place at the athletic center of Agios Kosmas, somewhere in Athens. I was thirteen years old and this was my first heavy metal concert. I had wanted to see Manowar, I remember. I was ready to scream for the Kings of Metal coming to Athens. I arrived early, around noon. The sun was burning hot, when a band named Nightfall appeared on stage. Cool name I said to my cousin standing next to me. “Listen to these guys kiddo and you will forget your name”, he said. “Bullshit”, I answered back. “Listen to Manowar and you will forget your name man...” Efthimis (leader-singer of band) said hello to us all. The audience screamed “Lesbian Show”. “You asked it so you’re gonna get it. Lesbian show motherfuckerssssss!” So Nightfall had to take a big decision back then. Which was that? How was the successor of their most successful album going to sound? I am sure that most of their fans expected a “Lesbian Show” number two. A finest example of progressive - Paradise Lost influenced - death metal. There were some line up Burst { music magazine }

changes as Phil Anton took the guitar spot and Mark Cross was the drummer who replaced Costas Savvidis. I double checked the front cover. A gothic-like photo-shooting for Nightfall, I asked myself. The first notes of “Master Faster Sweet Disaster” left us all speechless. Is this a Nightfall album I wondered? Listen carefully, said the inner voice in my head. A friend of mine characterized aptly, the sound of “Diva Futura” as dark metal, a term which Rotting Christ perfected later. I read somewhere else that this sound is Nightfall. I still don’t know which label fits better to the sound of “Diva Futura” but, I surely know this. Diva Futura is one of the most underrated albums a Greek band has ever released Some critics referred to Diva as the weakest moment in Nightfall’s discography, but for me is one of their masterpieces. “Diva” is probably one of the best songs the band has ever written. The keyboards started a dance with the guitars bursting addictive melodies and a chorus you cannot forget once you’ve heard it, because “I always love what others hate, but I never give up faith.” We notice a gothic and industrial turn of Nightfall in 1999, which was ahead of its era. They took a risk and they did it. Composing well-constructed songs like the opening track Master, Faster Sweet Disaster and the hidden diamond, “The Sheer Misfit” and “Picture Me”, for which

I broke down the repeat button in my CDplayer. The awesome guitar-play by Mike G and the solid rhythm section, provided Nightfall the opportunity to evolve and experiment their sound. As one magazine wrote when diva was released: There are no words for this year’s masterpiece. 11 hymns to the upcoming millennium. 11 kisses to her drunk mouth. A dive into darkness where “A Traitor’s Kiss”and “Lowve” is all you need. Diva Futura is a guilty “Pleasure” nobody could resist. Tracklist 1. Master, Faster, Sweet Desaster 2. Sin 3. The Sheer Misfit 4. Diva 5. Licked One’s Iced Lips 6. Picture Me 7. Same Deaths Take For Ever 8. Lowve 9. Ceaseless 10. My Traitor’s Kiss 11. Pleasure

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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