INTERVIEW with EURYNOMOS

EURYNOMOS is a German band playing Old-school metal  with a raw and truly dark sound. The promo clip of their debut 7 inch “Unchained from the Crypt” was enough to catch me with their ancient atmosphere with riffs and sound inspired by the ancient gods of the 80s. I contacted guitarist Aethon to know more about this emerging demon. The crypt has been opened…

Hails Aethon, please tell us about the beginning of Eurynomos, how and when did you start the band?

The spirit of EURYNOMOS is old, more than ten years ago I started doing riffs and even whole songs for  it.  I thought it was a pity that Okkulto, who left DESASTER is 2001, was not active anymore , his unique voice should be heard again.  I tried to find a drummer during the years, but in our area it was really difficult to find one that can play and has the same chemistry. I rehearsed with several guys but it didn’t work out. In April 2014 finally Okkulto managed to find a drummer with Nimetön and then we started to rehearse and play  the songs that have been prepared during the years. In September I recruited Magma on bass, he used to pay in a Death Metal band in our area that split up some years ago. I knew that he did not have any band right now, he was the perfect warrior to torment the 4-string axe…. well, in his case 5 string axe. The 1st 7“EP, „Unchained from the Crypt“ contains three songs that have been originally written like 4-5 years ago.

You are about to release your debut 7” EP “Unchained From the Crypt”, when I heard the teaser clip, your sound really blew me away, typically old school, what or who inspired that sound?

It is out now and selling fast which is great. Yes, we are a traditional dark Metal band, our biggest influences come from the pioneers that created extreme Metal back in the 80s. For me personally, it was the best time for extreme Metal, the bands were all young, hungry, excited and ready to kill. Lots of adrenalin and energy, with new possibilities and mountains to climb. It would be easy to tell you the influences, it is more interesting for me to know which influences you hear in our music, hehe. Soundwise we recorded with old equipment and instruments, perhaps that’s also a part of the vintage sound. People say you can fake it in the computer,  but I am not sure about it, cause I don’t know many bands who have a real vintage Black Death Thrash or whatever vintage Metal sound. We just want to do it like in the 80s, with real amps and stuff.

The old school spirit is not only represented in your sound, but in the visual aspects too. Taking for instance the cover art of the 7” which looks totally 80s style, simply and shocking, it reminds me of Samael´s Medieval Prophecy! Tell us about the idea of the cover art and the importance of the visual expression for the band.

I understand your comparison with SAMAEL, it is a bit in the same style, I agree, but "Medieval Prophecies" EP wasn’t my influence. A great EP though, a legendary release. SAMAEL were most likely influenced by the same sources. I wanted to have a medieval type of devil, like you see in old woodcuts, etc. BATHORY also used it on their early records.  So I started to draw this devil and make him look like a mean torching devil from an old forgotten age. The EP artwork should look very simple and basic, it should be a visual version of the music. The visual part of EURYNOMOS is very important to me, it is a part of the whole package… it’s not only music but also the layout, artwork, presentation, etc. I think we owe this to the people who want to buy our products, we want to give them real value for money.

What philosophies and or ideologies contributed most significantly to the thematic content? Do you have any non-musical influences, like literature or other forms of art?

No, not really. We are just inspired by the bands we love,  like most other bands, too. Sometimes our lyrics have a historical background, like „Banshee Calling“ on the 1st EP, a story about a local chapel that is haunted, and on the 2nd EP there will be a song called „Eye of the Pantheon“ which deals with the Pantheon in ancient Rome.

Heavy, black, old-school, vintage…how do you define your style? Are you worried about other people labeling your music? Or are you among the ones who don´t give a fuck about labels?

It is hard to define the style. For me personally, people can label our style whatever they want. I mean, you can call it Thrash, Death, Black Metal, but these are terms that still include lots of different sounding bands. You cannot compare us to new Death or Black Metal bands, we are rooted deep in the 80s, we capture the classic sound and style. Therefore, we don’t say anything except for maybe traditional dark heavy metal. People should listen to the music and call it whatever suits best.

How did you get linked to Iron Pegasus for the release of the 7”? What do you think about working with the label who has released stuff from bands such as Sabbat, Mortem, Pentacle, Sadistic Intent, Desaster…

IRON PEGASUS stands for conservative Metal mayhem, just like we do. It is part of the circle. When you see the EP in real one day you can decide whether IRON PEGASUS was the right label to take care of it or not. And when you take a look at the bands you mentioned above, I think EURYNOMOS fits in pretty well. They are brothers and we know each other, traditional Metal forces.

Speaking about Desaster, Okkulto was a member for a long period and then he left the band, do you think that people is or will be positively surprised about his comeback?

Yes, I am sure people will be surprised about his comeback, because he still delivers the goods. The voice is still there, perhaps even stronger and dirtier as before,  total uncommercial, dark and filthy. Lots of singers who come back after so many years really disappoint, they changed their style or the voice is not the same or they try to have a more updated, modern approach. Not Okkulto, he is totally living in the past, just like I am. Wait for the 2nd EP, his voice is really nasty on that one.

What bands would you name as a big influence in Eurynomos music and style? Are there any bands from the current scene that you respect for their attitude and/or music?

You tell me, hehe. The influences are obvious in my opinion, but surprisingly enough not many people have really pointed out the correct influences yet.  The current scene has lots of good bands, it is great to see that some bands still stick to the tradition with heart and soul. Bands we respect are, just to name a few, MEGIDDO, PENTACLE, DARKTHRONE,  etc. We respect everyone who does it with heart and soul, bands who don’t care about current trends.

Let me ask your opinion about some releases:

Triptykon - Melana Chasmata -  Haven’t heard it yet.

Teitanblood - Death - Extreme stuff

Soulburn – The suffocating Darkness - I prefer „Feeding on Angels“ because it is more deathly but the trademarks are still there on the new one, plus influences from IMMORTAL, etc

Marduk - Frontschwein - Cool title, but I haven’t heard that one, sorry.

Venom – From the very depths - Same here, I haven’t checked it out yet. I prefer VENOM with Mantas, cause he was a big part of the soul of the music. He is one of my big influences. Haven’t really followed VENOM since „Metal Black“.

Tribulation – The Children of the night - No idea. If you asked me about old releases then my answers would have been longer, sorry mate.

Unchained from the crypt will be released on cassette too thanks to Coffin Filth prod., tell me one good aspect from each format CD, LP and MC, and what is the format that is more important in your collection?

I like all formats but my fave format was, is and will be Vinyl. Vinyl will always be the king. But every format has its positive aspect,. A CD is easy, you can take it into your car, tape is really nostalgic and Vinyl is like a ritual, you take your time, put on the record and hold cover in one hand and a cold beer in the other one.[666% agree with Aethon here! - Chris]

Regarding your music collection, tell me about the records for what you feel a special feeling, either for the music, for the cover or for some important reason?

Of course, the records you grew up with usually mean a lot to you. For me it is VENOM, the first two SLAYER + „Haunting the Chapel“, OZZY LPs, etc. It is a combination of cover, music, personal memory, etc. Even if some of my old LPs look like they survived 50 wild parties,  bad condition, scratches, etc, they are still very dear to me, I wouldn’t trade them for any super deluxe re-release. Only original is real.

Are you planning to play live in a near future?  As a musician, what do you expect from the crowd, and as a fan what do you expect from a band when you see them onstage?

Not soon, cause first we have to do more songs to have a good and long repertoire. Also, our main priority now is to record the third Ep.  I am personally not into live gigs but the other members are, so let’s see what the future will bring.  As a musician and also a fan, passion is the most important thing. As a fan I want to see musicians who are really into the music and it’s the same with the fans. It would be the biggest compliment to have maniacs banging their heads off. 

"Eye of the Pantheon" is the title of your second 7” and will be released soon, has the release date been fixed yet? Can you advance some details such as song titles, layout…?

That’s correct. The release date is around September I hope, everything is recorded and will be sent into the pressing plant next week. Three songs, „Eurynomos (Beast of Hades)“, perhaps the most vintage „Black Metal“ one of all songs, written like 5 years ago, then „Invisible Rays“, a simple and fast track that we did last year at some rehearsal sessions and last but not least the title track, „Eye of the Pantheon“, a mid tempo track with a bit more atmospheric parts. Three different sounding tracks but they still come as a match. Again 13 minutes of music like on the 1st EP, it really is much for a 7“EP  but we wanted to have the maximum playing time. Again, a sort of „value for money“ for the maniacs who buy the EP. Soundwise I think it is better than the 1st EP, the vocals are louder and even more brutal this time. The Artwork will be linked to the 1st EP, wait and see.

What are the next moves for the band, do you think that we can expect your crushing debut full length to be out soon?

First we do the 7“Eps and close this chapter. In the meantime, we will see which songs we will work on next and hopefully yes, a full debut would be good. But only if the song material is strong enough. I prefer 2-3 good Eps over a boring full length, so time will tell. There are lots of songs written.

What´s the strangest place and the most shocking place you have been?

Hmm, hard to say. Perhaps the military cemetery in Verdun was strange, to see all the buried soldiers who were so damn young… they had their whole life ahead of them and died so early… really tragical.

Thanks for the interview, anything else you'd like to add? Last words are yours…

Thanks a lot for inviting us to your realm, it was an honour. Keep up the good works. And to all headbangers into the true sound of the pioneers of extreme dark Metal, you are welcome to check out EURYNOMOS, we keep the flame burning. Keep it loud and heavy, hails!

www.eurynomos.com

www.facebook.com/eurynomosofficial

www.iron-pegasus.com