Sotiris Anunnaki V: When I was 8 years old I started taking lessons on violin, so I was introduced to the magic world of music at a very early age. But I have to admit that initially I wanted to become an astronaut…
La Baza Gatului: I have always wondered why you named your band Septicflesh. What can you tell me about it?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: When I joined the band they were already being called Septic Flesh. It was a suggestion of a friend of Seth and Chris. I wasn’t fond of the name, but the other guys in the band didn’t want to change it.
La Baza Gatului: They say albums are the perfect image of a period in a band’s life. Is there anything you’d change about your previous albums? When was the last time you listened to them?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: A couple of months ago I listened to some old songs. Indeed the emotion is like looking at an old picture of yourself and your family. What could change in some older albums is the production, as at the beginning we didn’t have the luxury to obtain a strong sound.
La Baza Gatului: Your career seemed to have always been somehow linked to French record labels, first of all Holy Records and, after one album released to Hammerheart, Season of Mist. Is there any subtle affinity between Greek and French sensibilities?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: It seems so. The French people were proven great supporters not only of Septicflesh, but also of other Greek Metal Bands as Rotting Christ and Nightfall.
La Baza Gatului: Thinking of you as a whole, I have realized that you complete yourselves perfectly (Siro with the visual parts, you with the lyrical/ conceptual ones, Christos with symphonic arrangements and Fotis with the recording/ preproduction/ quality of the sound). Is this where the success of Septicflesh stands?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: Yes. Septicflesh is the alchemical union of 4 minds that contribute something essential to the final result. It would be impossible for only one mind to explore in such a depth everything. I feel very confident to try new ideas and evolve, having in mind that the other band members are more than capable to support the evolution. We push each other to go further.
La Baza Gatului: Your music had a certain symphonic influences starting with Ophidian Wheel, but it is only on The Great Mass where it has reached perfection. How did you come to such an impressive outcome?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: Our music had symphonic influences from even our first album, Mystic Places of Dawn, released in 1994. There was an 8:50 minutes song on the album called Mythos that was purely symphonic in nature. However, then we had only samplers to play the notes. Now, as we have a bigger budget to create an album and as Chris has obtained a diploma on classical composition, we can arrange the symphonic parts without limitations.
La Baza Gatului: Your music is grandiose, cinematic and very picturesque. During the audition of The Great Mass I have sometimes had the impression that I’m listening to a horror soundtrack. Was this your intention by any chance?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: We are listening to soundtrack music and so we are inspired. It is our intention to make music that will function as a strange dark portal that will bring intense images to the mind’s eye.
La Baza Gatului: Reading your lyrics I feel you are a very sensitive individual, consumed with questions and you somehow manage to impregnate your music also with it. What can you tell me about the lyrical concept of The Great Mass?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: It is rebellious liturgy, in the spirit of a Black Mass. There are 10 different psalms, with dominant element the deconstruction of religious symbolism. But there is not only one conceptual layer on the lyrics. Concerning the title, I played a lot with the different meaning of the word mass. For example there is a reference to classical compositions called masses (one such example is The Great Mass of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart). There is also a reference to the great mass of the universe, the great human mass that populates this world etc.
La Baza Gatului: Do you think humanity is selfish, cruel and self-destructive? Do you think we created gods with the same typologies?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: Exactly. The song Apocalypse on the new album is reflecting my views on that mater. As gods are the creation of mankind, they share the same elements. Mankind has to take responsibility for what is going on to this world and stop waiting for a savior to clean up the mess and make everything right.
La Baza Gatului: When one thinks about the history of your country, one word comes to mind: tragedy. Where does tragedy stand in your creation?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: There are a lot of Hellenic elements on my lyrics, but I am not focusing on tragedy. I prefer to focus on philosophy, as it influences the whole way we perceive things and also mythology, as there are a lot of strong symbols that can be used as metaphors.
La Baza Gatului: Seth Siro is a well-known painter and Christos has just finished classical music studies. Aren’t you tempted to put your “art” into, let’s say, a poetry book and publish it?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: Maybe I will do it sometime, if I will find a serious publisher.
La Baza Gatului: What can you tell me about your collaboration with The Filmharmonic Orchestra of Prague?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: We were very pleased with our collaboration in Communion and so we decided to work again together. They are very experienced, as they have worked for many soundtracks and they can bring the intense performance that we demand.
La Baza Gatului: The Great Mass was mixed by Peter Tagtgren. Is it true that, when he first listened to the music, he stated that your album was going to be very difficult to mix?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: That happened when he listened to the symphonic parts. There is so much detail and so many layers on the music that it is not an easy task to bring out the right balance. And we wanted to have a huge guitar sound as we are an extreme band. Peter worked very hard and he managed to make the result exactly as we wanted. He is an amazing producer and a very patient guy.
La Baza Gatului: I would be curious to find out your opinion about the metal scene in general and the Greek one in special.
Sotiris Anunnaki V: There are a lot of exciting releases. The metal scene is alive and well. The same stands also for the Greek scene.
La Baza Gatului: What can you tell me about your future plans? Do you plan any special shows in the future, some of them even with a symphonic orchestra involved?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: As a matter of fact, some classical musicians from Greece have approached us for a collaboration. We are making discussions for a special event in Greece, but nothing is finalized yet and so I cannot give details about it right now.
La Baza Gatului: In the end, before the thanks and goodbye part, I would like to ask you to define the following in only one word:
• Achilles – Warrior
• Tzatziki - Tasty
• Rotting Christ - Friends
• The Trojan Horse - Cunning
• Athens - Town
• Nightfall - Friends
• Zeus - God
• Maria Callas - Goddess
• Septicflesh - Art
La Baza Gatului: Thank you very much for your time and kindness in making this interview happen, this is really appreciated. A final word for your Romanian fans?
Sotiris Anunnaki V: You are welcome to attend to our Mass. Keep the dark flame burning!
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