HARMONIZE – Interview for KICK ASS FOREVER via Angels PR Music Promotion #harmonize
Interview conducted and submitted by Marian Nicolaou via Angels PR Music Promotion
Harmonize is a metal band from Cyprus They are inspired by heavy, thrash and power metal bands.
1) Hello guys! A great honor to host you. You are one of the best metal bands from Cyprus! How are you?
Ha ha! Thank you very much. We are doing alright. At the moment we are working on new material.
2) First of all, how do you feel about the label “power metal”.
We definitely relate to the term power metal, although we incorporate more genres in our sound, thus we can’t necessarily state that we are solely a power metal band.
3) You released “Warrior In The Night” a few weeks ago. Are you happy about the first feedback?
Feedback has been great so far. People seem to have really enjoyed our debut album so far. Reviews have been mostly positive and we are very content with the type of engagement it has been getting.
4) Who is the main composer and lyricist of the band? Is there any special way to compose or arrange music?
We all write lyrics and music for the band. We usually start with a few riffs and then develop the songs from there. We like getting into the studio for jamming sessions to see what happens. Sometimes we meet in pairs to work on certain things, while everyone is kept updated. For the lyric writing process we like to brief each other of our ideas and get to work. Rejecting ideas, adding new ones, improving old ones, are all part of the process.
5) What do you predict about the band in several years from now? Will you remain faithful to your vision or trying any changes?
Well they say that “The measures of intelligence is the ability to change” or something along those lines. We don’t necessarily plan to change as such, but it is a possibility. We wish to remain faithful to our vision, but our vision is but a journey and a journey can be unpredictable. We wish to find changes and embrace them, not to fit in, but to serve us in becoming better and coming closer to our goals. Therefore we don’t necessarily like the word change, as it can be associated with negative meanings regarding the integrity of our authenticity. We much prefer the words; develop, improve, evolve. Our journey will remain the same, but we are unaware of what turns it may take, which paths we will have to explore musically and creatively, or what obstacles we will have to overcome.
6) What was your best live performance that you can recall?
One of our favorites was Power of the Night Festival in Cyprus 2018. It is one of our most memorable performances to date. Due to a lot of tech issues us and the rest of the bands faced, we were quite nervous to go on stage. Such small festivals come with certain challenges. I remember not being able to listen to the monitor properly, none of us could. The crowd, though, went mental. They knew the lyrics by heart, they were headbanging, engaging with us, more people were joining in and the atmosphere was truly amazing. We thought we did terribly, but looking back at our recorded performance we realized how well we did and why everyone was so excited. Blaze Bayle (ex- Iron Maiden) followed as headliner. We had an awesome night and an adrenaline driven performance, as if we had to navigate a ship through the vexed waves of a wrathful sea! We live for such moments!
7) Many people feeling angry and alone in our days. Even before the spreading of Covid-19. How do you feel about this situation?
It is understandable that the situation can be devastating. We understand people’s anxieties and their frustration. We have all individually been going through our own issues, which were either caused or enhanced by the pandemic and the limitations it brought to life as we know it. To feel alone can be very isolating, but great things have happened when in solitude. We urge people to find the power within them. As we know that people can connect through art and the magic it can offer, we invite people on our journey to explore our music, our concept story, its characters and our band. Perhaps they will see themselves through our project and relate. We embrace the anger, the loneliness and the darkness, because through it one can discover the light. That is the message we wish to spread through our work. The reason we didn’t name our main character is because anyone may relate to the warrior as everyone fights their own battles. It is thus very possible that people may feel slightly less alone when they listen to our album. We would recommend it.
8) What was the biggest compliment that made you feel really special about your musical career?
We don’t recall a particular compliment we ever received. It is generally great when we get positive feedback. However we do recall a moment , when we were performing live, and people kept asking us to perform our song Warrior in the Night for a second time, right after we performed it. Back then it was very special because we hadn’t released the album yet. We performed it twice. The fact that people were familiar with our work and their excitement at our gig really made us feel good about where we were at the time.
9) How did you get started about music? Any possible idols or just your family helped you about this?
Each one of us learnt to play music from an early age. Some of us are self-taught and others formally trained in multiple instruments. We all have our own individual journey in music but fate decided our paths would meet. Our families and friends are mostly supportive. Many figures may have influenced our decision to seek music in our life.
10) Do you believe that is essential to keep a steady line-up about your band? How are your relations with your band mates?
It is most definitely essential in the creative process, for the chemistry and friendship between members and the pace of the band. As Harmonize, we watched many members come and go, as we have been active since 2012. Members had to leave and serve in the National Guard, others had to fly abroad for their studies. Moreover it can be a great damage for a band when members are irresponsible or become toxic and bring about a sense of destruction between members. Now, 8 years later, we can confidently say that we were ready to release our debut album recently and are proud to present our current line up. We are all on the same page and everyone has something to give to or take from this project. We share the same vision but we are also best of friends who don’t always discuss band matters.
11) Do you agree about many bands that decide to self-release their albums like you? Any plans for label deals in the future?
As for ourselves, the decision to self- release our debut album was our own, despite label offers we received. We specifically chose to self-release to be the sole owners of the rights of the songs we have been playing for years and thought that it is the best decision to make for our first album. It may not be a wise decision for everyone, so it depends on each individual case. We are definitely planning to explore label deals in the future.
12) Congrats about your work. Best of luck with your upcoming live and studio activities!
Thank you very much and thank you for taking the time to talk to us.
Band Links –
https://www.facebook.com/harmonizeofficialpage
https://www.instagram.com/harmonize_band/
https://twitter.com/HarmonizeBand
https://www.harmonizeofficial.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1SCa9PmUJrFtafwkFx2rfw/videos
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/harmonize/1527185218?at=1l3vwYf
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4RpH27bUQdIZz3wdmcYTVv?si=YBGHo2rbQdmDirCmgVJsQQ
Band Videos –
Videoclips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJk1C-9-P8s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2mOojGM-pM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFIBrREvz8Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV9bUCrs4V0
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