It is really very refreshing and hopeful to have the opportunity to talk to people who are passionate about what they do, who combine professionalism with romance and ultimately represent what music and especially metal is for all of us who follow it as fans. Marios Iliopoulos, guitarist and founder of NIGHTRAGE and Konstantinos Togas, their new singer, spoke to THE GALLERY about everything. About the difficulties they faced, how they see music and its future, their new album “Remains of the Dead World” but also about the future of the band and their next steps.
– Good evening Marios and Konstantinos! Welcome to our web magazine. It is a great honor!!
Marios Iliopoulos: Hello Kostas! Thank you for the invitation!
– Marios, I want to start with you. Please tell me what you did until you founded NIGHTRAGE in 2000. What led you to the summer of 2000 when you said you were going to found your own band?
Marios Iliopoulos: My first band was EXHUMATION. We had recorded three albums in Sweden, One with Dan Swano and the other two with Fredrik Nordstrom. I must admit that EXHUMATION was a big school for me. In fact, when they broke up, we got the name of the new band from one of their songs that was on the album “Traumaticon”. So that’s how NIGHTRAGE came to life. It was the next step for me since I wanted to continue playing music.
– You, as far as I know, were not born in Greece, right?
Marios Iliopoulos: I was born in Australia, in Sydney. Then we came to Greece and then I went with my parents to Sweden and back to Greece where we created NIGHTRAGE in 2000 as we said. Specifically, in Thessaloniki. But when we released our first demo I moved permanently to Sweden and stayed there for 13.5 years.
– Did you move to Sweden for the band or for other reasons?
Marios Iliopoulos: Just for the band. During the first six months of NIGHTRAGE I was in Greece, I felt that I could not progress. I felt really bad because I couldn’t find the right people to continue what I had in mind since I generally had a very clear goal of what I wanted to do in music. The only solution for me was Sweden, of which I had a little experience because of EXHUMATION and the three albums I did, so I thought that by going there, I would find all the opportunities that could present themselves to me and have a better future for NIGHTRAGE.
– I imagine it also has something to do with the genre you wanted to play, that NIGHTRAGE play.
Marios Iliopoulos: Yes, exactly. In Sweden this kind of music is something like their national music. So, I went to the source/ Like if you want to play the blues, you go to Texas and I went right where I needed to be. I thought that since I play this kind of metal, the most rational thing would be to go to the studio that I know will give me a good sound, in the city where this subgenre exists.
-Over the years, you’ve had several member changes. You are the only founding member left in the band.
Marios Iliopoulos: Yes, that is true.
– How much did all these changes make the band’s progress difficult or how much did they help it?
Marios Iliopoulos: I would say that we really had a lot of changes. When I started the band, I was basically on my own. I didn’t have any other members especially on the first album (“Sweet Vengeance”). All others were session musicians. And Tomas Lindberg on vocals or Per Moller Jensen from THE HAUNTED who played drums. So, I was basically on my own. On the second album (“Descent Into Chaos”), I started having a more stable line-up, but you know, it’s hard to follow your dream. That is, when you have a specific goal for something, it is not easy to find the right people who will follow what you love and what you want to do. And as far as a band or a musical vision is concerned, from what I understand from my own experience, it’s even more difficult. But now I can with this album, ‘Remains of A Dead World’ we finally achieved that goal. I believe I have found the right people who love what they do, love the band and will follow the band through all the steps it has to take. But for me it was a very difficult journey, so I think all these changes had, yes, a negative aspect, but also a positive one. Yes, on one hand we lost some members, but on the other hand our sound has never changed. We’ve always had that particular character, we’ve always had that sound that’s clear but original. I don’t know why, maybe it has to do with the way I play the guitar or the way I write, but there’s always been that character, that signature that never changed. This element helps us to sound like no other bands. I always believe that despite all the difficulties, we kept our musical identity.
– I imagine that since you are in control the music, it makes sense that all the guys who come to the band know which musical path they will follow.
Marios Iliopoulos: Okay, we had a lot of ups and downs on this issue.
– I think this is a common issue for metal bands. There are very few bands that have a stable line-up for many years.
Marios Iliopoulos: It is certainly not easy, but as I said before, it is difficult to find people who want to follow your dream. Everyone has their own dream in music so until I found mine, it took me several years to finally find the right people. But I want to think that now finally we’re all very grounded and very committed to the goal we’ve set as a band to make a very strong group.
– Tell me about the last two-member changes. Your previous singer who was replaced by Konstantinos Togas but also the change of Giorgos Stamoglou on drums and the return of Fotis Benardo. At least for me this was unexpected!
Marios Iliopoulos: Ronnie Nyman and I were together in the band for 10 years. It was a long time and we made several albums together. He helped the band a lot and I thank him for that. But there came a time where he too decided and told us that he can’t give the band 100% of himself. And also, he had some personal issues, personal problems. And because of them he had to leave. Of course, we respected that. It’s hard to follow a band because, as I said before, I have a very clear goal. So, I think it was a good thing since we were able to find Konstantinos through Fotis, who helped us a lot. We feel lucky to have a man with a great taste for music and great vocal talent. I am very pleased since I never thought I would find a Greek singer with so much passion and talent and I think we are lucky in that. As for the drummer, he left for his own reasons. We still don’t know why, but I think that this was ultimately for the best, since we now have Fotis with us again. For me, Fotis is one of the best drummers in metal and he returned after 20 years to NIGHTRAGE. Of course, he was involved in the production of the album so he wasn’t really gone completely. He did the production, mixing, engineering. He was essentially the sixth member of the band. And suddenly he became the fifth. It was not difficult to integrate although it was just a big surprise for me. Something I could not imagine it would happen.
– Did you ask him to return to the band?
Marios Iliopoulos: No, I would never ask Fotis for anything because I respect his work, I respect what he does. He has his studio, his job, his family, the bands he plays in and I didn’t want to burden him with one more obligation. So, it hadn’t even crossed my mind. But when I told him what happened, he said he’s coming to the band right away to help.
– Will he be a permanent member or temporary until someone else is found?
Marios Iliopoulos: No, he is back for good!
– Konstantinos, tell us your side of the story regarding you joining the band.
Konstantinos Togas: It was last year at the end of September or beginning of October and I was with my own band in Fotis Benardo’s studio (Devasoundz). At some point, Marios called Fotis and Fotis answers on speakerphone. Marios was stressed because their show in Germany was approaching and the singer they had found told them at the last minute that he would not be able to follow after all. I hear this and as soon as they hung up I told Fotis to tell them that I am interested and that I can go. Fotis asked me if I was sure since I would have to learn 13 songs in less than 15 days but I was absolutely sure that I could. So, he called Mario straight away and told him there’s a guy here if they want to try. That same night Marios sent me the songs, I recorded one at my house, I sent it to him and in two days and after seeing some other singers they informed me that they were interested. We went to Sweden and as the rest of the guys told me they had a great time and it worked out. After that they asked me if I wanted to participate in the band full time and of course I accepted right away since we immediately fitted both musically and as friends, mainly with Marios but also with Fotis who I knew him already. But also, with the guys from Sweden who I wish I could see more often.
-This story is the definition of “I found the opportunity and grabbed it”!
Konstantinos Togas: I was determined because it has always been my dream to be in a metal band and I have been chasing this dream for the last two or three years. So, I think what happened with Marios and NIGHTRAGE bought me a lot of time.
– What did you do before NIGHTRAGE?
Konstantinos Togas: I played in bands since I was young, not always metal though. Metalcore, deathcore stuff like that. And in 2022 I decided that I want to be a full-time singer. I’ll be playing music until I die and I’ve thought about it a lot. I am sure that this is what I want to do until the end, just like Marios. It’s just that I was late in deciding, so now I’m doing everything I can and I’m determined. Like I told you, I’ve always played in bands. Not so actively and persistently because I was insecure about what metal can offer me later in my life but I realized that neither money, nor relationships, friends or trips give me the satisfaction that music gives me. So quickly, I fell head over heels for it and fortunately Marios and NIGHTRAGE gave me the opportunity and now I’m here giving an interview. And I have a lot of work. Both as a performer and as a character and I’m still learning a lot. For example, Marios came now from Thessaloniki mainly so that the two of us could rehearse.
– Since you referred to rehearsals, what are you preparing for the next months?
Marios Iliopoulos: We have booked two shows in Japan for October and in fact Spiritual Beast, a company from Japan, will release “Remains Of The Dead World” in Japan with an extra bonus song. So, they proposed to give two back to back shows in Tokyo with different setlists. We have also booked a festival in South Korea and we might play some concerts in Australia as well. We also closed a deal with Merch Raven in Australia where we sell 3 of our t-shirts and the label itself is interested in bringing us to Australia. These three shows are booked. We also have a tour next year in Europe by our company, Metallian Productions, while we will definitely do some concerts in Athens and Thessaloniki towards the end of the year or the beginning of next year because we want to present our new songs to the Greek audience. Finally, we also have an agreement with Continental Touring for North America where we are looking for some festivals or a tour maybe and at the same time we are also trying to organize something in Latin America. We have targeted many places and hope to communicate our new album to as many people as we can.
Konstantinos Togas: Especially now with the arrival of Fotis, labels are showing even greater interest. In fact, because one of the labels we are working with, Metallian Records, is a French company, we are thinking about whether we can get access to some big festivals like Hellfest. Fotis himself has mobilized and wants us to play as much as possible.
Marios Iliopoulos: The arrival of Fotis opens doors as he has built a good name in the industry both as a drummer and as a producer. When I had him in the band the first time he was still young but now he has built an important career. He is also one of the kindest people I have met and it is a miracle that he returned to NIGHTRAGE since this is how we will grow bigger as a band.
– So, we are talking about a typical full-time job, being involved with the band. I wonder if it is possible to make a living from this?
Marios Iliopoulos: Yes, it is a full-time job, although in my mind it is not a job. Mentally yes, it fills us completely. But financially, no. We would like this to happen at some point though.
Konstantinos Togas: Fortunately, we have our label supporting us. So now NIGHTRAGE have reached a level where our label supports us financially, while Marios, for his part, does a lot of personal work. He has his own job but his main occupation is NIGHTRAGE. I don’t see it as a job either but I like to invest in what I do because I want us to grow more and more and now we have a tremendous opportunity especially now with Fotis, with the line-up we have and also with our new album. We want to continue like this and the next album will be even better. We have a lot of will and energy and we want to offer a good show to the public, so I think that all this can bring something to us as well. Not to be rich but to invest back into NIGHTRAGE. To make a better album, to shoot better video clips. I hope that at some point we can make a living from this too, but the first goal is to strengthen NIGHTRAGE, which is already happening of course. We have learned to make ends meet with our own jobs.
Marios Iliopoulos: It certainly has nothing to do with the money, it is not our main goal, but they are also needed since we sell a product. Whether we like it or not, it is some kind of business. We are artists romantically speaking but I know it’s not quite like that. We have to see both sides because no matter how we do it, we are talking about a product that needs to be promoted properly, sell well so that we can take the next step.
– We have discussed it before that very few Greek bands make a living from it and not just pay the expenses of the band. I just think it’s a shame that there are such great bands and musicians and in the end, there is nothing left of it all.
Marios Iliopoulos: The most important thing is to do a good job. To see the romantic side up to a point but if you only stay there it won’t do you any good. But you cannot do this solely for the money. Especially in metal there has to be a balance. I want the band not to cause any problems so that we can take the next step comfortably.
Konstantinos Togas: My opinion is that the people involved must believe in what we are doing. Our music is very strong and now that Fotis joined, I believe that in the next two years NIGHTRAGE will be even better. Until now, practically only Marios was fighting. I understand it because we have talked a lot and I see it even through the songs I sing. I understand who tried harder especially in the last 10 years. Who wanted to be here and who didn’t or saw it as a hobby and put it as a fifth priority. Now, NIGHTRAGE is the first priority for all of us. The band has been in music industry for many years, but now the work load has been shared among more people who each one offers a great deal. Without a doubt, of course, Marios still has the lead, but now we have shared the responsibilities both in terms of implementation and at a consulting level. Now, we discuss as a band and we make decisions together. For example, Fotis knows the industry very well so we consult him. This was done before, of course, but even more so now. Now he is a full member so he sees it differently. Fotis is less than 20 days in the band and things have already changed. We want this to be known to our fans and to say what our intentions are which are genuine and non-negotiable. To go out and do the best we can.
– Can you describe the process of creating an album?
Marios Iliopoulos: Everything starts with the song writing. I do some trips to Sweden with Magnus and we write the songs together. All the music is written based on the ideas I have with the other guitarist because I am very open minded in this matter, I don’t want it to be just my riffs or my ideas. I also let Magnus put all his ideas in and that’s something that makes him extremely happy. It’s something you hear on the album and I think it gives a variety and freshness that maybe wouldn’t be there if I was writing alone. I believe to teamwork and this chemistry leads to this result. So, the music starts with us, then comes Konstantinos, he puts his lyrics, Fotis puts his drums, Francisco puts his bass lines. Thus, each piece is built little by little. But I think this will change in the next albums, this tactic will change. Konstantinos and Fotis will also have a say, so there will be even more ideas in the songs and I believe more variety in the matter of composition.
Konstantinos Togas: There will also be greater care for each song. We will see how the riff will fit better with the bass. How the drums will fit better with the rhythm track. Fotis will add his ideas that will be great. Then we’ll take the whole set and see how it fits the voice. We will try to do something different. It won’t always be the classic intro, verse, refrain, second verse, etc. We want to present something new with traditional death metal roots of course, but something that our fans will listen and realize that we took out music one step further.This is the goal from the discussions we have had with Mario. We want to work hard. To take a song and make it 100%, as best as we can. We will not follow a patent or something that has worked in the past. This is the way we worked for our last album as well.
– Compared to the previous albums, what does your latest offer? The way I see it, it focuses less on the melodic element and more on death element. It seemed to me somewhat tougher than the previous ones.
Marios Iliopoulos: You are not wrong about that. I think it is the next step of NIGHTRAGE. It’s definitely tougher than the previous ones. This also has to do with Konstantinos’s vocals which are wilder but also have a lot of potential because he plays with the dynamics, he goes from bass to treble, his voice has tones, the screams he makes. Konstantinos gave a great air of freshness and maturity to the vocals because I really liked his voice from the beginning. When you change singers it’s hard. Either you will destroy the band or you will build something better. Konstantinos took it a step further. This album took it up a notch.
Konstantinos Togas:I think the mixing plays a key role too.
Marios Iliopoulos: Of course, the mixing and production done by Fotis is incredible, he has created a personal style and it doesn’t look like anything else. Not a typical Fredman production per say. I think his work has reached the same level as Jacob Hansen and Fredman. And I can tell you that he is even better at how he does it, because put a great effort on it.
– It is no coincidence that he has been in the field for so many years and has taken over so many bands.
Marios Iliopoulos: Everything happens for a reason but I think this album has this air of renewal and for me it is the next step of NIGHTRAGE.
– So, you’re going to be even heavier? Have you started working on the next album?
Marios Iliopoulos: We still don’t know how it will go. We haven’t started composing but there will always be the combination of brutality and ethereal melodies. This is NIGHTRAGE, this is what we’ve always done but we’re going to take it one step further.
Konstantinos Togas: We will definitely have clear vocals by Fotis, choruses like in “A Throne of Melancholy” or “Nocturnal Thorns” which people really like. Especially “Nocturnal Thorns” has been loved by people who don’t listen to metal that much. Also I think “Persevere Through Adversity” is one of the best songs but it has a lot of hardness in it. A metalhead will hear it. We want to combine what Marios said, i.e. ethereal melodies, catchy, hard riffs, death metal speed, open choruses, clever changes within the songs and atmosphere. So maybe in the next track we can experiment with things that NIGHTRAGE had done in “Elusive Emotion” (from the album “Sweet Vengeance”), put a synthesizer in the back and put some keyboard sounds. The next album still has no direction but it will not deviate from the style of NIGHTRAGE.
Marios Iliopoulos: It will definitely be metal, we will never leave this path but we will try to move a little forward. Dynamic riffs, speed, open choruses, clever changes within the songs. And atmosphere. This is basically what we want to achieve. Maybe in the next songs we will experiment with things that NIGHTRAGE did before, like for example in “Elusive Emotion” with keyboard sounds in it. The next album doesn’t have a specific direction yet, but it won’t deviate from our familiar style. It will be 100% metal, we will never get away from metal, that’s for sure. But we’re going to take it one step further.
– However, what Konstantinos did back then, during his first days in the band, was absolutely amazing. I had seen your live show with ELYSION, which from what I learned afterwards was one of your first acts and it really didn’t seem like you had just joined the band.
Konstantinos Togas: Thank you! I learned the songs in 10 days. I understood that I wasn’t that good because I learned the songs for the tour in Germany and then I had to do the pre-production for the album. So, I didn’t have that much time to study. The next time you see us will be different.
– I’m referring to how you bonded with the other guys. This made the biggest impression on me. And for me this is the most important thing.
Konstantinos Togas: Indeed, we got along perfectly. Both on the album and live. We are lucky for that.
– Is it a concept album?
Marios Iliopoulos: What you see in “Remains of a Dead World”, i.e. the title of the album and the cover art have a direct relationship with the previous trilogy of albums we had released. ‘The Venomous’, ‘Wolf to Man’ and ‘Abyss Rising’. All this speaks of the fact that we are going to hell, the abyss, which we ourselves have created and in the end, what is left is the remains of a dead world. I want to believe that eventually we won’t get to that point and that people are smarter than that and will find a way not to destroy themselves. Man has great power after all. He has the power to destroy but he also has the power to be the best. So, I think mankind is smart enough to prevent this. Unfortunately, this is something we see on a daily basis, with what is happening around us. Wars and all these hardships. We go against nature, we destroy nature ourselves. I hope we can find a way to stop it and not end up with the remnants of a world that once existed. And we will remember it as something distant. But the album also addresses other issues. One song is about the evolution of man, another about the fact that you should never give up. So, we have different themes, but the central theme of the cover and the title song is based on the previous trilogy.
– What do you think about technological developments in music, such as artificial intelligence? Some people say that in a few years we will listen to a song without knowing if it was composed by a human or a computer.
Marios Iliopoulos: That’s a very good question, but it’s something I haven’t delved into yet and haven’t thought about that much. The way I see it though, I believe that as long as people can have it under control, knowing that what we are hearing for example is artificial intelligence there will be no problem. All people have the right to create music. But there needs to be control and we need to know when something is AI and when it’s real music. To me the problem is that when some people try to pass off AI as normal music and confuse people. That’s where I think there might be a big problem. Because there are already bands that send their songs to magazines and try to show that they have created something of their own when in reality it is AI.
– Does this phenomenon already exist in metal?
Marios Iliopoulos: Of course. I have seen in front of my eyes what I am telling you. This is a bit dangerous I would say.
Konstantinos Togas: I see this from two aspects. First of all, from the studio aspect and then from the synthetic one. That is, AI is a medium, just like social media or the Internet, just like everything related to technology today. If you are smart you can use it to your advantage. If you are bad you will use it in a bad way. There are many ways to use a new technology. Looking at it from a compositional side and from a creative side, making a song though a program will definitely have good and bad results. What is certain, however, is that AI cannot intervene in live performance. That is, you can write the best AI song and try to play it live and it will come out bad. This way you will immediately lose your audience. The issue is not how we deal with artificial intelligence but the issue of music display and presentation. So, are we going to let people sit on the couch and listen to Spotify and watch videos, or motivate them to come to a live show? In my opinion that is the question that will show the course of AI. I, personally, would like AI to be able to write lyrics or music for me because I’m not that good at finding melodies. I’m a brutal singer so I don’t do so well with melodies. I use some but I would like the AI to create a harmony for my voice. But when I go on stage I have to perform it properly.
– I agree with what you say about the concerts. In my opinion, in metal live shows or festivals are still the most important part. It’s good to release a good cd or release quality merch but I think the concert is what makes a band grow or holds it back.
Marios Iliopoulos: We will see how this all develops. It’s moving at a crazy pace so we’ll see how music will evolve in the next ten years or so.
– My fear is that artificial intelligence will overwhelm the market and there will be no room for real musicians. Music cannot be just notes. It must come from the soul of the artist to touch the soul of the listener.
Marios Iliopoulos: I think a real musician should emphasize more on emotion because the musician is the one who expresses his feelings with music. With his song. With the rhythm. But I think this musician will know how to use the AI properly. It will be wrongly used by someone who is not really interested in music but only in profit. AI can be really superficial. Some people press a button and thinks they are Beethoven. It’s not like that. You have to fight for what you do. Live it up. Develop it. Learn it. Work with it. Study. And in the end create something that is yours. Something that comes out of your heart and soul. All these sounds really superficial to me. AI can step be used for mixing for example. But no AI will be able to play a song like an accomplished guitarist. Or sing the song like a good singer. In general, I’m afraid of how this will all turn out. We are still at the beginning so we don’t know where this will all go.
– There are plenty of new songs anyway. Where you listen to something on spotify, new songs are constantly pop up. So, my question is how easy is it for a young musician to start his or her own band and communicate that with the fans out there?
Marios Iliopoulos: There are two aspects to this question. On one hand, it’s easy because you can directly present your music to an audience that doesn’t even know you through the various platforms that exist now. Now every musician has many tools in his hands. 10-15 years ago, this did not exist. On the other hand, of course, there are ten million other people doing the same thing. So, the competition is relentless. There is an information overload out there and people are getting confused. They don’t know what to listen to. There is too much supply and less demand.
– And I think that now rarely anyone will sit down to listen to an entire album. Especially in other genres besides metal. In metal I think there are still traditional listeners who will buy the cd, the vinyl or even pay on spotify and listen to a full length album.
Marios Iliopoulos: Yes, because there are romantic people who like to listen to music and support a band and enjoy an album from start to finish. Or better understand the album from start to finish.
Konstantinos Togas: A new band has all the necessary tools to become successful very quickly. If you know how to use social media in your favor, you can promote your work incredibly fast.
– Do you think the pandemic affected music industry at all? I don’t have a clear opinion because before 2016-2017 I was in Volos. My feeling, however, is that live shows, for example, have doubled. And people go out more. Moreover the albums that were created during those covid years are really good. Do you have the same opinion?
Marios Iliopoulos: There was definitely a huge need for people to express themselves after the shock they suffered. People couldn’t express themselves or just go to a concert. I think there was a great need for new music to come out and for everyone to go out and play their music, to communicate it. I think what happened was very positive. It was definitely the fact that we were quarantined for two years and couldn’t do many things we used to in our normal life. Humanity went through a big shock but we were able to overcome it. Some people thought it would last forever, but in the end, we got through it and something good came out of it. Of course, I hope something like this doesn’t happen again. Humanity has overcome far greater difficulties than this. And music always helps in such cases and brings people closer. So, I think it’s very positive that even more music has been created, even more concerts and there’s even more thirst for it. The only difficult thing that I have heard but fortunately have not experienced, is that the costs of transportation and accommodation in another country have gone up a lot. So smaller bands that don’t have the resources are hard to move. To sum up, I think covid has been good for some people and bad for others in terms of music. I mean, it hurt the big bands because when you’re an established band and you have a lot of expenses running and you’re living off of it and suddenly you’re not allowed to go out for a concert, to possibly promote an album that you just released, that’s when problems arise. On the other hand, a small band whose members don’t make a living from it can take their time to either write a really good album or seriously think about whether they want to continue with it. Of course, after the pandemic, the big bands were favored more because they have the audience to support big tours, something that the small bands can’t do.
– However, music was a savior for many people during the covid period. It saved many lives.
Konstantinos Togas: Music is like God to me. It has saved me many times. Any kind of art actually. Don’t forget that we live in big cities and our spirit longs to escape somehow, to be creative. The arts make this possible. This can be seen from ancient times. The arts developed when people began have free time. In ancient Athens, philosophers, poets created when they had solved the basic problems of survival and had free time in their disposal. The same goes for music. When you are a prisoner in a big city and you have at least the basics for your survival, the need to express yourself arises. And that fills you up. Now that I have music, I don’t want to go on vacation. I don’t even care If I stay in Athens. I just want to sit and listen to music. What we were saying about covid also applies there. We couldn’t go outside so we were even more vulnerable. In such cases the spirit either rages and creates or kills you. If there is no way out, you go crazy.
– Guys, I would really like to thank you for this conversation.
Marios Iliopoulos: We would like to thank The Gallery and you for the interest you show in the band. We’re always happy to talk about the album. We want to send many warm greetings to everyone listening. We hope you like our album. Listen to it and soon we will see you in person at the upcoming concerts!
Interview: Kostas Boudoukos
Text Translation: Kostas Boudoukos
Design & Editing: Kostas Boudoukos
Cover Artwork: Alexandros Soultatos (photo by NIGHTRAGE)
Date: June 16th, 2024
External Link: NIGHTRAGE – Official Page
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