A new album and they enter a new era, a new terra. We are talking about Project Renegade, who are now releasing their new, sophomore album, “Ultra Terra”, and shake the foundations of the modern metal scene. Marianna, singer and co-founder of Project Renegade, talked with us and right below, you can read all the interesting things that were discussed.

by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

“Ultra Terra” is your new, sophomore album. How are you feeling now, that this new album is released? Which are your expectations from it? What the fans should expect from this new Project Renegade release?

Good question…Well we definitely feel like this big weight has been lifted off of our shoulders, it’s a record that we’ve been holding on to for the better part of 3 years, so it’s safe to say that we are very happy that it’s out in the ether nowadays. As far as expectations go, we’ve seen the crazy status of the music industry, so for now, we are hoping that people will like it and find themselves in it. We’ll wait for all the rest to play themselves out because you never know. Lastly, the fans can expect a new adventure into a modern day thematic like we usually do. In the end it will be up to them to make decisions and figure out what are the takeaways from that record. Also, I think we’ve always took what we did before and put it on steroids…That is no different this time around we did the exact same thing we saw where we let things off with Order of the Minus and we said “Ok put that sucker up to eleven and see where it takes us”…It was a wild ride for sure!

This new album is released by Pavement Entertainment. How did the deal with this big label come up?

I think the usual way that these things go nowadays. We pitched our new album to them, they liked it and we started discussing. It is a step forward for us and we are really happy to be working with an American label. They are really cool and down to earth people too! 

How much different is “Ultra Terra” from your debut, “Order of The Minus”? What do Project Renegade keep form the past and do you leave behind with the past?

We are ready to leave things in the past and change up a bit now (we are also a way different band even now  than the one in Ultra Terra). But we felt that we had unfinished business with Order of the Minus. There were demons we didn’t exorcise and things that we felt were left unsaid. This time around we were more confident in our abilities and in our aesthetics, we believed in our musicianship more and we were fearless. Hence why we decided to inject this record with a big dose of extra on everything. Both are records we are proud of but Ultra Terra was what it had to be done in order for us to maintain a natural evolution.

How would you define your music style? I think it’s a kind of modern metal with lots of melodies and riffs, in the vein of Slipknot and Lacuna Coil. Do you agree with me and why?

Man, I hate boxes, labels, categories genres etc. Sure these are bands we love and listen to their records but we don’t pigeonhole ourselves into doing what these bands do… Let’s say Project Renegade sounds like Project Renegade, I think that about covers it up!

You have also many electronic/industrial elements. How much important are these elements for your sound?

Oh, they are pretty much everything, the synth world is literally a wormhole…Once you get into it you can’t get out. Creating interesting soundscapes and sound designs then running them through analog pedals and stomp boxes, changing them up and mangling their sounds is probably where we spend most of our time during pre-production.

If you should describe Project Renegade with five adjectives, which ones would you choose and why?

Hard working – Because we do everything ourselves

Forward thinking – because we strive to push our boundaries and not dwell on the past

Relentless – Because we go through hardships every single day (no joke) and we never give up

Funny – You don’t get to see that aspect but it’s there and has helped us out a lot

Sexy - ...’Cause we are funny (ha! See what I did there?)

Who is responsible for the songwriting (music and lyrics) in Project Renegade?

Lyrics are written by myself. In the music compartment that depends on the song. Most of the music is written by Ody (drums, guitars, bass, synths), but our previous guitarist Nick contributed guitar parts and our new single “Token” was written in guitars, bass and part of the synths by our new guitarist Philipp. I write all of my vocal lines and also write synths and the orchestral parts. All members are good musicians and songwriters and everyone pretty much dabbles in everything so there is not one standard procedure.

Where do your lyrics refer to?

They refer to all sorts of things, most of the time the come from personal experiences and stuff that I have to get out of my system, other times I am coming from a more socio-political place where I am trying to express the state of the world and how we need to unite as people to change it for the better because no one will do it for us…It really depends on the stimuli that I intake at a very specific moment.

Why did you name the new album “Ultra Terra”?

Ultra Terra signifies the final destination that mankind strives to reach through technological advancements and scientific achievements. Now the goal that we are trying to reach – that ultimate earth – seems to be perfect in theory, but in reality, so far it only brought us hunger, war, disease and general decline, so are we really building towards that Ultra Terra or are we building towards our demise…That’s pretty much the whole mission statement and since the general idea revolves around that ultimate earth, Ultra Terra seemed to be appropriate. Either that or someone suggested it and we thought it sounded cool…choose your poison! Hahaha!

In which studio and when was the new album recorded? Who was the producer?

We recorded the drums in Soundflakes studios, a studio in Athens Greece because it’s the only studio that can handle Ody’s drum madness when it comes to recording drums (Dude puts so many mics on the kit… it was ridiculous but sounded awesome) plus the guys that own the studio Nick and George are great guys, shout out to them. The rest was recorded in our own studio and everything was produced by us.

Who did the mixing and the mastering of the new album? Describe the mixing/mastering process, please!

As always mixing and mastering was handled by our sound wizard, our beloved colleague and friend Forrester Savell. Forrester is an absolute gem and one of the best producers in the world. The way we mix is as such. He will get a basic mix down by himself and then we’ll meet online and start hunting down the perfect mix, sometimes we have only a couple of notes and sometimes we’ll be at it for a couple of days, but what matters most is that Forrester is a downright genius and a true professional. So easy going, willing to work until everything feels right and he makes mixing a fun and rewarding experience, we are really blessed to work with him. This time we had a very synth heavy record and the number of tracks per song was way more than what we have ever done before, so we were trying to fit everything in there without overwhelming the mix and hurting the music. It was a labor of love.

Project Renegade was formed by Marianna and Ody. What do you remember from the very first days of the band? How much different are things now?

The first days were really tough. Struggling to find the right musicians, having no idea about several technical aspects of the recording process, small live shows. It was very innocent in a way and maybe at some level more carefree. But definitely wouldn’t want to go back then!

Ody wears always a mask. Why is that?

Depends on what day you’ll ask him, sometimes he’ll give you a 2-hour answer and you’ll have a great conversation, other times he’ll say, “Because I like it” or “Because it’s cool” …I think in the end it appeals to his aesthetic and to his psychology. 

How do you make decisions in Project Renegade? Is it only Marianna and Ody or do you decide democratically?

It depends. Sometimes decisions are made collectively and sometimes someone needs to spearhead some things. But everyone is respectful of each other and we always hear each other’s opinions.

You have played lots of live shows! Describe Project Renegade on stage, for the ones, who haven’t seen you live, until now!

I say we give our all and we strive each time to make that special connection with the audience. We want to make them feel and experience something unique so we are going all in, headbanging and jumping all around. We want the audience to be part of our shows so most of the times you will see mosh pits and walls of death. There is definitely energy in our shows and an honest performance.

Which are your concert plans, in support of “Ultra Terra”?

Now we have a big festival coming up in Switzerland. It’s our first time there and we are really excited to visit a new country. After that we will have some winter shows coming up but they are not announced yet. We are thinking about having a release party in Athens in late autumn also, but we want to organize it well so that it is a special show for our fans.

Send your message to the readers!

Strike down the Master!

With a great album in their hands, Helestios may gaze at tomorrow with optimism. “Road To Ecstasy” is a release that should not be overlooked and Helestios is a new force in the world wide extreme metal scene. Myth of Rock was honored to talk with the guys form Helestios and what follows, are the most interesting parts of our long chat.

Give us a short biography of Helestios until now.

We are a multinational band that was formed in late 2019/early 2020 by Henrijs Leja and Stylianos Angelis in UK. By end of 2020 we released our first album "Your Pain Tastes Good" and it echoed with reviews and appreciation throughout Europe, Northern and Southern America and even as far as Australia! After end of lockdowns we were able to play some gigs and actually bring it to live audiences and it kept us motivated to create more music, so two and a half years later we have prepared our second album "Road To Ecstasy" and it's been a few weeks out now and already now we have had amazing comments and reviews about it! We did have some changes in our line-up due to our original members being in different countries( drummer and bassist), that being said we are now strong as ever and looking forward to playing live shows and promoting our music to new audiences!

How did you come up with the name of the band?

It's a combination of first letters of Henrijs Leja and Stylianos Angelis. We had to come up with a band name back in 2020 and so among all the other ideas this came out as a winner!

You have just released your second album, ”Road to Ecstasy”. Which are your feelings about it? Which are your ambitions for the band and this new album?

I think with this new album we offer development in our style and at the same time we try to make sure that the music is great! At the same time we try to involve more importance into lyrics section. Some bands sing about dragons and it's fine. Other bands sing about bad parents - and that's fine also. We however try to implement a conversation about today’s big problems that people don't really talk about in music anymore - corruption, the system that seems to be built not in favour of people but rather against them, greedy people who create wars only to earn more millions for themselves - you know the type of things metal music was talking about back in eighties and nineties!

Where would you trace the differences between your first and your second album? How much has the band progressed?

With every work you do you learn new things about the whole process , new experience teaches you and betters your Kungfu. So there's certainly a development in that sense. On the other hand - this is not racing where you have to beat others - music is art and through art we communicate to others! So hopefully we have learnt to reflect things that are happening around us in a better way and as long as there are people coming to us and saying "You guys rock" I guess we are doing something right! :)

When and where was the new album recorded? Who was the producer? Who did the mixing and the mastering?

Well the drums were recorded in England as well as the rest of the instruments. The mixing and mastering was done by our original bassist Agnis Aldiņš in Riga, Latvia. Him and Henrijs were working on production side of things.

Which are your favorite songs from “Road To Ecstasy” and why?

Not a single band member agrees to have same favourite songs in the album so I guess we are privileged to play all of them and enjoy at the same time! The common ground is Sanctuary, Fight and title song “Road To Ecstasy”! They're just objectively great tracks offering the kind of style we are creating.

Who writes the music and the lyrics in Helestios? How is a typical Helestios song composed?

The main ideas are composed by Henrijs - after that we put it all to vote which of the songs will make it further. Stylianos is the guy to put the solos on top. The lyrics so far been written by Henrijs as well.

How do you make decisions in Helestios?

Responsibly and with care, most of the time, haha

How would you describe your music in a few words? Which are your lyrical topics?

It's a multi-layered metal music and we stand on people's side in this global worldwide system that's been more and more created against us normal people!

Describe the atmosphere and the feeling of your songs.

Aggresive, some people would probably say dark, technical and at the same time simple. All in general - good metal music for everyday situations of your daily life - whether you are having cereals for breakfast or stuck in a traffic or playing with rubber duck in a bathtub - Helestios is a great choice for next to put on play!

How did the pandemic affect you as musicians and as persons?

Well it's one of the main reason why so many areas of life are still f**cked up... It did slow down majority of people - except if you are in government related company. Many people who started their small to medium business were simply forced to close it. The mortgages to banks, the rental payments - it all made impossible for many to carry on with their businesses and now they are thrown back and it will take them many years to recover. Yes sure for brands like Amazon it was perfect - no competition, just take the money. We see now that there are court cases raised against some of those who were responsible for ordering lockdowns - so hopefully the justice system still works and some of them will receive a lesson.

How much important are live concerts for you? Which are your plans for live shows/a tour?

Live shows are super important to us and I believe any musician in general! That's the main reason we do it - the communication with people! We have aligned a list of shows throughout the summer and autumn within UK. Best is to come to our Facebook and Instagram page and follow there to see the news about live shows.

How do you see the world wide extreme metal scene? What do you have to offer to the scene? Why?

The music scene in general had been suffering due to lockdowns, so it's a process of people getting used to going out again! What we have to offer? Great music with great power and lyrics that matter!

Send your message to the fans.

Thank you friends, fans and followers and haters for anything and everything you throw our way - it all makes us stronger! Even a smallest like or follow click keeps us going and motivated to do more. So best to do is come our social media platforms and press those follow and like buttons - they really make difference for us. Come buy our CDs on https://helestios.bandcamp.com/ that will help us even more! And hope we see you on our live shows! If we are not playing in your town - make a comment where would you like us to play and who knows - maybe because of that one comment we will go to that town! We are still young band and so we always look for new horizons! Stay strong and stay metal and thank you!

Listening to Unborn Prophecy and their debut album, “Waking Our Ancient Memories”, was a captivating experience. The band comes from Costa Rica and its brutal, technical death metal will shock even the most demanding fans! Myth of Rock, as soon as it discovered the Costa Ricans, contacted the band and had a really interesting chat.

by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

When, where and under which circumstances was Unborn Prophecy formed? Give us a biography of the band, until now.

The band was founded in 2018 by David Gonzalez and Juan Carlos Suarez. After playing together in a cover band, David and Juan Carlos made the decision to form a new band, due to their shared interest in making original music with their own sound. In the beginning the band focused on composing and polishing the songs for the first album. During the composition process the other members arrived, starting with Paulo on bass, followed by Jean Carlo on rhythm guitar, and finally Sley on vocals. Once the lineup was complete, the band immediately went into recording the songs. When the album was finished, the band received several offers for the release and promotion of the album, with WormHoleDeath being the final choice of the band.

Why did you name the band “Unborn Prophecy”?

If someone tries to understand the etymological meaning of the phrase "Unborn Prophecy" they will find a paradox, it is usually almost existential. This is a reflection of the topics that we seek to expose in our music, the paradigms of human existence, ancient prophecies and the uncertain future of today's society.

You hail from Costa Rica. How are things for heavy metal in Costa Rica? Is there a scene? How difficult is it to be a metal band from Costa Rica nowadays?

In Costa Rica there is a significant number of metal lovers, every week there are heavy metal concerts with a wide variety of bands from all over the world. For any new band in this genre things are not easy at the beginning, the most complex process is to make themselves known. But if things are done with excellence and quality, we believe that people will appreciate this.

Many people have said that you are the best metal band in your country. How do you feel about that? Do you agree, and why?

We will not hide that it is quite flattering to know that many people think that Unborn is a great band, we know that we are good musicians and we do what we do with a lot of passion. But honestly we don't think we are the best, in Costa Rica there are many high quality bands that we greatly admire and have inspired us. We believe that Unborn is different, we have our own sound and a powerful message, that people appreciate this is enough for us.

You are releasing now your debut album, “Waking Our Ancient Memories”. How do you feel about this? Which are your ambitions for this album?

We are very excited for the release, as we have worked very hard on this project, and it brings great joy to see all of our efforts materialized in this work of art. We want to grow as a band, and that people have a high expectation for the second material. Of course, we would love to play our music outside our borders and at big festivals, however our purpose is that the message we want to convey is heard.

If you had to choose only one song from this album as your favorite, which one would you choose and why?

“Whispers” is the favorite song of most of the members, it has sentimental value as it was the first song that we composed together, and it is the first song that everyone learned. It is also a song written with a lot of passion, it is heavy, it is groovy, technical, and it has a powerful message.

Where and where was this debut album recorded? Describe the recording sessions as well as the whole production process and the mixing/mastering.

The album was recorded and mastered at Monnerat Studios by Marcos Monnerat in a two-year process, this process could have been shorter, but various factors such as the pandemic and our vocalist at the time who left the band, affected the release a bit. We had to re-record all the vocals with Sley. We are actually very happy that things happened that way. It was a pretty fun process where we learned a lot, it was the first time recording for almost all the members, we had no idea of ​​anything and that was great. The production was carried out by David and Juan Carlos, who were in charge of giving the album that special touch. While the songs were being recorded, we started adjusting the order of the songs and the transitions between songs. That helped create that characteristic dark and powerful sound that we want to transmit with our lyrics, and our riffs. In the end we were all very satisfied with the result, we are very grateful to Marcos Monnerat and the support he gave the band in the process, he is a very perfectionist professional who managed to get the best out of each one.

Who is the one, who writes music and lyrics in Unborn Prophecy? Where do you draw inspiration from?

David is the main songwriter on this first album. He was in charge of the composition of the instrumental and the lyrics of most of the songs. Juan Carlos also contributed enormously to the process as a co-composer on songs like Whispers and Ocean, in addition to collaborating as an arranger for the drums. The band's lyrics are strongly influenced by themes such as the wisdom, culture and prophecies of ancient civilizations, rituals, and traditions of our native roots.

How would you define your music style? Which are your trademarks as Unborn Prophecy?

Our music is powerful, dark, technical, meaningful, passionate, heavy and groove.

Where do your lyrics refer to? Is this debut a conceptual album?

It is definitely a conceptual album, all the songs are related to each other, where topics such as ecology, ancient prophecies, rituals and wisdom of ancient and native cultures converge with each other.

If you had a time machine, to which time period would you travel? Why?

If we had to choose one, maybe 5000 years ago, when the Sumerians were still around. It would be cool to see one of the first modern civilizations in history. Also from a purely musical point of view, we would love to hear the father of Death metal, it would be great to see Chuck Schuldiner playing live.

In your opinion, which is the atmosphere of your music? Which feelings of yours do you express through your songs?

Our music is quite atmospheric, many have already expressed that listening to the album is a complete journey. If you let your mind fly you will be able to move to the end of time and see yourself in the midst of apocalyptic wars where rituals and prophecies materialize, as well as titanic and magnificent temples, gods and ancient beasts will be present in a dark and epic atmosphere.

How did the deal with WormHoleDeath come?

At the beginning we contacted them with the album ready, they listened to our music and they really liked our album. They made us an offer and from the first contact we loved their treatment and the proposal they gave us regarding the release, so we accepted their proposal after analyzing that it was the best offer we had in our hands. They were also super supportive when our change of vocalist happened, as they did not hesitate to put the release on hold while we re-recorded vocals. We are so grateful to the label for that.

How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect you?

This crisis and the lockdown really affected the recording and release process, it represented a significant delay, but we did it and it turned out to be a very satisfying album in the end.

Do you play live on stage? Do you have plans for a tour?

We have played live on a few occasions, but now that the album is in the process of being released, we plan to play in various places in our country first. And in the near future we would be confirming several tours outside the country.

Send your message to the fans!

Thanks for all the support! Stay tuned that Unborn Prophecy will continue to perform live and we are already working on new material, which is going to be simply better.

Standing with one foot on grunge and the other foot on prog rock/metal, Euthymia is ready to enchant the music world with its delicious blend of music styles. “Alternative prog” sounds interesting and believe me, Euthymia’s alt prog is incredible! Myth of Rock, having detected some real music gold in the band’s first EPs, came in contact with Euthymia, who gave their fine answers and helped us explore their chapter in the book of contemporary Italian rock/metal.

by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

How was Euthymia formed? Give us a bio of the band.

The band is composed by Vito Tambasco (singer), Edoardo Di Vietri (guitar), Matteo De Marco (guitar, backing vocals and synthesizers), Michael Veneri (guitar), Valentin Bernard (bass) and Pierfrancesco Vairo (drums). It all started on the Rock Castle stage in the Czech Republic, where we played under the name of Men In The box, our old project. We had been maturing a different kind of music for a while and that's when we decided to change the style of music and name.

Which are the official releases of Euthymia until now?

We currently have two Eps, the first one contains two singles that will be featured on the CD to be released by the end of the year and the second one contains recordings of our first historic rehearsals.

Why did you name the band ”Euthymia”?

Our name Euthymia (from the Greek word Ευθυμία composed of eu- = good and thymos = soul) derives from the Greek concept of state of mind of serenity or neutrality which does not consist in a detachment or in a denial of passions, but in a sort of quiet satisfaction, of inner contentment.

How would you describe your music style? Is it a mixture of alternative rock and progressive rock?

Our music is a blend between grunge and alternative on one side, and a more prog/metal sound on the other. Σpecifically, our sound comes from bands like Tool, Nirvana, and Porcupine Tree.

Who is/are the main composer(s) in Euthymia? How is a typical Euthymia song composed?

Typically, our songs are born from the sound compositions of our guitarist Edoardo Di Vietri, while the lyrics are written by our singer, Vito Tambasco. Each of our songs comes from hours spent in the rehearsal room playing and experiencing the musical flow of the moment, and then rearranging it systematically.

Where do your lyrics refer to? Are you inspired by ancient Greek philosophy?

Our lyrics and music derive from intrinsic research of the human psyche and self-awareness. Each song is consequently a sort of inner monologue with still unknown parts of Us; obviously it is inspired by the ancient Greek theater.

I know that you have been preparing your next official release. Have you finished it? How does it sound? Can you give us any titles and/or other info (recordings, producer, mixing, mastering, release date, title, etc.)?

Currently, we are working hard on our album, but soon our next single will be available too, titled: the doomer. It will be mixed and mastered by our trusty HexagonLab recording studio.

Do you like playing live? How does Euthymia sound live in concert? Do you plan any live dates?

We were born on a stage and therefore it is the only place where we feel comfortable: playing live for us is the only way to make our listeners empathize using our music as a bridge to our universe. We are currently preparing for some dates in Germany, France and Italy.

 Italy has a successful rock/metal scene. Which other Italian artists/bands do you admire and why?

The Italian scene is very varied, but often tending towards the underground as far as rock and metal bands are concerned. If I had to name one that we are very fond of, it would be Plato's Cave as we find their prog rock to be very similar to ours.

If Euthymia was a colour, which one would it be and why?

If we were to attribute a color to ourselves, it would be purple, corresponding to the seventh chakra. The one that sits above the head and is known to be the color of the spirit. “It is the color of the will to be different, of metamorphosis, transition and balance.

Which is your favorite motto?

… Spenda!

Which are your future plans?

The main plan remains to concentrate on the production and release of the album for a few months, dedicating to some carefully selected concerts so as not to limit the writing of the last songs. obviously, we are already projecting ourselves to the future: next year will be the year of the first official Tour.

Send your message to the fans!

Thanks again to all of you, guys! We hope to hear from you in a few years with new stories to tell. We remind everyone to follow us on our social networks and if you want to support us with ratings, likes and shares.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Euthymia.band

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/euthymia_music/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt3XimoU_d8XYmd_evyvAAA

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/euthymia_band

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/14wqeKHtV4jqmZ2H9esJDQ

Official Site: https://www.euthymiaband.com