“Conspiracy Of Warheads” is your debut full-length, coming after several years of writing, rehearsing and playing live. What did you want this album to establish about Eternal at this particular point in your development?
Nick P: First of all we wanted to create the best starting point, to portrait the band’s ideology, aesthetics and musical preferences as the perfect introduction to Eternal.
The album deals with war, political manipulation, conformity, violence and distorted reality. How did you decide which subjects deserved to become songs, and how important is it for you to connect the lyrics with what is happening around you?
Spyros: We wanted to express those subjects through our songs because sadly those topics are everyday difficulties that the modern age faces. Especially our country made us quite angry with many government faults resulting in human casualties while also distorting the truth. This kind of manipulation is being spoken through this LP hoping that the listeners understand the position that, us the mortals we are in this war with or without weapons. Genocide and endless wars also made us wanna speak out for those topics. It’s very important to connect the lyrics with current affairs so that our mind stays awake.
The title “Conspiracy Of Warheads” points directly toward the human and political side of warfare. What ideas or questions were at the centre of the album when you wrote the title-track?
Nick T.: The main idea of the song is the stories behind conspiracy theories and everything going on behind our backs. The secrets kept from us inspired this human-political side for the theme.
“Man Down (In The Front Row)” approaches the chaos surrounding live shows, crowded venues and the behaviour that can come with them. How much of your own experience of playing live influenced the writing of this song?
Alex: It's common knowledge that Thrashers know how to move it, move it. We want to have a strong live appearance and make some moshery come true. Thankfully the crowd loves it and is always entertained. Through “Man Down (In the Front Row)” our goal was to depict that crazy thrash spirit and the true concert magic.
The album was produced by Eternal, with guitars and bass recorded at Avra Studios, drums at George Zotos Studio, vocals and mixing at Symbolic P Studio, and mastering at VU Productions Mastering Studios. How did you divide the recording process between the different studios, and what were the main priorities when shaping the final sound?
Spyros: As we are in the start of this thrash rollercoaster we didn't have the highest budget so dividing the recordings and being buddies with the studio owners we managed to achieve the best recording-session results possible.
"Especially our country made us quite angry with many government faults resulting in human casualties while also distorting the truth. This kind of manipulation is being spoken through this LP hoping that the listeners understand the position that, us the mortals we are in this war with or without weapons."
Spyros
Some of the material, including “No Escape” and “Bloodspill”, existed before the album. How did revisiting those songs during the full-length sessions affect them, and did recording them again change your view of the earlier material?
Nick P: Great question. As these two were the first songs we wrote, when we were rerecording them we tweaked them a bit and we believe that the result was far more satisfying.
Anthrax, Megadeth, Suicidal Angels, Metallica, Voivod and Havok all feed into your sound. How do you take influences that big and still end up with something that is recognizably yours?
Nick T: We grew up with these bands and they are all excellent bands so we just think that our brains took in subconsciously some elements from them but we didn't want to become another cliche thrash metal band. So the main goal is to have a distinct sound and we are glad that some of our personal touch is coming out to the crowd.
Eternal started in 2022 from a school project that never took place, yet the four of you continued playing together. Looking back now, what do you think made that initial meeting turn into a real band and eventually into a full album?
Alex: After that funny but great interaction we saw that we stuck together so perfectly. With just a few rehearsals it felt like we had been playing together since ‘86 haha. And of course after getting all along together and having fun being buddies we were sure that this band should stay right as it is for big things to come. Now that the debut album is out we are so proud of it and it really is the result of extensive hard work and overtimes.
You have already shared stages with established names in the Greek and international underground scene. What have those live experiences taught you about your own music, your audience and the kind of band you want Eternal to become?
Spyros: We are very grateful for the great bands we have shared stage with, and these experiences have taught us to be more professional with cooperation, techwise while also respecting the crew. As about the music itself we have been greatly influenced by some of the bands.
Floga Records is putting this out on vinyl, CD and cassette. How involved were you in decisions about production and format, and did that involvement change how the songs were mixed?
Nick T: We have a great and strong connection with Floga Records and the communication was perfect. All physical copies came out amazing and the designer did a great job depicting our vision.
Athens has a very active metal community and Greek metal continues to attract attention outside the country. How do you see the current Greek thrash scene, and what do you think younger bands need to do to build a lasting presence?
Alex: Indeed Athens is very active in metal and Greek metal nowadays is very trending. The Greek thrash has some hidden gems and if the bands become more innovative and avoid the thrash cliches then the thrash scene can only go up
If a listener only takes one thing away from "Conspiracy Of Warheads", what do you want that to be?
Nick P: The most important element is the theme of the album and the meaning behind the lyrics which were really thought out. Free to translation to each and every listener.
Streaming has made music immediately available, while physical formats such as vinyl and cassette have returned strongly to the underground. With “Conspiracy Of Warheads” being released digitally, on CD, LP and cassette, what role do you think physical releases should have in the future of a young metal band?
Spyros: We were always fans of physical copies and we believe that the thrill of the music itself has been fading since streaming services have been the main listening platform. Vinyls, CDs and cassettes work also as collectibles and the work behind the creation of them e.g the layout and the artworks is true magic. The future should have more and more physical copy enjoyers whilst the music is easier to digest and listening to the whole album has never been easier and more exciting because you simply can't skip a song.
After the release of “Conspiracy Of Warheads”, what comes next for Eternal? Are you already thinking about new material, or is the priority now to take this album on stage and see where it leads you?
Nick T: We have announced a tour over Balkans for which we are really excited for, whilst also there is a merch drop through the past days and the responses we have received have been really great. Watch out for some more merch coming out as we really love the merchandise part of the job. As Eternal we are always writing new material and preparing for the next record.
Add comment
Comments