Hi
Kostas… Since “Wicked Woman” is the debut album of Nocta, and it is the first
time that we talk, can you give a bio in brief about the band?
K: The band was formed somewhere between 1997-1998 ,after a short period we were signed by a Greek label and we recorded our first album called “Prima Nocta”. Our lyrics were Greek and we were playing AOR.The band continued to play as a cover band to several Athens clubs and also released an album with the assholes from Hmiskoubria called La Klikaria.This lasted until 2000/2001.Then me and Ares send the rest of the band to hell and continued with the best line up we could ever imagine. Stavros J. & Apostolis were the answer to our prayers and here we are today with “Wicked Woman” and Sleazy Rider!!
Why do you decided to re-form the band after 1998? I mean that Nocta was a rock band with Greek lyrics and after its debut album “Prima Nocta”… you and Ares decided to call it a day and then after some years to re-form it as a hard rock/heavy metal band with English lyrics this time. Weren’t you satisfied with the first form of the band?
K: Absolutely not, the band was performing live every weekend as a cover act and the other members of the group were reluctant to work on new material…therefore the situation was a dead end for me and Ares. We wanted to do more and we wanted to play harder and louder.
Of course as always, I wanna know why did you call the band Nocta and who’s idea was?
K: Our name was given to us from a friend of a friend!!! Who heard us and thought that the name was appropriate for a band like us…We were never good with names and back then we could never agree to something…
Almost a year ago I listened to your demo which contained 4 songs… What happened all this time, after you released the demo and before you talked with Sleaszy Records?
K: A lot of things happened. First of all E. Karadimas from Nightfall arranged the studio in Germany “Soundlodge”! While the band was rehearsing the songs with drummer G Kollias. In a period of 3 months all instruments were recorded and of course the vocals, and me Ares and Duru (Tsopana Rave bass player and a friend) drove all the way to Hamburg to mix the album. In the next to weeks the album was mixed and mastered, and we were a very happy band…lol. Again E.Karadimas suggested Sleaszy Rider and we contacted Mr. Palantzas and made a very quick deal…
Then you made a deal with Sleaszy Records and “Wicked Woman” was released… Are you satisfied with your label and do you believe that can offer a big support to you in order to become more popular not only in you homeland?
K: Definitely yes. Sleaszy is a small label and we are “newcomers”. I believe that we could grow together.Untill today everything is working like a clock between the band and Sleaszy and we are very optimistic for the future.
Ok, let’s talk about the album now… “Wicked Woman”… Maybe you love women too much as more guys do but you hate them at the same time for being so… “wicked”!! Can you tell us some things about the album’s title?
K: Quite the contrary, we love them for being wicked!!! We gave this title to our album because “Wicked Woman” as a song is carrying the essence of what Nocta is as a band.
Can you to tell me a few words about each one of the songs, as well?
K: “Wicked Woman”: Passion, lust, desire, disaster, and behind all these. A woman!!
“Inner Struggle”: The struggle within. Who we think we are, and what we really are to others.
“Santanta (The Desert Wind)”: The warmth of East, a Dragons breath that smells like thousand flowers.
“Come Out (Wherever You Are)”: Actually it is a call to all our Metal brothers to remember, and revisit the roots of our music.
“... No Mistake”: A song about the aftermath of broken relationships.
“Beam Of Light”: Love making extreme…
“My Precious Soul”: The fear and agony of not loosing/selling your soul, by forgetting your beliefs and ideals.
“Icebergs”: Nothing can be taken for granted… even thing that were here before us like the Icebergs lets say, are melting…
“The Game”: Everything is a game. The important thing is who is making the rules to play..
“Sometimes”: Domestic lunacy, depression, obsession, human relations and everyday life under the microscope.
“Werewolf”: The call of nature, that is awakening emotions that we have forgotten.
“Samuel Atan”: Samuel is me, is you, is everybody. Samuel is the scapegoat that the societies through out the history of mankind were blaming for all evil. Everything different, everything new was and will be demonized always.
“Elefsis”: The ancient town of Eleusis at sunset!!!!!!!!!!!
Is the artwork related with the title of the album, the music and the lyrics?
K: Yes! And it was made by a great artist who is no longer with us V Arnaoutoglu (R.I.P). The artwork is definitely setting the mood of what the music stands for.
Your music style seems to be influenced by the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement, by heavy/doom and by hard rock music… Is it easy to combine those music styles in order to make your own music?
K: We are very influenced by all those genres that you mentioned and we are not afraid to show it. Most of the times it doesn’t happen intentionally, it’s just what is coming out when Stavros, Ares ,Kostas and Apostolis are playing together.
By the way how you could characterize the music style of your band? And which bands have influenced you the most?
K: I would say that we are a heavy metal band with an inclination to Stoner Metal. We are definitely influenced by Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Jethro Tull and early Judas Priest.
What inspires you in order to write music, in general?
K: What really motivates us is a good riff or good lyrics.
I think that the album’s production is very good! Considering the fact that Greek bands had/have always problem on that part… I believe that you made a very nice work. But I believe since you are (and each Greek group is) a European band should try to compete its European and USA bands and not only the Greek ones… so, every band nowadays ought to pay attention to that matter… What’s you opinion about this issue?
K: Production is a very important ingredient, the quality of what a band will present do not affect only the music and compliments the songs ,but it also means respect to the people who will buy your album. The lack of good productions in Greece is not a matter of equipment that the Greek studios have. It’s the people behind the machines that want to charge you a heck of a lot of money and do nothing ,not only because they are deaf and they don’t have the capacity to use the equipment, but also because they want to finish you quick in order to have the next client fooled for the same purpose…We had a very bad experience with our first album!!!
Which are those things that you would change if you had the chance again?
K: Ha ha now it’s too late!!! Maybe add some extra backing vocals?!!!
What are the expectations from this album and your future plans?
K: Our expectations are to establish a name in our extra large Metal community and to release a second album better than this one. We want to be better, while having fun with what we are doing.
As far as I know you have already your second album ready!!! Which is the music style that it moves and when are you thinking to release it?
K: We don’t have an album ready, but we have a lot of songs that we are working on. The style is the same but the songs are a notch heavier. But for now we are planning to promote “Wicked Woman” and that’s what matters.
Are there any plans for a tour? Or maybe for some live appearances here in Greece and when?
K: The band is playing live frequently in Greece. On the 9th of July we will be in Polland to play at the Conquer festival and when we will be back we will arrange a mini tour in Greece.
Some more general questions now. Have you listened to a very good album lately that surprised you?
K: Yes Machine Head’s “Through The Ashes Of Empires” and Opeth’s “Still Life”.
Do you believe that hard rock/heavy metal music is so popular nowadays at it was back on late 80’s?
K: …I hope that it will be again. Metal never dies!
Which band do you consider that can take a leading part in heavy metal music in the future?
K: Machine Head are good hope for the future, and System Of A Down too.
And some Weird Questions now!!! Which is that element that Greek bands haven’t got in order to become European ones and to break the chains that bind them in their own country? Why all those years no Greek band has made that big break? Do you think that this is possible to happen in the future to come?
K: They lack of focus, and I don’t believe that Greek bands didn’t make a breakthrough. What about Nightfall, Rotting Christ and Septic Flesh?? The future I believe will hold good surprises to Greek bands.
What would you tell to someone in order to convince him to buy your album instead of hundreds others that are being released every month?
K: I would tell him that it is an honest work done by honest musicians.
If you were a God’s messenger what would you tell Him to do for the good of humanity?
K: I would tell him to step down and let me do the job Ha ha !!
If you could go back in time and see any band live in their prime & open for them who would it be and why?
K: Definitely Deep Purple at the California Jam festival!!!!!!!!
If you were obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that which would represent the whole human music… which album would it be and from which band?
K: It would be Deep Purple’s “Perfect Strangers”.
How do you imagine that the music world could be, one thousand years from now? And why?
K: I don’t believe that would be a world after all, the only music will be the silence after the destruction!!!
Which are the things that piss you off from today’s music industry?
K: The price of CDs, 20 Euros for a CD???? Are we crazy?!!!!
Which is the most overrated band today?
K: Blink 182, and all the shitty bands that look like them they are a dozen I believe…
Imagine that your girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy for herself an expensive ring. How would you react? J
K: I will walk one thousand miles, I will starve, I will suffer and when I’ll climb the highest mountain, I will cry out W H Y????? Then I will jump!!!!
Ok, Kostas, thank you very much for taking the time to answer to my questions! If there is anything else that you would like to tell to Grande Rock readers, just do it!!
K: We thank Grande Rock and we hope that you had a great time listening to “Wicked Woman”.
by Thanos Aggelakis