Λούης Συρίμης
Κωνσταντίνος Συρίμης
Μικέλ Τραπεζαρης

1. Hello Zivanished! First of all, what does the band’s name mean?

Hi!! Well the band’s name came up after consuming a lot of zivania. Zivania is a traditional Cypriot alcoholic drink. It was a messy night and somehow combining the words zivania and vanished sounded cool.

2. Why did you choose to sing your lyrics in the Cypriot Greek dialect?

Well it all started after reading the lyrics to a Cypriot traditional song, ‘O Kafkas’ which means ‘The Fight’. We thought it would be cool if we wrote a metal song using these lyrics because they sounded quite brutal. The song was recorded in 2011 in probably less than 2 hours and uploaded and received very positive feedback. Another reason is because unfortunately in Cyprus we tend to be quite xenocentric and nearly everyone sings in English. There are so many metal and punk bands that sing in their own language (Rammstein, Kvelertak,Skitsystem….) and we thought why not Cypriot??

3. What describes better Zivanished’s music: thrash, punk or hardcore and why?

We fuse lots of different elements in our music; we even combine Greek and Cypriot traditional music with grindcore, death metal and black metal, all the stuff we love really. There are no boundaries in Zivanished, we don’t like restrictions so I can’t really describe our music using one genre.  Ok I don’t think we’ll ever write a country or a Peruvian flute song….you never know though.

4. Is there a punk/metal scene in Cyprus? Any (old or new) bands worth to check out?

The punk scene in Cyprus unfortunately is very small, almost nonexistent. One of the best Cypriot punk bands and probably the only punk band that is active now is En Psychro (Εν Ψυχρώ).  Some other bands worth checking out are Downward Spiral, Εντός των Τειχών and Nuclear Mutants.

5. Which bands did you grow up with and can be considered as your influences?

Well all sorts of music from punk to hip hop and of course extreme metal. I’d say main influences which can definitely be heard in Zivanished are Entombed, S.O.D., The Exploited, Dissection, Slayer, Napalm Death…

6. What are your live shows like? Any tour dates?

I’d say our shows are quite intense and we always tend to incorporate a lot of humour. There’s quite a metal party vibe! No tour dates at the moment.

7. How do you handle your energy when on stage?

We have loads of zivania and hope for the best!  Hah! Well I think as you gig more and gain experience you learn to preserve your energy and not burn out on the first few songs.

8. Did you expect “100% Agno Kypriako Xylo” (100% Pure Cypriot Beating) to get such positive feedback?

To be honest we didn’t know what to expect because it’s something new and different. We are really happy that the band is going really well in Cyprus but had no idea how it would be perceived in other countries. We have received comments from abroad and we are overwhelmed by the positive reactions the album is getting so far!   

9. Why did you choose this title? Does it reflect better the aggressiveness of your music?   

We didn’t really think much to be fair. 100% Agno Kypriako Xylo” (100% Pure Cypriot Beating) was on our logo (done by Dino our drummer) and we thought it’s a cool name for our album since all tracks are quite aggressive.

10. When do you think someone has to be aggressive in real life and up to which degree?

I think everyone should find ways to control their aggression, especially if it’s also affecting someone else. As John Lydon said “anger is an energy”, use it in a creative way.

11. Why did you decide to self-release your material? Is it a better way to control things?

Well nowadays it’s not vital to be signed to a record label because it’s becoming easier for bands to be heard online so we decided to go the DIY route and just pay someone for some promotion. We are with Angels PR who are doing a really good job. It’s a good way to control things because there are loads of labels who take advantage of bands.

12. Thank you for the interview and best of luck. What comes next for Zivanished?

Thanks you very much! Well we are planning on doing some more gigs in Cyprus and abroad to promote our album so check out our Facebook page for announcements. Cheers!