Once, not so long ago, about three decades ago, a kid who had seen her τικός a reactionary, decided to make a metal band with his brother. They started from the bottom. Even in a movie that played porn, they did it live. His gaze, however, was always fixed high. At the top.
Today, the reactionary kid has become one of the most influential and important musicians on the metal music scene.
Christos Antoniou of the legendary SepticFlesh, while the band is in the studio recording their new album, spoke to newsbeast.gr for everyone and everything but especially for the "Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX" that comes at the end of July to shake the waters. A live album recorded and recorded in the presence of 3.200 people in Mexico, in which the explosive and emotional music of SepticFlesh "marries" a symphony orchestra of more than 100 musicians.
- Christos, can we first say a few words about the band for those who don't know you?
Yes sure. We started in the early 1990s. My brother Spyros and I. We made a death metal band. We changed some guitarists in the beginning. Until at some point a drummer, Wichhunter, suggested Sotiris Vagenas to us. He told us about a child from Patras who is studying here and is a very good guitarist. He came to the basement in Meteora where we rehearsed with my brother, we saw him and at once we said ok. Good boy. Good guitarist. That's where it all started. We started rehearsing, we wrote our first demo, "Forgotten path", we did a live in a cinema, in "maxim", which was playing soft and porn and that's how it all started.
- Who had the original idea to make the band? You or your brother?
We were kids, baby. I was 13 years old, Spyros was 15, we listened to metal, we had seen it a bit reactionary and we say to make a band.
- What did you hear then? What was your hearing?
We both listened Iron Maiden, Paradise Lost, Morbid Angel, Celtic Frost, Possessed and these are the bands that finally influenced us in all stages of our subsequent course. From the Celtic Frost, let's say, we got the symphonic elements that our music has, we put the fast riffs, from Maiden we got the melodic elements. We filtered them so that we could make a style and a sound of our own. We wanted to do something special from the beginning.
- And we arrive in 2003. What happens then and the band disbands - or at least as it turned out, it's half time.
Look, the times were not good for us then. We were in a French record company for many years, "Holy Records", and "Sumerian Daemons" with "Hammerheart" in Dutch, and while it started well and we made our first serious tour, the company faltered! He had some issues with a Chuck Schuldiner album Death who died, there was a legal dispute. Something like that. That eventually threw us off a lot. At the same time, I received an offer to work in England as a composer. I went and said that we can no longer continue SepticFlesh. We said at some point to make a band more. Modern, the Devilworx. But that's something I regret. This is the truth. This move should not have been made. It turned out to be wrong. And so we decided to stay away from music. And suddenly in 2007, we said we would re-create SepticFlesh. Calmly. Loose. Landed and more experienced now.
- Is that how the difference in the name came about? From Septic Flesh to SepticFlesh? From two words to one? Was it to show the new beginning? That there is the old but now it is something new?
Basically, that was purely artistic. It was my brother's idea. It marks the second season of SepticFlesh which is the most important.
- Really more important since the reunion and after, you got it all β swarm. What happened; What changed; You were the same people before and after.
First we changed record company. We went to "Season Of Mist". Big and serious company. This plays a big role. He gave us a big budget and because as I told you we were more relaxed, "Communion" came out, we did a big two month tour. And suddenly the sentences started to come one after the other. We were now more musically experienced. The orchestra played a very big role. It has changed the way we think synthetically.
A lot has changed in management, the company has invested a lot of money and we have reached where we are. Then came the very big tours with Amon Amarth and Cradle Of Filth and everything changed.
- Did you expect all this great success?
No no no! Well, of course, we didn't Metallica...
- Wait, sit down. Metallica may not be there, but you'll be on the same list, but we'll get there.
Look, it all happened gradually and we understood. We were not a flare. And it was done with hard work, with significant moves. He also played an important role in the fact that the band is essentially a new band. We may have started in the '90s and have had a run all these years but in the first season in terms of shows, the band was inactive. Consider that by 2003 we had made about 60 appearances. In 13 years. In 2008 we did 54! I do not regret the past. That's the way it should be. And that we were inactive; there was a reason. Let's say I studied classical music and my brother studied Fine Arts. If you think about it, if we didn't study, we wouldn't have the result we have now. Our studies played a big role. The best is yet to come. We still have a lot to give.
- What is it like to be in the same band with your brother?
Okay, hard but okay (laughs)
- Does he have family quarrels?
Yes mom, okay. As always. Beyond the fun, though, it's not something new. Yes, there is tension, but if we were not brothers, we would certainly have broken up 10 times! It plays a big role that we are brothers and we find them.
- Let me ask you something now that I have always wondered, especially the times I have seen you live. How do you do all this cool stuff? From below, we look nice and fishy, but at the same time terribly uncomfortable.
We have this theatricality and the atmosphere we need on stage. You have to sacrifice some things! Sometimes they are very uncomfortable. But we have invested a lot in these suits. They are a special latex material, which are not as cumbersome as they seem. The biggest problem is the heat and drying. Many times we wear them and they are still wet.
- Are these suits made especially for you?
Yes! They are not commercially available. They are made for us by Prokopis Vlaseros, a great artist. But we said. You have to hurt a little bit (laughs).
- Would you like to do something different in the future? Like an opera let's say?
Yes sure. Now I am very busy with them SepticFlesh and I have no time at all. The quarantine phase helped a little to do some other things but I don't have much time. In the future, however, I will definitely write some works of classical modern music.
- Since you mentioned it, did the whole phase affect you with the mockery?
As a band, no. We are in the phase of writing the new album. We were lucky because we had planned only three shows, which of course were canceled. In general, however, we are within the timeframes we have. Certainly, however, as an artist, I am concerned about this whole situation because we do not know what will happen.
- I would ask you about that. When do you see us returning to this coveted normality in terms of music?
I see it for the summer of 2021 and provided everything has gone well. Then it will be a disaster because everyone will want to play. It can't pull this off anymore. And until I told you, it's a lot. If a cure comes out for him coronavirus, a vaccine can come back even faster. I am also concerned about the stupidity that exists in the world, such as "these are all conspiracies". That is, really. A little seriousness doesn't hurt. Scientists have made mistakes too, and that's a lesson. I'm not saying. But not everyone sitting behind their computer can say what they want. A little seriousness and everything will be fine.
- One last question before we go to the next steps. Since you said before that you didn't become Metallica, what is it like to have your name next to those of sacred monsters like Iommi, Dio, Dickinson, Harris, Lemmy and many others on a list of the 50 greatest composers of metal music?
This is a huge honor but it is also a little unfair for both my brother and Sotiris because they also participate in the compositions. There are three of us. Maybe the loudwire on this list, chose me only because there is this intervention of mine in metal with orchestras, which is something revolutionary in terms of orchestrations. Something touched them, however, to put me on this list, and that really honors me.
- And tell me now χουμε Do we have a new album? To be happy?
We are currently in the process of writing the vocals. We will be in the studio soon. When things calm down with the virus I will go to Prague and logically, if all goes well, I believe in October we will have the final result.
- And when will our ears enjoy this result?
The company knows that. Whenever she says that. In 2021, however.
- Can we expect a, let's say, continuation of Codex Omega or will there be some change?
Look at some extreme change we will not make. We will not play jazz (laughs). Codex raised the bar too much and that was what made it more difficult for us than anything else to date. However, I believe that this is good because the pressure makes you concentrate and have this flame of creation.
We took it a step further. Time will tell. I believe that the result will justify the hard work we have done. Our expectations are high. I am optimistic that the next step will be taken.
- And when the concerts start with good luck and you go on tour, will we see you from here as well?
Yes. Sure. Of course. When the concert will take place, it will be almost four years since our last appearance (with the exception of our appearance at the Metal Hammer celebration) for the presentation of an album. So Athens is definitely one of the destinations.
- I left for the end, not coincidentally, of course, the "Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX", the live you did in Mexico with a symphony orchestra of 100 musicians! Who had the idea to do that?
We always had that in mind. We always wanted to do it. It was a dream. I think it was 2-3 years ago, we were on tour in North America. We ended up with a show at Mexico. So, a musician approached us there, whom I knew because he is also a fan of SepticFlesh, and he told us that he would like us to do this live there. He had a complete sentence and I was really surprised that a man from Mexico had the most serious sentence so far. He had the vision in his eyes. You saw it. It was my eyes and my ears when I wasn't there. We agreed and it turned out to be a very good move. As soon as we announced the live, 2.000 tickets were sold in two days.
- How many people can fit in the theater where the concert took place?
About 3.200 people and of course it happened sold out very fast. A huge theater, a great place that has hosted other hard music bands. When they sent me the first photos to approve it, it became clear how serious the proposal was. Because what we had heard until then was funny.
- How was it like an experience? Feelings;
Because, I was something like a project architect, I had a lot of weight on my back. Almost everything that had to do with orchestras and ensembles passed through my hands and that was a burden. Not that the other guys on the band didn't help, but because there was an orchestra and it was purely my business, I lost weight. Fortunately, everything went well.
It wasn't just about going out and playing. It was a lot. It was also to record it for the CD and turn it into a DVD that will be released at the end of July. It was a lot of things together and the pressure was great. Nevertheless, it was shocking. It can not be described. When we went out, it was really a waste. All I regret is that I was very anxious and didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked. When it was over I was calm and happy. I would do it again. I will definitely do it again and this time I will enjoy it more.
- Here; Didn't anyone in Greece be interested in doing such a concert?
Greece… It will show. I do not know whether this is possible here. It's not just about having a budget, it's an expensive project, bad lies, but it's not a big risk if you think about it, since these concerts attract people from all over, in Mexico they came from all over the world. I don't know if Greece is ready for that. The system is a bit backwards. If we find the space that can highlight such a show, we will do it here as well. I wish. We are not discussing it. However, there are already proposals to repeat live in Europe. We will look at them all and decide. The best thing for us would be to do it here. In our country. Now if the Greece he doesn't want it…
It is a pity, however, that we do it in Mexico and that we are never given the opportunity to do it in our country. Pity.