Being part of SEPTIC FLESH for more than 10 years, Krihm should be considered as an equal member of the band! We had the chance to talk to him, during 70.000 Tons Of Metal cruise 2025, in a really friendly and “Jamaican” mood! Many things were said, interesting things that concern Krihm’s main band but also his solo projects and career. Don’t forget that he is one of the top notch drummers into the Extreme Metal scene, having many things running around him!
– Welcome to THE GALLERY Krimh! We are in the 70.000 Tons of Metal cruise and you have already played two great shows with SEPTIC FLESH in the previous days! It’s your second time being here. What’s your thoughts about this cruise running around? It’s an expensive cruise, not for all kinds of pockets…
Krimh: Thank you! That’s true. I was a bit conflicted about this cruise. On one hand, it’s a cool idea, but I remember my first cruise. I didn’t like it that much because the ship was quite moving and I’m not really good with ships. I feel dizzy quite easily. Also, there were more people on the cruise, so it felt way more crowded. To be honest, this year, I somehow enjoyed it much more. It feels actually cool to do it again and I appreciate it more. The shows were great and we had a great response on both shows, which I didn’t expect because the first one was like at 2 a.m. in the morning, but many people came to us and said “We especially stayed up late just to see you”. Today we had our second show on the pool deck at noon in the sun and it was packed! Great response and great success. It’s a cool thing to do, especially if you’re into partying, right? But it’s expensive, absolutely!
– When we saw the schedule, we were disappointed as fans. SEPTIC FLESH played at 2:30 a.m. (at late night hours) for the first show and 11:30 a.m. (p.s. morning) for the second show. Not the ideal timing for a band that thrives in darkness!
Krimh: True, but this is a cruise and bands play in a completely different setting. You have people partying in the pool, dressed in weird costumes, with blow-up toys everywhere. Seeing EMPEROR on the pool deck in that atmosphere was surreal. But it’s a party boat, not a traditional Metal festival or a dark venue.
– It finally came out really well, as we all see…
Krimh: I think we were really happy with it!
– How is it being in a band with Greeks?? (laughs)
Krimh: The ultimate question! After 10 years in the band, it’s obviously not so bad, to be honest. We’ve found a good balance. I guess the Greeks are benefiting from my German-Austrian precision that helps with scheduling, while their more relaxed attitude keeps things from getting too stressful. I tend to worry about timing, which has saved us many times, but they remind me to slow down, like “Ahh, take your time, we don’t have to be the first ones, we could take another coffee”. Plus, Greek hospitality and their warmth make the band feel like a family.
– That’s good! How did you join SEPTIC FLESH? Was it easy for you to accept?
Krimh: It was actually easy because, at that time – we are talking about the end of 2014 – I had no band and I was kind of looking into new opportunities. Then, eventually I got in contact with the band. I was a fan of the band for many years. I remember “Communion” being the first album I listened to. Then I explored their catalogue and I felt that their drumming style suited me perfectly. Their approach in arranging drum parts matched my own mindset, so joining them in 2015 felt like a natural fit.
– So, was it Christos Antoniou the one who called you? There are many rumors about your first contact…!
Krimh: Not exactly. From what I remember, Nergal from BEHEMOTH helped in making the connections. Then I had a Skype call with Christos and the rest is history.
– What’s the process of recording with SEPTIC FLESH? What is your contribution in the music of each album?
Krimh: Actually, it’s really cool to work in this band because I’m not just the drummer. Since our first album together, “Codex Omega,” I’ve also contributed with some riffs, mainly rhythm-based ideas. The core sound of SEPTIC FLESH comes from Sotiris, Seth and Christos, but we are all writing material and share it with each other. The process can be chaotic! We break songs apart, rework them and somehow always manage to bring everything together in the end!
– The outcome is really great, it’s unique! If somebody listens to your music, they can understand that this is “SEPTIC FLESH”. You have your own identity!
Krimh: SEPTIC FLESH have their own visual identity and, of course, musically and lyrically. I really think this is a very strong fact about the band. You have the full package and that’s why I believe it is such a strong overall image.
– Let’s go back to the 28th of September 2024. It was when your historic live show in Odeon of Herodes Atticus, under the Acropolis, took place (ps. you can read THE GALLERY’s review about this show, HERE) . What’s your impression about this concert? How did you manage to go there so well-prepared?
Krimh: This was probably the most important show in SEPTIC FLESH’s history up until now, and I honestly don’t think we can ever top that, because of multiple reasons. It was important for the band to be able to play there, in their hometown, with an orchestra, in such an iconic place where no Metal band has played there before. It’s a huge thing for SEPTIC FLESH, but it’s an even bigger thing for the Greek Metal scene or Metal in general. Even as an Austrian, I understood the importance of this show. So, you can imagine the preparation was insane and the process took years. We had to know the right people to talk about it. It’s not so easy to do that, and you also have quite a few limitations. Everyone was a bit on the edge of “Is this possible to do? Are we risking problems?”. We wanted to be prepared as well as we could. We faced strict noise limits of 90 dB, which is really hard, but we tried to come up with a master plan. We used in-ear monitoring and a hybrid drum set with real cymbals and electronic shells to comply with regulations, everything to make it possible and follow the guidelines. It was a full week of rehearsing, an amazing conductor, amazing musicians and I could feel how everyone tried to give their best. During the show, it’s a bit hard to enjoy it because of the stress level. It’s such an almost outwardly situation because you’re just in the “zone” and you kind of try not to make any mistakes and just focus in what you are doing. I remember the moment when the last hit or the last note was done and you have those four and a half thousand people scream at you! The pressure goes off at that time and now, watching all those videos, I still get goosebumps!
– It was something we’ve never seen before. I’ve been in to many shows at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, but this one was truly unique!
Krimh: It was unique, and we definitely felt that energy. I think the audience did too. The atmosphere was electric, like you could almost cut the air with a knife, as we say in Germany. It was thick with emotion, something very special!
– What are your future plans with SEPTIC FLESH?
Krimh: After this cruise, we have an orchestral show in Mexico City, which will be the second edition of our first Mexico show that we filmed for a DVD. We’re preparing a different setlist, and it’s going to be in the Pepsi Center, with a capacity of about 3.000 people. The orchestra will be even bigger, with close to 200 musicians, including the choir and also a children’s choir, so there’s a lot to co-ordinate. After that, we have a US tour coming up for about three weeks, and then, while we won’t be touring for the rest of the year, we have some festival shows and some other exciting plans that I can’t reveal yet. We’ll also start working on new material, as “Modern Primitive” was released a few years ago. So, we’re looking ahead to gather new music, slowly but surely.
– So, you haven’t started writing music for a new album yet, but you’re in the process?
Krimh: We haven’t started yet. The past year has been very busy. We focused on promoting “Modern Primitive” as much as possible, but it was challenging when the album was first released due to the pandemic and inflation. We didn’t get to play as much as we’d hoped, but we managed to perform a few times in Europe and the US. Now, we feel it’s a good time to begin slowly writing new material.
– Before joining SEPTIC FLESH, you were playing in DECAPITATED. What differences do you notice between those two bands in the studio, during recordings, in composing process and also in the live shows?
Krimh: They’re two completely different bands. With SEPTIC FLESH, you have the orchestral elements, making the music much more complex, requiring far more preparation before heading into the studio. The band also focuses on the visual aspect, with suits and a specific atmosphere on stage. On the other hand, DECAPITATED was all about the musicianship. Just drums, guitar, bass, and vocals, following an old-school approach. When I recorded “Carnival Is Forever” with them, we’d jam out songs in the rehearsal space and work on ideas together. With SEPTIC FLESH, it’s different. We work on ideas at home, especially since the music is so complex with the orchestration, so jamming in the rehearsal space wouldn’t work. In DECAPITATED, it didn’t matter what you wore on stage, but you had to perform like a machine, with precise skills to connect with the audience, through the complexity of the music.
– You still, seem to have great connections with DECAPITATED…
Krimh: Yes, at first, when I left the band, we had our differences, but now I’m really happy we’ve built a strong friendship. Last year, we toured together in the US, and it was incredibly successful! Spending that time together was awesome, and now they’re also on the cruise. We attend each other’s shows, support one another, share a laugh and have a “kafedaki.” It feels amazing to have no “bad blood” between us.
– You first started playing drums on YouTube, right? You were uploading videos and that’s how you got connected with some bands. How do you think social media can help new musicians today?
Krimh: I was lucky to start with YouTube when it was still in its early stages. I uploaded my first video in 2007, not long after YouTube began. Back then, there wasn’t much competition. Today, the platform is flooded with high-quality content and the standards are much higher, so it’s harder to stand out. But I believe social media is essential now. Every band or musician that wants to stand out in the industry, must be active online. It can be exhausting and time-consuming, and sometimes I wonder if I’m a drummer or a social media manager, because of how much time I spend on the laptop. But it’s a part of the job being visible, building a name, and connecting with people. It’s a great tool, but it’s all about balance. I’ve always wanted to be in a band, to perform on stage, not just be a YouTube personality. Still, you have to maintain a presence on platforms like YouTube and Instagram.
– What’s your impression about AI? How do you think it will affect music in the future?
Krimh: I’m still a strong believer that, even with all the technological advances, humans will always seek a human touch in music and art. While AI can be useful for certain things, such as creating covers or even generating music, I don’t think it will replace the authenticity that comes from human creativity. Yes, we may see more AI-generated content in the future, but I don’t think there will be a true interest in it long-term. It may be fascinating because it’s a new frontier for technology, but ultimately, people will always gravitate toward the imperfections and human qualities that make music special. You will always want to go to something “not perfect” and human-ish…
– A more analog approach…
Krimh: Exactly, more analog! I notice this especially in genres like Deathcore or other modern-extreme styles, where everything is super loud and nearly perfect, with everything quantized. But I believe that eventually, people will prefer the raw-imperfect sound of a crusty Black/Death Metal band, where the click track fluctuates and nothing is perfect. There’s something about that authenticity that resonates more with people!
– The bad thing is that, nowadays, the majority of the people cannot understand the differences between human-ish drumming, for example, or digitalized programming. I believe that this will be a terrible thing in the future…
Krimh: Well, it’s been like that already. The issue is that it’s part of the game. The intention is to sound mechanical, to push boundaries, and to create things that are almost unplayable. We were doing that long before AI even existed, so this isn’t a new phenomenon. It’s something that’s been part of the music scene for a while now.
– …like Industrial music and things like that…
Krimh: In Industrial, I think it’s on purpose. I talk about more. The differences will always show up when you see a band live versus when you listen to the CD. But that extreme approach, for example, with drumming, where you program drums that are unplayable live, will always show up on live shows, and that’s nothing new. It’s something I have to face each time I get a session job offer. I get stuff that is programmed, which is ridiculous and I have to tell the guys, “Okay, this is not doable. We have to get the human factor into this”!
– What is your impression about those Metalcore or Deathcore bands with super-triggered double bass stuff?
Krimh: Maybe I’m a boomer on this, but it just doesn’t resonate with me. But why not? Let them do it. It’s part of the genre. It’s something trying to push the boundaries with technologies. You have triggers that have been used for many years and now you have new techniques like double strokes on the kick drums that allow you to generate those speeds. But I think it only works in combination with a trigger, because it would be too complicated to explain. I just think it has its place in this music. Personally, it is not so impressive or I just don’t feel a connection with that music.
– What are your three beloved bands of our days? The bands that you like listening to? The ones that you see a bright future for?
Krimh: One of my favorite bands is GOJIRA. I think they’re creating a unique sound and have always had an organic approach to their music. Their live shows are some of the best you’ll ever see. They have a way of doing things that resonates deeply with me and many others, and they truly deserve their success because there’s a real, organic vibe in them. I’m also a big fan of EMPEROR. They’re not a new band and they aren’t going to change their sound, but they’ve experienced a resurgence in popularity over the years, which is an interesting thing. As for a third band, I can’t think of one right now, but GOJIRA stands out as a band that is incredibly strong, genuine, truly deserving of their success. It’s all authentic, not fake.
– What about your solo projects? You already have four full albums and one EP. I remember also back in the days that you had uploaded some really nice acoustic parts of melodic songs that were reminding of ULVER’s acoustic Metal and other stuff. Are you going to release any new stuff of your own?
Krimh: Eventually, yes. But with my solo project, I’ve never wanted the pressure of a label or anyone dictating when to release something or what to release. It’s all about pure creativity for me. If I don’t feel inspired or don’t have the time, I won’t force it. I wait for that moment when it feels right to write music, and when it comes, it usually flows naturally and quickly. Most of my solo albums are written within three weeks to a month. I want to do this for the sake of creativity, not just to be seen as a drummer. I think you learn a lot when you pick up another instrument, and those skills can benefit the bands I play with. I’ve always been a fan of neoclassical acoustic guitar music like ULVER, and I don’t want to limit myself to a specific style. If an album needs certain influences because it feels right, then I’ll do it. No one tells me what to do in this space, and that’s the beauty of it. Complete freedom to create as I wish.
– Your last words to the readers of THE GALLERY and probably the listeners, because it’s going to be made something like a podcast. So you can say whatever you want…
Krimh: I hope you enjoyed this little interview and it was interesting for you. Thanks for listening and keep supporting Greek Metal!
– Thank you very much for talking to The Gallery, Kerim!
Krimh: Thank you!
Interview: Alexandros Soultatos
Audio Transcription: Vasiliki Kalogera
Cover Artwork: Alexandros Soultatos
Design & Editing: Alexandros Soultatos
Date: February 1st, 2025
External Link: SEPTIC FLESH – Official Page
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