An Interview With MIND ERASURE

Mind Erasure

We’ve had a pleasure to talk with Greek black/death metallers MIND ERASURE. Their debut full-length, Connive, was released on February 13th. You can check out the album at Bandcamp.

Entire interview is available below.

Getting started, please explain why did you chose the name “Mind Erasure”. And what does it mean?

Lampros Stathis (Vocals, Bass): “It came from a discussion we had when we were creating the band, about how the media and politicians are redirecting the focus and the thoughts of people.

Do you believe that being from Greece helping your career?

Vasilis Koskinas: “Being from Greece doesn’t really help in any way. Especially being from an island far away from where everything is happening like Athens. Bands have many more opportunities let’s say, if they are from Germany because they can travel much easier within a few hours from place to place and tour. But that won’t stop us from creating music and try our best to deliver new music.

Tell us about your new work.

Vasilis: “Our debut is called ‘’Connive’’ and it’s a compilation of old and new songs of hours that we reworked or came up from scratch. We worked a lot at the pre production face to create the songs, until everybody in the band was happy.

Before you start this band, were you experienced about other bands?

Lampros: “I took part in some projects and made some special quests over the years. Mainly feeling a spot for friends.

Vasilis: “I’m not from the beginning in the band. I have been playing in bands since I was twelve, I’m now forty. Not necessary metal bands, but being in a band is the same thing no matter the style for me. While I was living in Helsinki, in Finland, I joined my first real metal bands back in 2006.

What are your musical influences? If you have, of course.

Vasilis: “Of course we have, otherwise wouldn’t even start playing music I guess. In the beginning when I got into metal I wasn’t that much into extreme metal. The influences are so many from different genres and you can hear that in ‘Connive’. No limits, and that’s how we’re gonna continue.In the beginning I was listening to classic metal, some Thrash bands, then got into Power Metal and Progressive Metal through a friend of mine that introduced me to Fates Warning because he knew I was playing drums, so he thought I should listen to Mark Zonder’s playing. When Immortal’s ‘In the Heart of Winter’ came out I gave it a spin and I loved it! So back in 1999 I started listening more and more extreme metal, until today of course. This music is endless!!!

Regarding your songwriting, tell us about your lyrics. What they are about?

Lampros: “I write most of the lyrics, it something that just happened, I prefer teamwork In every aspect of our music. The lyrics are about existential and nihilistic philosophy, violence and war.

Why did you select to sing in English and not in Greek, for example?

Lampros: “It is easier for people to read the lyrics, and it is something that am used to, like a habit, am used to hear English when am listening to music!”

Where did you record your last album?

Vasilis: “We did all the pre production, the recordings and the mixing in my own studio, ’Studio KOSKI’. I always was into how to record things and how it’s done, so I went on and trying to become better and better. The mastering is handled by Goerge Nerantzhs, that he has worked at Daniel Bergstrand’sstudio in Sweeden.

Speaking about live performances, do you have a lot of experience? What was your best one until now?

Lampros: “I think it was an opening act for a Rotting Christ show few years ago. We have share the stage with several bands, such as Rotting Christ, Planet Of Zeus, Temerance, Silent Rage.”

There are a lot of hard rock/metal bands in Greece. What is the whole situation?

Lampros: “Greek scene is very good and we have much quality.”

Vasilis: “There’s huge underground scene with great bands in all genres. Those that has made it outside of Greece you might have heard already.”

Do you believe that passion is important about a metal band?

Vasilis: “If you go out and play live without passion people are going to receive it, same goes in the studio and how you create your music. If the performance isn’t given with passion this is how it’s going to sound on the recording as well. People can feel that.”

The last lines are yours…Thank you so much for this interview!

Vasilis: “Thank you so much for the having us. Check our YouTube Channel and our videoclips. Soon we’ll have more. Also if you’d like to get the album in high quality sound ,you can get it at Bandcamp. We’ll announce on our Facebook page and Instagram when we will have the physical copy of our album and when the new video is going to be released.