First of all, congratulations on the new record. I’ve been listening to this stuff for some time now and I’m definitely feeling this album. So how long did it take you to put it together, and how do you feel about the results?
Thanx bro, i m glad you like our stuff! We started working the songs for the album right after we released the "Scars of a shattered world" EP and we entered the studio in June 2008. We are 100% satisfied from the results! Everything went better than we expected.
If you had to advertise the new album to somebody who never heard of Eden Demise, what would you say to them? What do you feel you’re bringing to the hardcore world and what separates you from the next band?
Well, The Takeover gives nine tracks of furious hardcore with thrashy riffs, urban grooves and heavy as hell breakdowns! We made an album that we'd like to listen. After all we are fans ourselves so we d like to create something that could make us bang our heads! I believe that we made a tight hardcore album, and although our influences are obvious, it's absolutely Eden Demise.
What can people expect from The Takeover and what does the name represent?
They can expect straight, in your face, brutal beatdown hardcore! You know, we ve been through a lot of shit all these years, so the album title is more like a statement, a message to all these people who caused us so many problems. Something like "Go fuck yourselves! We are takin' over!"
Lyrically, your album doesn’t fall into one category. There are some personal songs, as well as some political stuff. So what's the message you are sending through your music?
I have some personal lyrics with battle attitude. As i told you before, i had to express some negative feelings cause we ve been through tough times. On the other hand i wanted to share my thougts about where this world is heading. We live in "organized" societies and we are forced to follow a specific life model without knowing that we are forced. We are like the chained dog. You give it some hugs and some food and it s happy. It s happy cause it doesn't know how is to be free. Anyway, the message in general is simple. Respect yourself so you can respect others. Thats the start of everything. From being a better person to changing the world.
You guys use a variety of influences, from hip hop to rap. What are some key elements and influences that have shaped the band over the years?
Look, we all listen to hip hop a lot. We also do shows with local hip hop bands. But what really made us want to play this kind of music is that late 90s /00s sound, from bands who merged thrash riffs with ultra heavy breaks and kept their hardcore attitude without being metal! Bands like Shattered Realm, Stampin' Ground, Shockwave, Kickback, Figure Four etc.
Do you think that taking influences from the other genres is something hardcore needs in order to stay fresh?
I think that hardcore music have been always related with other genres like metal or hip hop. From Madball and Biohazard who put some metallic riffs and rap style vocals, to all these Slayer influenced beatdown hardcore bands. After all, Hardcore is about attitude, not just a music genre!
How did your relationship with On The Attack Records come about?
We really wanted an underground hardcore label with respect for the scene and the bands. The guys from On The Attack are very cool and they have some really awesome bands in their roster so when they told us that they were intersted in releasing our album we made the deal. Nice and simple!
How would you compare your first EP, Scars Of A Shattered World” to your first full-length album The Takeover?First of all The takeover was recorded, mixed and mastered more professionally and that's obvious! I think The takeover is more aggressive, more brutal, more tight. Although I like them both, and some of the EP's tracks are my favorite, it s like comparing a Ford Mustang with a Fiat Punto!
Where do you think the hardcore scene is heading? What's next for the scene?
I guess that hardcore is getting more brutal, more aggressive and heavier. Beatdown, beatdown, beatdown!
How do you feel about the state of Greek hardcore? And who do you think are the best bands from your area?
Actually we don't really have a solid hardcore scene in Greece just people and few bands who are tryin to create one. We have noumerous great acts who play extreme metal, death metal, sludge, metalcore etc but not hardcore. But the efforts are really hard and more and more kids are getting into that whole hardcore thing.
How did you get into the hardcore scene in the first place? What are some of the bands you were listening then?
I used to listen to a lot of hip hop, thrash metal stuff like Slayer and Vio-lence and some hardcore stuff like Biohazard, Madball, Agnostic Front when i was at school. But the band that really blew me away and put me for good in Hardcore scene was Kickback with their "Forever war" album. That stuff made me see the world different! For real!
Having song like Chains Of Slavery and Self-Destructive World, how do you feel about the recent riots in Greece?
The occasion for the riots was the murder of a 15 years old teenager by a cop. But it wasn t the only reason. Economic scandals and cases of political corruption had come to light recently. The government was falling apart. Our education is going from bad to worse, and the period before the murder incident, Police was uncontrolled and officers were acting like a bunch of bullies by harassing young people and making unreasonable arrests. All these things brought people to the edge and led them to act violently against everything. The question is if after all these street fights with the Police and destruction, things are goin' better. Actually the results are more surveillance cameras in the streets, more police power, more "control". That leads us to the conclusion that every action has its consequences and every move you make, someone will try to use it against you. That doesn't mean that we have to stay and watch without doin' anything, just that we have to think twice before we act and consider the consequences. That doesn't mean though, the message hasn't been delivered. What happened these days is something that the government should keep in mind seriously. They have to know that people are not blind and patience has its limits!
Any final thoughts or statements for the readers at Old School Hate?
Have your eyes open, support your local scene and don't forget to get "The takeover"!! Stay safe, cheers!!
Eden Demise at myspace
