Nightrage pour l'album "Descent into Chaos"

1) Nightrage is back with a new album called "Descent into chaos", two years after "Sweet Vengeance". What has happened during this time?

After a while of the release of the first album Sweet Vengeance, I realised the fact that we had a problem with our rhythm section, and I needed to start immediately to search for that in order to be able to have a proper line up for the band. Also I started to writing new songs and keeping myself busy doing Interviews and everything concerning the promotion of the first release. The problem then it was at that time, we had some offers to play live, but we didn’t have the proper rhythm section, something that prevents us to do so.

2) There have been a few changes in Nightrage's line-up. Could you explain us why Brice left for Dissection?

Brice wasn’t interested to stay in the band so he had to leave, I understood that he wasn’t the right guy for Nightrage, and we were very different, I think its better that he found another band to play in. I’m really happy that finally I have a new drummer Fotis Benardo and a new bass player Henric Carlsson that they are permanent and they are doing a killer job. Fotis Benardo is an awesome drummer with incredible skills, he came in Sweden and nailed all the songs in no time, and Henric Carlsson showed us from the first time when we asked him to try for Nightrage that he has the right personality and the right abilities to play in the band.

3) You've played in London a few months ago with Nick Barkers on drums. How was it? Can we expect more gigs from Nightrage in the future, like a headlining tour in Europe?

We played at London/Forum at December 17 2004, opening for Arch Enemy Dark Tranquillity and The Haunted but we had Fotis Benardo on the drums and not Nicolas Barker, actually that was the first introduction of the new line up, and it went really good, we got really positive feedback from the fans and the bands there. Nicolas barker played the drums on our first show in Gothenburg at August 12 of 2003. We are going to play at a European tour after the release of the new album, and already now we have some offers that we are discussing, but nothing is confirmed at the moment. We want to explore every possible city and country to make the music of Nightrage better known, and I hope that we are going to play in France, and meet all our fans.

4) You will be playing the Fury Fest in France this year. This is such a great news for all French metal heads! Have you already heard about this festival and how do you feel about it?

Unfortunately I have to inform you that we are not going to play at this festival, because of the fact that I just being informed that we are not confirmed for the tour that we were supposed to play with Napalm death at June, and that tour included this festival as well, more news about our touring plans coming soon.

5) Hard question: what is your favourite song on this new album? And the one who like less?

I like all of the songs in the album, but I can tell you that my favourites are songs like Being Nothing, Phantasma, Frozen, Reality Vs. Truth, and Descent Into chaos.



6) You're credited for everything in Nightrage: music and lyrics. Do the others members participate in the writing process?

I’m writing most of the stuff in Nightrage as far as music and lyrics, and that happens because I’m the one that started the band, and I dedicate my life into creating this vision from the beginning. I think that I’m trying to express my own voice in the bands musical direction and that takes a lot of personal work, but on the other hand I can tell you that what we are doing with the band and our music, it’s definitely a team effort and every member put his own touch making the final song arrangements sounded like a really strong and unite result. This time on “Descent Into chaos” album I had the pleasure to co-write the music with Gus G. at five of the songs on the album, and the results were really good, he is a killer guitar player and we have awesome chemistry when we are composing music for Nightrage together. It’s quite refreshing that I had some more input from Gus composing the music of the new album, and I’m looking forward to listen on the third album of Nightrage what Fotis and Henric ideas sounds like ,because I would like to have more input in the song writing process from them as well.

7) It seems like there are less solos than on "Sweet Vengeance". Was it a deliberate choice?

Even if we are capable to play cool guitar leads and I can tell you that Gus is a really talented and creative lead guitar player, we don’t want to overdoing them in our albums. We felt that the songs this time didn’t have so much space for guitar leads, the riffs and the melodies we have are far enough to present the feelings of our sound. I think that you have to listen to the song first and play for the song, and that’s the plan we are following with Nightrage, we have leads in the songs only when we feel that they are fitted with our music, and they are giving some extra dynamics, we like anyway to play cool leads in some of the songs and bring this nice 80´s metal flavour that bands like Iron maiden and Testament have. Most of the songs we have are filled with amazing riffs and majestic melodies, which are the main core of our guitar sound.

8) Why are there no more clean vocals on the new album (apart from Mikael Stanne's appearance on "Frozen")?

As I said on my previous answer the songs this time were so heavy/intense that there was no space at all for clean vocals. Tomas Lindberg voice is really representative for our sound and lead the force out of the band. We didn’t want to soften the sound of the band, and we wanted to keep things very heavy and chaotic.

9) Speaking of Dark Tranquillity, how did Mikael came to sing on your album? What do you think of his band?

It was pretty much an idea of mine that I suggest to the label. Since also I know the guy, it wasn’t difficult to convince him to do the job. I like Dark Tranquillity, and especially their older albums, like “The gallery”.

10) Since Tompa is in Nightrage maybe you have some news about a possible coming back of At the Gates? Rumours said there would be a one-time gig in London this year...

There are some rumours about that but nothing really confirmed at the moment. I think that if they will attempt to do something like that, it will be like a reunion show only, or a small tour, and it will definitely be an awesome experience to watch them again in the stage, performing all the classic songs.

11) Do you know Disarmonia Mundi? Kind of same band as Nightrage, melodic extreme metal band with a "star" (Bjorn Strid from Soilwork). Do you like them?

Yes I know the band and also I met them at the Soilwork tour in Italy while I was playing in The Forsaken, the support act of this tour, as a session bass player. I heard some tracks from the net, and I think they sound pretty cool, Bjorn from Soilwork told me that he likes them a lot, and that he thinks that they have very cool music.

12) What do you think will be the future of Nightrage? In which direction would you like it to go?

We will continue to releasing albums, playing a lot of live gigs/tours, and being active with the band. I think that we have a lot of good ideas that we have to express/ present to the metal fans. I see the band’s future in the long run, and I’m trying to do everything to build our career, being really stable and strong. About the direction of the music it would be uncompromising and intense all the time, and we will try to explore and find ways to make our sound even more unique and original.



13) You're living in Sweden since a few years. How is life there?

I live in Sweden 4 years now and I can tell you that everything goes really well. I manage to have a job/home and all the tools that I need to work for the band. After all the difficulties that I have been through, I found happiness and joy in my life having that band being alive and well.

14) Do you earn enough money with your music to live? If not, what do you do as a work?

It’s really difficult to make money out of this music, you need to sell a lot of albums and being very successful, something than only a few bands at this genre are capable of making. I have a job on the side so I can pay my bills and eat, I’m working at a building with many rehearsal studios and I’m taking care of the studios, fixing the deals for the bands that are interested to play, and everything in between.

15) Do you know Nikos Alliagas? Unfortunately, he's probably the most popular Greek guy back here in France, he's a TV presentator for some reality shows...probably not the best representation for your home country ;)

I’m sorry but I don’t know this guy at all.

16) What do you think of the split of Septic Flesh (RIP)? Were they good friends of yours? Do you have any news on what they have become?

I think it was sad anyway the fact that they split the band, I know the guys really well, and we were playing on the same genre for ages. They were one of the best Greek bands and they were always on the top of things in the Greek metal scene. I met them at Studio Fredman while they were recording their last album “Sumerian daemons” and we had a really good time. Now Spyros, Chris and Fotis they are preparing a new band called “The Devilworx”, and from what I heard on the demo that Spyros send me, they are pretty good and they are playing a new kind of brutal and modern metal, at this point time actually they are looking for a label to signed them, so let’s wish them the best of luck.

17) Any comments on the murder of Dimebag Darrel (RIP) a few weeks ago...?

It’s really unthinkable, some of the things that nobody’s was expecting to take place. Dimebag was on of the best and nicest metal guitar players around, he has changed facts on metal music and he was the leading force of Pantera. The guy that killed him was a complete psycho and he never was and will never be a part of the metal community. Metal music lost one of their idols, what a shame that only the good die young. We will never forget Dimebag and his amazing talent that he gave us. Rest in piece Dime and I’m sure now that he is jamming in paradise with the other greats.



18) Any good /bad comments to do about France?

I don’t know so much about France, and I only been there once, but I have the chance to see the Eiffel tower and I was really amazed, Paris is a killer city very beautiful and really huge, I wish that the next time I will have more time to explore the city more.

19) What is the last CD you bought?

I got the new Cipher system, Mystic Prophecy and Firewind albums and I like them a lot.

20) What are you listening to these times? Any good metal / non-metal albums to recommend?

I’m listening a lot of metal albums of the 80`s Maiden, Metallica, Testament. Plus some new bands that I’m exploring on the internet “Scar symmetry”, also the soundtrack of the movies “The Last Samurai” and “Shindler list” that they are really emotional and powerful.

21) Do you surf often on the Internet? Any good addresses to share?

Like a maniac I can’t live without it. I’m chatting all the time with my friends in Greece/Sweden, working on Nightrage interviews, exploring some cool metal pages, updating the website of the band, reading news and everything else you can imagine. Some cool pages that I can recommend is:

http://www.blabbermouth.net/
http://www.apple.com/trailers/
http://www.imdb.com/
http://www.kongisking.net/index.shtml
http://www.poetry.com/
http://www.m-w.com/
http://www.chordbook.com/index.php

22) A last word to conclude?

Thanx for the credit and your interest in the band. A big hello to all our friends in France, and we are looking forward to meet them on our European tour.

In metal.

Marios.