Hailz Hades! Thank you for answering my questions! How are you doing nowadays? What is playing in the background right now?
Hello Szilard and cheers to all the readers of your zine, people who buy and support underground zines (on paper) are usually those same people who keep the flame burning! Yeah, doing fine here! Listening to the new Ranger LP at the moment and I must say it’s damn good! Didn’t like the production of the last one that much, but this one here is fantastic! They’re also KILLER live, so see them when you have the chance! Their SHOCK SKULL (EP) could easily be among the 80’s speed metal gods!
Let’s start the regular question: Please introduce your band to us! What are the main chapters to tell in OMEGA’s carrier?
Ohh, that question again! Nothing really to introduce, I started an old school black metal band in 2005 in Thessaloniki (Hellas), we had some lineup changes through the years, now I live in Oslo and I’m constantly working on new material and playing gigs here and there! Our current lineup is Goulthor (Lead guitars / vocals), HellHound (Drums), Bestial Tormentor (Bass guitar) and me on guitars and vocals!
What does the OMEGA name symbolize for you?
That’s pretty simple! Alpha / Omega is the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, they’ve been used also as a symbol of the beginning and the end! In our case, OMEGA (Ω) means the end, or Armageddon (The apocalypse)
You were born in Bulgaria, weren’t you? How did you get to Greece? Was it easy to fit into the local underground? Was this the name when you have met with your fellow band mates?
Yeah, I was born in the southern mountain chain of Bulgaria (Rhodopes), in a small city build in the mountain valley called Smolyan! I have some Greek roots as well, so I moved to Thessaloniki when I was 15 years old! Well, I guess metalheads find each other anyway, so I don’t think that it took that much time to meet the proper metal maniax! Yeah, the band started as a (one man band), I found members for the first demo one year later, so we could play the tracks live!
How did the band rehearsals go back in that day? How much beers run out at such times?
Ahh, those days… hmm, we were meeting for a few beers almost every day, hanging around, hiking, playing records and getting wasted on the weekends! Pretty much as every teenager at that age, but we were wild….. There was a lot of tension to come out from us! Freedom was everything that mattered and for me still is!
Your music is just like old VENOM mixed with MOTÖRHEAD, but sometimes it has HELLHAMMER/old CELTIC FROST vibe as well. Was this something which happened by intentionally or did this come from your instinct?
There are lots of influences to mention, those are just a few, I’m also into punk and rockabilly / psychobilly and many other genres, but yeah I’ve always wanted to start an old school black metal band, since when we started, the mainstream black metal was on its pick, so it was like a “fuck off” answer to the trend that exploded after the 90’s black metal in Scandinavia! Almost every band sounded the same and I was sick of all that corpse paint, blast beat, depressive, suicidal, emo , hip hop black metal or whatever! Von , Hellhammer, Poison (Ger) etc. sounded more evil than any of those bands that came in the late 90’s early 20’s.
You use pseudonyms, which is a common practice in the black metal scene. Why is this important in your opinion?
It’s not important at all. It just creates the mystical / obscure vibe that VENOM started in the late 70’s! Same did, Hellhammer, Blasphemy, Sodom, Bathory and so on! It’s like the comics / movie characters, which makes the whole thing a bit more mythical and gives a certain concept which the music represents!
How do you remember that time, when after PHILTHY ANIMAL passed away, LEMMY left this rotting world as well? Have you processed this sad fact since?
I really don’t wanna remember that moment, since I ended up in the hospital after 4 days of nonstop drinking and no sleep at all! I was actually lucky that my roommate at that time found me and called the ambulance! I’ve learned more from Lemmy about life, women and Rock n’ Roll than from my own father, so it was pretty hard to accept the loss, but no one gets alive out of here, so it would’ve happen one day in any case! I’ll just make sure to continue their legacy and spread it to the next generation! The world wouldn’t be the same without them!
How your first demo “Beginning of the End” did was born? How did the metalheads welcome this release? How large the interest was from the side of the labels?
The feedback was pretty good I remember, I got in contact with lots of people and started trading with them, tapes, zines and what not, later on I got in contact with a few labels too and we released the demo tracks we had as a first “album” , but I don’t consider (Second Coming…) as a first album, it’s like a compilation of the demo tracks!
There was a promo CD which was released after your demo. How many places you have sent copies to? Did you have any more interest or was it just Evil Spell Records who were interested?
We had a few offers, maybe 10 labels, but Evil Spell Records gave us the best one at that time, so we agreed to work with them! That promo CD was I think less than 50 copies, I think I still have 10 pieces somewhere, not really sure!
Your first album, “Second Coming, Second Crucifixion” came out under the flag of Evil Spell Records, in 2010. How was the welcome of this album in the international scene? How famous were you thanks to this LP?
I remember that there were lots of German maniax who got right away into it, also people from Spain, Belgium, Brazil, Austria , Italy , Chile , Singapore and where not, but I still wonder why the hell they liked it, the production on that LP is terrible hahaa! I wrote the songs when I was 16-17 or something, so I’m not really proud of that release, but if people enjoy it, that’s fine with me! I think (The Hell Patrol) is 1000 times better and for me it’s our debut album since the tracks on (Second Coming…) were demo tracks as I mentioned earlier!
The band’s philosophy forms shape nicely on this release. It’s a really hedonistic evil Rock’n’Roll music, with a lot of dirty stuff. Isn’t it?
The dirt is there for sure hahaa, but yeah it’s cool for partying and headbanging I guess! Rock n’ Roll has many shapes and forms!
In 2012 you have came out with a split 7”, sharing the disc with RAVENCULT. How did that release come together? Did you know each other before?
RAVENCULT were my friends and drinking buddies from Athens, we had lots of things in common (music-wise), so we kept contact through the years and supported each other in our local scene! One day we just agreed on releasing a split and so we did! Nothing more to tell about that! They’re the best band from Greece nowadays for me!
Your second album, “The Hell Patrol” was released by Evil Spell Records in 2013. Are you satisfied with the effort of the label?
Yes I am! The album came out with great sound, artworks and merch! Everything went smooth, just as planed! Germans are good in that!
“The Hell Patrol” came out on tape, CD and vinyl. Which is your favorite format? Do you collect one of them?
I collect mostly LP’s, but I have lots of tapes too and some CD’s as not every album / style sounds better on vinyl! Some records are like movies, you simply wanna play em listen to the whole thing without changing the sides! Burzum’s Filosofem is a good example for that, I prefer the CD version, even though the vinyl sounds a bit better! I just like to play it from start to end, like one single song!
What was the feedback to that stuff back then?
(The Hell Patrol) got some great feedback! We got lots of mails from zines, radio stations, promoters and fans worldwide! The vinyl pressing got sold out really fast I remember, we might make a second pressing in the future!
“The Hell Patrol” introduced a new guitarist, Goulthor. Why was necessary to have another guitarist in your band?
Yeah, Goulthor joined our forces one year before the release of (The Hell Patrol), he was already a good friend of mine and his taste in music was very similar with mine, so everything happened very natural and smooth! Usually I write music for two guitars and this style definitely requires solos and leads! I was never such a good lead guitarist, more like a riff maker! That’s why he filled up that position and we could share the guitar parts easier that way, since I sing on most of the tracks!
There was a VENOM tribute 12”, called “Summoning the Hounds of Hell”. In this record you covered the classic “Die Hard”. Why did you choose this song?
Hehe, that’s easy! We chose that song, since we’re DIE HARD early Venom fans!
A few well-known musicians participate in this song, like Fenriz (!!!), Aggressor (AURA NOIR, INFERNÖ, VIRUS stb.), Arild Myren Torp (NEKROMANTHEON, OBLITERATION). How could you summon this impressive team?
We did it as a Kolbotn tribute to VENOM! That’s why I asked Ferniz, Arild. Bestial Tormentor and C. Valbo to join and record the cover with us + Aggressor, who is one of the biggest Venom fans I know! We were pretty satisfied with the result, so it was a cool experience I remember!
What do you think about the other bands from the album (for example: WHIPSTRIKER, POWER FROM HELL, HERETIC, MIDNIGHT, BURSTIN OUT)? Do you like their music?
I know most of those guys since we’re all part of that scene I guess, but I really like Whipstriker, Midnight and Power From Hell.! The last Midnight MLP (Shox Of Violence) is killer, got a vinyl copy last week, but I didn’t like the previous one that much! First two Power From Hell LP’s were fucking great, don’t know much after that…. And Whipstriker always kick total ass, also a great live band and super cool guys!
You currently live in Norway, isn’t that true? Was it easy to find new members for your band?
Yeah, that’s true! I live in Oslo since august 2013! Well, I already knew most of the cool people here, so it wasn’t hard to find the right ones! Both Bestial Tormentor and HellHound are awesome guys and really dedicated with music!
Do you fell all right there north? You should drink more to get warm, right? Haha!
Hehe! I’m a mountain boy, so it felt like home when I moved here and yess there’s lots of boozing on the weekends / concerts and festivals
Are there more opportunities there for underground metal, than in Greece?
I think the opportunities are the same everywhere, since if you’re good in what you’re doing, you’ll be recognized and supported by the people, but yeah Norway has definitely a better metal / rock scene!
In which countries have you played until now? Did you play on another continent as well? Which legendary band could you share the stage with?
Aaahh, don’t even remember anymore! No we haven’t played on another continent yet, although we had lots of offers for a South / North American tour, but I’m not so much into long tours! I prefer a few, but big shows with the right people and the right bands! We might do a tour in America in the future though, maybe after we release our next record! Time will tell…
What was your best concert ever?
Hmmm, that isn’t hard to answer actually! AC/DC live in Athens 2009 at the Olympic stadium in front of 80000 people! That was the biggest Rock n’ Roll experience I ever had! Or Mayhem when their performed the whole De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas here in Oslo where it all started, amazing show!
How often do you go to concerts as visitor? Which band’s show was your recent experience?
I saw yesterday TANGORODRIM here in Oslo at the Inferno Festival actually! Also Furze and Venom Inc! I go to concerts pretty often yeah, but of course not only metal / rock gigs, I like lots of different styles and artists!
I guess you drink some beer on parties. Which is your favorite beer trademark? How much beer you drink regularly?
Can’t really say how much, it depends on the mood and the occasion, but yeah, cold beer and good music is always a great combination…. And if also hot girls are involved, then it’s definitely one of the best activities one can do hehe! One of my fave beer brands is Kozel (Dark) , I like the Trooper beer too, Rignes (glass bottle) from Oslo, I like Newcastle too! There are so many to mention, but it’s impossible to count them! Beer is better than water, so I guess that answer is enough hehe!
Do you like any alcohol besides beer? Do you like to drink LEMMY’s favorite booze, Jack&Coke alias “Lemmy”?
Yes, I love drinking Lemmy! Jack+Coke+3 rocks is a awesome combination, but I try to avoid drinking pure whiskey, since I have a really aggressive behavior when whiskey-drunk , although sometimes I don’t give a shit and just empty a bottle on my own, so as I said it depends on the mood!
Are you aggressive when you drunk? How often do you get wasted? What do you think about violence? Some guys deserve to have their faces beaten, right? Haha!
Violence sometimes is necessary yes, but whatever you do try to do it as silently and invisible to the public as possible! It sucks being arrested for some shit and dealing with the police for something stupid!
Do you use drugs besides alcohol? What do you think about drugs?
Drugs are not for everybody! People with strong will can deal easily with drugs, since they can keep their limits! I’ve lost some friends over the years from the drugs are that really sucks, but what can you do, people are free to do what the hell they want with their lives, so it’s a matter of perspective! Yeah, some drugs are really fun, but I’ve never tried heroin and I’m not planning to do so! That bastard is a one way road!
Are you Satanist? What does it mean for you? Are you interested in the “dark side”?
Personal believes and politics should be kept PERSONAL, that’s why I don’t like talking about those topics! I’m really into dark literature and philosophy, but what I believe is my own business and I like to keep it that way!
What are the most important albums in your life? Is it important for you to get your favorite stuff in original copies?
It’s really hard to say, since what’s favorite for you know, might be different in 5-10 years from now, but one of the best records ever made for me is for sure Killers by Iron Maiden, Celtic Frost – To Mega Therion , Darkthrone – A Blaze In The Northern Sky, Slayer Hell Awaits, Kreator – Pleasure To Kill, First Bathory, Exodus – Bonded By Blood and so on! Too many to mention!
What do you listen nowadays? Do you pay attention to the new bands?
Yes, I’m always interested in new bands and what comes from the underground scene! I’m waiting to hear the new LP from Antichrist (Swe) , Black Magic are releasing a new album soon as well, Vulture from Germany did a awesome MLP lately and the list goes on! Metal / Rock music is so much stronger nowadays than 15 years ago I think!
Do you know Hungarian bands? Have you ever been in Hungary?
Of course…. who can not mention mighty TORMENTOR and the total cult of Pokolgep when talking about Hungarian metal.!
What about your project, THE ORDER OF CHAOS? Could you please tell me more about it?
Not really much to say about it, that’s a black metal band I had before OMEGA in 2003 or something, which was actually never a band, I don’t know even how people got info about it! The name was changed to HORROR, I might record that full length one day! I still keep all the ideas!
What are the future plans of OMEGA? When will the new album come out? Where will you play in the near future?
We’re working on some new tracks at the moment and we’re headlining this year a festival in Austria and Germany together with our brothers in war DEATHHAMMER! Probably we’ll play a few very selected shows here and there after the new release is out, so that’s all for now I can tell about it!
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! The last words are yours!
Play on maximum volume Mean Machine by Motorhead and bang your fucking skulls! Cheers to all the hard rockers out there and see you on the road!
Interview by Sz.
