Metal warriors and metal queens, brace yourselves, because we’re diving deep into the sonic empire of the Greek heavy metal powerhouse called Crimson Fire. These guys are the architects of a wild musical ride, which travels us back to the magical sound of the 80s, through melodic and ethereal ventures. Myth of Rock is stoked to share with you the super-interesting conversation that Ira Bounia had with Nikos Efetzis (guitar) and Dinos Ganitis (bass). Behold the kings in crimson!
Good evening Nikos, good evening Dinos! Which is the current line-up of Crimson Fire? Since when, are the members of the band active?
Nikos: Good evening Ira! So first let’s say that Giannis (Britsas, vocals) and Stelios (Koutelis, guitar) are the founding members of the band, that is, from the relatively distant 2004. Along the way, there were some changes in the members, as happens with most bands. Dinos (Ganitis, bass) joined the lineup in 2017, then I – Nikos (Efetzis, guitar) – joined in early 2021 and Nikitas (Mandolas, drums) came in the spring of 2022. I hope I remember them correctly, hahaha!
Let’s go the “big boom”, which is your participation in the European Tour 2024 of Suicidal Angels, a renowned thrash metal band!
Nikos: Yes, it is true that for us it is primarily the “big boom”, as you said! It’s something that all of us have, more or less, dreamed of starting our journey in the music industry, right? I mean, what musician in this field hasn’t had at least a secret desire to do a tour abroad at some point in his/her life, especially next to an established band like Suicidal Angels! Our feelings are clearly excitement and anticipation! Along with an anxiety, of course, as it is natural, when you do something new. But it is the good stress, the necessary stress, you know, the stress that helps you to give that little bit more in order to cope successfully with this new venture. We believe in both our material and our capabilities, so everything will be fine. And at this point, let’s say a big thank you to Suicidal Angels. Because first they believed in us and made us the offer to follow them. For us it is a huge psychological boost.
Dinos: From my side there is only one word. Justification. Nothing less. I feel that my/our efforts are justified in this way. The anxieties, the sorrows, the nerves. Anything can make you quit. We did not give up and we are here, united, strong and ready for the next step. The suggestion of Suicidal Angels came like a surprise. Of course, in order to implement all this, we went through many difficulties. Just one proposal is not enough for you to accept it. There are other things in the background that are not visible and are the ones that really stress you out. Finally everything was OK. I, in turn, would like to thank Suicidal Angels for what they did, so that we could be on tour with them in March!
Three Crimson Fire albums so far, with “Another Dimension” being the latest one, achieving great success almost three years after its release. Tell me how do you feel about this feedback from the fans?
Nikos: We are very happy that this particular album is being accepted by the band, especially because musically it moves in a slightly different style from the previous two and we were not sure what impact it would have.
Dinos: Fantastic! Since almost three years have passed and the record is still selling, nothing else needs to be said. This album was a big gamble. We invested in people of known value and that created an impatience to the people. “Another Dimension” is so different from the previous two albums and yet so Crimson Fire.
Until the second album, people considered you a traditional heavy metal band.
Nikos: Yes, it’s true that “Another Dimension” is a musical mixture of metal, hard rock, even elements of AOR I could say there are, which differentiates it from the pure metal work that preceded it, “Metal Is Back” and “Fireborn”. Nevertheless, the people who already followed us from the previous works embraced it equally, which shows that the metal audience in Greece is perhaps now less dogmatic and gives a chance to things that deviate a little from the pure – and to a certain extent saturated I would say – metal. Personally I like this little turn, I think it also implies a musical maturation, both compositionally and orchestrationally. And hopefully it will also resonate with European audiences through the upcoming tour.
Dinos: I agree with what Nikos says. I don’t think releasing another same album as the previous ones would make any sense, I don’t want to criticize the bands that act on this basis. It doesn’t mean something to me personally. And as selfish as it sounds, I play and write music for myself and no one else. The messages are positive from any point of view. As I mentioned, a record that is still selling can’t be bad. When you see your name on social media at regular intervals, you have done something good. After all this time I am now convinced that we did a very good job with “Another Dimension”.
“Another Dimension” was released during the Covid-19 pandemic and the quarantine. How did the quarantine affect the composition and the recordings of the album?
Dinos: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. For us, the quarantine on a musical level was a blessing. We sat down and worked the album to the point of disgust. Nothing has been left to chance and the last note one hears on the record has gone through unimaginable filtering. Personally speaking, I got to the point of saying to Stelios “Man, it can’t go any further …”. And to answer your question as well, the first note was written in spring 2018 and the last in December 2020.
Tell us a little about the composition of the tracks. Are all the band members involved? Is there consensus?
Nikos: The compositions in this particular album are by Giannis, Stelios and Dinos. Now, in the recordings, everyone puts their own personal stamp and style, of course, so that there is a specific final result. There is consensus of opinion in general, but not always of course. There are also differences as everyone has their own musical preferences and perceptions. But through the combination of these concepts, something more interesting usually comes out, as we believe was done with “Another Dimension”.
Dinos: Punches, kicks, swearing. That’s enough, hahahaha! There is a great battle and show of strength between Stelios, Giannis and me. In the end we all stand above the song, so that it comes out as good as possible for people to enjoy. If it is not absolutely perfect, it won’t be released. And when I say absolutely, based on ten, let’s get to eleven. I, let’s say, am capable of working on a track for months, like we did for the song “Fire Below”. Four months as at one point we had twelve different guitars playing twelve different things. We kept seven, hahaha!
Your latest album reminds of bands like Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, Scorpions, Europe, even Saxon. In what ways did the bands I mentioned and maybe others influence you to get to where you are today?
Nikos: All the names you mentioned are top, and of course we have been influenced by them and many others, since they have been what we listen to, since we started listening to music. We like to think we’ve taken cues from these artists and incorporated them into our own sound, without any tendency to copycat. The band’s personal stamp is our goal. Now if we remind some other top bands, we can only take it as a compliment, hahaha!
Dinos: It would be an oxymoron, if we didn’t remind of a big band. There is no more parthenogenesis in music. As Nikos said, it’s a compliment, when something like that is said.
Is “Another Dimension” a multi-thematic album lyrical wise?
Dinos: Of course, since there are three composers. Songs have been written about life, about love, about religion, about inner quests. I would like to make a concept album, but it needs a lot of cojones to come out well. And not so much the musical part, but the lyrical part. Verse is power.
Are “Judas” and “Set the Night on Fire” representative of “Another Dimension”?
Dinos: Anyone can understand it in his own way. For others it is “On the edge” so to speak. For others, “Fire below”, and it goes on. This is the big bet that we have won. There isn’t a favorite song out there. Everyone will tell you something different. If you ask me, I think “Set the Night on Fire” is the Crimson Fire of today.
Nikos: “On the Edge” for me, no doubt about it!
A few words about the record company that supports you?
Dinos: Without No Remorse Records, Christos and Andreas, none of this would have happened. I’ve said it and I’ll say it again, it’s a blessing to work with such people and to have them around, both on a friendly and a collaborative level. We thank you for your time! Happy new year with health to all!
