METHEDRAS is one of the most important Italian metal bands, counting almost 30 years of career. In October of 2024 they will visit Greece for the first time in a mini tour in which they will play in Komotini (17/10), Larisa (19/10) and Athens (20/10), along with the greek legendary band PIRANHA. We had the chance and the honor to discuss with them about their career, the most important milestones of their journey throughout the years but also about Metal music in general!
-Hello guys! Welcome to our webzine, The Gallery. Thank you for your time!
Methedras: Hello and thank you for the opportunity!
-In a couple of years you will celebrate your 30th birthday as a band since you were founded in 1996. Can you name some of the most important milestones in this career?
Methedras: Let’s start to say that in 30 years of activity we released 6 albums and this is already an important milestone in our career, considering that we lived a lot of line-up changes which is something that could break the bones to a band, but we never gave up and continued to compose music and this probably helped us to experiment more and more during the years because of the musician we worked with. Speaking about gigs, we played a lot of concerts and many supporting big bands, the most memorable are the tour with Overkill and Sanctuary, and the gig in Bucarest supporting Slayer.
-How would you describe your music to someone who does not know your discography? Also, how your music has evolved from 1996 to 2023 and your last album “Human Deception”?
Methedras: Our music is a mix between two metal genres like Thrash and Death, this was the goal since the beginning of this journey, than album by album we always had the desire to experiment something new to grow the sound of the songs we were composing, so for example starting from “System Subversion” we decided to insert some electronic parts and this is something that we developed until “Human Deception” which has synth/electronic parts as well, but also a consistent orchestration in most of the songs taken care of by the mighty Francesco Ferrini from Fleshgod Apocalypse.
-As for the lyrics, which are the things that inspire you?
Methedras: The lyrics were always a mix of personal experiences and an observation of the world around us, especially in our latest album. We started to compose it in the middle of the covid era, and we were affected from the hate and the fake news which were going all around the social networks, so it was natural to say something about all that craziness that were running in those years.
-Which bands or artists inspired you especially during your first steps in music?
Methedras: For sure more thrashy bands like Machine Head, Testament, Pantera and death metal like In Flames, The Haunted, At The Gates. The starting goal was to mix the US Thrash Metal and the Scandinavian Death Metal, so it was natural to refer to such bands as an inspiration for our music.
-I guess you took your name from Tolkien’s universe since “Methedras” is one of the peaks of the Misty Mountains. How did you come up with this idea?
Methedras: Well, we wanted a very recognizable name that could hit who looked at it, and after some attempts we came out with this one that in the Tolkien’s world means pride, solitude and power. It sounded good to our ears, so we decided to keep it with us!
-I believe this is your first show in Greece. What took you so long?
Methedras: Good question, considering that in Greece there is a very strong metal scene. I think that there wasn’t the right opportunity until now, we played several times in eastern Europe but everytime Greece wasn’t in the final routing, so we’re so excited that finally the moment has come!
-What can we expect from your shows in Greece?
Methedras: We’re so loaded to play there, especially because the last gig in Romania was a blast, I can say that you will not be disappointed, we’re gonna play new stuff and something old as well to let know our music over there!
-What’s the current situation in Italy with metal music especially after the covid pandemic and how do you see the future of metal?
Methedras: Well, after the covid some venues disappeared because of the difficulties that those years carried with them, it’s a natural consequence considering that the live music was one of the most affected industries from all the restrictions we lived in that period, despite this there are a lot of great bands which plays good music and are noticed abroad (for example Messa, Fleshgod Apocalypse, DGM and more). Generally speaking about metal, it will be interesting to see what will happen to the big events when the big bands will stop touring, there are bands ready to pick up the baton and I hope that big metal events will continue to be full of crows as they are now.
-What do you think about the technological advances in music like Artificial Intelligence? Do you see it as a threat to music or as an opportunity?
Methedras: I think that as usual the truth lies in the middle, it is a good thing because it can help to reach new and unimaginable borders, on the other hand I really hope it won’t change completely the music business moving the focus from real musicians to something which is not born from a human mind.
-What are your future steps with METHEDRAS?
Methedras: We’re still promoting our last album (media and live), we’re looking forward to the next year’s summer festivals and there will be further news coming soon about it, in the meanwhile we have the gigs in Greece and hopefully something else in the beginning of 2025.
-That’s all for now guys! Thank you again for your time and see you soon in your live in Athens.
Methedras: You’re very welcome, thank you so much and greetings to all your readers, can’t wait to see you all in Greece!!
Interview: Kostas Boudoukos
Design & Editing: Kostas Boudoukos
Date: August 28th, 2024
External Link: METHEDRAS – Facebook Page
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