LIKE THE PHOENIX RISING FROM ITS ASHES...
This is the report that stubborn and wise Savvas delivers us to introduce us to their brand-new self-released offering, consecrating his band in the Olympus of Greek metal with a masterpiece detaching from the previous bands' styles.
-You were in Acid Death for 12
years. What happened and are there hopes of a reunion? What about the
other members' past?
Yes, you`re right. I was in ACID DEATH for all these years. In fact
I created them trying to keep them alive… But things weren`t working
well. Better things worked too badly! First of all there wasn`t any
attention from most of the Underground fans and this had to do on a
serious point with the music style ACID DEATH had, which was a complex
technical Death Metal with many other influences, not popular to a Death
Metal fan who wants to have power and aggression when the CD starts
to play… Continuing the way of destruction we had to face the disregard
of the labels we had the reverse to release a new work, except the English
Copro recs who unfortunately we lost the opportunity to get a contract
with. And finally the inner problems, too serious to be negligible,
completed the whole situation. So, in 2001 I decided to stop this theatre
of senselessness. And the other members accepted it with relief. As
about the reunion subject, there is no possibility to be.
- Have you got any advice for new bands? Is it easier to run an extreme
band nowadays or not?
No! If there wasn`t KINETIC I would play bass in my house. I had
the thought that I have to stop playing in a band even if this band
was a total professional one. I just wanted to take a look in my life
and my profession, I`m a computer engineer and I wanted to give all
my attention on this. But things worked on a different way… Now I have
a good band and enough time to arrange everything in my life. You know
it`s not easy to run a band especially if you want to run your life
also. But we arrange both of them!
- How do you feel to restart from the bottom after all these years?
What didn't work at that time? Isn't it frustrating to see so many bands
obtaining a deal after a short time and not ready for a CD? How can
a fan choose properly from this saturated market?
I feel proud of it! Sometimes restarting from the bottom gives you
the positive energy to create something interesting. This happened
to us. All of us in KINETIC are coming from other historic bands of
the Greek Underground scene having the same flame and temper to create
something new from a zero point. As a new band we have our dreams and
ambitions. This is good. We have to walk the way of creation very carefully
and this is something that many new bands fail. Of course it's good
to have a deal but if you don't have the songs to support a complete
recording that a fan will love it just don`t do it! We got a deal with
the new ascended label SLEASZY RIDER RECS but we chose 9 songs from
the 14 we had composed in 1 ½ years. The fans see the band who tries
to work and the one who just ridicules them and make their decisions.
- Why did you choose this moniker?
Well, when the band started we had another name, called ZERO. We just
wanted to show that this band is formed from four persons who begin
their directions from a zero point. We didn't like this name. We had
problems to find a name that didn`t exist and we liked at the same time.
At a certain time Constandinos, our drummer, in a rehearsal had the
idea of KINETIC. We liked the theory behind it, "something that never
stops, something evolutionary" and when we found that this is a "free"
name we kept it.
-What is left here of your old bands' styles and has the 12 year
experience been useful to you and the others to write, compose and record
quicker?
Everything! First of all the friendship. We work as a professional band
of course, but first of all we`re friends. You know, at an underground
level the most important thing which keeps a band strong to continue
is that the members are a complete team that works on the same targets
on a friendly way and not just employees in an organization or a company.
After that, the feeling of cohesion between the members is also important.
If the members have the spirit that they want to proceed their ideas,
musical or lyrical, although they have some or many differences, the
results will be at least constructive. If there is no spirit like that
things will never work right. I established that with the guys in KINETIC.
I came from DEATH METAL, Manolis and Stavros from POWER METAL and Constandinos
for HEAVY METAL. Many persons were wondering one year ago when seeing
band`s line up "What the hell they want to do? They`re totally different
one from the other! What kind of bullshit they will play?" But when
our self released mini-CD was out all of them had a good word to say….
- You state the 3 songs vacillate between Swedish and US death metal,
including power, thrash and prog influences, but I didn't find US Death
metal traces in your CD. Do you want to explain which your influences
are and in which parts of the songs?
When we state that our style vacillates between these styles, including
US Death metal we mean we have this US manner of reaching Death Metal,
you know, fast drum parts with fast low-tuned guitars something that
is very clear in "Holy Instinct" for example. This is only one
of our influences. In "Realms Of Nightmare" you can hear a fast
Thrash/Power touch, not in Blind Guardian`s style to name one, but most
on an old-fashioned Arch Enemy style, same as "Never Ending Winter"
which is more melodic in a rated Swedish way. Although the influences
we have as musicians are different and this is clear, I dare say things
are working good and the songs are harmonious, you don`t have a feeling
like "Hey this is another band's song, this doesn't belong to KINETIC".
-The 3 songs own a great sound and maybe only the crash cymbals could've
been better recorded, but that's pedantery. Where'd you record it? Was
it self-recorded, mixed and mastered? D'you use lots of PC corrections
or d'you try to use as less technology as possible, so as to achieve
an old-style sound?
These three songs were recorded in our own recording studio, here in
Athens. We made the production, the remastering, everything. Stavros
was on a producer`s chair and this was his first professional trying
as a producer. We know some things would be better and this cymbals
point was something that we had to face on the mix. Costandinos used
a particular cymbal set, of course we prefer not to mention the cymbal
brand, they were very known ones, which had a perfect sound on rehearsals
but a very "plastic" sound on recording. We know things will be better
on our 1st full-length`s recording, we`ve already started it`s pre-production.
You`ll see the difference…
- As I don't have them, can you explain to me what the 3 lyrics deal
with?
Our lyrics, generally have to do with the horrible side of life. True
or fictional stories including a piece of irony on the way that Human
Kind acts. "Realms Of Nightmare" is the only song that is rather
different from this lyric technique, as it just describes the way that
a very known Nightmare Hero, just figure him out, acts. "Holy Instinct"
has to do with the way that Christianity destroyed the Human Spirit
in the Middle Age, and "Never Ending Winter" describes the loneliness
of an old man who decided to leave today`s Civilization for a better
life somewhere out of it.
- And what about the cover?
The cover was Constandinos`s idea. It shows a mechanical woman moving
in an old rusty factory. We just want to symbolize Humanity with this
person and the Human acts with the factory. We like it as a cover and
as a whole lay-out. It`s simple but clear and well-done…
- When is your full CD coming out? How many songs will it include?
Are the remaining song similar to these or more heterogenous? Has the
title been chosen?
Although we`re a rather new band we have already a deal with the new
ascended label SLEASZY RIDER RECS (www.sleaszyrider.com).
Our 1st full-length will be out in September, titled "The Chains
That Bind Us". Nine songs will be included. The music style will
be in the same formulas as this self-released mini-CD. We may re-record
one or two of the songs included in this 1st recording. This is something
we want to do. We love these songs and it would be great to be presented
on our debut with a new version. We`ll see.
- What've the specialised press's comments been so far?
Pretty good words!!! It was something we`ve never expected in so big
breadth. In September e.x. Greece's Metal Hammer mag in "Hellenic Assault"
qualified us as band of the month, in Metallian mag (France) we had
a very good review, in many other zines the same… All our reviews will
be featured in a special link in our official web site. We feel proud
for them and we want to give another big "THANK YOU" to all of them.
Of course this includes YOU!!!!
- What about the current Greek scene? Is it better as to bands, zines,
shows, venues, mentality?
Things are going better but there is a lot of work to be done, especially
the way that the bands work. You know, it`s too bad if you think
you are a Rock`n`Roll God and you disregard that your guitar has to
be in the nearest service center immediately…. This is reality in most
Greek bands. They think they do a good work on the song-lyric writing,
and this is true sometimes, but only that. All the rest is unknown to
them. Having no band-profile, having no scenic presence, having no dignified
equipment they believe they can rule the Scene. This is totally wrong!
Having true elements as a band is an obligation and if things are going
bad you have the most of the responsibility having a wrong direction
as a band…
- I really appreciated the fact you sell your CD at only 5 Euros
or dollars, postage included (quite an hones price, man, why isn't everyone
doing like you, dammit!). How many copies did you print? And how much
is your next CD gonna cost in case you shouldn't find a label?
We`ve printed about 500 copies till now. Of course most of them were
for promotional use. We just want to spread our name, not to gain some
easy money by selling a CD. And I think we`re on the right way. ..
- What about your live shows and are you gonna employ a bass player
or a vocalist or are you gonna keep both duties?
We love to play live! This is the most important element of an active
band. Performing good live-shows. We make our best in every show and
the audience appreciates that. We are also planning a tour after our
full-length`s release in local areas here in Greece. We may arrange
something out of Greece but this is rather a long plan. As about any
bass player or vocalist I don`t think there is any matter to do it.
I play bass and make vocals since 17 and I`m 32 years old now. I think
I have enough experience to do both things, of course in my style! If
I tried the same with…Glam Metal for instance, things wouldn`t work
well for me…I think…
- When is your website gonna be ready?
I it will be ready in about a month. We have all the elements and I've
already made the design so things are working in our side. Just check
www.kinetic-band.com
in a month`s time.
- You can add whatever you want in closure. Just take all the place
you need.
I wanna thank you for this interview and interest in us. Keep on your
good work. Thanx for the intie, Markus.
- You're welcome, Savvas! Take care and cheers!
MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - 04/02/04
Line-up:
Stavros Bonikos - lead & rhythm g. (ex-Brain Fade)
Savvas Betinis - b. & lead v. (ex-Acid Death)
Manolis Mamas - lead & rhythm g., back-up v. (ex-Brain Fade)
Konstandinos Alexakis - d. & percussions (ex-Wisdom)
Contacts:
-11 Kassiopis str. 174 56 Alimos, Athens - Greece
E-mail: kineticgr1@yahoo.gr
-19 Dimakopoulou str., 104 45 Kato Patisia, Athens - Greece
E-mail: kineticgr2@yahoo.gr
www.kinetic-band.com
