ELYSION
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 14th December 2009.
Elysion is a Greek gothic metal band founded by guitarist Johnny Zero, and rounded out by vocalist Christianna, bassist FXF and drummer Petros Fatis. They've got a new album - Silent Scr3am - on the way out this month.
We caught up with Johnny and Christianna to have a chat about the new release and more.
Hi guys, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Christianna and Johnny: Hallo to everyone and a big thanks to you for having us! At the moment we are pretty happy and excited about 'Silent Scr3am' coming out on the 18th of December!
How did Elysion start? Were you all friends beforehand or was the band created and then key roles auditioned?
Christianna and Johnny: Elysion was founded in 2006 by Johnny and Elysion’s former singer Maxi Nil, who had been friends for some time. They then invited friends who they considered to be very talented musicians to join them in what they hoped to be an ambitious and beautiful plan. Gladly, chemistry worked perfectly and that was just the beginning.
Has anyone in the band been in other groups we may have heard of?
Christianna: We have all been involved with quite a few bands and projects over the years, I think Johnny’s most recent band before Elysion was 'Sudden Death'. As for me, perhaps you might have heard of 'Bare Infinity', an atmospheric power metal band. Even now, there are always side projects each of us is taking part in, but due to Elysion’s increasing needs for our time and energy...right now every extra activity has been limited to a minimum.
Where does FXF's name come from and what does it stand for?
Johnny: Unfortunately he doesn’t have a mysterious story to tell behind his nickname. FXF is just a random choice of letters he did 3 years ago in order to create a myspace account because all of his friends had one except for him... FXF was perfect, easy to remember, not too cliché and sounded cool. Of course he did not imagine that he would stick with it, especially by the time he joined Elysion when everybody he met through the band or myspace recognized him as FXF, so he decided to keep it that way and not use his real name.
How did you get into music? Have you had lessons or are your skills self-taught?
Johnny: When I was little I started attending piano lessons but it very quickly became clear to me that guitar would be the love of my life...at the time when I held my very first Iron Maiden record in my hands I knew I was intoxicated with music and I had found what I wanted to do with my life. I have stayed devoted ever since!
Christianna: My dad was an opera singer. My very first memories as a child are full of him singing to me songs and lullabies he used to write for me. when i turned 6 i got a synthesizer as a Christmas present and my dad started teaching me some theoretical things about music. I remember we would sit down for hours and record songs we sang together.
Later on I had piano, harmony and history of music lessons and by the time I got to 15 i had already come up with a plan: I began to study like crazy ,all sorts of different vocal techniques I found interesting from funk and soul music to power metal, trying to absorb any good element but also to find my personal identity as a singer. Today I’m still learning and I know I will always be.
Is your family as a whole musical?
Christianna: I think i got my music genes from my father…he gave up his singing career to start a family but I’ve always looked up to his talent. My mom, on the other hand, can never hit one right note :)
Johnny: I definitely come from a musical family, most of my relatives are musicians, guitarists specifically, and some are music producers and sound engineers. So i couldn't escape my genes...
There seems to be a lot of decent rock/metal coming out of Greece these days. What's the scene like over there?
Christianna: Crowded actually! Competition is getting greater and greater and this is a good thing because it’s beneficial for the Greek scene to see the standards improving. I am proud to see talented bands hitting the international scene. After 'Rotting Christ', 'Septic Flesh' and 'Firewind', there now seems to be quite a lot of activity going on in Greece. Still, it is difficult to overcome certain obstacles and stand out, but I still am a romantic thinker who believes that whatever the difficulties, there will always be space for beautiful works and talented people.
Even in the cold UK rock clubs are always roasting hot! Am I right in thinking it's sizzling work playing live in Greece, or do you have the luxury of air conditioning and buckets of cold water?
Christianna and Johnny: Well it's not that bad. It’s probably because Greece is quite a hot country and we are rather used to high temperatures... Clubs are ok and most of the time air conditioned. The hardest thing is playing outdoors in some festival taking place in July, and sometimes having to perform at around noon. Greece's summer sun is no joke...but luckily it’s so rewarding for us to get in touch with the crowd that we forget about everything else!
What can fans expect from an Elysion live set like?
Christianna and Johnny: Hopefully, if someone liked 'Silent Scr3am' he will have a great time at the show. We try our best to maintain the album's quality in sound and hope we are doing a good job. We are very respectful towards anyone who comes to see us and feel we owe it to ourselves to measure up to anything good we’ve done in the album and not offer anything less than our best. We care to create a fully energetic and emotional atmosphere, and people are the ones to thank ‘cause they make the magic happen.
Do you have extra people in the band when you play live, or is it just the four of you? I ask because, obviously, Johnny does several things at once on the album...
Johnny: We are so grateful that you asked this because we feel obliged to give great credit to Nid who is the fifth member of Elysion on stage and always does an amazing job with the guitars and with our overall performance.
Christianna: True, Johnny cannot do it all so in order for Elysion's live sound quality to be the best possible there are also some programming and loop arrangements handled by our sound engineers, Mike Skarakis and Wee. Again a huge plus for the whole team. Elysion are very lucky to be surrounded by such talented and devoted professionals and we owe them all big time!
Do you have any plans to come to the UK, or even cross the Atlantic and play America?
Christianna and Johnny: Definitely! we haven’t announced any dates yet but we soon will. America is probably not happening in the next 6 months but we are already planning on crossing the Atlantic later in 2010. For now, Elysion's European tour is absolutely top priority and our number one reason to be excited. We are trying our best to be able to visit as many countries as possible and keeping our fingers crossed for the UK to be one of the very first we get to visit!
Are there any gigs you've played that really stick in the mind?
Christianna and Johnny: We tend to remember each and every Elysion gig for different reasons...we cannot fail to mention what an honour it was to share the stage with 'The Gathering', 'Christian Death', 'Diary Of Dreams', 'Star Industry and even our very own 'Septic Flesh'. Another moment worth mentioning was Elysion's former singer Maxi's performing with 'Moonspell' at Athens’ 'Rock ‘em All Festival'. Still, each show is precious to us regardless of how big the crowd is. We are thrilled to communicate our music and even if we manage to reach out to just one person it will still be a blessing.
Who were the band's early influences?
Johnny: Elysion’s influences vary a lot since we all have combined our different musical backgrounds in metal, rock, gothic and electro into forming our final sound. Each of us contributed a different element to the band and luckily, all these elements combined to form an interesting outcome. We didn’t choose to sound a certain way and certainly never labeled what we play, our sound is the result of the mixture of our musical identities.
Has your sound changed much since that first demo or have you had a fairly consistent style?
Christianna: Well, 'Silent Scr3am' is changed in sound in relation to the demo but this is due to the dramatic improvement of production matters, like Ted Jensen's mastering for instance. We also enriched the album with numerous extra ideas which we thought best brought out Elysion's identity. Other than that, I think our style is quite consistent and it was important for us to keep it that way because we wanted our debut album to be a perfect representative of what Elysion are about.
How would you describe the Elysion sound to someone who hadn't heard you before?
Christianna and Johnny: We believe Elysion’s sound is clean and simple but at the same time strong and alluring. 'Silent Scr3am' is what each of us would like to whisper, sing or cry out to life, hoping to be heard.
For me, your sound is deep and rich, but also accessible. Is accessibility something that's important to you, or could you see yourself making a more complex, less 'friendly' type of music one day?
Johnny: It means a lot to us to hear you say this, because this is what we wanted 'Silent Scr3am' to sound like: beautiful in its simplicity. We wanted everyone to be able to relate to something we have to offer, regardless of his exact preferences in metal or gothic.
As for the future, I think there is no need for us to try and change who we are to fit in with a more complex type of music. We got lots of ideas about what there is to follow and we surely don’t plan to repeat ourselves on the next album. I guess you're gonna have to wait until that time comes to discover what new elements will be the ones to make Elysion sound even more powerful. Still, it will always be a huge compliment to us to be accessible. To be honest, I don't know anyone who releases an album aiming to reach out to no one...
Were there any particular stories or concepts in mind during the writing of this album?
Christianna and Johnny: There is no such thing as a 'strict' concept. However we feel that there is one strong atmosphere behind 'Silent Scr3am' and this is prominent in every song of the album. Although our songs combine a variety of different elements and musical influences, our overall mood is always a somewhat romantic view of our feelings and dreams, making it very easy for anyone to relate to our lyrics and emotions. 'Silent Scr3am' to us is a fluid ray of light sneaking into a dark room...
What is the writing/recording process actually like? Does one of you do all the writing, or do you all head to the studio for a jamming session?
Christianna: Well I think we probably follow the most common procedure...before entering our recording studio a pre-production of the album is completed at Johnny’s studio so we have a better understanding of what the needs for improvement are and have some preview of what the whole thing will sound like. Once we are satisfied with what we hear we enter the studio and all of us take turns recording, starting with drums and bass, right after the guitars, then synths and loops leaving my vocals being recorded last. This is very important to me because it leaves me space to add whatever idea I have after having listened to the instrumental form of the songs in their almost completed version.
How long would you say the album took to make from start to finish?
Christianna and Johnny: It took us something like 9 months to get the album fully ready, mixed and mastered and also have all the artwork ready for it. It was a very creative time for Elysion, we enjoyed it to the maximum!
Do you have any favourite moments or tracks on the album?
Christianna: I seem to be going through phases...I love all songs in 'Silent Scr3am' but tend to listen to a specific song more according to my mood. When feeling quite melancholic I usually put 'Erase Me' on repeat and just sink into its depression, while listening to 'Killing My Dreams' always gets me in the highest mood possible!
Johnny: ...Hard to answer because each song has very emotional moments for me in it...if I definitely had to pick the most favourite song that would probably be 'Killing My Dreams' because I consider it to be the one to best represent Elysion’s style and it was also among the first songs written for 'Silent Scr3am'.
Have you had much in the way of radio airplay yet?
Christianna and Johnny: There have been quite a few radio stations, mostly in Greece but also in Europe who have already supported Elysion. We expect all this to grow soon as 'Silent Scr3am'is officially released on December 18th. It would be a blessing to have our music played and perhaps embraced!
Have you made a video for any of the tracks? If not, do you plan to do so?
Christianna and Johnny: Making a video clip is now among our top priorities...we are trying to pick out which tracks are going to be visualized but it's a tough call... But we can let you know that 'Killing My Dreams' is probably going to be our first video clip.
How did Ted Jensen get involved in the album? He's quite a big name to have attached to the release! :)
Christianna and Johnny: Working with one of the top sound engineers in the industry was a huge honour and opportunity. Over the years we have been very impressed by Jensen’s work, since it has contributed so much to the sound of many of our favourite bands and artists, so we totally trusted him to do whatever he thought best with our music and, of course, he did.
We should at this point give great credit to our producer Mark Adrian who did an amazing job recording and mixing the album, and therefore 'feeding' Ted Jensen with a very high standard material so he had a wonderful platform to work on and master 'Silent Scr3am'. For all these reasons, we consider ourselves extremely lucky, especially because 'Silent Scr3am' is our very first album and it was very important to us that production brings out the best of our music.
Is there any story behind Natalie Shau's artwork? Who came up with the idea?
Christianna and Johnny: We have actually been following Natalie Shau’s work for several years and loving it…she is an extremely talented artist and she has worked miracles with so many bands, among them 'Poisonblack' and 'Lacuna Coil'. She was the first to come to mind when it was time for us to decide upon our cover. We needed the outside to match the inside…we wanted Elysion’s simplicity and beauty to be captured on the cover and be just what the title says: a silent scream is quiet but loud at the same time.
Natalie took this all to the next level: she managed to come up with something so pretty, inviting and eye-catching but at the same time dark and weird, we knew from the moment we saw it that this was it. The girl on the cover is so still and silent, yet breathtaking and intense, it couldn’t have worked any better!
Does having an attractive singer open doors that otherwise might stay shut?
Christianna: First of all, thank you for the compliment! From where I stand, there are always pros and cons…For instance a good appearance always helps to get you noticed, but it won’t really take you any further than that. It’s quite tough for women to make it in the metal scene anyway… They are usually judged more strictly than male singers and a whole lot more is expected of them to justify their place. And considering female vocalizing has become mainstream for this industry, competition is getting bigger and bigger... I guess I see this all as a challenge and always try to improve.
Does the band get male groupies...and do the other Elysion members get jealous?
Johnny: Haha…I am fine with male groupies as long as they bring their beautiful sisters with them!
Christianna: ...Actually, men are always very discreet and rather shy in comparison to women, so if there is anyone feeling jealous that would be me!
Where do you see Elysion in 10 years time?
Christianna and Johnny: Our expectations may be very high and we all keep our fingers crossed but it is hard to determine where this path will take us in the long run. We are more focused on taking everything one day at a time, making the best out of every chance we are given each day. If all goes well, we wish that some years from now Elysion will have shaped up their place both in the rock/metal scene, but also in people’s hearts. Hopefully our way to that will be filled with good music and with this type of magic that sometimes happens between a band and the crowd and is what makes all the effort worth while.
What question do you hate being asked? Have I avoided it?
Christianna: I have never been asked anything I hated I guess...I have no problem answering anything...
Johnny: Me neither…we feel grateful towards any chance we are given to reach out to people and appreciate every question and interest anyone might have in us.
Any question you love being asked that I've missed? If so, what's the answer?
Christianna: I don't really know about myself but Johnny here definitely loves being asked anything about his favourite band, which is Iron Maiden. I believe he could actually talk about them for all eternity, haha…
Johnny: Well, ok, you got me there. That's true and I cannot really help it because everyday it is proven to me what a huge influence this band has been for almost every band in metal up to today. Oops...I did it again...the Iron Maiden speech...!
What are you up to once you've finished answering these questions?
Christianna and Johnny: Actually…rehearsing. We are very excited about our forthcoming tour both in Greece and abroad and we are getting as prepared as we can get, making sure we have shaped up an energetic and beautiful show for everyone.
Anything else you would like to mention?
Christianna: I would like to thank you all for your support, it honestly means everything to us to see people responding to Elysion's music. We will never forget all the strength we are given in these very first steps of ours. Can’t wait to see you at a show!
Johnny: We invite you all to take a listen to 'Silent Scr3am' and maybe find something beautiful in it...we are also waiting for your visit on http://www.myspace.com/elysionmyspace.
Thanks for your time... :)
Christianna and Johnny: Thank you so much for your time and for this wonderful interview. Hope to meet you in person one day. Up the horns!
Thanks again to Christianna and Johnny. You can check out the Rock Realms review of latest album Silent Scr3am here.
http://www.myspace.com/elysionmyspace
