-First of all, we would like to congratulate you on joining the "Season of Mist" family! Your first solo album "INVICTUS" will be released on May 18th! Can you tell us more about this big step and your first solo album?
Thank you, yes this is a big moment for me, and I am super excited that my first solo album is a reality! This is an album with songs I wrote for myself, just for my personal joy. After posting demos of these songs online as drum videos, the fans started pushing me to do a full album and release it, which I did. So to begin with, this is an album I did because fans asked for it.
The whole process of the recordings was the fun part. Being so busy with my band Nile and my drum activities, I was recording in between breaks from work. It was insane but still fun! I finished the drums in 2.5 days and then went off to tour, came back and finished my first book, did some clinics, and then did the guitars…and so on. It was a hell of a recording schedule. The actual recordings didn’t take much time, but it was the limited free time I had that made the whole process take about a year. There was always talk about doing it, but like I said, if you see my schedule every year, you will get scared hahaha…
After I completed all the recordings and mix, I posted a first teaser online for the fans to listen to. I was super nervous to hear what they thought, you know? This is all about them anyway, so their opinion counts a lot! The feedback was insane…it made me really happy that people dig my music! The first announcement I made months ago for this album was to be a free release, having it on my website so whoever wants it can go there and just download it for free. That was my plan. Then after the teaser got online, everyone was asking for physical CD copies, vinyls, etc. That’s when I started thinking about finding a label, and Season of Mist was my choice to go with. They are doing an incredible job so far, I am really blown away by how smoothly things are going and how well we work together. Having said that, I’m still sticking with the free release plan as well because I have promised the fans, so everyone will have very easy and legal access to get the album, listen to it, and enjoy it, and decide if they want to have the actual CD copy afterward.
-What made you choose "Invictus" as the title of the album?
Haha, I simply liked the title and used it for a song; it’s the opening track of the album (after the intro “Echoes of Divinity”). Then I thought to use it as an album title as well because it’s a very strong title. It’s short, easy to remember, and epic, so I think it was a good choice. You are not going to hear crazy stories about the theme of the album from me; all my lyrics are some sort of “short movies” I have in my head—no messages or crazy research behind them. I like to talk about either fantastic stories or real situations of our life; that makes more sense to me.
-You just finished tracking drums for the new Nile album! Can you tell us more about this upcoming release?
I can’t tell you much about it because nothing is officially done except for the drums. Right now, we are tracking guitars just so you understand how early it is. I finished my drums about a month ago and I’m happy, but it’s way too soon to give more details about it. What I can say though, is that this album will be different from the others. We focused a lot on the compositions and kept things a little simpler in terms of songwriting so people can understand what we are doing better. There are still blazing fast moments and complicated ones too, but I think the songwriting on this one is more mature than ever.
-Let's go back a bit to the past! You played the drums on the debut EP of Contrarian featuring some great musicians! Were there some specific reasons behind it, or do you believe in multiple experiences?
Contrarian was not that long ago; I did their album last year. Right now, I am working on their next EP too, which so far I can tell you is much better than the first one. I have known Jim (Tasikas) for a while now; he is also from Greece, and we are good friends. Jim loves music and he is a smart guy too; he knows how to move things around and get the band going, and he really loves what he does. It’s a fun experience working with them; I really enjoy it.
Session recordings are part of my job too; I do about 4-5 albums per year for other bands apart from Nile or my solo stuff. I really enjoy recording for other bands, especially bands that are way out of my style because it gets a little more challenging for me. Not challenging in the technical aspect that much, but in general. If I record for a power metal band, for example, I try to sound like a good power metal drummer. The same goes for a hard rock band and so on. This is extremely challenging and I have so much fun with it. There is no point for me to work with bands that sound exactly like Nile, because that’s what I do every day of my life. But when it comes to really different styles, it takes a lot of work to reset your brain and deliver a very different drumming style. For some, this is extremely difficult; for me, it’s one of the most fun parts of music!
-Talk to me a bit more about Drum Clinics and your upcoming dates.
I haven’t booked much for this summer, although I do clinics like crazy…I love them. It’s such a pleasure for me to get out there and teach, perform, and interact with the fans; it’s really awesome! Drum Clinics and Workshops are a big part of what I want to do in my life and I try to do as many as I can. Even from the first one I ever did back in 2015, I knew this was something I really wanted to do.
What I do in every clinic differs so much from the rest; each one is really unique in my opinion. It goes from the educational point to entertainment, since I teach and perform at the same time. Usually, I go with what the fans want. Sometimes they want to see me performing more than talking, and other times I get dozens of questions from drummers who want to get to the next level. It’s fun, relaxing, and intense at the same time. Like I said earlier, I get the chance to meet the fans, talk to them, get some pictures, etc.
-Thank you, George. Do you have anything else you would like to add?
I would just like to say that everyone should check out “Invictus.” I think this album will surprise them in a positive way…This is a complete album, a band album, not a solo drum project, so give it a go!
