On the 29^th of April, 2023, Gentihaa will enter the stage of Temple Athens, for a stunning live show, together with W.E.B. and Drama Noir. Having released a fantastic debut album, titled “Reverse Entropy”, and having played some important live shows, Gentihaa stands as a really promising band, ready to surprise us again with its work. Myth of Rock, warming up for the aforementioned concert, talked with Manos J. Kouris (guitar) of Gentihaa!

by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Hello! Where, when, by whom and under which circumstances was Gentihaa founded?

Greetings! I am Manos J. Kouris, the new axeman of the band and I am very happy to answer your questions! The idea was born by Valgran and it took true form around 2019 by establishing the band members and releasing the debut album "Reverse Entropy".

How do you see that album now? Are you satisfied with the response of the critics and the fans?

It was a kind of a shock, when we received the review from Burn (Japan). A debut album it's like a baby's first steps, we're not expected to be notified like this. As for the fans, when we performed our first show supporting Dimmu Borgir, they were singing along every song (despite the fact that the album was released a week ago) and we realized that our main goal has been succeeded!

“Reverse Entropy” was produced by Bob Katsionis and mixed by Fotis Benardo. How was it working with these two renowned Greek musicians/producers?

We can spend hours by listing every achievement of these worldwide known artists

But I'd like to specify the mentoring and their effort to this album. We owe them our success!

 “Reverse Entropy” was released by Symmetric Records. How did this deal come up?

We received many label offers from around Europe and America, but we decided that in these critical first steps of our journey we had to pick someone with exact same goals. Symmetric Records was the right ally for the upcoming fights that our band had to face and we are so happy that we made the right decision!

Have you started working on a new, sophomore album? If yes, can you give us all the info about it (music style of the new songs, album title, song titles, recording studio, producer, mixing/mastering etc.)?

Yes! We are facing the final stages of our recordings and the early results are astonishing! Unfortunately, I can't reveal you any details yet, but as one of the new members I think the band has some new colors in the pallet. Which is very important for creating new material!

How would you describe Gentihaa’ s music style? In my opinion, your extreme metal sound is very versatile, with many traditional metal, progressive metal etc. elements. Do you agree with me?

I think progressive death metal is the right one! I am not a fan of genre titles, every band has a unique style and ID. The key of Gentihaa's success is the Idea of supporting this way of thinking by keeping this identity pure!

What music do you listen to, nowadays?

Personally I am traveling through deathcore bands these days, especially Lorna Shore, “Pain Remains” is a album that conquered my attention too easily and effortlessly. Such a great work!

Who is the main composer/lyricist in Gentihaa?

Identity, personality, difference between the members is the point of giving to every member the space and the will, to come up with ideas and melodies. There is not only one wishing well!

Which are your favorite lyric themes?

Fantasy! Endless possibilities, dimensions and philosophies!

How do you make decisions in Gentihaa?

Everyone has a different part of responsibility in the band but when comes a decision phase we vote... Can't think any other option!

How would you describe the atmosphere and the feeling of your music?

I would like to use a Greek word and say "απρόσμενο", it's the unexpected!

You never know how it's going to go and there is not only one form (I love that!).

On the 29^th of April 2023, you play live in Athens with W.E.B. and Drama Noir. How do you feel now, a few days before this concert?

Can't wait to hit the stage with these bands, the show it's going to be Epic! We perform for the fist time like this union and that's why I think it's so big.

What should the fans expect from this live show?

Just a Vulgar Display of Power

How important are live shows for Gentihaa? How do you sound live in concert?

Concerts are the main communication time with our fans, we are headbanging, we are singing and we share our passion of metal united. Nothing can replace that...

The Greek extreme metal scene is very productive and successful nowadays. How do you experience this phenomenon? Why do you think this happens?

For me it's a logical phenomenon, our world is surrounded by violence, injustice and pain. Art is our way of protesting - expressing our messages to everyone, bonding our thoughts and facing together any circumstances!

How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect you?

Like everyone else! It's like we flipped a board of chess and we started again... Best thing we can do is to focus on the future and leave this nightmare behind, we spend lot of energy back then!

What do you think about Russia’s war against Ukraine?

It's devastating to face these phenomena in our century! I thought we left them behind us in history books but some governments proved us wrong once again! It's memorable to say that, how can we vanish warlike people who can sacrifice so many lives, when our own government can do the same by overpassing basic train safety! The national tragedy that took place in Tempi, hits the history books by proving that humanity is capable of anything!

Send your message to the fans, please!

Thank you everyone for your time! Special thanks to Dimitris Zacharopoulos of Myth of Rock Greece. Can't wait to see you out there on the 29th of April 2023 in Temple, Athens with Web and Drama Noir. Stay Strong, Stay Happy and Stay Metal! Cheers!!!

https://gentihaa.bandcamp.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/gentihaa/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIaUAcnyTmSNdnHNVcVu9TQ 

Para Lia is an indie rock band, which came here to stay. Listen to the beautiful songs of “Gone With The Flow” and you will understand why! Myth of Rock thought it would be nice to have a conversation with the band, so we talked with René, who had many nice things to say.  

by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Give us a short biography of the band.

Hello guys. Thank you for getting in contact. Para Lia is an indie rock duo, founded in 2018 from Cottbus near Berlin in Germany. Cindy and me already were a couple in life when we discovered that the connection between us also works in music. After a longer break I started to write songs again and the interplay between our voices became an important part of the arrangements. That was the birth of Para Lia.

Why did you name the band Para Lia?

We have a deep connection to Greece and its people for many years now, we have friends there and we love to spend time in Greece - what we do for several times every year. When Para Lia was still ‘unborn’, the first songs were already written but the project was still nameless, we were in Greece for some days and we gave the idea of a band name a thought. And indeed we were sitting on a Greek beach in the evening sun with a cold bottle Retsina– where the idea of the name came in mind. We decided not to use it as single word, so we split it. It made sense, we are two. And so Para Lia was born.

Your latest album was “Gone With The Flow”. How do you see this new album now? Are you satisfied with the response of the media and the fans? What would you change to it, if you had the opportunity?

We are still very happy with ‘Gone With The Flow’. The feedback from fans and listeners was very nice, the album got good critics and first of all it was great to work with fantastic musicians from UK, USA, Canada on it and to work with the amazing Louis Renzoni and all the team during the process.  A great experience. … Thoughts of ‘changes’ belong to future projects.  

Have you prepared your new album? If yes, how does it sound? Describe the recordings and the production please!

We think it sounds exactly the way it should and we are very happy with it. It was a pleasure to join Thommy Hein in his Berlin studio for the mastering of the tracks and we love the sound we created. We added an extra dose of 60’s feel and garage and psych rock elements to the indie rock guitar sound and we think now it is a tasty kind of rock soup!

How would you define the music style of Para Lia? Which are your music trademarks?

Melodies, harmony vocals and driving guitars – these are the elements of our musical cosmos.

Who is responsible for the music and the lyrics of Para Lia?

Rene is the songwriter of the band.

How is a song of Para Lia usually composed?

René:  A song starts to play in my head and I have to get me my guitar, the bass guitar and then I record a short demo to save it, together with a drum take. Then I start to work it out. Often the whole song plays already in my head and I just have to record the instruments. Also very often I have a hook line for the lyrics in mind and so I have to find the words around it. Cindys voice always is the cherry on the top of the cake, so it is the last thing which is recorded.

Where do your lyrics refer to? Your favorite topics?

Love, life, relationships, philosophy, mythology – and the things in between.

How do you sound live in concert? How much important are live shows for you? Which are your tour plans?

We never played live shows in the past. Now we are about to change it. If you will ask again in about a year – there will be an answer.  

How did the pandemic affect you?

Musically we focused on song writing and recording, so we used the ‘pandemic life situation’ as input for creativity.  If i would have to describe the lyrics of the upcoming album i would call it a collection of pandemic love songs.

Nowadays internet and technology has changed the way music business works. What do you think about internet and its impact?

Light and shadow, both of it. A positive effect surely is that musicians and artists can connect worldwide. So we did with guest musicians on the last album.  ‚Gone With The Flow‘ was a fantastic experience in the making and after the release. We worked with international artists, came in contact with interesing and creative people and widened our horizon.

In your opinion, how much easy or difficult is it for an indie rock band to have success nowadays? Why?

It depends on your own definition about ‘success’. To sell x100 records? Difficult. To be authentic and make music with passion and quality? All the time!

If you could cooperate with a famous musician in a song of yours, who would he/she be? Why?

Neil Young. At the end of his 70’s meanwhile and still creative, authentic and able to play his lead guitar the distinctive way he did for decades.

Send a message to the fans!

Stay tuned for the upcoming releases of new stuff! We hope that you like our new album as much as we do. Take care!

Progressive rock and metal genres aren’t in their golden era, however, nice groups and nice albums are released every day. One group that drew my attention was Evraak from Japan, who gave us its debut album some months ago. Their smart and surprising prog rock sound is more than satisfactory, it is a real treasure for every prog fan! So, we contacted Evraak and talked with Koji Kawashima, who politely gave his answers. These Japanese know how to play prog rock!

by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

When, where and under which circumstances was Evraak formed? Give us a bio of the band, please.

One day in 2018, Koji Kawashima suddenly got the idea of forming a prog rock band. No reason, just an idea. Hayawo Kanno and Takeshi Yoshida accepted to join this idea quickly. Hayawo already had some piece of prog rock motif and he shaped “Sacrifice” demo immediately. That is our start. After that, Koji, Hayawo and Takeshi went to the rehearsal studio and recorded a demo song, “Sacrifice”. We used that demo tape(this expression is old-fashioned)  for members wanted. Then three members gathered. Marina came from avant-garde music. Tengoku came from jazz, Miki came from performing art music. We think this is almost a miracle, because this member composition is very close to the origins of prog rock.

Why did you name the band Evraak? What does this name mean?

Firstly,  our band name has not a meaning. Our band name is very unique, because this is a coined word we made. We got the idea from an old PC game, however that game was sold only in Japan, so I think nobody knows it. About the pronunciation of Evraak [íːv lə'ːrk], it appears to be a combination of “Eve” and ”Lurk” or ”Lark”. We're Japanese, so we've never really thought much about pronunciation. So you can read it however you like.

“Evraak I” was released some months ago. How do you see this album now? Would you change something to it, if you had the opportunity?

We think it is well done for a first album. But the sound quality of some of the tracks is unsatisfactory due to the poor recording environment. Especially the drums’ recording.

Where and when was “Evraak I” recorded? Who did the production, the mixing and the mastering? Describe the recording sessions and the production process, please.

Recording took place in 2019-2020, after several sessions and live performances. We did self-recordings in several rehearsal studios, never used a recording studio and an engineer. We used rehearsal studio for drums, vocal and sax tracks recording, other tracks (guitar, bass, piano and synthesizers) are recorded in each member's home. Recording engineering was done by Koji Kawashima. We didn't have good equipment, so the drums sound is a little poor. Especially "Sacrifice" used 4pcs studio mics (maybe Shure SM58), so the sound is not clear. After recording, Koji and Hayawo did the mixing and the mastering.

Which are your music influences? What music do you listen to nowadays?

Marina Seo(vocals): Can, The Stalin (Japanese punk band), Miki Hasegawa(keyboards): Bojan Zulfikarpasic, Yann Tiersen, Takeshi Yoshida (drums): Chick Corea, Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet, Tengoku Imagawa(saxophone): Bob Berg, John Coltrane, Koji Kawashima (bass) : Art & Mestieri, Yes, King Crimson, Hayawo Kanno(guitar): Anekdoten, Deep Purple.

You are a progressive rock band. What new do you have to offer as band to the contemporary prog rock scene?

We think Evraak is not innovative, It is more of a "classical" type of rock band. So we would like to offer the  "tradition", the "attitudes" for old rock fan.

How easy or difficult is it be a progressive rock band in Japan nowadays?

There are many ardent prog rock fans in Japan. So, we think it is not difficult to do. Several new prog-rock bands also emerged. However, current listeners' age is high so we want to expansion to listeners range more.

How do you compose the songs of Evraak? Are they the result of improvisation?

About the composition, main composer is Hayawo and Koji. We are using DAW software for composing. Our composing is like a "play catch", Hayawo composed all parts 1~2 minutes and passed to Koji, then Koji listened that parts and added new parts 1~2 minutes. Then repeat this process. There is very little improvisation during the composition step. After finished composing, we went to rehearsal studio and played several times, the band's sound takes shape through improvisations and other performances at that time.

Where do your lyrics refer to? How much important are lyrics for you?

Almost all lyrics were written by Marina. Lyrics  are very important. We are Japanese, so we insist on singing in Japanese.

Which song would you recommend to someone, who doesn’t have a clue about Evraak?

Please listen to ”Saethi” first. Then, if you like, please listen to "Asylum Piece" or "Stigma".

If you could collaborate with a famous musician in a song of yours, who would he/she be?

Umm, this is a difficult question, because most of the great musicians I admire have passed away or retired ... If there is an opportunity, I want to collaborate with Steven Wilson.

How did the contract with WormHoleDeath come up?

Actually we already distributed "Evraak I" on some subscription ourselves since 2021.  Our music was well received, especially in Italy, and at the beginning of 2022, we were contacted by Mr. Jacopo, publisher of the "Progressive Rock Journal" webzine. Mr. Jacopo suggested we contact WormHoleDeath, we contacted Mr. Carlo at WHD, which led to this contract.

Which are your ambitions for the band?

Our band has just begun, so we want people worldwide to know about us first.

Do you play live in concert? Do you have any tour plans?

We have several gigs scheduled in Japan. Unfortunately, we have no plans for a worldwide tour yet.

How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect you?

Covid-19 had a very big impact on us. I could not see any of the members for a long time. The song "Saethi" is actually an expression of our anger towards Covid-19.

Send your message to the fans!

Thanks for listening to our music, we hope our music will be heard by all music fans, not just prog-rock fans. Enjoy!

Chicago-based Scottish music legend Chris Connelly has released new album 'Eulogy to Christa: A Tribute to the Music & Mystique of Nico', an exceptional 20-track collection pays tribute to the iconic muse of The Velvet Underground and one of the most unique, tragic and misunderstood female artists in the history of modern music. Here, Connelly purposefully adopt the personas of Nico, Lou Reed, John Cale and even Andy Warhol. In four decades of making music, since his days with Fini Tribe in Edinburgh, Chris Connelly has over twenty solo releases and frequently collaborates with other musicians, including Ministry, The Revolting Cocks and Pigface. He has also published four books (poetry, autobiographical and fictional narrative). Initially planned as an album of ten Nico covers, Connelly ended up writing additional compositions spanning her life, from her first Jimmy Page-composed single, The Velvet Underground years and her intense and unique solo recordings until her death. Connelly follows her from Berlin to New York via Paris, Ibiza, and Rome, then back through Paris, London, Edinburgh, Manchester and up to her tragic and needless death in Ibiza. We had the opportunity to speak with Chris Connelly this past weekend and can finally share this conversation with you.

 by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

You released “Eulogy to Christa” a few months ago. How do you feel now that this new album is released? Are you satisfied with the response of the media and fans to date?

I am very, very humbled at the response, I don’t take it for granted, and to be honest, I don’t ever expect much feedback, you always start from a place of doing it purely for yourself (at least that’s what I do) and if others find something in it that resonates with them, that’s great!

Why did you decide to pay this tribute to Nico? How important is Nico and her music for you?

Her presence and music has been felt in our lives for so long, I felt she has a story worth telling, it’s sad, there was never much redemption for her, except for the important fact that her music, her spirit, was so unique and singular, I have always loved her music , and something about her spirit has always resonated with me, I think it was a compulsion, I felt like I had to do it.

How easy or difficult was it for you to make this tribute album? To what things did you pay special attention while working on this album?

The hardest part of doing this was to be able to be respectful and differential to her spirit, it’s easy to cover or copy someone’s song, and it’s a lot of fun too! But to look inside a song, to try and feel the person who made it, that’s the hard, and most rewarding part, to me it is like meditating or praying, to try and feel her presence beside me , it’s a mental and physical thing.

How did you compose the songs of this tribute album? Did you begin with the lyrics or the music?

Both and neither: composition, for me is not a rational or even physical trajectory,  which is why I can never remember honestly how I do it, take for example the song “OH JIM II” which is about the duality of Jim Morrison & Jim Osterberg (Iggy Pop) in her life. When I try and remember writing that, all I see is sand and snow- desert & tundra, that’s what the song is, that’s what I think I created, the science and logic of it is unimportant.

Describe the recording sessions and the production process of “Eulogy to Christa”.

All my sessions happen between the hours of 4 a.m. & 7 a.m., right when I wake up, that’s when I have dreamt, and I wake up with a purpose and I follow my hands, it does not take long at all, I sort of plan out the sessions in my dream time, and I am always alone.

You are also quite famous for your industrial/alternative rock works in the 80s/90s. What are some of the things you remember most strongly about the music scene from these days (the good and the bad)?

As you say, 80s and 90s . It was a long time ago, and I made some great friends who are still close to me now. I am proud of what I did , but it was shrouded in this awful toxic energy and I am so far away from that now, I don’t particularly like going back to that place, I am grateful that people got something out of it though. But it nearly killed me

You have released numerous solo albums. Of them all, which ones are your favorites? Which one would you consider your ‘breakthrough’ album?

I am not sure what you mean, I guess it’s fair to say I DO NOT make records if I don’t have something specific to do, once I am done with a record, it is the best record I have made until I make the next one, The success of my records, at its heart, is how much I enjoyed writing them, after that, recording is fun, but it’s not nearly as transcendent for me as writing…and after that, if people like what I did, great!

You have collaborated with Revolting Cocks, Ministry and Pigface. How do you feel now about each of these respective collaborations?

It is something I did, like anything you do when you are younger, it has good bits and bad bits, I don’t think about it too much, I don’t want it to define me, but that’s not really my choice to make.

Apart from a musician, you are also an author. How would you describe your bibliography to a fan, who has not yet read your books and writing in general?

Well, I have a couple of books of poetry, an autobiography that I would describe as comical (it’s supposed to be funny) and one novel that is supposed to be a psychological thriller.

Did the Covid-19 pandemic affect you as an artist?

I wrote a lot, it was a very productive time, it brought a new focus to my writing that I did not have before

Can you share some thoughts about Russia’s war on Ukraine?

It’s brutal and heartbreaking and Putin is an evil man, like Trump.

Which feelings of your do you try to express through your creations?

That is hard to answer, I think the only thing I can say is that my writing comes through me, I do not follow any earthly formulas for writing (though I readily admit to my influences) I personally feel like I have to leave myself open to what comes out of my fingers, I am uneasy about the word “spiritual” because I think it’s too easy of a word to throw around, but what I do certainly comes from the spirit.

What might the next year or two hold for Chris Connelly and his creative output (or even live performances)?

I am finishing a new album right now which I can’t talk about yet, but it has a LOT in common with “Eulogy to Christa” …as far as live performances go, I don’t know, I am sure I will, but I have grown to really dislike playing live, sadly.

Can you share a message with your listeners and our readers?

If you listen to my music and get something out of it for yourself, then I am so grateful!

https://chrisconnelly.bandcamp.com/album/eulogy-to-christa