BIOTOXIC WARFARE (Greece)

INTERVIEW with Biotoxic Warfare (Greece)

The consensus about Biotoxic Warfare seems to be that this thrash band, in addition to showing a promising future, has made an album with strong songs in the thrash style and the band brings a fresh energy, with a bit of death metal (like in the vocals) that listeners are noticing, such as calling it an excellent album, an atypical album of thrash and a dark thrash album. It seems that even jaded listeners have taken a liking to the album. When a listener first hears the album, one notices the enthusiasm and the effort to make solid songs. With that in mind, let’s find out more about Biotoxic Warfare from Greece.

QUESTION:Hello, Biotoxic Warfare! Your album "Lobotomized" is all about headbanging and thrashing! It's a fun and intelligent album!

Hey, guys! Thanks for the interview and all the kind words regarding our latest album.

QUESTION: What can you tell us about life for metal bands in Heraklion and Crete in general?

The underground metal scene of Crete is not one of the strongest and most well-known in Greece due to lack of bands and the disadvantage that we have as an island too far away from Athens, the capital. Nevertheless, we play several concerts here in Crete as it is our base, and our main fan base is located there. Every one of us lives in the island of Crete (some of us in different cities, though) something which is very effective for the band’s co-operation and communication. However, despite the fact that the scene, here, is not well-heard abroad, there are several bands, such as Menace, Doomocracy, Imperium Infernalis, Chaos Eternal, etc. which are totally worth-to-listen.

QUESTION: Is it a problem for Biotoxic Warfare to be located in Crete, in comparison to Athens?

Yes, unfortunately, it is our main problem at the moment. Living on an island is very difficult in terms of arranging concerts in other cities overseas, due to the high priced transportation costs. However, it is vital from a band to play gigs in Athens now and then, as it is the main center, and it gives you the opportunity to get your music heard by larger audiences, something that is impossible in our local live shows. Although, this is something that fills us with determination to make our best in order to overcome such difficulties and fight it harder. The scenario, however, of moving out in the main center in the nearby future, is something that we take into serious consideration.

QUESTION: What is going on in Greece that made you pick up an instrument and write fast metal music with political/anti-religious lyrics?

Hahaha, through the last decade, Greek thrash is like a tradition. Every day a new band burst out ready to thrash the place down! Regarding the lyrics, religion, here, has still great impact in everyday life, and that is something that causes the youth to express their opposition through the lyrics. Also, political themes are a very popular phenomenon, as things here are totally fucked up. In our opinion, things for young bands are difficult and rough, but there are plenty of opportunities for those, willing to take advantage of them.

QUESTION: What about politics and Biotoxic Warfare? In the news we hear that the economy in Greece is bad, and also that right-wing, fascist political parties are gaining more support.

Nowadays, Greece suffers from a devastating not only economical but moral crisis too. People are fed up with false promises and lies given by politicians and political parties, who led us in this situation and as a result, it caused the thrive of racism and fascism which can be considered as a very significant threat gaining more and more power by the people’s arrogance and desperation. Biotoxic Warfare strictly oppose to any kind of fascistic ideologies (both right-wing and left-wing) but we choose to keep our political beliefs for ourselves and not trying to expose them through our lyrics.

QUESTION: Who in the band is answering this interview? What can you tell us about your experience in the recording of "Lobotomized" in the studio?

This is George (lead guitars) answering. Recording Lobotomized was definitely, one of the most memorable moments in our lives. We spent many endless nights recording and recording with few hours of proper sleep and liters of coffee. Also, it was a race against time, as we had some deadlines to catch on, regarding mixing and mastering. However, except from all the unforgettable memories that we had from this experience, it had huge impact on us as individuals. We became better and better as musicians, we’ve learnt to work as a team and the most important, to find ways to overcome any possible difficulties. It was sure a great experience.

QUESTION: Now that you have a debut album out, what are your plans?

Touring is, surely, our next priority. The main obstacle is our low budget, but we try to find a way to take care of that. We have some plans but we cannot announce them yet, as they are not 100% arranged. We are all studying in the university, but some of us are about to complete their studies.

QUESTION: What are your personal tastes in metal? I think that people are noticing the good quality and your dedication to metal music!

Thanks for the rewarding words! Our main influences are placed in the old school European thrash metal scene and also in the American old school death metal movement. However, every one of us brings their own influences in the band and that is very effective for our musical variety. Some representative bands are can be considered as the following: Kreator, Slayer, Dark Angel, Sodom, Sacred Reich, Obituary, Cancer, Bolt Thrower, Cannibal Corpse and Legion of the Damned. Guitar for me is a vital part of my life. So yes, I dedicate plenty of hours on studying every day.

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