Suicidal Angels – interview met Nick Melissourgos (vocals, guitars)
Nick Melissourgos: “This album, it is different. We try to make a great album every time, rather than focussing on stereotypes. It is music, so in the end… If the music that we make doesn’t make us headbang in the studio, how is it going to make you headbang?”
De sympathieke Grieken van Suicidal Angels zijn niet meer weg te denken uit het metal circuit, maar daar hebben ze dan ook erg hard voor gewerkt. Wanneer je nagaat hoe vlug de albums elkaar opvolgden in de beginperiode, dan kan je niets anders dan ontzag voelen. Het achtste studioalbum ‘Profane Prayer’ is nu uit en heeft ons erg aangenaam verrast. We durven te stellen dat dit het beste album is dat de band ooit maakte en waren dan ook erg benieuwd om te horen wat zanger/gitarist Nick Melissourges er allemaal over te zeggen had.
Vera Matthijssens Ι 15 maart 2024
Suicidal Angels already existed for six years in the underground before a label was involved and you could make your debut album ‘Eternal Domination’. Why was that? Is it still so hard in Greece?
No, back then in the early 2000’s thrash metal was not popular. So all the labels did not pay too much attention to thrash metal music. So we actually managed to find a label and had our first official album release in 2007 on a label from California called OSM Records. They were the first to put some trust in us, because the guy was also an old school thrash metal fan. He is an American, but originally he is from Switzerland. Back then we were going to the post offices, sending demos. Sending over and over but we did not know where he was sending the whole thing. Internet was not like today, we were just trying to find addresses from labels existing, we were just sending. We actually spent a lot of money on post offices. So he believed in us and he signed us and then we managed to sign with Nuclear Blast and the rest is kind of history. After 2009 we released some records via NoiseArt Music. First we signed to Nuclear Blast but that was only for one record. Now we are back home.
Which album do you consider being a breakthrough album and what happened after that release?
Actually for us every album is a breakthrough, because on every album we try to bring something different, create something else. We don’t want to stay in the box you know. We don’t like stereotypes. It is thrash metal it has to be straight. No. I am going to give you an example. Before we release or record any album, let us say for example that an album has ten songs, we start to rehearse them over and over again and we let the material develop itself. On every album we want to present something different and it is really difficult nowadays to build up a fan-base. There are thousands releases every month, many tours, many anything, so we are trying to be somehow unique. We try to bring our identity into every album, we don’t want to repeat ourselves. So every time we are bringing a new album out, it is kind of struggling. You have to fight inside yourself, to find the proper way. For example, you listened to the latest album, right? It doesn’t have anything to do with previous albums. It is different. We try to make a great album every time, rather than focussing on stereotypes. It is music. If the music that we make doesn’t make us headbang in the studio, how is it going to make you headbang?
One of the highlights must have been Sonisphere in Greece with the big thrash 4…
Yes that was a really unique experience. We had signed with NB and we were just touring and touring and touring, all the festivals in Europe and we got an email to open up for the big 4. What the fuck? That was in 2010. Another great experience was touring with Kreator in 2007. We also got an offer in 2019 to play with Slayer on the last show in Athens. That was insane also. Gary Holt used to play in Slayer and there was a connection because we toured with Exodus. He was there and he was even broadcasting live our show, he was on the side of the stage. The video exists on the Internet.
The album is more various, epic and more in depth than I expected…
Thank you. Actually the thing is, there is no certain scenario behind the whole thing. It just happened. For me I take my guitar and it is just like stolen stuff. Recording stuff on my computer, I am just checking with the others ‘guys, do you like that?’ And they say of course or not. You know how it goes. This time it was more like: let us write something different. Out of the box. So let’s go and try that out.
Why did you choose the title ‘Profane Prayer’?
The album is a spontaneous move. There is no exact explanation about it. We listened to the songs and we just thought: ‘ah profane prayer, it sounds nice. It describes the album, because the album has nothing to do with one certain theme. It has to do with – especially the lyrics – they are like my point of view about philosophy, it has to do with Plato and Nietzsche, with Socrates and that stuff. It has to do with the way that I see the world.
What are the things that really inspire you?
As I told you before, actually I am a reader. I am reading books. Books of philosophy. Books of whatever. I don’t spend hours on social media. It might be a tool of work, but nothing else. Just imagine I have home 1000 pages of Edgar Allen Poe, with everything that he wrote. I haven’t read it yet, but every day a few hours. As I told you, I am a bookworm.
That is really private investigation
Yes, thank you for saying that.
I know that you are the producer and usually there is also a guy for mix and mastering. Who?
The production I did myself. We did the recording in Athens with Fotis Benardo of Septicflesh.
For mix and mastering we went to the Fascination Street Studio and Jens Bogren, but this time it was like a bit more specialized, a bit more to the point of the details. So we can deliver something that has more character. The album is a bit different than in the past. We wanted to go deeper into details for something different, something outside of the box. Different elements. Experimental stuff.
That’s what you should do as musician…
I don’t know. We just go for it and whatever comes is okay.
What are concerts you’ll always remember?
Oh that is difficult. It is Alcatraz, Graspop, Hellfest, Biebob, backstage in Germany in Essen….
Was this a difficult album to make or rather an easy one?
Pff there is no difficult album to make and no easy one. It is just another album. You have to move on. You have to move forward. You have to evolve. You have to challenge yourself, based on the previous one. For example we had an album in 2019 that got nice critics and nice interviews, but you have to move on for yourself and then again and then again… because we don’t live in the eighties. In the eighties everything was easy. Right now you have to take all the influences, you have to put yourself more into the music and actually even forget your influences and you have to go more in yourself.
What were your influences when you started?
Ah come on, that is obvious. Slayer, Sepultura, all these bands. We are friends with them now.
You finally met them on touring…
Yes on touring of course. Sodom, Kreator. Destruction, Slayer. We got the chance to play on the last show of Slayer in Athens in 2019.
Is this album written during the pandemic or later?
No, actually it was almost ready before the pandemic, but they delayed it a lot. The demos were ready before the pandemic. Not recorded, but preproduction and created. Everything then was closed: studios, so we had to wait.
What is the farthest country you ever played?
Russia, South America, Japan, all of them. And we are going back. Don’t write it down, it is just inside information between us. But it is going to be a nice year and I will be happy to have another session with you again at the beginning of next year.
What is ‘Deathstalker’ about?
I won’t tell you, no just kiddin’ ‘Deathstalker’ is actually the name of a specifically breed of scorpions. It is the name of a scorpion.
A special occluding track is ‘The Fire Paths of Fate’. What is it about?
That is a very long story. Next time we are in Belgium, come over and let’s have a beer together and I will explain you what it is about. It is a long story with a lot of pain and a lot of death. A lot of fire, war, everything.
Are there any guests on the album?
Oh yes. On ‘Deathstalker’ there is Sakis from Rotting Christ. The day I went out to record the vocals for ‘Deathstalker’, Sakis was there, Fotis was there and also Efthimis from Nightfall was there. And I was like: hey come on you fuckin’ assholes, sing something. All three are singing in that song, a couple of lines each of them. We are friends.
Who did the artwork?
Ed Repka. We used him for the last ten years. He did also the albums for Megadeth, for Death and many others.
How would you see the music evolution of your band?
Step by step.
And what is the next step?
As soon as the record is out, we are going to do a European tour. Of course we are also working on other tours and we hope we can have a busy Festival Summer. We are looking forward to go on tour with this new album.
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