Τρίτη 14 Ιουνίου 2011

Opened Paradise (GR)

The Greeks Opened Paradise were formed in the summer of 2003. Through music they wanted to express feelings and thoughts that were kept inside and had to breathe. Up till now they have shared the stage with names such as Fields of the Nephilim, Garden Of Delight, Nosferatu, Clan of Xymox, Paradise Lost, Type O Negative, Moonspell, Rotting Christ, Theatre Of Tragedy, Arcturus, Elusive and many more. On March 2005 they’ve participated on ‘Beyond the Veil III” Festival which was held in Leeds (UK). Their debut album “Occult” reached the stores On 2006 and has earned very good reviews by the Greek and foreign press. The band was put on ice for a very long time but now they are returning back on their original line up. A 5 track EP is scheduled to be released soon, meanwhile their debut will be re released on vinyl and CD.

The band's latest participation is on the sampler CD Greek Underground Scene -a limited edition impended release- featuring their unreleased song Blue Lights



















Bellow you can read the interview I have done with the band back on 2005. I was in Thessaloniki, Greece, back then (those were the days):


It sounds strange for Greece the land of the sun to have such a dark and well-kept secret as Opened Paradise. So let's move back in the beginning. How the journey started? What was the main goal of the band back in the first days of formation?

Hello Chris and thank you for giving us the opportunity to present ourselves through your site. Opened Paradise were formed late in the summer of 2003. There was no plan or a certain goal, rather than to express our feelings and deeper emotions through music. This was and still is our priority. If we don’t enjoy what we’re doing, there’s no need to be doing it. We are glad to notice though, that there are people out there who share the same thoughts we do.

I would put your music straight to the Gothic Rock genre with influences form bands like Garden Of Delight and Fields Of The Nephilim. Is that ok for you? Do you want to create a special sound of your own or just re produce what the big ones have made years before in order to keep the dark flame alive?

We never denied the fact that Fields Of The Nephilim and Garden Of Delight are bands that influenced our music. These two bands among with Nosferatu are the checkpoint for the members of Opened Paradise. Further on, every one of us listens to different kinds of music. It has to do with the emotional situation we’re going through. It’s not gothic or metal, or whatever it is. Labels only exist to put limits in people’s heads. Fuck the limits. It is just music, and everybody should feel free to express himself through it. Surely we want to keep the flame alive, but following exactly the same steps is not progress…it’s lack of imagination.

Tell us about your debut CD. It was recorded from May until July 2004. Has it been released finally? Have you released it by yourselves or are you still in contact with a record label in order to make it released?

No. The CD has not been released yet. We’re in touch with a record label, but I don’t see things working out. “Occult” will be released by ourselves, through the website early in 2006.

Artaud Seth (Garden Of Delight, Lutherion) and Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ) have done the mastering and the mixing of the album. How it was to work with such important persons of the dark music community?

Both of them helped us a lot with the sound we wanted to create. They have a way of doing things… you always feel as everything is working out fine. No anxiety, no pressure and things seem to evolve on their own. We were listening to Rotting Christ and Garden Of Delight years before our collaboration, so it was also a great chance to meet the creators of each band in person.

I notice Opened Paradise to break the limits of Greece in order to play live. Tell us about your live experiences in UK (Beyond The Veil III" Festival). Which one of the many live shows that you have given would be marked as the best one for you? How easy to bring the atmosphere of the CD on stage?

We played in England on March 2005. It was quite different than any other show we had. The feeling that we were going to play abroad for the first time. It gave us tremendous energy knowing that we were going to present Opened Paradise to a foreign country. Then it had to do with the organization. The promoter really cares for the bands and supports them from the beginning to the very end. It’s sad to say that I’ve never seen this in Greece so far. In my opinion we’re years away from that. Maybe the promoters in Greece should pay more attention also to the local groups. There are guys out there who really deserve to be known.

On the other hand, it would be unfair to name a “best” concert. All of them had something to give. England had to do with experience. What you discover is something completely different. Then again the live show with Moonspell on April. I was amazed by the way people embraced us that night. To be honest, I didn’t expect it to be like that at all.

We try to do our best wherever and whenever we play. The atmosphere has to do with the individuals participating in Opened Paradise. Everyone delivers his best self. It is like were going through purgatory while we’re on stage… We cleanse our souls. So, whatever the outcome is, it ought to create the atmosphere that surrounds the band.

Tell us about your participation on December Darkness Festival with Arcturus, Theatre Of Tragedy and Siva Six. How it was organized? It will also be your first ever live in Thessalonica (Greece). Am I right?

It is something that popped out of nowhere. We thank the promoter for the chance he is giving us to share with you guys our music for the first time, and also to share the stage with names such as Arcturus and Theatre Of Tragedy.

Are you preparing something special for that very first show on Northern Greece?

We’ll just try to do our best in order to please ourselves and the people who are going to be there.

It is time, for a more general question now... Are there any valuable Gothic Rock bands in our country that you may want to propose to the people that are into this genre?

I am not able to judge who is valuable and who is not, and I don’t want to put labels on music. Some of the Greek bands that I like in general are ”The Illusion Fades” and the old “Ding An Sich”.

What is your opinion about Gothic Rock scene in general? Worldwide I am noticing that the old good scene including the "big ones" like FOTN, GOD and many others has begun to fade away. On the other hand we have the Gothic genre to become a serious trend mixed by electro and industrial stuff. Many good bands have faded away (Droning Maud Land is probably one of the saddest examples, fortunately House Of Usher are still active) and on the other hand much more many trendy bands talking about hearts and roses appear on the scene. The spirit is getting lost somehow. What is your opinion about that?

Let me disagree with you concerning Fields Of The Nephilim. I don’t know if you have purchased their new album “Mourning Sun”, so I’ll only say that it sounds to me as a very inspired and deeply emotional concept. On the other hand Garden Of Delight have been put to rest by Artaud Seth, but his new band, Lutherion seem to be going on fairly well. I left Dronning Maud Land on their “Bedlam” album and I don’t know what’s going on right now. I was never a fan of House Of Usher so my opinion is not important.

I am not into Electro and Industrial. Lets just say that they don’t express the way I feel. From what I see nevertheless, a lot of people seem to be drawn by these genres, so maybe it is time for Electro and Industrial to leave their mark in the music scene. Who knows? It’s not only what “you” like and want in life; it is also what is going on around the walls that “you” put yourself behind.

Concerning the bands that talk about “hearts and roses”… Lyrics are as much important as music. If somebody feels fulfilled with songs talking about “hearts and roses” its ok by me. I think though that there are things in life other than just hearts beating and “wonderful”, “passionate” deaths. Sure, romance is just a part in life, but I find nothing romantic about death. Somebody dies and the rest remain. The pain remains.

The spirit and the energy it has move on or falls backwards.

Thanks for your time close the interview as you like….

“Even the biggest journey starts with the first step”

Periklis”E”

Check the band:

here
and here


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