WRATHBLADE

[this interview originally appeared in print in Cimmerian Shadows Issue 2; 2012]

Kindly introduce WRATHBLADE! How did the band form, and what other bands do the members have links to, either past or present?

Nikos: Hail! Wrathblade is a heavy-epic metal band from Greece, five people with strong friendship bonds combining their wits and ideas in their dealings with Heavy Metal for metalheads. Booze for the others and frappe for me is always welcome! Chris Mosalos (guitar) had the idea to form a band to break loose from his laziness after his departure from Raging Storm (late 2003), he immediately contacted mine one for cooperation, I immediately accepted his offer even though hesitant (friends always support friends). I asked George (bass) to join us, he accepted even though more hesitant than I was, Chris found a drummer and we started rehearsing. But, you know, people come, people go, so that was the situation until we got a stable line-up in the beginning of 2005, if I remember well, including Giannis (drums) and Nikos (guitar). At this point we like to give credit to our friends Nikos Papadopoulos (drums) and Alex Tsantilas (guitar) who helped us in the past.

Concerning the 2nd part of your question, Chris was in Panix, Depression (progressive metal) and Raging Storm (epic metal), Giannis was in Foredoom (doom metal) and Arpyian Horde (epic metal), George is in Litany (doom metal) and in Inferno’s IX (stoner/groove/southern) and I’m in Litany and Macedon Harriers (speed/heavy).

What's the typical WRATHBLADE rehearsing regime? Are you fortunate enough to practise once a week or more, or do you struggle to find the time to gather as a full band?

George: Our usual rehearsing schedule is one rehearsal per week. Usually this is easy to keep running, but during some hard working periods we rehearse more rarely. We also rehearse much more often when we are about to record, or play live, meaning that we may rehearse twice or even three times a week.

It seems very common to hear heavy metal bands described as “epic” these days, perhaps to the point of over-use. What meaning does the term hold for you, and how do you think it applies to the WRATHBLADE sound, if at all? Which bands of earlier times epitomise “epic” metal to you and why?

Nikos: In general, I assume that the term epic applies to different things; everybody has its own opinion, tho I think does not only concern the sound/music but lyrics as well. Epic sound can be ceremonious, symphonic or bombastic, but can also be raw and mean; pick up and choose my friend, it’s only up to you. Actually, we are more in favour of the latter category accompanied with heroic thematology. We are epic, we are fast and raw, take under consideration of early Manowar, Manilla Road, Running Wild, or Brocas Helm and then you’ll get the whole picture both musically and lyrically.

Giannis: You are damn right! You can find epic elements in many bands, but for a band to be epic metal in whole, is something that has been seen few times in metal history. All members in Wrathblade do worship epic metal, apart from our bassist up to a certain point, but you can surely track epic hints in some of our songs like 'Flee to Freedom' and 'Warlord’s Return'. For me epic metal is early Manowar, Manilla Road, Omen, early Jag Panzer, Warlord, Bathory ( Hammerheart – Twilight of the Gods era ), Thunder Rider, Heavy Load, Cirith Ungol etc. All bands were epic and totally different from each other. In the 90’s there was a second round with early Domine, Doomsword, Wotan, Solstice ( New Dark Age era ) and until nowadays we can trace great epic bands like Battleroar, Atlantean Kodex, Primordial and some more I cannot recall at the moment. I have not mentioned at all epic / doom or black metal ones, because the list would go too far…And yes, since the above bands have somehow or another been in our top list, I find it quite natural for Wrathblade to have maintained this kind of feeling in many of our compositions.

Talk us through the band's songwriting process – is there a lead songwriter and lead lyricist? Do ideas mainly form in isolation and then get amalgamated in the rehearsal room, or do members write full songs alone? Do you use any sort of computer set up to capture and share your ideas?

Nikos: Usually, Nick and Chris come up with full songs or assorted riffs which merge into a song at the rehearsal room, the rest of the members contribute their own ideas and passion as well. When we done with the music on a descent level, then we add the lyrics, which is mainly my own business. I must also add, that all the members of the band are capable of writing songs, there are songs for future use, for the moment, the two axe-men are mainly responsible for this as long as it lasts I guess.

George: The usual songwriting process is rather simple: Most of the time the riffs for a song are composed by one of the guitarists, then introduced to the rest of the band during rehearsal time. At that time, the rhythmical character of each song is decided through the drums and bass parts, which of course are subject to change through time. The final arrangement of the song is done according to what the lyrics demand. But the whole process is very dynamic, in the sense that no song is considered “finished” until it is officially recorded, and, even during recording some ideas may come up. Nick is responsible for all of the lyrics. Sometimes he uses lyrics he has written before, some others he gets inspired by the music.

Giannis: There is not a specific way to compose songs. “Reins of Doom” and “Wrathblade” were finished by Nick, recorded in computer and delivered to the rest members. “In metal we trust” was already a song Chris brought from Raging Storm, so everyone was familiar with it. The rest tracks in a way or another, were completed in the studio. Someone would bring a riff and by keep on rehearsing and jamming, the song would be completed. Chris and Nick (guitars) compose all the music, Nick (vocals) writes all the lyrics and me and George try to keep the band steady and as harsh as it is demanded, while at the same time we do some arrangements on the songs.

The last 8 years have given birth to just one single and one EP for WRATHBLADE, which isn't a particularly prolific record... but quantity is overrated anyway! Why has it taken this long to get so few songs recorded, and what was the driving momentum behind the Reins of Doom EP becoming reality?

Nikos: I think you got a point, it's true; we are not that productive in terms of releasing stuff on a regular basis. The current line up was still young when we released our first single, we just grabbed the chance and we chose the songs that we thought we could make better and somehow I think that a nice and solid recording was granted to metal fans. But, we faced some problems mainly in the recording process; actually we were not ready for such an official recording even though fans appreciated it at short or even long last. Thus we thought that our next step will be more carefully considered so we will be ready to add more value and quality to our full length, both lyric-wise and sound-wise. I strongly believe that the time has come. Regarding Reins of Doom EP, we always wanted to give some songs to people in a properly recording manner since they were asking for it regularly in our shows. So, on the occasion of 10 years of EAT METAL records Anniversary live, we decided to record a demo cd with few songs on it and give it to public.

Giannis: Well, the motive was surely Greg’s festival “10 years of Eat Metal records”, that bands of the label filled the line-up, of this wonderful gig! We knew it would be an underground party that killer bands would play, the price of the ticket was only € 1( !!! ) [there were also free pizza slices on the door! -Ed] and it was a chance for us to do a demo before the record, in order to announce our forthcoming release and simultaneously give our presence after so many years. After all, there was a high demand in Athens for a Wrathblade release. In a way or another, until today, the interest for the band has increased and has made us really anxious, so as to enter the studio soon for the first record. The main reason for us being away from releases, is basically our heavy daily schedule, the fact that we are a bit lazy as well and lastly the fact that we are doing this for us mostly. We are just five friends who want to have fun, write killer songs and hit the stage with other killer bands!

George: There's no simpler explanation to this low rate in which things are done with Wrathblade, other than outside the band, real life obligations. Families, jobs, studies and above all financial difficulties hold us back. We can't rehearse as often as we would like, or record, or travel for a show.

We try to play live every time we get the chance, but unfortunately this has happened only in Athens for the time being, for the obvious reason that we all live here of course. But playing some gigs abroad is definitely one of our main goals, when the album is released.

What does the EP title Reins of Doom mean? The song of the same name is sub-titled 'God of War Part 1' – is Part 2 already written, and what's the theme?

Nikos: The song is related to a video game entitled God of War, which drew my attention some years ago. It tells the story of a man who was in the service of Ares (the god of war) and committed terrible actions upon command and eventually deceived by Ares so that he murdered his own family. In the end, he took revenge and became the God of War himself – the one who holds the reins of doom. Part 2 is not written yet.

Being the geek that I am I can't help thinking of Elric of Melniboné and his demon sword Stormbringer when I hear the name 'WRATHBLADE' – was there any sword and sorcery inspiration behind this bandname?

Nikos: I am afraid there is not, we just wanted a name to mirror the band’s sound in the best possible way, something well-sounding, easy to be remembered and I think we are pretty close to that, see! The word “wrath” stands for “raw” and “blade” for “epic”, that’s actually what we are.

How did you find the recording process at Entasis Studios in Athens? How much time did the recording take in total, and did everything run smoothly? Did you add any new songwriting ideas that occurred mid-recording, or were all the songs already fully locked down beforehand?

Nikos: Nick Papakostas, the owner of Entasis Studios [and member of CONVIXION and STRIKELIGHT -Ed], is a good friend of ours and fan of our music. We’ve got too little time on our hands, Nick was available at that time, he knows our sound to a great extent, and therefore I think he was the ideal man to produce the whole thing. So we recorded, mixed and mastered it in a two days time and we are pretty much satisfied with the outcome. Basically we recorded those songs having in mind that there is no need to add more detail to them, but you know, during the recording process new ideas may arise, so we omitted some things or added few others.

Giannis: Well, it was more than just a recording process, because the owner of the studio Nick Papakostas is a great friend of ours, so everything was done with a more “let’s do a nice rehearsal” approach. We really felt very comfortable with the place, which is something very important. Yes, we did add a few things, during the recording, which is basically some leads in “Flee to Freedom”, “Met in Hades” and “Reins of Doom”. I myself have jammed the songs a bit, while recording, adding or withdrawing parts that were played in rehearsals and gigs.

George: The whole attempt was planned to be as quick as possible, both for financial reasons and in order to achieve the deadline, which was the Eat Metal Records 10 year anniversary live. The recording sessions were funnier than ever, and, more importantly, working with a producer who is first of all a Wrathblade fan proved to be of great importance to the end result. Nick definitely knows his stuff, he introduced a more old-school aspect to our music. This isn't necessarily the exact direction we are going to follow on the album recordings, we are going to use more high-end equipment, more mics etc., but the important thing is we can trust him and discuss with him openly. For the above reasons we are eager to work with him again on the album recordings. Few changes to the songs occurred during recordings, we just changed some rhythm guitar parts and we also added a small lead part.

What's the source of the EP cover art, and was it chosen for any particular reason other than being a nice piece of art?

Nikos: It’s a nice piece of art for sure, no doubt about that; you know, the main reason we chose that is that represents exactly both the nature of our sound and the lyrical content, it's epic, dark and gloomy.

Giannis: When I saw this specific painting, I immediately thought that this had to be the cover of our first album. But while recording the demo, we used it there for two reasons. Firstly, there was no time to draw a decent cover and secondly, we thought that the first album should have a painting which will be created with our own ideas and not use something that is already for public use. Above all, I think that this is really an outstanding piece of art, that fits perfectly in the music and atmosphere of our songs!

How frequently do WRATHBLADE play live, and do you foresee this increasing now that you have a new EP to spread?

Nikos: We do play live quite often, not that much last year though. Not any particular reason, it just happened. We were fortunate enough to fill support slot on great metal bands such as Death SS, Demon, Brocas Helm, Blitzkrieg, Sacred Steel and few others in the past, and we hope for a better future. We plan to record our first full length very soon so the period of time between the EP and CD will be very short, have in mind that the EP is a demo release, therefore, our efforts should be mainly focused on recording our first album and then on promoting it as best as we can – gigging is necessary, a means toward achieving effective promotion and presentation of the band’s material, and of course our pleasure.

Some of your English lyrics are very well crafted even by native speaking standards - someone seems to have had fun with some obscure words such as 'daedal', 'faytour' (?) and 'fallaciloquence' (??). How much time typically goes into your lyrics, and where do they draw influence from?

Nikos: It’s not a fun but a serious thing and amusing as well. Ok, someone can drop out of reading the lyrics, but for those who did care about, we are trying to be a little bit different from the norm. Well crafted or not, either way or another it takes the same time.

In late 2011 you are going into the studio to record your first album – what can we expect from this? Will the songwriting be much the same as the Reins of Doom EP? What lyrical themes will appear?

Nikos: In the beginning of January we are entering the studio to record the first full length album, it will feature 8 songs slightly different from the demo EP, more variety I can say plus more complex compositions but still raw and epic – heavy metal all the way. Lyrically, what you will get is epic and heroic fantasy themes, based on Greek mythology, science and fiction, heavy metal and everyday experience.

Giannis: Well my friend, at the moment we speak I’m listening to the first rough mixes of the album! There is much more variety in the songs, since you will find many more doom and epic parts in it! Hopefully, we will begin rehearsals for the second album soon and before that we are going to release a split with the mighty CONVIXION!!! Forget about delays of the past!

Your first album will feature two songs from the 'Reins of Doom' EP - Flee to Freedom and Reins of Doom - why did you decide to record these songs again so soon after the EP, which (like the forthcoming album) was recorded at Entasis Studio? What do you think this second session will add to those songs?

Giannis: There are a couple of changes in those songs. You will soon have the chance to listen for yourself! At first, we thought that we shouldn’t do any of those songs, but we were convinced by many of our friends who insisted that these tracks should be released officially, so that people who don’t buy demos, would have the chance to hear them. They were right! After all, I really think those are great compositions and they must be released officially!

What is your take on the current economic crisis in Greece? Has it had an impact on the Greek heavy metal scene in any way?

Nikos: Actually we are into a maelstrom, the current economic situation is unstable and futile I guess. The funny part of the story is that heavy metal gigs and concerts are still on a growing stage. I assume this will decline shortly, we will see though.

George: It is getting increasingly clear that this crisis isn't a Greek one. Surely enough, things didn't and still don't work as they should here in Greece, but the whole propaganda about Greeks working less, etc. is proven wrong by the statistics and it's just something that the system had to come up with to make this financial-political attack seem more needed and right. Seeing as more and more European (or not) countries are starting to face the same problems, one has to wonder if the so called Greek crisis was a Trojan horse of the more general systemic crisis.

Of course, as with every other aspect, there is an impact on the metal scene too. It's hard to rehearse, record and travel for gigs and we all know metal doesn't pay. This applies on labels too, it's even harder now for a label to invest money on a band.

Giannis: What a huge crap is all this mess! I must feel lucky to be an individual who still has a job and answering these questions at fucking midnight, while I’m still at work. I spit on the grave of every fucking politician – traitor not only in this country, but all over Europe as well!!!

Your thoughts please on the following:

THIN LIZZY...

Giannis: When it comes to hard ‘n heavy music, we are talking about one of my fave bands, along with Blue Oyster Cult, early Rainbow and early Scorpions!

Nikos: Some decent releases, some great songs, cannot be compared though with monster groups such as Scorpions, Black Sabbath or Styx, in general, nothing special (fave song “Genocide”)

RUSH...

Giannis: I really love “2112”, “Hemispheres” and “Moving Pictures”. Neil Peart is a phenomenon!

Nikos: First period great ('70s), the rest, not my cup of tea.

H. P. LOVECRAFT...

Nikos: The best horror stylist of the 20th century, at the mountains of madness…

ROBERT E. HOWARD...

Nikos: A versatile writer of Heroic fantasy. Needless to say, he weaved his web in both prose and poetry which is highly admirable.

Thanks for talking to Cimmerian Shadows – the last words are yours!

Nikos: Thanks to you mate for doing this interview and your support for Wrathblade. Also thanks to all people and friends who have supported us thus far, you know, we put our souls and hearts to everything we do concerning Wrathblade music, songs built upon passion comes to magic. Support underground music!

Giannis: Gratitude and respect to all persons who have supported us until now and to you my friend! I hope we can share the stage together, because your band fucking rules!!! Lastly, watch out for the first LP!!!