DEATH COURIER - VASILIS- BASS VOCALS
How everything started for Death courier. Memories from the early days of the band.
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Death courier began from Thodoris (guitar),Dimitris (drums) and Vasilis (bass and vocals) in1987. At that time for those who don’t know there were no studios, no equipment, and internet nothing that we take for granted today only madness and desire to play music. Telephone tape trading with friends and bands and patience. We wanted to create something monstrous since that particular genre of metal was just emerging at that time.
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Death courier was the first band in Greece that putted the death metal element in their music. How you came with the decision to do this ?
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We just added to our music some elements in order to have some kind of a dark feeling. It was just a matter of experimentation.
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Which were your influences when you were in the beggining ?
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Venom, old death, Sarcofago, Destruction,Possessed,razor, Kreator especially ‘’pleasure to kill", old Sodom … Nihilist and later Εntombed, Violent force, Samhain ,Desexult .
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Rehearsing, recording in the 80’s memories, happenings etc:
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As a band we were very well organized and we had our own studio, in the beginning we used an attic and later a basement were we created a place for recording and for live performances in order to make everything free and easy for us and other bands and friends. We were a large group of friends mainly head bangers, and the whole thing was operating collectively, truly we had a great time with a lot of thing and situations to remember. It’s very difficult to live all this again because things have changed to the worse.
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Differences of that era with today ?
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Maybe because we were more carefree and the whole scene was in the beginning all seem to be full of harmony and beautiful. We must not forget that there were just few bands in Greece, we all played metal music without the labels that divide bands and fans today.
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Death courier were especially active in performing live. What memories do you have from that shows which were the most important gigs ?
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Each concert had its own footprint and of course watching bands like Rotting Christ and Septic flesh to have universal appeal we remember the first gigs we did together and how humble and primitive was then the Greek scene, of course we had the privilege and honor to play and outside the metal scene with Greek bands that no longer exist like Xehasmeni profitia, Nautia, Anasa stahti ...
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Greek metal scene then and now. Do you see any differences in the scene and the reaction of the fans ?
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The Greek scene has everything now covers every musical genre has become huge in size, has spread across the borders, has talent, serious work has been made in infrastructure and
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if we haven’t the crisis and the financial bleeding people would respond even better . Sure everything is better now perhaps less romantic than the old days but our life I think it has become easier.
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A few words for your releases.
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1988 deny your destiny demo ,1990 7΄΄split με septicemia neurosis could be worse 1990 necrorgasm 7’’, 1992 demise full lp , 2010 immune to burial rehearshal 7 inch , 2013 perimortem cd ….
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Your early days releases are today collector’s items. Are there any thougts to rerelase that material ?
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A lot of friends ask for our old material. We expect to rerelease all of our old stuff, demise + necrorgasm7 inch +demo, in double vinyl from nuclear war now records by the end of 2014.That will have everything inside.
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What led Death courier to disband in the ealry 90’s ?
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With the recoring of the demise lp in 1991 and while we had a record contract with Wild rags records for a long time we were in a state of dissolution because of my military service the poor financial situation and other personal problems that arose at that time. Finally the band dissolved in 1993. it’s true that we tried many times in the past to make a come back but sometimes some things are never meant to happen.
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Do you have communication with the old members of the band ?
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Dimitris (drums) still helps the band but unfortunately Thodoris, our old guitar player, died two years ago from heart attack. The forthcoming release of our old material from Nuclear war now records is dedicated to the memory of Thodoris.
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How you came with the decision to reactivate the band ?
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Periodically we were rehearsing with friends but nothing happened until we found the right people at the right time and the rest is work and chemistry between us. With the skills of the new members it was easier to reactivate and evolve the band.
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With two new members is there differentiation and evolvement in your sound ?
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I believe that every change is for the better. Better technically more knowledge and experience, and above all we have the same passion for music as we had in the early days we want to continue from where we left it years ago. In this aspect we are lucky because there is chemistry between us.
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A few words for the releases with the new line up .
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We have a split 7inch with conspiracy in 2010 which is a rehearsal and Perimortem cd in 2013 which delayed to be released and contains material of the band which was not released in the first period and took its final form on this cd.
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Which are the future plans of Death courier ?
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We will participate at the Nuclear war now fest in Germany and we hava also arranged gigs in Athens, Patras and soon in Ioannina. We are working new material which we ara palnning to release it in 2015. Of course we are all waiting the double vinyl release demise+ necrorgasm+ demo in the end of 2014 from nwn records.
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As a veteran of the scene how you see things to evolve in the sound that Death courier dwell ?
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Death metal as a music genre has been recycled and reborned and lately we see very nice releases. That specific kind of music constantly progresses and we have a huge variety of new stuff from people old and new who are active in the scene and give all they got.
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Metalzone.gr would like to thank you for this interview and wishes the best for the future. A few final words?
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We would like to thank Μetalzone.gr and Gerasimos for your time and this interview, we all must support the Greek scene espesialy the live gigs. There are many great bands who try despite the problems and the crisis to give all they got for the music. Stay brutal - join the couriers !!
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Gerasimos Douros
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https://myspace.com/deathcourier
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https://www.facebook.com/pages/Death-Courier/423460954403378
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