Gus Drax is one of the best guitarists in Greece right now and returns to the spotlight with his brand-new solo album, “Theories of Imperfection”. The Greek guitar hero recently left Suicidal Angels to focus on his prog metal band, Sunburst, and his personal career. Myth of Rock, fully admiring Gus Drax and his new instrumental guitar album, got in touch with him. Gus kindly answered all the questions of our list and, right below, you can enjoy our genuinely interesting chat!
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
Hello Gus, you are soon releasing your new solo album, “Theories of Imperfection”. Which are your feelings about that?
I’m feeling great. I can’t wait for release day, honestly. It’s been a long journey so far, with so much work, and I can’t wait to finally release it to the world.
Why did you decide to release a new solo album now?
For many years, I wrote or co-wrote music with my bands that included vocals. After all these years, I felt the need, the “hunger” to write instrumental music again. I wanted to do something different. And here we are.
Why did you name the album “Theories of Imperfection”?
It’s a statement title for me. It also connects the two albums. I was always a perfectionist. I still am. But through the years and through various experiences, I learned to embrace “imperfections” that can actually make something unique. Other than that, Imperfection is such a human thing, and I wanted to give this message as well. In this album, everything is human-made. Composition, recordings, mixing and mastering, artwork, everything. No AI was used. And I wanted even the title to represent that.
When did you start working on this album? Describe the recording process, please.
I think I wrote the first ideas back in 2023. I started writing and demoing the songs. I had the album ready by 2025, and we are now ready to release it. The recordings started with George Kollias’ drums. He did a phenomenal job. Then I recorded Guitars. Giorgos recorded the bass lines, and after that Bob recorded his keyboards and John Koutselinis did the orchestral arrangements for “Sentio Ergo Sum”, “Nocturnal Waltz”, and “Final Atonement”. Last but not least, Lefteris Pouliou recorded his guest saxophone solo on “Ethereal Horizon” and Andy James his guest solo on “Cosmic Shadow”.
Did you approach this record differently compared to your previous solo album?
Completely differently. It’s been so many years already since my first one, so it’s only natural that the whole procedure was different.
Why instrumental again? Did you ever consider adding vocals?
No. I write music for vocals for my band Sunburst. This album was clear to me that it’s going to be an instrumental. I wanted to do something different on this one.
Do you feel more freedom when you work without a singer, without lyrics?
It’s 2 different procedures. I felt more freedom writing my solo album, but not because I wasn’t writing for a singer.
Which track of the new album was the most challenging to write? Which song are you personally most proud of?
I am equally proud of all the songs. Most challenging… Probably “Emotive Resonance”.
How important is melody for you compared to technical skill?
More important than skill. I don’t write music to showcase technique or how good I play. Composition is the most important thing for me. I use my technique as a tool. Not as a reason.
Do you write riffs first or do you start with melodies?
It honestly can be both. Every song can be different.
How do you balance emotion and complexity in your compositions?
As I said before, for me, technique is a tool, not a reason. I use my technique to write music. There is room for everything, especially in an instrumental album. I have room for melodies, shredding, ambience, and intriguing parts. I try to balance everything and make something that’s going to be interesting, intelligent, and beautiful.
What guitars and gear did you mainly use on the album?
All rhythm and clean guitars of the album were recorded with my Ibanez J.Custom RG8527. My Ibanez Prestige RG5320 recorded the leads and solos. Besides that, in the amp department:
Rhythm Guitars:
Reamped through:
2 x EVH 5153 (100w) into a Mesa Boogie 2001 cab 4×12 with v30s, miced with an sm57 through a 1073 preamp
2x 6505+ (120w) into an ENGL cab 4×12 with v30s, miced same way as the other one
Leads/solos were 5153 head into a Carvin legacy (Steve Vai model) 4×12 cab, miced with sm57 and a Rover ribbon 121 mic.
Cleans with a 1975 VOX AC30, miced with a Neumann U87 mic.
Crunches with a 1985 JCM800 into the Mesa cabinet.
Did you produce the album yourself? Who did the mixing and the mastering?
We produced the album along with my good friend Bob Katsionis, and my friend Simone Mularoni did the mixing and the mastering.
14. Were there any guest musicians involved?
George Kollias – Drums
George Charalampidis – Bass
Bob Katsionis – Keyboards
Andy James – Guitar solo on “Cosmic Shadow”
John Koutselinis – Orchestral Arrangements on “Sentio Ergo Sum”, “Nocturnal Waltz”, and “Final Atonement”
Lefteris Pouliou – Saxophone solos on “Ethereal Horizon”
After years with bands like Sunburst and Black Fate, what does going solo give you that bands don’t?
I had some ideas that I felt were more fitting for an instrumental environment. Apart from that, not writing for a band gave me the freedom that I didn’t have to “convince” anyone about this music. Just myself.
Why did you decide to leave Suicidal Angels?
With Suicidal Angels, after almost 10 years, I realised that my circle with the band was complete. I wanted to move on and do different things. Focus more on my music, play different things, and do different things.
Are there any non-metal influences hidden in the album?
Yes, flamenco, waltz, synthwave, film scores, classical, jazz, and blues are some of the elements that people can hear in the album.
Do you leave mistakes in if they feel real?
If it feels real, it’s not a mistake.
What do you think makes a great instrumental metal album stand out?
The ability to hold the listener from start to finish.
Is this your most ambitious record so far?
I most certainly think so, yeah.
Do you plan to perform the album live? With a band?
I would love to, and I will try to do both live shows and clinics.
What do you hope guitar players will take from this record? And what do you hope non-musicians will feel when they listen to it?
For both musicians and non-musicians, I would firstly like them to enjoy this record. Make them feel something, create some images and landscapes in their minds. Now, if they are guitar players and they get extra inspiration to play more guitar and write more music, that would be fantastic.
