Septicflesh is a Greek band of no small fame, I recently reviewed their 2008 full length album, "Communion" which received a new perfect score of 9/10. I got in contact with the band shortly thereafter and they were gracious enough to grant me an interview.
Their new album, The Great Mass, will be released April 18th in Europe, and April 19th in the US. So great ready for that! it's bound to be an amazing album!
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Shawn: Good evening and thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this interview, How did the recording of "The Great Mass" Go?
Christos Antoniou: Although it took many months to finish The Great Mass the result satisfies us. We started in the beginning of the summer, September we had the recordings of the Orchestra in Prague and in October Peter Tagtgren started the mix of the album. We were very organized and focused on our task and everything was perfect, we did not face any difficulties.
Shawn: After splitting up in 2003 and reforming in 2007 How did it feel to release "Communion"? and were you happy with how it turned out?
Christos Antoniou: We were “hungry” to enter the studio and create art after our long absence. We did not have any anxiety about how will it go or tour extensively but we couldn't expect to go so well. I think with Communion the band goes a step forward and our future looks bright. I am not dreaming and I am realistic but we are in our best moment and The Great Mass is by far our most mature album.
Shawn: Your fans are very much looking forward to "The Great Mass" What can you tell us about it without giving away any surprises?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: You can expect a bizarre musical world. It is a very vivid album, portraying intense emotions, expressing a rebellious spirit and has an almost cinematic aftereffect. It is thought provoking music that will create strange images to the mind of the listener. We worked hard, in order to achieve this result, but it was worth it.
Shawn: The Orchestrations you use on the albums are one of my favorite things you guys bring to the table. What was it like working with the Filmharmonic Orchestra of Prague for the new record?
Christos Antoniou: It is always fun and challenge to write for an orchestra. Since I was student in London every dream of a composer was to listen his music from an orchestra. I am lucky till now to work with various orchestras but Filmharmonic Orchestra and Choir is special as their interpretation and their professionalism is of really high standards. Is the second time I worked with them after Communion and I am pretty sure our coo will not end with The Great Mass. Many people involved in this project in order all your sessions to run smoothly otherwise you could end losing thousand of euro. I orchestrate everything I send the scores to the conductor and through the contractor of the orchestra everything has to be perfect.
Shawn: Another thing I've always loved if the artwork you guys use. What can you tell us about cover art for "the Great Mass"? Is there any story behind it? and if so is that story touched on in the lyrics on the album?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: The visual element is something important for SEPTICFLESH. The purpose of the artwork of our albums, is to enhance the atmosphere of the music and the lyrics. We aim for an unholy alliance between the different aspects of Art.
Shawn: I saw the New Teaser that was put on YouTube, And i must say that was VERY well put together. Any plans to make a music video for the new album? and if so will you use the same Producer/Editor who made the teaser? He was quite skilled.
Christos Antoniou: It is in our plans after our tours in the summer to make a video clip.We are thinking about The Vampire from Nazareth but nothing confirmed yet. Yes it looks that we will use Jon Sinvonis the guy that did an excellent job on the teaser.
Shawn: Can you share with us Some of what inspired you during the Creation of the new album? and also what inspires you in your other projects?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: We wanted to extend our musical horizon with the new album. So we experimented a lot, especially concerning the symphonic element of our music that was the backbone for many songs. There were a lot of ideas from all the members of the band, that were unified under the same scope. It is important to point out that in SEPTICFLESH, all the members are composers, contributing essential elements to the music. The other musical projects that specific members of the band are involved from time to time, have less diversity.
Our aim in “The Great Mass” was to create an almost visual result, extreme music filled with intense emotions, that would create vivid images for the mind’s eye. We attempted a bold approach towards soundtrack music, while we didn’t lose our heaviness and brutality. In order to achieve that, we used the FILMharmonic orchestra and Choir of Prague. And our producer, Peter Tagtgren, did an amazing job, keeping the right balance between the different elements of our music.
Shawn: Any Touring plans after the album is released? and if so any plans to come to the United States?
Christos Antoniou: Till now we have 2 festivals in France one we will be headliners and the other will play along Epica and Dagoba. On May is our headline tour in France for 11 shows and June we have Hellfest again in France. End of June and for a month we will tour in US/Canada with a big package but I can’t say anything more for that. From September we will tour again in Europe and of course we will start our Greek shows.
Shawn: What type of Equipment do you use for your live performances?
Christos Antoniou: Fortunately we have many sponsors and we are in position to use on the majority of our shows an ideal equipment template. For Guitars we have ESP and Vigier on bass. Drums we got Mapex and for amps we use Engl, EVH 5150. From now on we will have a detailed \ visual stage plan with 3 banners with the amazing art of The Great Mass.
Shawn: How does American crowds compare to Greek crowds?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: SEPTICFLESH toured for the first time in USA about a year ago, for the promotion of the “Communion” album. It was a very successful tour as we managed to gain a lot of new fans. The American crowds are quite close to the Greek crowds as they are very energetic, letting their emotions out, being a part of the show, instead of passively watching a show.
Shawn: Dio or Ozzy era Black Sabbath?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: I respect both vocalists. Those two legends, have given so much to metal music. I like both eras of Black Sabbath, but i will give one small advantage to Dio, as I find that the dark epicness of his voice was enhancing the overall musical result.
Shawn: Thanks for your time, I always give anyone i interview the final word. So if there is anything you'd like to promote or add feel free! and we'll see you live soon!
Christos Antoniou: I would like to thank all our fans for their support and enjoy The Great Mass.
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