Stamatis Katsafados: Thank you for having me and also for your kind words. I am Stamatis Katsafados, drummer and a member of The Silent Rage since 2011. I met Nikos Siglidis, founder of TSR through a fellow band member of the Black Metal band Diablery where I was involved at the time. Me and Nikos had a chat about the band needing a new drummer and shortly after, I listened to the Bands’ now early work and was intrigued due to the fact that I was playing Black Metal at the time and perhaps my inner self needed to fill a more groovy and steady aspect of drumming. Almost 13 years now, that turned out great! Evolving on my drumming journey I remember listening to drum solos and watching DVD\u2019s from great drummers like Ray Luzier, Nick Barker, Fotis Benardo, Frost from Satyricon and many more influencing me greatly and pushing me to follow my music path.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nHF: Although the band has existed since 2006, “Nuances Of Life” is only your second complete album. Let me ask you casually: What was the reason for that? I can hardly imagine a lack of creativity with regard to your album. <\/strong><\/p>\nStamatis Katsafados: The main reason is time and priorities, and each band member’s character and personality. In order for something good and qualitative to come out quick, a group must not \u201csuffer\u201d from daily jobs and commitments, academic studies, mandatory military duties etc, which while time consuming, give us in this instance the opportunity to follow our music interests.Also band members may come and go, as such is the nature and rhythms of everyday life, you know? Priorities might change, needs or opportunities may arise and thus is what ends up requiring new members and a change in lineup, which is both sad and refreshing in the meaning of new ideas coming to the table. And to close this question which i hope does not have a tiresome answer, sometimes there exist forces of nature that cannot be sidestepped or bypassed like the Pandemic. You just have to be patient have a plan and \u201claunch\u201d only when ready.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nHF: You had some changes in the line-up after your debut “The Deadliest Scourge”. Was this a necessary evil for the progress of the band or were the reasons more private?<\/strong><\/p>\nStamatis Katsafados: Not having read this question, I wrote my answer on the previous one, maybe in my head those two were linked, i don’t know! Well as I said priorities and needs in one’s life may change and that requires change. All of the members I have had the privilege of working with past and present will always be ones of our \u201cThe Silent Rage family\u201d. <\/em><\/p>\n
\nHF: <\/strong>The Corona Pandemic has not always made it easy for bands to record new material. How did you deal with the situation? <\/strong><\/p>\nGeorge Haniotakis: Well, things were beyond our control, so we just went with it. The recordings for \u201cNuances of Life\u201d were set to begin the day the country was put into lockdown. We finally started recordings in July of 2020, we stopped again in November of 2020 as the country was put into a second lockdown, we resumed in the summer of 2021, and finally finished recordings in early October 2021. I think it went as well as it could possibly go, under the circumstances.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nHF: How did\/do the songwriting work in general? Is there someone who sets the course or can each band member contribute equally? How do you choose your topics?<\/strong><\/p>\nStamatis Katsafados: It\u2019s usually initiated by a guitar riff and a melody that can be attached to it then our guitarists and bassist build up on the idea, with some drums forming a general image as to how aggressive the track can be. If it bears fruit we take it to the next level with vocal melodies harmonies and a more targeted drum pattern with accents and cuts.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nHF: Besides Bob Katsionis, you have prominent metal singers on board, Stu Block and Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin. How did these collaborations come about and, if you had the choice, which musician(s) would you like to have on one of your upcoming albums?<\/strong><\/p>\nGeorge Haniotakis: In the two albums so far, we\u2019ve had singers, keyboardists, oud, galician bagpipes and sopilka players. I think a guitar player performing a guest solo would be a nice pick. There are great names out there but if I had to pick a few that would be, Chris Broderick, John Petrucci and Sascha Gertsner.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
HF: I made comparisons to Iced Earth, Jag Panzer and Nevermore in my review of several songs. Do you take this as praise or do you dislike such comparisons because you prefer to stand for yourselves?<\/strong><\/p>\nGeorge Haniotakis: A little bit of both actually. It\u2019s a great sign of recognition when somebody says \u201cYou guys sound like this big band\u201d; it\u2019s a nice thing to hear. Yes, we do sound like our influences, it\u2019s only natural. On the other hand, because we don\u2019t have just a single band as an influence, our sound is a combination of our influences and I think that makes a unique blend, giving us our own identity.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
HF: For “Nuances Of Life” you re-recorded “Harvester Of Souls”, a demo from 2011 or your split EP with Secret Illusion. Why this song of all songs? <\/strong><\/p>\nStamatis Katsafados: We wanted a blast from the past with a new and modern twist, while filling the gap of stalled recordings due to the Pandemic. That song was loved by all members and agreed it had room to play and maneuver around.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/em>HF: Are there any songs\/song ideas that didn’t make it onto “Nuances Of Life”? If so, will they possibly be presented to your fans at some point? <\/strong><\/p>\nGeorge Haniotakis: I wasn\u2019t in the band when the material for \u201cNuances of Life\u201d was composed, so I don\u2019t have any insights. However, I believe there is an unfinished track that didn\u2019t make it. I don\u2019t know about this specific track, but what I do know is that the band tends to turn to unused material from time to time to see if there is anything worth using. The most profound example is \u201cAnother Fallen Dreamland\u201d, it\u2019s a reworked unreleased song from 2008 if I\u2019m not mistaken. So, to answer your question, yes, there is a possibility that fans can hear unreleased material in the future, but we don\u2019t have such plans for now, like releasing a B-side album or something like this.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
HF: What are your plans for the coming months? First of all, extensive touring or are there already plans for another album?<\/strong><\/p>\nStamatis Katsafados: Now that the album is out and the audience has had the opportunity of hearing it full length, there really isn\u2019t anything left but our joy of performing it live for all of them. Great things are in place both in standalone live performances and touring, along with a few more surprises on the way! Stay Tuned!<\/em><\/p>\n
\nHF: A few last words to our readers?<\/strong><\/p>\nGeorge Haniotakis: I hope everyone is enjoying the new album, stay healthy and we hope to see you someday soon on the road! Spread the word!<\/em><\/p>\n
\nHF: Thank you very much for your time and all the best for the future.<\/strong><\/p>\nGeorge Haniotakis: Thank you for the interview and we\u2019re really glad you enjoyed \u201cNuances of Life\u201d!<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Interview:<\/strong> Klaus Saalfeld<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" English Version below Vor kurzem haben wir euch das neue Album\u2026 weiterlesen!<\/a><\/p>\n