Fading Echoes released this year the atmospheric album "Shadow of Another" presenting the five signs of grief through melodic prog, metal paths. We had the pleasure to talk to Dimitris Stratikis about the band, music, social, working with Zak Stevens and much more. We would like to thank them for their time and wish them continued success.
Hi guys, welcome to Metalourgio. Good luck with your first album!
Cheers, you' re welcome! Thanks for the invitation!
What is the story behind the band's name?
The name Fading Echoes was the result of a long brainstorming among the members, trying to find a name that would suit us! Something atmospheric and melancholic, like our music!
What was the stimulus to follow the path of progressive metal and who are your musical influences?
The main stimulus was our listening, as well as the nature of the subject matter and the compositions, that the sound could not be anything else. We each have many and different influences within the band and from various types of music beyond metal. The important thing is - something we constantly receive as feedback - that what we have created does not resemble "something". So all our influences created a unique blend of melodic and dark progressive metal.
For those who don't know you, how would you describe your sound?
The sound is very melodic and atmospheric. The presence of the piano is strong in all the songs, there are strings that give that melancholic tone, without the whole thing becoming epic. Also, it is very rich in guitar parts, rhythmic and solo, very carefully crafted.
The album presents the five stages of grief. What prompted you to create "Shadow of Another"?
Unfortunately, the inspiration came from personal experience. Losing a loved one is something we all have experienced or will experience. The songs, in their essence, are autobiographical, they are my own experience of how I experienced the loss of my father from cancer. Of course, the lyrics of our concept record do not mention what has happened to the hero of the story. It is deliberately vague about what has happened so that the listener can identify accordingly with what is happening to them. A loss, a breakup or a loss from work. The stages of grief are something we experience on a small scale, even in everyday things!
How long did it take to compose and record?
Very long! But not because it couldn't be done faster, but we had a hard time finding permanent members in the band who could help with the production work and participate in the compositional venture, so the whole thing was spread out over several years. But since we were in no rush to release something, since it was a debut album, we are very happy with how things turned out, despite the difficulties. The result is better than we imagined and this is due to the very good collaborations we made in the end.
Who is responsible for the album cover?
The concept of the cover is my own inspiration. It is an allegorical painting. I described what I want to an artist and she created an amazing result. There are also easter-eggs to be found. With the title of "Shadow of Another" - which is not the title of a song - I wanted to express that many times what we put out is not always the reality. The shadow we leave is someone else's. And this is reflected in the cover as well as in the photos we have in the booklet. I leave you to find the easter-eggs!
You collaborated on the song “Acceptance” with Zak Stevens (Savatage / TSO), how did you get in touch?
Too simple! I texted and he replied to send him the piece I wanted him for. Very friendly person, very professional and really incredible how approachable someone you consider an idol can be!
What was the element that made Stevens say yes to "dress it up" with his voice?
I was really excited about Acceptance! He absolutely loved it, it was written in his voice and it suited him as a performance. In fact, out of his enthusiasm he also wrote 5-6 voices in the choral parts, without my asking him! The result is really incredible and who would have told me that one day I will have in my hands a duet release with the singer from my favorite band!
How did the public receive the new album? What is the feedback you have so far?
Being a new band coming from nowhere, especially from the countryside, it is very difficult to break into the music world. The volume of music is now so great that hundreds of releases are released within a month. The effort put in by us and our record label Wormholedeath for publicity, however, has yielded tremendous results to begin with! We take bandcamp orders from all over the world, literally! Personal messages where the excitement and surprise are huge. Also, there are radio stations in and outside Greece that have played our songs on a weekly basis. Magazines write rave reviews, talk about a great debut album. In fact, in the month of September we were also at Metal Hammer as a suggestion of the month! The honor and joy was immense. In general, anyone who presses "play" on this album sends usawesome feedback. All that remains is to "convince" the world to press that "play"! Just do it!
What makes you angry about today's society?
I personally have no anger. If you let society make you angry, you've lost.
Is social media a curse or a gift for a band?
This is a huge question, about which we should have a philosophical discussion. Personally, I think it is a very good tool for the artist to keep in touch with his audience in real time. It makes it easy for small bands to gain exposure and fans.
You are in Volos, how easy or difficult is it for a band to run its business when it is far from the action of big cities?
Too hard. Especially because we are musicians who are not known from other jobs, so that we can make acquaintances, etc. Suddenly, we have to make acquaintances with editors, with radio producers, with contributors of events, etc., and unfortunately it is not always possible for the other person to pay attention to you out of the blue. But we are determined to prove in practice what we deserve, through our music, our live performances and our contact with the world.
You have made two lyric videos, are there any plans for the next one?
We plan to make two regular videos in the near future!
What are your dreams about the band?
I think this band can do many things. I will talk about goal, and I will say that we will try to become a band that will represent our country on the world map of progressive metal!
Are there any shows in the works?
There are, yes! At the beginning of December, an appearance is scheduled in Volos, at Cafe Santan! It will be our maiden appearance as Fading Echoes and it promises to be an awesome experience!
Thank you very much for the interview. Would you like to add one last thing?
Thank you very much for the step you gave us through Metalourgio! I want to thank the readers who read this little bit here and invite them to visit our links where they can find our music and videos. On our bandcamp, https://fadingechoes.bandcamp.com they can listen to and buy our album and the band's merch! All the rest can be found at https://linktr.ee/fadingechoesgr!
The interview was conducted by Mary Zarakoviti