EspyRock conducted an interview with rhythm guitarist and keyboard player Bob Katsionis of Greek melodic metallers FIREWIND at the U.K. installment of the Sonisphere festival, which was held July 8-10, 2011 at Knebworth House . A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
EspyRock: I know right now you're working on new material and I've been talking to some bands about the control over the creative aspect of music and how important they feel it is to control that side of the music and let the business side of the things be handled by others. One thing that is noticeable with FIREWIND releases is that you change often from self-producing to bringing someone in to produce but even then you still have a strong hand in that side of things so what do you think brings better results?
Bob Katsionis: This is actually tricky because we were actually thinking about having someone else come in to take a look at our sound because we want others' opinions, but Gus [G., guitar] and I have a pretty certain idea of what we want to do with the music. Gus lays all the guidelines and I have a lot of technical knowledge, so it is pointless at times to have someone come in and say "do this and do that" when we are pretty sure about what we are doing. I think this is why we have somewhat of an original sound but, of course, it's not the most original sound ever like SYSTEM OF A DOWN.
EspyRock: But you can always tell it is FIREWIND when you hear it.
Bob Katsionis: Exactly. You always know it is FIREWIND when it has these riffs and these keyboards and this can only happen if you produce your own band. So now we're at a turning point that we think maybe we shouldn't do something that sounds like an "Allegiance" part four, maybe we should bring in someone else who can say "Let's try this and that," and why not?! We're on our seventh album.
EspyRock: How is the new material coming along that you have been working on?
Bob Katsionis: It has been coming along well. I can tell you that we have around ten new songs so far which we are working very hard on and we trade files with one another every day. We still don't know what is going to happen, but we know there is going to be a change, whether it has a little more pop or death metal to the sound or whatever. We all have this feeling that we will need to change something and explore what is going on because we had people calling us "power metal," but people don't know what power metal is. We know what power metal is because we grew up with it but people just gave us a tag and then others followed. We want to do music in our own style and to do that maybe the arrangements will change or maybe the production will change but whatever happens we will release another good album with good songs.
EspyRock: From that point of maybe having to introduce more pop or death metal, what would you actually like to hear being brought into the FIREWIND sound if you feel it needs that change?
Bob Katsionis: I don't know, and it is hard, because we are five different people with three songwriters, so it is hard to determine which way it will turn. I know in my mind but I cannot think of the way to describe it right now. [laughs] Ahh, it is on my tongue, but I wish I could describe it [laughs], I just cannot think of the correct words, but I suppose, in a way, a little more rock. We just really want to release good songs, that is the main goal, and I don't want to throw in all of my influences as I'm a DREAM THEATER fan and stuff like that. I don't want to take my influences and put that into the band because it is useless. A lot of bands do it when they say, "Let's play like this band," and nothing good happens as you just sound like something that has already come and passed you by. I don't know where it will end but we also feel a little pressure right now because a lot of heads have turned to FIREWIND because of Ozzy, he has helped turn heads to FIREWIND, and we have to make sure that this is a very good album.
EspyRock: I know right now you're working on new material and I've been talking to some bands about the control over the creative aspect of music and how important they feel it is to control that side of the music and let the business side of the things be handled by others. One thing that is noticeable with FIREWIND releases is that you change often from self-producing to bringing someone in to produce but even then you still have a strong hand in that side of things so what do you think brings better results?
Bob Katsionis: This is actually tricky because we were actually thinking about having someone else come in to take a look at our sound because we want others' opinions, but Gus [G., guitar] and I have a pretty certain idea of what we want to do with the music. Gus lays all the guidelines and I have a lot of technical knowledge, so it is pointless at times to have someone come in and say "do this and do that" when we are pretty sure about what we are doing. I think this is why we have somewhat of an original sound but, of course, it's not the most original sound ever like SYSTEM OF A DOWN.
EspyRock: But you can always tell it is FIREWIND when you hear it.
Bob Katsionis: Exactly. You always know it is FIREWIND when it has these riffs and these keyboards and this can only happen if you produce your own band. So now we're at a turning point that we think maybe we shouldn't do something that sounds like an "Allegiance" part four, maybe we should bring in someone else who can say "Let's try this and that," and why not?! We're on our seventh album.
EspyRock: How is the new material coming along that you have been working on?
Bob Katsionis: It has been coming along well. I can tell you that we have around ten new songs so far which we are working very hard on and we trade files with one another every day. We still don't know what is going to happen, but we know there is going to be a change, whether it has a little more pop or death metal to the sound or whatever. We all have this feeling that we will need to change something and explore what is going on because we had people calling us "power metal," but people don't know what power metal is. We know what power metal is because we grew up with it but people just gave us a tag and then others followed. We want to do music in our own style and to do that maybe the arrangements will change or maybe the production will change but whatever happens we will release another good album with good songs.
EspyRock: From that point of maybe having to introduce more pop or death metal, what would you actually like to hear being brought into the FIREWIND sound if you feel it needs that change?
Bob Katsionis: I don't know, and it is hard, because we are five different people with three songwriters, so it is hard to determine which way it will turn. I know in my mind but I cannot think of the way to describe it right now. [laughs] Ahh, it is on my tongue, but I wish I could describe it [laughs], I just cannot think of the correct words, but I suppose, in a way, a little more rock. We just really want to release good songs, that is the main goal, and I don't want to throw in all of my influences as I'm a DREAM THEATER fan and stuff like that. I don't want to take my influences and put that into the band because it is useless. A lot of bands do it when they say, "Let's play like this band," and nothing good happens as you just sound like something that has already come and passed you by. I don't know where it will end but we also feel a little pressure right now because a lot of heads have turned to FIREWIND because of Ozzy, he has helped turn heads to FIREWIND, and we have to make sure that this is a very good album.
Source: Blabbermouth
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