SR: Has it affect the Nightrage much when Gus G left the group or when Marios Iliopoulos participated in recording of Mystic Prophecy?
Nightrage: Gus is my best friend and a blood brother to me. We started the band together and it was until now that we both realised that we have to part ways musically and focus in what make us happier, and that is to give full attention in our bands without having members going on and off all the time. I respect him and wish him the best with his own band Firewind; we are so close friends that things like that don’t affect our friendship. I was asked from Lia the main guy behind Mystic Prophecy to do 2 solos on their new album and I was glad to do it for him, I gave them also hospitality in my home in Gothenburg and we had a cool time together when they were mixing their new album at Studio Fredman.

SR: How difficult is it (both in spiritual and physical aspects) to leave Greece for Sweden and create such a competition-free music project as a Nightrage?
Nightrage: That was one of the hardest decisions that made in my life, after playing for 10 years with my old band Exhumation in Greece I realised that there’s no future to do such thing in my country and I understand that I have to go somewhere else to create and realise my musical dreams. I had a really hard time in the first place to do that because I didn’t have enough money to survive and it was a totally new experience for me. I had to start working in shit jobs to make a living and also I had a big problem finding a place to stay, I remember changing apartments 6 times in the first year in Sweden that’s tough man, I don’t know I don’t regret anything concerning what I did , I feel proud that I make Nightrage a living band and I’m happy that I follow my heart and never let down the dreams and plans I had for the band.

SR: Your debut album “sweet vengeance” according to Marios’ thanks list was a real sugar sweet vengeance to those who didn’t believe in you. Were there many of unbelievers?
Nightrage: That’s a bitter story to be honest with you I feel that what happened belongs in the past, I was really angry at the time and this album was my answer to some of those guys. Nowadays I feel that this is old news and I want only to look at the future. But you are right there were too many unbelievers.

SR: What was the main aim you had recording the “Sweet vengeance”?
Nightrage: I wanted to do really fast steps and make an album that everybody will love, Sweet was a great success for me both personally and musically because that was the music I really wanted to play, and with Nightrage I had all the time and freedom in the world that I wanted to.

SR: What your fans can expect from your future songs?
Nightrage: Total metal attitude we want to create the best Nightrage album ever, we have really good ideas and the other guys will contribute ideas for songs, I think we are ready to make a killer album.

SR: Do you have any ideas on making such a speedy mode songs as “Omen” or “Being nothing”?
Nightrage: Yes actually we have some ideas for fast songs because we feel this is a part of Nightrage that we don’t want to loose and we want to keep doing real metal stuff because that’s what we are.

SR: Why such a fast kind of music is so rare nowadays?
Nightrage: I really don’t know I think that some bands they just forget from where they started and they tend to modernise their sound more and more. We want to have intensity in Nightrage and focus on doing heavy music.

SR: Your album demonstrates unbelievable drum techniques of Fotis Benardo. What’s the story behind his appearance in Nightrage?
Nightrage: I knew Fotis Benardo from before while he was playing with Septic Flesh, and once we met and talked in Greece, I saw that we share the same dreams and values about life and music. So when I get an e-mail from Sakis of Rotting Christ letting me know that he is interested to try for Nightrage, I immediately like the idea. Fotis he came in Sweden for an audition and honestly I didn’t know what to expect, I heard the best of words from everybody about his incredible drum playing, but personally I never saw him play in front of my eyes. I can tell you that this guy blows me away at the rehearsal studio with his awesome technique, and his enormous talent. My jaw dropped and I couldn’t believe that this tiny Greek guy could play so well. I ask him to play any songs from the first album and he just nailed them, he played them exactly like Per from the Haunted plus putting his own style. He showed me his tricks, and I can tell you that I was amazed by him, on the first rehearsal we did I told him straight that he is in the band, and we shake our hands, this is the guy that I was looking for the band and it’s really crazy if you think that I found him in Greece, through Sweden, he is a really nice person to work with, he care a lot about the band, and he is one of the best drummers I ever saw in my life. He is playing the drums every day, and he is also a great drum teacher in Greece/Athens having 26 students. I’m sure that his talent and awesome skills would be appreciated by the metal fans very soon.

SR: Does such thing as “Swedish sound” mean anything to you?
Nightrage: I know what you mean there is a scene here and all that started from at the gates I remember listening to their album back in the days and I think that they started a whole new scene.

SR: How many records should you sell in Europe to supply yourself with the good amount of money for a beautiful living possibility?
Nightrage: Life is hard man if you think that you can make a living from playing that music it’s a long way to go. I think a band must sell big amounts of albums to have the chance to live by the music they are doing, and that’s so difficult nowadays with so many bands getting in the picture and all those downloads on the internet.

SR: Tell us about your latest tour. Were there any memorable moment which could worth the DVD?
Nightrage: There were tons of them and we would like one day to recollect most of them and do a great DVD for our fans.

SR: What comes first and foremost in your studio works?
Nightrage: To be able to deliver the stuff the best possible way, concentration focus and dedication in what you are doing plays really important role at making a killer album.

SR: Marios, do you keep in touch with some musicians of Greek metal scene? What is it like?
Nightrage: I know a lot of musicians from Greece and we keep in touch with them, most of them they appreciate what we are doing with our music.

SR: What would you like to wish to those who’s eager to become musicians?
Nightrage: Love the music and the whole thing about it, not doing it for the wrong reasons, doing it only because that’s it exactly what you want to do with your life.

May 2006

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Official site: www.nightrage.com