10.21.2003

FIREWIND Interview with Gus G.

1. Tell us about the new band members and why Konstantine and Brian Harris left the band.

From the very first moment that I started this band, my dream was to become a live band. So, touring is very important for us. Konstantine is a very close friend of mine for many years, but he is a family man and unfortunately he couldn't follow us on tours. The same goes for Brian Harris, although he was a session guy from the beggining. So, this meant that I had to replace both of them. I got in touch with Norwegian drummer, Stian Kristoffersen first. I met Stian when he came to Studio Fredman in Sweden, with his band Pagan's Mind. I thought they were an excellent band and that he's an awesome drummer. Later on, I played in a festival in Norway with Dream Evil and Pagan's Mind played there too, so me and Stian became friends. When I asked him to join our band, he immediately accepted. For the bass slot, I asked another old friend of mine from my hometown, Thessaloniki. His name is Petros Christo and he used to play with a great metal band, Breaking Silence. They split up after their debut release, so Petros wasn't doing much these days. So, we're very happy to have these 2 new guys in the band, as both of them are great friends and musicians.

2. What about the songwriting and recording proccess of the new album?

Well, the songwriting proccess was done like on the first album. I basically wrote all the music and arrangements and I sent the music to Stephen and our producer David Chastain and they worked together on the lyrics and vocal lines. I must say that this chemistry between us, has worked great so far. I actually, became more invlolved int he production this time, as I had a very good idea about the musical direction and how the band should sound on this album. I feel that "Burning Earth" is my best album so far. We recorded the album in 3 diffeent studios: Guitars, bass and keys were recorded in A29 studio in Thessaloniki, Greece, drums were recorded @ Mediamaker in Skien, Norway and vocals were once again recorded @ Leviathan studios in Atlanta. The album was mixed by Fredrik Nordstrom once again in Sweden and the legendary Eroc mastered it in Germany.

3. What's the release date of "Burning Earth"?

The album will be released on November 6th in Japan through Toshiba-EMI, and November 10th in Europe through Massacre and USA through Leviathan.

4. Who did the artwork and cover for the new album?

The cover art is made by Japanese artist, Kazuo Hakamada. He has also made covers for bands like Symphony X. The booklet was done by a fellow artist, Angelos Lyrtzis. We were looking for the perfect cover for a long time, but when I saw Kazuo's idea, I immediately felt that it was the one. This cover has amazing colours that I haven't seen on any metal album before.

5. Are there any touring plans??

Yes, there are. We have just been booked for our first Japan tour in January 2004. We will play 3 dates: 2 in Tokyo and one in Osaka. The package will be FIREWIND/ ROB ROCK's Rage Of Creation. We're also working on our European dates at the moment. Please keep checking our website www.firewind.gr for official tour date anouncements.

6. You have made a video clip for the song "I Am The Anger". Talk a bit about that.

We shot the video in July 2003. The video was directed by Angelos Lyrtzis and Argyris Vrettas. We shot the outdoor parts in a very col location right under the mighty Mount Olympous! It was quite a big production actually: We had 10 actors involved and I think the video turned out to be very Heavy Metal!!!! The video will be featured as a bonus track on the European version of the album. We will also try to get it aired on TV in Japan, Europe and USA.

7. Please tell us about your favorite tracks on the Cd?

All songs are special to me in their own way, but if I have to pick a couple of them, those would be "I Am The Anger" and "Immortal Lives Young".

8. Please tell us the equipment you used on this Cd?

The guitars were recorded with Line 6 amplification and more specifically, POD 2. The guitars I used was my Washburn CP 2003 and my Fender Stratocaster Floyd Rose series. I also used a lot of wah wah, for the solos and some specific melodies.

9. Any last words to all the FIREWIND fans?

Sure! Thank you all very much for ur support and ur letters!! we hope to see u soon on tour!! Make sure u check out our brand new album "Burning Earth". I hope u enjoy it!! Until then.........Stay METAL!!

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