Explore the genesis of Psyanide's name and sound, delve into their musical philosophy, and discover their aspirations for the future in this exclusive interview.
1. Can
you share the origin story of Psyanide and how the band's unique name reflects
your musical philosophy and themes?
We all come
from a small town from Greece called Katerini. It’s a small city that profits
mainly from the tourism industry yet is riddled with really closed-minded
people. Being what is still considered there to be “troubled youth” we never
were close to popular around our peers, as most
people who listened to metal were (and most probably still are). When we first started the band we desperately
needed a way to to let all our anger and
fury out so we got together, most of us already being in local thrash bands,
and decided to approach our musical curiosities in a new way. In our first time
in the studio we were supposed to play Crystal Ball from Candlemass and since
no-one really practised the song our singer got mad and screamed in the mic and
we new from that point on that we were going that way. We named the band
Mutilated Corpses at the time and started playing all around in any place that
we could. Growing up in a society like this though took a huge toll on us, our
social angst and shaped our political and philosophical ideas so we knew that
we had grown out of our name. By the time we hit the recording studio for the
first time our songs were much more about society, politics and the
environment. The decline of our economy due to corruption, forest fires
destroying our nature, racist attacks on refugees etc. had us viewing humanity
as a whole, poisonous and soon the named
Psyanide was born.
2. Your
music is described as melodic death metal with a focus on intricate melodies
and bone-crushing riffs. How do you balance these elements to create a
signature Psyanide sound?
It’s mostly
due to the different musical backgrounds of our guitarists. One of them,
Kostas, is a huge metal fan, finding and sending us the heaviest most
rhythmically crazy and progressive bands he can find. I think by now you can
call him an extreme metal nerd. He writes extremely fast and aggressive riffs
and solos. The other one of them, George, pretty sure is the only one in the
band who had a degree in music, is more interested in melodies that people will
sing along to, intricate intros and outros for the songs and has a really
artistic approach to our music. Still, no matter whether they bring a whole
song or just a riff, the final product will be a mosaic of their original idea,
handcrafted by all of us.
3. The
themes in your music delve into the degradation of human life, environmental
catastrophes, and social inequalities. How do these philosophical concepts
influence your songwriting and the overall atmosphere of your music?
When we
finish working on the musical parts of the songs, even when they sound
particularly angry or sad they’re just that. Angry or sad or maybe even “happy”
music. But when the lyrics come along, the songs start to build their own
characters. By sharing and discussing the lyrics themes and ideas behind the
songs we tend to go back at their structure and try to let these things collide
in a way so that the final song kind of reveals itself. There are times when a
message needs no music to make its point and times when feelings need no words
so we let music do its thing.
4. Psyanide's
first EP, "...A Violent Stating," gained attention in the Greek
scene, leading to numerous support act opportunities. How did the reception of
your debut EP shape the band's early journey, and what lessons did you learn
from those experiences?
For us,
2014 was a crazy year because it was the first time we had to actually travel
to play live. Many people starting approaching us and tried to convince us that
they had the thing we so much needed to get to the next stage or to play more
shows or offered the best advice and opinions for our music, our looks or our
stage performances. Luckily we had grown close to a guy from Thessaloniki, a
way bigger city but also a cultural hub and a great place for any art to grow
to this day, who was already in the local music industry and mentored us away
from other people’s negative opinions, ill-willed comments and misleading
advice. So in a way “A violent stating..” was for us a huge lesson on who to
trust and why.
5. Your
debut album, "I Declare War," received critical acclaim and was
featured as the album of the month in Greek Metal Hammer. How did this
recognition impact Psyanide's trajectory, and how did it feel to share the
stage with legendary bands like BIOHAZARD, CALIBAN, ROTTING CHRIST, and
SUICIDAL ANGELS?
Our first
album was by far one of the best times of our lives. Our wildest goals and
plans were coming to fruition. As you noted, finding our album on the pages of
a magazine our us, our friends and older brothers and fathers used to collect seemed crazy. By that
time we were getting notifications that our album was hitting top 10 on digital
platforms around Europe and it seemed like we were finally given our chance. We
started headlining and organizing our own shows,supporting bigger bands in
other cities around Greece apart Thessaloniki and our home town. In a way “I
Declare War was our ticket to the rest of the world.
6. Psyanide
faced the disappointment of the "Swiss Invasion" tour cancellation
due to Covid-related restrictions. How did the band cope with this setback, and
did it influence the creative process for your upcoming album,
"Vertigo"?
In a way we
lost hope. The weekend we were supposed to play abroad for the first time was
the same weekend Greece got into lockdown. We had our bags ready and mostly
thought that we should go play in Switzerland and were okay with living in the
airport for the following weeks but it was not as simple as that. When we gave
up hope we canceled the shows, the first and only ones we ever canceled and
slowly locked ourselves up like the rest of the planet. On the first lockdown
period we were almost out of contact from each other and focused on making it
through the pandemic. This turned out to be a great period for a deeper look
inside
7. Speaking
of "Vertigo," your second full album was released on January. Can you
give us a glimpse into the themes and evolution of sound we can expect from
this new release?
I think the
best way to put it is that we’ve grown up. Both musically and s individuals.
Lyrically the album delves in more esoteric spiritual themes, loss and by now
we’ve pretty much have a picture of where we stand both socially and
politically. On the music front, the riffs and tempos are more complicated, the
melodies and different kinds of parts are more thought out and less
spontaneous without compromising the
aggressiveness of our songs. In a way our music grows up in the same way we
grow up.
8. Psyanide
recently signed a deal with WormHole Death Records and Extreme Management
Group. How do you anticipate this new partnership will impact the band's global
presence and the direction of your musical career?
It was our
time to take everything in a more serious manner and start thinking through how
we were going to get our music out there. When WormHole Death sent us the
contract we knew that we now have something in our hands. Under their direction
and influence a global distribution plan was put together and by now for the
first time ever we have our cd’s from the USA all the way to Japan. By the time
the album was out, we’ve realized that we couldn’t book as many shows as we
wanted or a more specific method to
market our music for radio play across the world so that was the time EMG
stepped in and with the help of our dear manager Damien Mitchell we are
currently setting up a plan to do so. As the band grows, things that need to be
done are added all the time and having professionals take over the areas that
we would normally fuck up by ourselves is extremely helpful!
9. Given
the mystical shroud that Psyanide's music creates, how do you approach
translating that atmosphere into your live performances, and what can fans
expect from your shows?
We like to
describe our shows as an extreme metal party. We like to have fun on stage and
always keep on our minds that we need to make everybody have fun. We take
concerts seriously and try to put on the best performance we can without
overthinking it. We’ve been doing this since before highschool and are pretty
sure about our stage performance at this point. By now we’ve set up a team of
professionals who take care of everything, from our light show to the sound
quality and always stay behind the our merch booth so that we can have fun with
the people who approach us. So, if you’re gonna stand back and watch the show
you should expect a really good time, but if you come close to the stage and try to keep up with our
headbanging and stage dives you should expect a really bad time for your neck
the next day!
10. Psyanide's
sound is influenced by both the European and American death metal scenes. How
do these diverse influences contribute to the band's identity, and are there
specific bands or artists that have particularly inspired Psyanide's musical
journey?
It’s not easy to pick one band, from one genre
because we all grew up or into different musical backgrounds. Our music and
shows are the outcome of years of listening to music from across the world.
Bands like Machine Head, Death, Gojira, Lamb Of God, the haunted, At the gates
etc surely played a role on who we are today but the truth is that if we tried
to write all the bands and songs we’ve drawn inspiration from this interview
would go on forever.
11. The
band has a loyal fan base in Greece and Europe. How do you connect with your
audience, and what role do your fans play in shaping the Psyanide experience?
There is no
way we could ever efficiently express our gratitude to the people who have
supported us in our journey. We’ve had people who’ve traveled across Greece to
catch our shows, who have everything we’ve ever released as merchandise, shared
our music more than we ourselves have. Our fans are the driving force behind
our band and we could easily say we wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for
these people. While on stage, nothing can connect you more to your audience
than genuinely having fun together with them, stage -diving and moshing
alongside everybody. After a show, when everything is packed and our stuff is
ready for the next day, there is no better way to connect than getting hammered
at a local bar alongside the people who came to your show, and sharing stories
with everybody.
12. With
a brand new album and international collaborations on the horizon, what are
Psyanide's aspirations for the future, and how do you envision the band's
growth in the global metal scene?
The best
way to put it would be the exact same words we’ve used in our first meeting
with WormHole Death. Can we book 365 shows in a year? That’s our goal,
constantly touring around the world, go
into the studio to write new music and then back at touring. The day we managed
to get to that point I think we will have fulfilled our aspirations. We love
meeting other people and bands from across the world and creating long lasting
friendships in places people wouldn’t even imagine. We are constantly going to other
shows and supporting other bands by getting their merchandise. We believe we
are all in this together!
Thank you
for your time! This was really fun to do and we hope to see you all soon up
close and personal in a show!
We Are The Underdogs
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire