FLAMES
Flames was one of the first extreme metal bands from Athens, Greece. They had a long career in thrash spanning over ten years and they are the most respected and popular Greek metal band. Jose Luis Cano has spoken with the band.
What can you tell us about the current situation of the band? Up date us about the latest bands activities please
Flames since the last year make touring and play live shows around Greece and also visiting their base in Germany (Kaufbeuren) for the needs of their new CD. The band was in the French rec.company Black Dragon but after that they have contacts with Black Markt.(Berlin) Also some gigs will come up this time period in Germany, where the band will move August for this reason. Flames have made many gigs with German bands of the “touring” company Drakkar, so they plan to continue this way after their contact with Drakkar. Also FLAMES just finished their new work and getting ready to go in the studio to recording.
Did you disbanded or just had a very long vacation? Why the long period of absence and how you got back on the way and ready for a new album?
It was a long vacation most likely. Since ’98 till 2000 Flames had no gigs. Some of the members preferred to stay in Germany and some in Greece. But when you have the metal “virus” in your blood you never stop. Was a necessary pause just to get strength back. Also new ideas come up. Also was much time about future plans. In no case was disbanded. Just the opposite. The German member Flo Gebhardt still remains in the band as guitar and vocals but is difficult for him to follow all the Greece tour, so as singer last 2 years come an old friend Angelo, so the band get new blood and boost.
You are now preparing a new album.. what direction will it follow? Can we expect another Thrash Metal attack or some major variations in your style?
The new CD is ready. We’ll record this August in Berlin. Before the end of the year it will be out. We are thrash metal band. We don’t like experiments in our style. But also we don’t like to stay trapped in forms. We play freely and open-minded. The only fields we like to make changes are the sound possibilities and follow the new technology in the recording methods. We like the old ’80 thrash style but also we can compose with a sense of the new …technique and brutality remains...
The style of the band has changed a few thought out the years, but Flames has improved much in composing and performing…do you think you will keep Thrash metal up to the end of the band or there will be new horizons to explore for you?
The main composer of Flames from the beginning is the guitarist Chris Kirk. As he changes and evolve thru years band changes too. Evolution comes naturally. Flames wish to stay as a thrash metal band. Will stay in this that many magazines say “their own original style”. You never can say for the whole work it’s pure thrash only, when you can find many paths from black metal, US style, or the German school of thrash etc. Flames are “thrash” but there are not really bounds. Every new composition is a new case, normal or paranormal…
Now that Thrash Metal is getting a “rebirth”, do you think that FLAMES will be more popular than in the old days? I think you were known in Greece and some near countries, but no much abroad … why this lack of promotion?
Flames is the most popular thrash band in Greece since we survive the last 17 years! There is no other band here with the volume of work and experiance that we have earn trou all these years.
About this lack of promotion you say. We were always low profile band. I can’t say that we working full time on this. You can say we’re lazy band. Still although our big work remains. 8 albums is big work. The big problem was that Flames begins with a contract with a Greek rec. company. This company was a “trap” for the band. Was unable to push our work outside the Greece and also has no relation with the music style or contacts with other companies of the “field”. Until “Black Dragon” release our 4th LP “Summon the Dead” internationally with SPV (Germany)
the only way for somebody to hear FLAMES was only from the export orders from our greek label, when happens to hear our music from gigs in Germany, or on the radio around Europe. As you understand we working and organized ourselves our gigs in and outside of Greece and when some big music store(for example WOM in Germany) ordered our albums from GR our narrow minded rec.co.here ear ned money and band never get any payment. After the big success of open wide released album “Summon the Dead”, we were free of this record deal and we decided never again to get a record deal with another greek company. Then was 1990. the band made in depended records and releases . 90’s was suck for thrash metal so Flames stay only playing lives around as head liners or guests with bigger bands. Not mention that the local press was very hostile against the band. The local financial music interests (mags,rec.co.) wanted to “push” other style of music. So was bizarre to see in Greece music styles was dead in the universe to have a “field” here. Many “Heavy Metal” ! dead bands made reunion just to play here. Black Metal was also over estimated.
In Greece there was a major dominance of Heavy and Black metal bands, but very few Thrash Metal acts.. How did you survive so long since you never played the trend style and were bad promoted?
We survive for one reason . The big love and support of our funs. The people who see in our music this “something” that make the difference. And when we’re talking for funs we mean a real big number of “army” .This army that we call the “flaming forces”. They keep the Flames burning …
We believe in the “power” of our music and the love of our funs.Thrashers were always hungry here at ’90 for their favorite music even when the main stream or mags was against them.We believe we keep them warm with our lives arround.But I have say was really a bad decate for thrash.
Last Prophecy
Which albums would be your most famous opus? Are you aware of the popularity of the band outside Greece and that your albums are now cult classics?
The big bang for FLAMES was when “Black Dragon” released internationally from SPV our LP “Summon the Dead”! That was our 4th LP till then and was exactly the music we wanded to do the right time.There was a new singer then and the whole work was “hot”,after the “experiments”we made before in the first 2 LP’s.(The 3th was a live recorded).The first 2 LP’s are also loved from the people but i think more because of their strange style of the songs and the cult sound.The covers were also cool... We like more our last CD “In Agony Rise”. Is a work after great experiance.Recorded in 1996.Now is old.Bud we have good memories from then since we playing gigs with SODOM and KREATOR that time, showing to the people this album.
Generaly every album we have is like a new case to us. Like a new kid. We love them all the same fordifferand reasons each one...
I know that your lps are re-released on cd format, do you plan to spread wider your name and continue with the band in a more regular basis?
We work on it. Since the last year when we came back we work good and much. Right now our first goal is to find a big rec. Company with option of a good promotion. This co. of cource will take as a gift from us all our albums,(since we have the legal rights). It could be OK if all our past work can re-relased again properly, bud the main target is the new work as well and the plans of the future.
I know you play more or less often.. do you have any good experiences on the stage you’d like to share with us?? What are the reactions of the public towards the band in concerts?
We have play many lives.Who can remember now.I remember when we play for the first time with MOTORHEAD.We share the same stage and their logo with this big head,you remember,covered all the place behind our drumer.So every time when i turned my head and see this i feld very small and also proud to be there.
I remember the live with DRI.They were so full of energy.Either they playing music or fight each other and after the live sleepless...
I remember a live with RUNNING WILD in Athens.Their drummer then used petroil to split flames out of his mouth. One night he burned a stageman and some lights over his head.He he
I remember sadly after a promo tour in Germany where we met LIVING DEATH and some other german bands not so known, I heard that was a small band which after the big success of our first LP’s back in ’85 decided to change their name to ...In Flames...
When we play concerts we get the love of the people.They waiting to hear and see us. They know our music and can’t wait until they tast to slamming,stage diving and generally throw out their stress or just forget for a while their problems.
We try to give them great show and also the people who don’t know us well,they reseve a blast and a power feeling from the stage...
As you are veterans in the Metal scene, what´s your opinion about the today’s metal scene which is infiltrated by other kind of music, for instance gothic and dark metal? Do you consider that this mix of styles are necessary?
First of all i don’t believe in labels on the metal music.For sure I don’t like mixing things.You can make a black song or a gothic. Mixing them is not to much to offer.is confusing and bad taste.If you are composer you just compose.If you can not do that or if you have no any ideas then you go to music styles, or songs i say,and is like I steal little this or little there i put them in a “box” i ‘ll sake and a monster will born. Influense is good.Mixing is not creative.Thrash is pure and straight. Like our lives.
What do you think of the “return” of Thrash Metal and bands like Destruction, Minotaur, Iron Angel, Exumer?? Do you consider that the return of old bands will be enough to resurrect the raw and violent Euro Thrash/speed Metal of the 80’s? What kind of role do you consider you play in this all?
The come back of the old bands is a good thing.I salute the event.Yes I believe they can push the things forward.They have the willing and they know how to do it.The timing is good.After ’90 decate full of shit now the people are ready to thrashing.I hope this don’t stop.We will follow and we’ll suport every effort of any band new or old to push this thrash wagon a step forward.We will be there...
I know that Greece has a big Heavy Metal audience, what do you expect of them regarding support to FLAMES?? Do you think your new cd will be valued by the fans around the world as well?
Yes the greece has a big number of heavy metal funs.But these funs can also at the same time to see and hear a thrash metal band.In our gigs heavy and thrash people are together.Yes i believe that our new CD will be loved.It depends from us to do something great to show the people and also to do the correct steps with the companies for the proper promotion of our work.
With good promotion some people sell bad music.but with no good promo you can’t sell even if you have the best album...
Ok this is the end, please let us know anything you want to add.
We would like to thank you for your interview and your support to metal music. We wish you the best to what you do and great strength!
Here we have to say that Mexican people here in Greece are very beloved. We come both from countries with very old history. We believe here that thousands years before Jesus (even before Atlantis’s war and disaster) old Greeks had contact with your area ad the great civilization there! You can’t imagine how many words in our language are the same with the old local dialect. (Majias or Incas).
We hope sometime to play in Mexico live soon so we can say more when we see you.
Thrash greetings
FLAMES and Chris Kirk
By/ Jose Luis Cano
(19-05-2003)
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