The following interview was done with Terry Eleftheriou a.k.a. Warhead - the sole maniac behind WARGRINDER.
Hails Terry! To get this interview underway, please give us some info about your past and current musical activities.
I'm an extreme metal drummer/composer. I've played in a large number of bands and I have recorded numerous albums and demos in my carreer. I also run my personal project Wargrinder where I do everything by myself. I am currently in : Wargrinder and Hate Manifesto. There are many propositions for drums recording for other bands and being as busy as I am I try to keep up with everything. I am sponsored by Silverfox drumsticks, Saluda cymbals and Axis pedals.
Tell us a little about Wargrinder's last album, "In Suicidal Triumph," including details about the recording /reception / formats, etc.
In Suicidal Triumph was composed in about a week's time in December of 2011. It was recorded in the spring of 2014 in 3 days.
It is a concept album and the songs are arranged by title and lyrical order. It was released summer of 2016 by Nykta Records on CD and it will be released on tape by Von Frost Records around September '17. We're also shooting for a vinyl release end of this year by Fist Bang Records once more.
What are some of the themes that you explore in your music?
War. Hate. Revenge, self preservation, self respect. I always go back to the U.S. civil war for some inspiration, I read blogs and diaries from people who fought in the trenches. And of course my own imagination, I create battle scenes and build stories of my own. I want the person who grabs my release to be nailed to the floor throughout the entire duration. I don't believe in fluctuations. I believe in total annihilation.
Can you tell us a little about your musical influences?
I was always into the German thrash metal scene, although the U.S. has probably the best trash metal history. As a fan I'm divided, as a musician I'm leaning towards Germany and its untamed raw 80s sound. That's how it started for me, as for influences : Order from Chaos, Angelcorpse, Morbid Angel, early Krisiun, Abhorrence (Brazil), early Sodom, Incantation, Bestial Warlust, early Kreator, Possessed and many others.
Your debut album, "The Seal of Genocide," was released back in 2012, although I seem to recall reading that the material was composed much earlier than that - care to give some details?
The Seal of Genocide was composed in its most part in 2004. I actually was writing the lyrics while I was still in the army early 2003. The first time I recorded the debut was in 2005 but I wasn't satisfied with the overall sound and the drummer at the time, so I never released it. I practiced for a few years on the guitar so I could bring my skills up to where my drumming skills were and in December of 2009 I re-recorded the whole album which at that point included a few newer tracks, composed in '08-'09. The sound was deliberately raw and I used a double pedal that wasn't mine so I would not be able to play as well as I usually can. The material is so raw and barbaric that the drums had to be the same.
What can you tell us about the 7" with Hate Manifesto and the song 'Spawn of Insidious Malevolence'? How did you end up using that track for the split?
The track I offered for the split is included In Suicidal Triumph which was ready for release since spring of '14 and Fistbang Records and old friends Hate Manifesto contacted me for a collaboration in the summer of '15. And I agreed. Its a great release and I enjoy how such relentless material sounds on vinyl. Both bands delivered, that's for sure.
Having relocated from Greece to Iceland, I suppose there's a bit of contrast in the climate and anthropological spectrum of things?
I personally am not a summer person. Always avoided the sun in Greece. I'm not complaining at all up here. What's difficult is distributing my music from here to the rest of the world, especially being a one man band. But I try to keep up, I hope. I also enjoy the solitude. People tend to leave you alone here, they're more private for sure.
Do you have any specific influences as a drummer? How would you describe your drumming style?
Sandoval, Asheim and Laureano are definitely my biggest influences. My style is definitely old school with pretty good dynamics. I love blast beats. At the same time I'm a musical drummer, I listen to the music and play accordingly. Everything is based on the riff. No riff, no structure. I also hit pretty hard, although I trigger my kick drums I still hit hard.
Besides drums, you also play guitar and do vocals. What prompted you to take up these roles and how regularly do you play guitar as opposed to drumming?
Well, I started playing bass in 1997, inspired by Lemmy, Cronos, Angelripper and Helmkamp. That's how it started for me. What made me start playing bass and guitar was the fact that nobody around me played that style of music which I refer to as the furious style. Fuck fillers, every riff needs to be as good as possible. Shoa was the embryonic state of Wargrinder back in 1999. And summer of 2000 Wargrinder was born. I try not to play too much guitar because I start coming up with new riffs quite fast. I usually play once per month or so. The drumming definitely needs more maintenance since it's technical but requires a lot of conditioning as well.
Do you have something to say about the current economical situation Greece is facing? Have you felt that this situation has affected the scene in any way?
Yeah, of course it has affected it, people can't just go buy merch as much as they used to, you have to set priorities. As for me, I work very hard so I try to support and buy CDs and Tapes from underground labels. It was never a problem for me to decide. Just don't go out and save to buy merch. You get to blast it till the day you die anyway. A great investment.
What are you listening to these days? Have you discovered any killer bands lately?
Yes I have. Its so hard to keep up, but having connections with labels and other bands kinda keeps me up to date, currently listening to : Nuclear Hammer, Gravehill, Satanik Goat Ritual, Nausea, Cult of Eibon, Trenchgrinder, Hexensabbat, Napalm Raid, Fetid Zombie, Black Blood Invocation, Trench Warfare, most are on tape via Von Frost Recs, which is by the way sending me another package with tapes, including Hate Manifesto's debut 'To Those Who Glorified Death'. I also can't wait to get my hands on Naer Mataron's new album Lucitherion.
Looking back, what have been some of the highlights throughout your musical course and what are some things you might have done differently?
Naer Mataron was my first big break, I owe a lot to them and I will never stop supporting them. Angelcorpse was also a good thing to happen, although it never materialized. The fact alone that they picked me was a great honor, as they are my favorite extreme metal band. I don't think that I'd change anything simply because at the time it seemed the proper thing to do. Even if some decisions were wrong, it definitely has made me smarter, therefore I wouldn't change a thing.
Some of your recordings have been released on vinyl - what is your opinion on this particular format and the revival it has seen lately?
I love vinyl and the sound that it offers, it is the first and truest format of a band's effort, along with tapes. It's cool that people are buying vinyl again, although in our genre these things don't die, they just dissipate and fluctuate.
What is your opinion on the current surge of social justice with journalists calling out musicians for their political leanings? Right or wrong?
A bunch of degenerates who never achieved anything therefore they find suitable to start crying about other people's opinions and actions. When I buy an album, I don't give a fuck who said what and who did this and that. That's fucking weak. Mind your own fucking business, if you don't like a band or musician for whatever reason your retarded brain came up with, just move on to the next one. It's like those fucking trolls who go on sites to comment that they don't like this band or whatever. Here's an idea : instead of being a degenerate sad piece of shit who was told somehow that their opinion matters, why don't you consume more time and energy on something constructive? Like a fucking hobby, or better yet, suicide. We could do with a few billion less degenerates anyway.
List 10 albums you can't live without.
Very hard to pick
1.Venom - Black Metal
2.Sodom - Persecution Mania (or in the Sign)
3.Kreator - Pleasure to Kill
4.Slayer - Hell Awaits
5.Deicide - Legion (or Once, or debut)
6.Angelcorpse - fucking everything (no debate)
7.Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (also Blessed, Covenant, Formulas and Gateways are very close)
8.Incantation - Onward (impossible to pick just one though)
9.Judas Priest - Painkiller
10.Iron Maiden - Powerslave (first metal band and album I ever heard, around 7-8 years old)
If anyone reading this would like to get in touch, how should they do this? Also, tell us about your future plans and where people can get your merchandise. Thanks for your time.
Future plans include my third album 'Tank Tread Doctrine' coming out in the end of this summer by Fistbang Records. At about the same time, Von Frost Records will release In Suicidal Triumph on tape. My merchandize can be found in several labels in the U.S. and of course Greece, which distributes to Europe. People can also contact me for merch, provided that I still have stuff. Thank you for the interview.
wargrinder2000@yahoo.gr
search for Wargrinder on FB.
Hails from the Wargrinder front.
