Hanna Tsepesh: Hello guys! Thanks so much for accepting this interview and welcome to THE GATES OF METAL! First of all: how are you and how are the things doing with your concerts?
SORROWS PATH: Hello Hanna! The pleasure for this interview is all ours! We are doing absolutely fine if you consider the fact that we just arrived back to Greece from Malta where we performed live on the well-known The Malta Doom Festival…Now we are preparing for two important lives more: Our release party-live show in Athens and a dream that came into reality, to play with two bands that we admire most, the two Swedish bands, ISOLE & EREB ALTOR!
Hanna Tsepesh: For those who do not know the band, could tell us a little how it all started?
SORROWS PATH: SORROWS PATH was formed in November of 1993, being firstly inspired by doom metal bands like Memento Mori, Solitude Aeturnus and Candlemass. They released two demos in 1995 and 1996 entitled “Sorrows Path” and “promo ’96” that made them known in the Greek underground as a band with truly personal and unique sound and influences.
There’s a really long story of misfortune and bad luck about our band. One of the two founders died by a serious brain disease and the other was almost paralyzed a few years later because of an after effect of a previous motorcycle accident. The result was that the band was inactive for the years 1998-2005, but when things got better about the injured founder the band decided to release their previous demos in a compilation named “Resurrection”, that was release by Greek Eat Metal Records back in 2006. After that, SORROWS PATH was back in full action. We have performed many gigs all over Greece since our birth and their rebirth as well, either supporting well known metal bands like Solitude Aeturnus, Memory Garden, Pagan Altar, Scanner, Crystal Viper, Wotan and Brocas Helm, or sharing the stage with some of the most popular Greek bands. On the 29th October our new album “The Rough Path of Nihilism” was out by German Rock It Up Records. It contains 12 brand new metal songs!
Hanna Tsepesh: What inspired you the most to create the lyrics and what process the band use to create the riffs to comply with the lyrics?
SORROWS PATH: We wonder how man can save his mortal existence through sympathy and pain and by overcoming his vanity and his desires! We talk about the liberation of man from the chains of dogmas and meanings so that he can find the animal and child that are hidden inside. We also express sarcasm and contempt towards vanity, fame, money, power and to all kinds of addictions. In a few words, we refer to things that can restore the broken harmonies anywhere they can be found! Most cases, the music is created firstly, that is to say, riffs, rhythms, melodies, harmonies, e.t.c. The lyrics are the result of the overall feeling of music!
Hanna Tsepesh: What are your favorite bands? You have any musician that you admire the most?
SORROWS PATH: All the members of SORROWS PATH listen to doom and heavy metal bands in general a lot, but we also listen to many other kinds of music like ethnic, progressive rock, jazz e.t.c... Now the years have passed and of course we don’t forget our mentors on this style, MEMENTO MORI, SOLITUDE AETURNUS and CANDLEMASS, but on the other side we ought to be mature and offer the audience something new, that is our one and only dream! There are many musicians we really admire, the list would be very long and so we prefer not to refer to names…
Hanna Tsepesh: Are you experienced on your instruments? Was it difficult to learn?
SORROWS PATH: Of course, we are quite experienced about our instruments! You see, we are not young people; the average of the age of the bands members is over 30 years old! But the main point in that is not the age but the dedication to music, something really difficult because of the fact that we have daily jobs, families and many more things to take care about…
Hanna Tsepesh: What was the highest and lowest point of your career as musicians?
SORROWS PATH: The lowest point of our career was something that we were not responsible of! The health problems, the death and the paralysis of the founders were much difficult to overcome! So, the comeback after all these events, supporting our mentors SOLITUDE AETURNUS, on our first live after 9 years was the best present from fate! What is more, some years later we managed to release a new album via the upcoming German label, Rock It Up Records.
Hanna Tsepesh: Let’s talk about the “The Rough path of nihilism” album. For people who don’t listen yet can you tell to us about this album? SORROWS PATH: Our new album was recorded at Fragile Studios in Athens by Vangelis Yalamas as the producer. He has collaborated with Duncan Patterson-ex Anathema and Joey Vera, Ray Adler from Fates Warning, plays and composes for Fragile Vastness and Jazzment Day. All the artwork and photography for this album has been made by the most important of his kind in Greece, Seth Siro Anton (Kamelot, Paradise Lost, Moonspell, Soilwork, Exodus, etc). The first reviews are really stunning…all ratings are over 8/10 and the reviewers describe the new album as the ideal, unique mixture of epic doom with progressive elements, maybe some progressive rock and oriental stuff! Of course, we are not the right people to judge our own work, so we just tried to give you a direction about what you are going to listen…
Hanna Tsepesh: at recording studio, you guys faced with difficulties? If yes, tell which was and how as the whole process?
SORROWS PATH: There were some small accidents like the injury of our drummer on his work. That was a big obstacle at the beginning of our recordings! Another problem was that we all have daily jobs, families e.t.c., so we were not able to finish with the album quickly! Fortunately, the cooperation between us and our producer was ideal so we believe that this justifies the very good result of the album.
Hanna Tsepesh: How has the response been to the album by the fans and media?
SORROWS PATH: As we have already mentioned the first reviews are enthusiastic! We are really glad and satisfied about that and we want to thank all the people that support SORROWS PATH, from the very bottom of our hearts!
Hanna Tsepesh: If one of our readers wants to buy your album, what they can do?
SORROWS PATH: Of course, there are many distributors all around the world but we we will just refer to the most certain! Please contact with our record label, the German Rock it Up Records here: www.rockitup.org/impressum.html
If you live outside Greece, you can also contact SORROWS PATH: info@sorrowspath.net , but there will be also sending with PayPal soon, so please stay tuned for updates: www.myspace.com/sorrowspathmusic
www.sorrowspath.net/
Hanna Tsepesh: what is your favorite music in this album and why?
SORROWS PATH: Look, if you respect yourself as a band, you ought to love any song that you decide to record officially. On the other hand, any song on the new album has its own personal meaning, we hope that we really have something to say…Maybe, you should firstly check our official video clip “Empty Eyes and Blackened Hearts”, this is a song that includes most of the messages that can be found on “The Rough Path of Nihilism”.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYLr-sNI5HI
Hanna Tsepesh: What is your opinion about the metal in your country (Greece)? It is easy to get some support?
SORROWS PATH: The Greeks live and breathe for metal! Metal is a very dramatic kind of music and the Greeks are famous for their ancient Greek culture, their theatre of tragedy and stuff like that! On the other hand, metal is dynamic and enthusing, and so are the Greeks! The only disadvantage is that we are not supporting each other’s band; many Greeks are some kind of jealous and full of vanity! Let’s hope that we will become more mature in the near future…
Hanna Tsepesh: Do you want to send any message for the people who going to read this interview?
SORROWS PATH: Thank you very much for your time! We need your support because we live in a difficult age about music. Last but not least, don’t be vain and help the others…never forget that doom rules eternally…
Hanna Tsepesh: Thanks so much for your answers and time. I wish the entire band a big success! Hope to see you guys very soon in here…
SORROWS PATH: Our biggest and sincere greetings and thanks to you Hanna! You, keep going this holy way of dignity and high level! We hope to meet you and our Portuguese friends as soon as it’s possible!
Hanna Tsepesh: You guys are very welcome and thanks so much! We hope so! thank you!
By: Hanna Tsepesh
To listen to some SORROWS PATH music’s and for future information’s go at:
www.myspace.com/sorrowspathmusic
