Subfire: '. Define the Sinner is about the life of a Knight Templar!'

Our Greek metal band, on the occasion of their latest album 'Define the Sinner' (released under the Symmetric Records)label, reveals itself to us. All this in an exclusive interview with Fuzzy Hound!

Hey there, welcome! With your new album out via the Greek Symmetric Records on September 10th, you must be going through your best period yet, right?

Symeon. 'Hello and thanks for the honor of letting us say a few words about Subfire. Indeed, this is our best period, because the album came out after almost two years of hard work and I can say we're really enjoying the great reception it's had so far. Especially in the midst of a pandemic we stuck faithfully to our plan and with the help of Bob Katsionis, our work came to life. That's why we're truly very proud.'

How do you feel in this post-covid era? Do you miss live shows? How are you doing in general?

Symeon. 'We're finally getting back to normal. The truth is all this is really serious and upsetting. We beg everyone to follow health and safety rules so we can get back to our everyday life even sooner. Of course we miss live shows. Especially with the album recordings, which took a long time because of Covid, we've built up a huge thirst for live performances. Overall we feel relief at having finished 'Define the Sinner' and we've already started preparing for the next album.'

I've been reading very good reviews for "Fate Of A Sinister World" so far! Only very good reviews and good comments for this first song you released! How do you feel about the audience's response?

Symeon. ‘'Fate' is one of the best songs on the album. It's got everything in it: a strong verse, a perfect bridge, a chorus that 'kills', and a wonderful solo by Giorgos, who's also the composer of this tremendous song. The audience's response was and is amazing. We should also give credit to Bob, because in the black box of Sound Symmetry Studio he helped us a lot to achieve this excellent result. We're especially honored that people like the song! What I can say for sure is that more is coming.'

This photo on the album cover is mesmerizing! Who's responsible for the cover and generally for the artistic/musical side of the work?

Symeon. ‘'Define the Sinner' is a concept album and it's about the journey and life of a Knight Templar. He, returning to his homeland after years of war, tries to figure out whether his life has any meaning and whether the God he fought for actually exists. These songs were written quite a few years ago, and with Giorgos we had settled on this being the story. So we talked to the amazing Alexis Alifragis (Perverend Slumberslut), we explained our ideas to him and he prepared this tremendous result for us, not just for the cover, but for the whole album. The artwork is outstanding.'

Do you think there's actually a way for Greek bands to get recognized out there? You as a band have a very high musical level and definitely stand out, but in general do you think there's still prejudice abroad regarding our origin?

Symeon. ‘There are lots of Greek bands out there, really a lot. And many of them are excellent with wonderful material. A serious issue in Greece is that there's no way to make the most of these bands' material. Efforts are being made in the underground scene, but we're light years behind compared to the work being done abroad with up-and-coming artists. I wouldn't say there's prejudice. The truth is there's no organization to fund up-and-coming artists, especially in the metal scene. 

Abroad they give you the chance, they give you a budget to get started, and afterwards, if the material is worth it, it's up to you. But a serious effort is made. Here every band funds itself, whether or not it has good material, and especially if there's no proper ear to listen to it, all the effort goes to waste. So the key thing is the budget — if you have even a small amount and use it properly for recordings, productions etc. and put out a decent result, the chances of moving forward are high. But you have to be very devoted to what you're doing. 

Musically we're at a good level, both as a group and individually, because we worked a lot, studied a lot, and dedicated a lot of time, holidays and all, to get to the point we're at now. We took our time releasing the album, but the result so far vindicates us because we made the moves we needed to make.'

Have you ever gotten burned on stage, especially locally in your city? What are your dreams for the future regarding this part of things?

Symeon. ‘If you mean burned in a bad way, then no, nothing dramatic. In our city we've played quite a few live shows and they've all gone well. Of course it's been a while since we played there and it's definitely in our future plans. Now, in all the live shows we've done we were always very well prepared, so we've only been 'exposed' in a positive way. In the future our wish and thirst is to play everywhere, and especially if we play in our hometown and the local community comes to see us, that's something that would make us particularly happy.'

What are the new Subfire songs like? Do you think there are differences compared to what we've heard from you so far on "Fate Of A Sinister World"?

Giorgos. ‘'The new material is very intense and powerful as a whole! Of course the compositions have common elements with each other but also differ at the same time! The new songs are consistently melodic and power, but at the same time fresh and they match the concept and mood of the album!'

Have you envisioned the next album, are you thinking of starting recordings soon?

Giorgos. ‘There's an almost finished continuation of the quest of Define the Sinner for us, in a concept album of another era! The new material leans more towards power metal, and once the music and lyrics are finished, we'll start working on it with all the care it deserves!'

How would you like your fans to think of you? Even though you've already achieved some things, what are your dreams for the future?

Symeon. ‘As one of the best bands out there! Very ambitious, but we want to reach as high as possible with humble and proper steps. We want to give our fans an amazing show and be remembered for the energy we bring on stage as well as for the material we compose.'

Good luck! Congratulations on this new album!

Symeon, Giorgos. Thank you very much, keep up the good work you're doing!