Ghostlands & Ravenlands 2023: An interview with the people behind it

It has its roots in the Caravan Of Shadows Festival, a touring festival, with its two versions taking place, first in the city of Corfu and Graal in May of 2017 and the second taking place in December of 2019 in Athens and Ίλιον Plus. Since it hasn't been announced yet where its third instalment will take place, the members of The Silent Rage created the Ghostlands & Ravenlands Festival, which is expected to take place every year in Athens, with bands from across the whole spectrum of melodic and beyond metal. Five bands from the metal scene meet up at Κύτταρο Live Club, on 14.01.23, for one hell of a night!

On the occasion of this new festival (Ghostlands & Ravenlands), tell us a bit about how the idea for creating it came about. What was the trigger?

The Silent Rage: ‘The idea came about when we were invited to play at Power Metal Quest Fest in Birmingham. The festival is organised by the members of Dakesis. Since the "deal" for us to play there included bringing Dakesis over to play in Greece , we figured a similar festival was the best way both to keep our word and to promote as many domestic bands as possible. Also, if all goes well, we're thinking of making it a permanent thing so we can do more of these exchange shows with bands from abroad.'

Primal Roots: 'Having played a previous festival with The Silent Rage, the guys got in touch with us and asked us to take part in Ghostlands and Ravenlands. We're happy to be part of a festival that supports the live music scene and local bands in Athens.'

Dakesis: ‘The The Silent Rage invited us to play at Ghostlands & Ravenlands after we hosted them in the United Kingdom at our own festival, the Power Metal Quest Fest. This is our first time in Greece, and we can't wait!‘

Kosmogonia: 'The moment we were asked to take part in the fest, it struck us as a very interesting and lovely initiative on the part of The Silent Rage. So we said yes right away, and we hope this is the start of a series of new initiatives aimed at showcasing bands from both the domestic and foreign scene.‘

Solid Faith: ‘It shows every sign of being a festival that will leave its mark, and we're really flattered by the invitation to be part of it and to have some good memories out of it. With that in mind, we said yes to the offer right away!‘

Describe for us your most interesting musical experience. Something that's stayed indelibly etched in your memory. A live show, a musical memory, some funny anecdote...

The Silent Rage: ‘For me it's our appearance last summer at Release Athens Festival. The awe of sharing the stage with bands like Epica, Blind Guardian and Sabaton, as well as with friends like Enemy Of Reality , combined with the flawless (dis)organisation and the warm welcome from the crowd under the scorching sun, made for an experience that will be hard to beat.'

Primal Roots: 'It has to be the show for our album release! We had an incredible time and an amazing crowd that night! We'll never forget it!'

'It was so strange playing with no one in the room.'

Dakesis: ‘This has to be the livestream we did for our album Fractures entirely from our own studio. We released it right at the time when a lot of places around the world went into various kinds of lockdown, and we had to postpone the show for our album release. When we were finally allowed to hold small gatherings, we set up our studio and put on a full livestream performance that was broadcast worldwide. It was so strange playing with no one in the room, but being able to reach so many fans around the world through this amazing technology, fans who hadn't yet had the chance to see us. Definitely one of the most bittersweet experiences we've had!'

Kosmogonia: 'As Kostas (Lycus) I can recall many interesting and unexpected moments from past live shows. On the level of Kosmogonia I think each of us could tell some story that's either strange, beautiful, or weird. These things happen, they come with the territory, and they stay with you too, as memories. Personally, I wouldn't want to single out any one in particular, but I'd point to the support from the crowd throughout the years we've existed as a band. The love, the encouragement, and the crowd's faith in us at every live show is overwhelming and gives us the strength to keep going.‘

Solid Faith: ‘We've played quite a few shows in the five years since our restart as Solid Faith , and I think our best moment was at the Under The Quarry metal festival in Galatsi with some of the top Greek bands taking part. As for a funny anecdote so tragic it'd stick in the memory - none yet, and we hope it stays that way!‘

Tell us a bit about the band's future plans. Upcoming live shows, upcoming albums...

The Silent Rage: 'Our second record is finished and we're currently looking for a record label. The search is nearly over, and we're hoping that by the time of Ghostlands and Ravenlands we'll have made some kind of announcement with all the details of the record. As for live shows beyond Ghostlands and Ravenlands , there are some discussions going on, but nothing certain yet.'

Primal Roots: ‘This will actually be our last live show for a while. Rachel is having surgery right after this and will be out of action for a few months! In the meantime, we're working on our second record and we'll be dropping some music videos in the near future!'

Dakesis: 'We're thrilled to be taking part in some major festivals in the UK this year at Hammerfest and Bloodstock, but our main focus is getting album number 4 ready. A big chunk of the music is already written, so we'll be heading to CapsaArx Studio to get started soon!'

'Right now we're in the recording stage for our upcoming album, which will be our second full-length after our first record "Enthrone the Gods" released in 2020.'

Kosmogonia: 'Right now we're in the recording stage for our upcoming album, which will be our second full-length after our first record "Enthrone the Gods" released in 2020. The new record, which will also come out in book form since it's an epic novel, will be ready within 2023. At the same time we're preparing a series of announcements about upcoming live shows and tours, one of which is our appearance at Hammerfest in Birmingham , England in February.’

Solid Faith: 'We're in the preparation and writing stage for our second album and probably planning some more live shows within 2023. After the very good reviews we got for our first album, "Eternal Quest" which came out in June of 2020 we're at our best right now to raise the bar even higher on every level!'

Tell us a bit about your influences. Which bands are a musical role model for you?

The Silent Rage: 'Personally, my favourite bands are Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, Iced Earth and Dream Theater. On the band level our main influences are heavy/power metal bands like Rage, Iced Earth, Judas Priest, Hammerfall, Stratovarius and others.'

Primal Roots: ‘This is a question with an endless answer when it comes to us! We all come from very different backgrounds (countries, cultures, decades!) and our musical influences range from death metal all the way to show tunes! I think that shows in our music. We decided not to pigeonhole ourselves into any particular subgenre of Metal. We're a heavy metal band and there are little flavours of different subgenres scattered throughout our music.'

Dakesis: ‘We have a lot of variety in the genres we love. Some common ground can be found in bands like Symphony X, Nightwish and Ancient Bards - all great role models! There are also plenty of progressive influences - modern bands like Haken but also a bit of the old guard like Genesis.’

Kosmogonia: 'Personally I have influences ranging from Metallica and In Flames all the way to bands like Eluveitie, Wardruna, Skald, Ensiferum and any good folk music that comes out. On the band level I think the influences vary, but I could say that folk metal/melodic death metal bands like Eluveitie are a core influence.'

Solid Faith: 'The group clearly has prog influences, but each of us also has different tastes across the spectrum of rock and metal. If we stick to metal paths, I'd say groups like Fates Warning, Dream Theater, Queensryche and Savatage.'

Describe for us your musical style and the themes in your songs.

The Silent Rage: 'I'd describe the musical style as a more melodic take on the American school of Power Metal. As for the themes, we mostly deal with personal issues and observations on reality.'

Primal Roots: ‘We'd say we're solidly rooted in classic heavy metal, though you'll hear some doom/melodic/thrash/prog/nu and other colours scattered throughout. We just make music and we love the process as much as the result! Usually the music comes first and that's what inspires the lyrics. We don't stick to one particular subject. Some of our songs are political, some are emotional. We touch on mental illness, which we've all dealt with one way or another, and unicorns from hell, of course!'

Dakesis: 'It's a bit power metal, a bit progressive, and super melodic. We love a good theme - all our albums are concept albums, so there are plenty of stories, but you'll have to come to the show and figure out the meaning for yourselves!'

Kosmogonia: 'I think our musical style is quite multi-layered. We play Folk/Melodic death metal, though there are also influences from other genres like metalcore/deathcore and even black metal. Still, I'd say the folk/melodic death element dominates. Our themes centre on the ancient world, specifically ancient Greece and the neighbouring peoples of that era. We draw on myths, beliefs, and legends of the time, and even historical events. Our goal is to showcase the ancient heritage of both our own people and the neighbouring ancient peoples.'

Solid Faith: 'Our style is progressive with touches of power and epic, and our songs don't stick to standard themes. We can move from fantastical stories to real ones, whatever excites us to explore, from the past, the present, or the future.'

What do you expect from the upcoming Ghostlands & Ravenlands festival?

The Silent Rage: 'We expect a great time - we're 5 bands, 4 of whom are domestic and know each other well, and with the good vibes between bands and crowd, it's sure to be an unforgettable live show.'

Primal Roots: ‘Have a bloody great time! We love the Athens music scene and metal fans are always out to party! With 4 other awesome bands on the same stage, it's a sure bet it'll be an amazing gathering and we can't wait!'

Dakesis: 'A lot of our friends have warned us that Greeks take a pretty laid-back approach to schedules! Is that true? We hope to see some old friends and make plenty of new ones!'

Kosmogonia: 'We expect a really powerful live show and we're glad to be sharing the stage with such friendly bands in such a great atmosphere. I hope everyone has a great time and I'm sure it'll be an unforgettable experience for all.'

Solid Faith: 'First of all, we expect to have a good time and give our best on stage. Secondly, we want people to come out and support the festival because it's worth it, and to have as good a time as possible too.'

Thank you all so much for the chat. The last words are yours, however you like...

The Silent Rage: 'We hope you're all doing well, come out on 14 January at Κύτταρο and let's raise hell together with the rest of the bands.'

Primal Roots: 'errrrrm.... Buy our album? Hahahaha!'

Dakesis: ‘Can't wait to see you in Athens on January 14th!'

Kosmogonia: 'We're expecting you all on January 14th for an unforgettable night to let loose and have an amazing time! Everyone needs to be there!'

Solid Faith: 'We're expecting you all for an unforgettable night that'll recharge our batteries for everyday life, and musically it'll be one of those nights we'll remember fondly.'