Thanks to Rock Hard Germany for the Interview that Marios Iliopoulos talking about the new album, and also a last question answering a very interesting subject that many fans still wondering about the bands path.
Check it out here:
Marios Iliopoulos is not only a great guitarist, but also an absolute metal freak and idealist. Despite countless line-up changes, he has kept his melodic death metal cog NIGHTRAGE on track for almost 25 years and recently released album number ten, “Remains Of A Dead World”.
Marios, how do you manage to motivate yourself to keep going after all these years and the many line-up changes?
I still have this great passion and love for music. As long as I feel it, I will keep going. It’s like in real life: people come and go, that’s how it is in a band too. And as you can see and hear, the more changes we’ve had in recent years, the stronger the band has become. I’m very happy with my people at the moment and even have a surprise for you: Fotis Benardo has recently become our new drummer. He also drummed on our second album “Descent Into Chaos” back then and was with SEPTICFLESH for a few years after that. I’m looking forward to working with him again because he’s a great person and drummer.”
Konstantinos Togas is also a new singer on “Remains Of A Dead World”.
It was a lucky coincidence that we met him. After Ronnie Nyman left us last year, we suddenly found ourselves without a frontman. But since we really wanted to play a few shows in Germany, Konstantinos agreed to step in at short notice. Even though we had hardly any time, he packed in the songs and delivered a great performance. He definitely took his chance and is a great guy who fits in perfectly with us.«
You are an international band. How does songwriting work, and do you ever have something like a band rehearsal?
Magnus Söderman, g.; also Mezzrow – Swedish Thrash Metal – ps) and I are the two main songwriters. I fly to Sweden every now and then. We meet up to jam together, and that’s where our song ideas come from. We both put our egos aside, are honest with each other and respect each other; the band is always the focus. As far as rehearsing together goes: we never do that. We all come together for the shows, which works great because everyone arrives optimally prepared.«
What would have had to happen for NIGHTRAGE to be as successful today as comparable bands like Arch Enemy, In Flames or Dark Tranquillity?
Interesting question. Maybe we should have found better management when it came to establishing ourselves. Maybe it would have made sense to follow the path of the old bluesman Robert Johnson, who made a contract with the devil (laughs). Seriously, I don’t think there is a guide or guarantee for success. I’m happy with how things are now because I don’t make music to get rich. I’ve made some mistakes in my career, like giving my heart to people who didn’t really deserve it. But mistakes are like school lessons, you have to learn from them and try to improve.”
Photo by Elena Vasilaki
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