SUBFIRE (Melodic Metal – Greece) – interview for KICK ASS FOREVER via Angels PR Music Promotion #subfire
Interview conducted & submitted by Marian Nicolaou on behalf of  Angels PR Music Promotion

1)      Welcome guys! How things are going about Subfire?

(Symeon). Hello and thank you for the invitation to talk about Subfire. It has been a really difficult time for us, we decided , George and I, to regroup the band. I just have to say at this point that me and George run things about the band. All decisions have been made from us, the songs have been created also from us and generally we are in charge of everything. George Larentzakis (guitars) is our maestro, the composer of our songs and after his coming in 2012 our bond was immediate (I am his best man also) and steadily we entered the band in a new direction and era. Me (Symeon Sanidas – drums), from the other hand, I am the only founding member that exists from the beginning, I write most of the lyrics (in collaboration with George) and most of the vocal lines (in collaboration with George also). After many years of live shows in local festivals and after a lot of effort finding proper members for the brand new band that we are now, we are ready to give to the metal audience our fresh work. That is one of the main reasons why we have been inactive for a few years now. We had in mind to find the right persons for our upcoming work, persons that are easy to communicate with, persons that are really nice guys and persons that know their place in our band. We spent a lot of years working on new material which George had in mind and the upcoming result we believe that surprise our metal fans.

2)      Are you satisfied about the feedback for your new signing with Symmetric Records?

(George). It is something that makes us very happy. Although, before the signing with Symmetric Records we had a plan about the whole process (recordings, production, promotion etc) and we were prepared for this step. Nevertheless we didn’t expect such correspondence, and we were happily surprised. We hope that our work will satisfy the metal audience worldwide.

3)      After releasing your news, it seems that you are a really promising metal band! Are there any plans for the upcoming full album?

(Symeon). We are a band since 2004, and we have played many shows. We released 2 demos and an EP until today. But as you may understand, the situation for a band or an artsit in Greece is difficult enough. For our shows and our recordings the financial budget was coming from us and as a result you cannot be as productive as you want due to limited number of gigs and recording sessions. We had many rehearsals, we wrote a lot of stuff and we were looking for an opportunity. In the end, after cautious moves, we manage to achieve the goal of an album in Symmetric Records, it was a ‘win’ situation for us. We have killing songs, and the production is finally what we expected. Two years now we are working endlessly to complete the album so the first plan is the release of it and afterwards the promotion to the metal audience.

4)      How can you describe your sound?

(George). In terms of composition we try to keep the style of music we play as classic and heavy as possible by lifting off our songs with melodies provided by power metal music. So i would say loud and melodic!

5)      What are your musical idols?

(George). Our main Influences are really very classic! Iced earth, Judas Priest, Helloween, Blind Guardian etc. But also I am personally attached by the Japanese style (Galneryus, X Japan)! In time I am thinking of incorporating it a little more in my compositions! The result is unique at the moment, so stay tuned!

6)      Tell us a few words and special moments about the recordings of your stuff.

(George). The recordings begun in October 2020 and concluded in May 2021 in Sound Symmetry Studio by Bob Katsionis. There were many delays through the years about this album and we just said ‘it is about time’. It was really great working with Bob. We learnt a lot during the process and he helped us with the songs. It was also difficult due to covid situation but our goal was, not when, but to finish the album with the result we wanted.

7)      What is your opinion about the use of internet? Is this helpful about the bands or they are just being lost into a sea of information?

(George). The internet itself is a powerful tool that has many possibilities (global information and promotion of every kind of artist and music genre). In my opinion (and not only) precisely because of its great power, some people rush to exploit artists of all kinds to an offensive degree. In any case, careful selection of movements should be made as there are platforms that really help artists. For this reason I would say that now there is a very interesting underground scene and that many artists, amateurs and professionals, are getting there. In the end it is true that there were good times when we discovered music in other ways, but for better or worse, the internet exists and should be used in the most righteous way as possible in order to help.

8)      Any live plans for the band?

(Symeon). We have been working on these songs with Giorgos many years and after so many delays it was about time to finish the album. Since we were working on our stuff with Bob for almost two years now, we are only thinking the release of the album and how well it will be received by our fans and the metal public. We have some talks about live shows during the following winter but nothing is official yet

9)      What is your biggest dream about Subfire?

(Symeon). Since I was a kid from high school, I wanted to have an album from my band, I wanted to have songs that I will have have contribute in an album. I wanted this with Subfire and Giorgos helped me to fulfill my dream, I believe that it is a dream come true for all of us. In general, our biggest dream is to play alongside our metal idols, to share the stage together, and if I may think big, to live by our music at some level.

10)   How did you get started with music? Any special musical studies?

(George). We all have musical background from our youth, we started playing in high school and we have been training playing our instruments until now. Mostly, we were influenced by older guys who played in local bands in our hometown and that was the sparkle that drove us to begin playing. Each member of Subfire has been trained in his area of expertise and after the first time we played together the result was magical. Our album will verify this!

11)   What do you think about the Greek metal scene? Are there any new bands that you love?

(Symeon). The Greek metal scene is a huge chapter and is growing year by year. Big steps have been made, both officially and in the underground scene. We see that the first greek bands (Rotting Christ, Septicflesh, Nightfall, Innerwish) after a lot of effort and a lot of successful work were established for good in the metal society between big bands. Then bands like Firewind, Nightrage, Suicidal Angels, continued the success, they found their footsteps quickly and with the fine material they had, one tour followed another, and this elevated the level of the greek bands. Although things improved with interest from well-known record companies, our financial crisis unfortunately didn’t help. Other areas have improved, however. Very good productions, birth of bands in the underground scene (Warrior Path, Diviner), interesting collaborations, and most importantly, the promotion through social media. The platforms that exist now help in a very high level the work of the artist properly and the result will really amaze you. Social media does not have the fist and power of a decent record company but it helps, and in fact a lot, especially at the beginning of a band today. What should obviously change is the mentality that we have as people towards metal music, to get away a little from the shell and the bubble that we live musically and to give opportunities to musicians who really deserve and can highlight their great work. The solution is really simple, metal festivals. Only a small number of recognizable festivals take place in Greece and there are fresh bands with great work that have not been recognized, especially in their beginning, they have not been helped in general. To demonstrate your work you need a small budget and a fairly good production, if you do not have any of them they threw you in the trash and you fight alone hoping that at some point they will listen to you and ‘pinch’ you the ‘right ears’, something that happens one in 100,000. Abroad you see in festivals like Wacken new bands every year which are literally awesome, out there efforts are made. They tell you ‘take the money, show me what you worth and if you succeed we will move on’. They give you the first help though, then it’s up to you. Here you fight alone, the conditions outside are definitely better for new bands but what characterizes us here is the persistence, we as Subfire heard a lot, we suffered a lot from internal and external factors but we persisted, we are still here and we are satisfied with our work.

12)   Congrats and good luck about your work, guys! The last words are yours.

(Symeon, George). Thanks again for the invitation, it was a pleasure talking about our band. You will hear from us again and we hope for a long time. Our new work is ready and will amaze you all. Stay tuned, stay metal and see you very very soon!!!

“Define The Sinner” album, out on September 10th, 2021 via Symmetric Records. Pre-order the album on Digital, Digipak-CD at https://subfire.bandcamp.com/album/de… Produced and mixed by Bob Katsionis Recorded at Sound Symmetry Studio, Athens, GR Mastered by Nasos Nomikos at VU Productions, GR

Follow Subfire on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/subfireoffi…
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SubfireOfficial
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/subfireband
Bandcamp: https://subfire.bandcamp.com