1) Hello guys! How are you doing?
(Symeon). Hi and thank you for the invitation to talk about Subfire. Everything is really well, we manage to finish our upcoming album and the best is yet to come. It was a long process due to coronavirus but we are very happy for our work.
2) We really liked the news about your new album from Symmetric Records. We can call this “heavy metal”. How do you feel on this?
(Symeon). It is pure power metal with heavy and epic riffs. We think that the news for our upcoming album were well received by the audience and our fans, we didn’t expect this and of course we are very thrilled!! ‘Define the Sinner’ met many delays through the last years and on September 2020 we decided to ‘finish the job’. We started on October 2020 in Sound Symmetry Studio with Bob Katsionis and we recorded it until May 2021. Of course, we had a plan how to proceed, both with recording sessions and with promotion, and everything were done according to our plan. Bob is also the founder and owner of Symmetric Records and he helped us a lot. We are very excited to be a part of this label and we will do our best.
(Symeon). The band is born in 2004 in our hometown, after many live shows and band member changes we ended up to the creation of ‘Define the Sinner’. The past was not easy, we struggled enough to find our musical identity and the proper members for the band, but in the end fate smiled on us!! We manage to perform in many gigs and we also recorded 2 demos and 1 EP on that period. We decided to change our musical style to elevate our songs into another level and we were right. I am the only member from the beginning of this journey back in 2004 (Symeon Sanidas – drums), George Larentzakis (guitars – backing vocals) is the composer and the maestro of Subfire since 2012, Rindra Rado is our bass player since 2014 and Veandok (vocals) is the last add, he became member of the band in 2021.
4) Being from Greece, makes you have a big tradition in culture. What is your opinion about music in your country?
(Symeon). Greece is a country with history in music and culture. Greek people respect a lot the traditional music and when they feast, in many occasions, they dance and sing. It is really very emotional watching people trying to preserve their culture by Greek traditional music. In metal music, there have been efforts to highlight artists and I believe we are in the right path. Metal festivals all around Greece, big names almost every summer on Greek stages and I believe is the beginning of something new and beautiful. And last, many bands worldwide respect the Greek history by creating music about the ancient years (Spartans for example) and it is great honor for us. So to conclude, as a Greek, I respect my traditional music and culture in country and I will try to keep this feeling alive for next generations, and of course, as a Greek metal musician I will try to express my love and devotion to my country by another way, playing the music that I like!
5) How is your mood about Covid-19? Did this influence the band?
(Symeon). Unfortunately, many people lost their own because of Covid-19 and it is still very upsetting. We urge people to keep up all safety and hygiene measures. For us, it was difficult enough but we manage and finish our album. We also finalize the line up for the band so I think we made smart moves.
6) Do you consider that being a heavy metal band in 2021 is an advantage or a disadvantage for the band?
(Symeon). Being in a band and playing the music you love is a blessing. It was difficult in the past, but it is difficult and now. You have to be committed 100% and you will overcome all obstacles.
7) Who writes the lyrics and what they are about?
(Symeon). I write most of the lyrics and the vocal lines. Sometimes George writes too and we combine the result. Every lyric of each song has its own story, that depends on the music. I write when the music is ready and I add the lyrics into the songs. The music that George writes drives me to write many situations. It could be about the result of a battle and the impact that has in a soldier’s mental state for example, or it could be the inner struggle of a man with himself when he returns home from war, or it could be an internal wandering when he seeks for divine signs that could explain things etc. Of course, I try to end things with a positive note when I write, it is not my intension to write ‘dark’ and ‘doom’ songs, I want the reader, when he reaches the end of the lyric lines, to feel hopeful and with good energy.
8) Are there any other musical projects for the members of Subfire?
(Symeon). At the moment we are focused on the release of our upcoming album ‘Define the Sinner’, which is going to be release on September 10th 2021 by Symmetric Records, and the next steps we had in mind to promote the album. George and myself, we are exclusively committed to Subfire and we have no other projects, at least for now. Of course Rindra and Veandok have other musical projects, they are excellent musicians but they also prioritize the release of our upcoming album right now.
9) What was your best live performance ever and how did you feel?
(Symeon). Our best live performance was on October 2017 in a place called ‘Remedy’, it’s like a pub. It was crowded and with the line-up then, we performed extremely well our playlist. The response of the audience was incredible and it was then that I say to myself, ‘we are good, we have to be great, so work more’. It was the sparkle that makes us create ‘Define the Sinner’.
10) What are your plans about Subfire? You have a new album coming soon, right?
(Symeon). Me and George, have already written most of the songs for our second full-length album and this period we try to organize the future plan for the upcoming recordings etc. We also try to schedule live shows to promote ‘Define the Sinner’.
11) Keep up the nice work, guys! Metal on!
(Symeon). Thank you ‘Metal Prison – No Escape’ for giving us the chance to share our latest news about Subfire and keep up the good work. We hope you will hear from us for a long time, so patience, the best is yet to come!! Stay tuned, stay safe and stay metal!! Bye!!
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