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T:
After the release of our debut album “Waiting For The Dawn”, many
changes occurred to the band. The drummer, the vocalist and the bassist
left the band… and due to that difficult situation we had to hold on, by
finding more appropriate members for the band. That happened when Fotis
Gianakopoulos (drums), Panagiotis Mylonas (voice) and Antonis Mazarakis
(bass) joined the band. So, we started practicing as often as we could, in
order to improve ourselves as musicians and as composers. Thus, we entered
studio G in Glyfada at the end of 2002, and until the beginning of 2003
the album was ready. The final mix and the mastering took place in Germany
and done by Dimitris Liapakis (Mystic Prophecy, Valley’s Eve). The new
album “Silent Faces” was released almost one and a half moth ago.
Are
you totally satisfied with the final result? T:
Yes, very much. Before starting the recordings of the album we started
looking for the appropriate studio, and that’s not due to the equipment
of each studio. We wanted to find a person that would know about heavy
metal music. So, we decided to enter studio G in Glyfada cause the sound
engineer of the studio, Nikos Iosifidis, is doing very good job. Of course
the final result of the CD is Dimitris Liapakis’ work, who helped us a
lot by doing this excellent production.
Before
we go on… tell me who recorded the drums of the album. T:
The drums of the album were recorded by Fotis Gianakopoulos, but our
drummer now is Terry Moros.
Ok,
let’s get down to the album now. How was the reaction of the
press/fans till now? T:
Although it is early to talk about it, cause it’s been only one and a
half month since the release of the album, I can say that it is doing
pretty well. We have one small problem with the distribution of the CD
here in Greece but I think that it will be solved in the next days. We
have taken some good critics form webzines and from big magazines from all
around the world like Rock Hard etc. We have a good feedback till now.
So
let’s talk about the title of the album now… Who are those “Silent
Faces”? Why are they silent? T:
Well… Inner Wish is interested in human beings. We do not like to write
about myths and fantasies but we like to talk about common problems,
worries and all those things about human nature. “Silent Faces” seemed
to us like the appropriate title for the album, cause in this album we
talk about the inner self of the man and the problems that he/she has…
but in the end we wanted to show that there is a light at the end of the
long tunnel.
Do
you think that the artwork fits well with the lyrics of the album? T:
First of all I have to tell you that the artwork was done by Kostas
Zaharoglou, who is the guitarist of Dream Weaver, and also a good friend
of ours. Also the booklet of the CD was done by Tomas Ewerrhard who has
worked with many bands in the past. Coming to your question now I believe
that it fits well indeed with the lyrics of the album.
Can
you tell us a small story about the songs of the album? Just a line or
two. T:
“Dancer Of The Storm”: The lyrics of this song are about the changes coming to someone’s life and day by day they turn him into something different without even realizing what has done!
Tell
me which are your five beloved songs of the album? T:
Well it’s very hard for me to choose some songs… cause I like them all
and I have listened to them so many times in the studio. I believe that I
will be ready to answer to that question after some time. Just to say that
“Hold On” is one of my favorites.
Yeah,
that song is my favorite too… Is there a chance to release it as a
single? T:
Well I don’t think so. We haven’t talked about it.
Ok.
Tell me please how you managed to sign a contract with Limb Music. T:
Well let’s take things from the start. As I told you before we wanted to
record this CD with our own terms and to make it as we have imagined. So,
we had to afford by our own all the recordings and of course the
production of the CD. When the recordings were over we sent a promo copy
of the CD to some labels and Limb make us the best offer among them. Limb
is a very good and big label that has many good bands in its roster and
Limb itself used to be the manager of Helloween back in the mid 80’s…
the golden era of the band. Limb has promoted the CD very good till now.
Just to add also that our contract deal is for another four CDs!
Tell
us about working with Liapakis? T:
Well, when we begun the recordings we had some specific things on our
minds that had to be done. Before the end of the recordings… we played
at a festival in Chania (August 2002), where Valley’s Eve was playing
also. We had contacted Dimitris again in the past but those days during
the festival we came closer and we saw that above all Dimitris Liapakis is
a very nice guy…
I
agree… T:
… and have helped us a lot. We were fond of his job as a musician and
also as a producer and he likes our band as well. So, we sent him the
tracks and he did a truly great job. He is responsible for the good
production of the CD and due to that production we managed to also sign
the contract with Limb.
Yes,
I believe that Dimitris has become a very good and reliable producer… T:
Yes… he is really working very hard and as far as I know many bands are
ready to enter his studio to record right now. And that is absolutely
logical cause bands and Labels are always looking to work with persons
like Dimitris that are doing a very good work. Dimitris is improving day
by day and we must expect many great things from him in the future.
Will
the recordings of the next CD take place in his Studio in Germany? T:
We like very much his work and we appreciate him a lot so by 99,9% our
next album will be also recorded in his studio in Germany. We have closed
some dates and we know where exactly we are going to begin again the work
for the next CD.
So,
can you tell me the title of the next CD or some song titles? T:
… (he laughs)… I think that it’s too early... don’t you think? We
have a schedule in our mind and that’s all. I believe that right now we
have a very good line-up and it’s the best period for the band, to
record and go on tours. We’re really happy with it… heavy metal music
is our life!
Yes,
I agree with you… your vocalist is also very good I must tell you… but
I think that in the festival in Chania you had another singer…is that
right? T:
Yes, at the Festival back then Dimitris Syrgiannis helped us… just for
that live show. Babis (the vocalist) was in the band then but due to some
personal problems, he couldn’t attempt the live show. I believe that all
our previous singers Panagiotis and Giannis were truly good… as it
concerns the singers we always look for the best choice in the specific
period. Babis is a very good and educated vocalist.
Are
there any plans for a tour or some live shows? T:
We are planning to do as many live shows as possible during the summer in
Greece… and there are also some thoughts on going on tour during the
autumn in Europe but we will see till then. There’s also a chance to
play as support in the next month in Athens and Thessalonica in a big
band, but nothing is for sure yet. (Interviewers
note: We will announce it as long as we know it for sure, in our news
section in the next days.)
And
some general questions… What was the first tune you ever learned on
guitar? T:
it’s really hard for me to remember such a thing cause I started playing
guitar when I was seven years old… but if you wanna know the first rock
song I played on guitar that was “House Of The Rising Sun”.
Ok,
that’s a classic song… What are your influences as a band? T:
We do not have some standard bands that have influenced us. All the
members of the band are listening to different styles of rock and metal
music. My personal favorite band is Accept for example… but Inner
Wish’s music has nothing to do with Accept. I believe that our
influences are mixed inside our music. We play heavy metal music nothing
less or more.
Which
are the top 5 recorded guitar solos of all time according to you? T:
It’s really hard to say just five solos of the history of music. Just to
say that I like best the guitarists that not only play fast but that when
they play a solo they totally feel it.
Do
you believe that there is a band in metal scene today that can become an
absolute leader? T:
Well… I do not believe that metal music can become so popular as it was
back in the late 80’s. There a many goods bands today but I do not
believe that someone can become the absolute leader of the metal scene.
What
about the Greek metal scene… is there a band that can become more known
in the rest of the world? T:
Although Rotting Christ and Septic Flesh are good bands and popular in
Europe they never really managed to become bigger than Socrates. I believe
that Socrates was the best rock band that ever came out of Greece. If
I’m not wrong even now you have to pay a lot of money to get “Phos”
and of course this is a cult album. (A.S.
note: When Socrates opened for Motorhead in London back in the 70’s, the
first time Lemmy saw them live, entered the backstage and asked if there
are any other Greek bands playing this way. Of course the answer was
negative…and Lemmy replied with relief “Thank God, otherwise we would
have serious competition problems”!!).
I
totally agree with you. Is Inner Wish the best representative of Greek
heavy metal? T:
I cannot say that thing for sure. I can only say that we are the first
Greek heavy metal band that signed a contract with a big European label.
We only represent ourselves as Inner Wish and not the whole Greek metal
community. If due to us some Labels form aboard raise interest for the
Greek metal scene then that will be very good.
Ok
then. Have you listened to a very good album lately that surprised you? T:
I liked very much the last album of Gamma Ray, and the previous album of
Mystic Prophecy (“Regressus”).
We
see that other scenes like the Italian, that have few bands which have
become really big and have also made their own-schools… do you think
that there is today some Greek bands that can also do that thing? T:
I absolutely believe that we had and we also have many good bands in
Greece. Except us, I believe that another very good band is Bloodstained
that I think they will become a very known band in the future to come. If
we had a band like Rhapsody in Greece then the Labels in Europe would pay
more attention to the Greek bands. Let’s hope that this will happen some
day.
Do
you believe that heavy metal music will ever become so much popular as it
was in the mid-80’s? T:
There was a fall in the mid 90’s for metal music but I believe that now
things are getting better. But it’s really difficult for metal music to
have the same popularity that has in the mid 80’s.
It’s
time for our Weird Questions now!!! What would you say to someone to
convince him to buy your album instead of hundreds others that are being
released every month? T:
Well… what you hear on this CD is coming from our souls. All the persons
who participated in the release of this album have give their best in
order to have a truly good result.
So,
just try out… Well let’s go on… Do you consider yourself a rock
star? T:
…. (he laughs)…. Next question pleaseeee…. (laughs from both
sides…)!!!
If
you were living in Middle Earth which character would you choose to be and
why? T:
Good question… every character in that story has a important mission to
do. Maybe I would like to be Sam… maybe Sam is the hidden hero of the
story. Without him maybe Frodo couldn’t go on that far.
Well…
someone when I asked him that question told that he would like to be
Aarargon just to have Liv Tyler as his girlfriend! T:
…(he is thinking…)… Can I change my answer???? (Laughs from both
sides)
Imagine
that your girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy
for her an expensive, ring. How would you react? T: I do not know… maybe my foot would land in her face… (laughs from both sides)… Are you crazy? By the way, better check my albums when I go home (laughs from both sides).
Dream
Band. You get to put together the “International Dream Band”. Who is
in it? T:
I would love to see in the same band… Cozy Powell on drums, Soto on
vocals, Neil Murray on bass, Hoffman on the one guitar and Gary Moore on
the other… Super huh???
And
the “Dream Greek Band”? T:
Well, this is a hard one cause the two of them are already co-operating,
and I mean Liapakis and Gus G. So, if we put out those two… then it
would be really interesting if we could have in the same band, Panos Dedes
on vocals, Ilias Loginiths on guitar, Lakis Delegos also on guitar, Fotis
Anagnostou on bass and on drums George Maniatis.
If
you were obliged to give just one album which would represent the whole
human music to extraterrestrials … which album would it be and from
which band? T:
Hmmm… It’s very difficult to choose one but I would be Pink Floyd’s
“Dark Side Of The Moon”. This one is one of the most important albums
in rock history.
What
are the biggest life lessons you’ve learned over the course of your
career? T:
Good question. As long as you deal with music you are learning all the
time. No matter if you get something more or less. For example it’s very
important to learn how to play and to stand in a big festival but on the
other hand it’s also important to learn to play and to stand when you
play in a small bar.
What
would you say to a new band that’s making its first steps in the music
industry? T: I would tell them to believe in their selves and to always set high standards in their music. Also it’s good to improve yourself all the time as a musician.
How
do you imagine that the music world could be, one thousand years from now?
And why? T:
I do not know. Music is coming from the soul of the human and I believe
that wherever there is music then you should have also the human element
there.
Will
heavy metal music exist then? T:
Yes, I think so. But it will be the heavy metal music of that age. It’s
not easy to tell how it would sound or how hard it will be.
Ok
Thimios I wish you the best for Inner Wish, cause you truly deserve it.
The last words of this interview belong to you. T:
I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart the friends and the fans
of the band that all these years have supported us, they keep supporting
us and with their love they have helped us a lot to carry on. We will try
not to fail them in the future. We really thank all those people a lot.
by Thanos Aggelakis |
Hi
Thimios… Inner Wish is back after almost six years… Why did it take
you so long to release the second album?