The fact that Gus G. is one of the strongest names of the domestic – and not only – heavy metal scene cannot be denied. He is the man who played alongside Ozzy, and his talent is talked about worldwide. People consider him a modern-day guitar hero.
From the days of Nightrage and Dream Evil to now having released three solo albums, he has never abandoned his original “vehicle” with which he made his presence clear. Firewind. So, on their new self-titled release, we couldn’t help but ask him questions about the new album. As well as about the current situation and, of course, cats.
"Immortals" had received excellent reviews from the press and the public. How much did you raise the bar for the new album?
Gus G.: The album did very well, purely commercially speaking. “Immortals” was our first concept album, as we dealt with history, specifically Thermopylae. It was very good material that we had. We were also coming off a hiatus; we had the history part, which, from a marketing point of view, played its part in the album’s overall success.
To tell you the truth, I was at a weird crossroads. On the one hand, I thought about continuing down this path, but on the other hand, it wasn’t working for me either. So, in a sense, you could say it made me nervous. It certainly made me think.
You've said that Firewind is restarting with this album. Is that restart initially responsible for the name of the record as well? Secondly, what were those elements that you wanted to change? As for the lineup level, the changes were small, but you keep your style on the sound.
I want Firewind to grow even more, and we are taking steps in that direction. Sometimes small, sometimes more significant, but we have kept moving forward over the years. This time, we had two changes: one for Bob, who was not replaced, and another for the vocals. I decided to give it all I had this time so that we could achieve our goals. If you look at it, we have continuity as a band; despite the short break, we came back strong, and that’s how we intend to continue.
At some point, I asked myself how I would set up Firewind if I did it in 2020. With that in mind, a new record was created. So now it’s time to make the statement and publish a self-titled record. Many bands do it on their first release, but we decided to do it now.
The other change I see, on a sound level, is "Overdrive," which is indeed something new. Would you be willing to tell me a little bit about how it came about? Let me mention here that I haven't had so much fun listening to a track in a long time!
(Laughs!) I’ll tell you something funny about “Overdrive.” In 8 out of 10 interviews, I’ve been asked about this song, and so far, I’ve given a lot of them, which is good. It means there is interest in the album.
Now, for the track, I originally intended it to be a bonus track on some special edition. But when Herbie sang it, I liked it and thought we should put it on. Sometimes, the existing musical matches are unexpected, and the result exceeds your expectations. I know “Overdrive” reminds me of Black Sabbath times with Dio. It’s a song from another era, but it makes sense to everyone because of its groove. (Undoubtedly, I will tell me).
Do you care to give Firewind a specific label? Heavy metal, power metal, hard rock, or just providing an honest artistic result to whoever likes it?
Suppose you listen carefully to the album and remember the whole of our discography. In that case, you will find elements from all the albums. I don’t care about labels, but I want people to like our music. Because the songwriting is my part, I will tell you that we have built our sound over the years with Firewind. That doesn’t mean that we stop evolving or that it limits us. In “Firewind”, let’s say you’ll hear heavy metal parts, power metal parts and some hard rock parts. We move on if it’s a good idea and can be developed. So yeah, someone will hear what I have to say about being a musician on Firewind.
The album faces an obstacle that could not have been foreseen when it started to be made: the pandemic. Have you considered postponing its release? And what are your plans now for promoting it, as the possibility of live performances seems like a distant scenario at this stage?
It definitely crossed our minds, and I’ve been in contact with the label every day to see how we’re getting on. We soon realized that no one could guarantee that things will be better whether we release it now or in August. As we speak, all tours have been cancelled, and we don’t know when and under what conditions they will return. So, we’re going to proceed with the means we have.
Also, many releases have already been postponed. In the future, they will “fall on top of each other,” which, if you like and from a marketing point of view, would not help the album. So, in both cases, you have pros and cons. The label and I decided not to put it off and to go ahead as planned. Either way, one way or another, the record will come full circle.
How do you see this whole situation with artists and quarantine? Is your industry being seriously tested? Would you like to comment on something?
First, I don’t want to make any predictions when scientists don’t know what will happen. I advise artists to be patient. But I can only speak for myself, as we are not all facing the same daily routine and the same problems. I repeat the keyword is composure.
Firewind, as a band, has many spectacular moments to show. But, in the minds of many is the Gus G. format; they seem like they can't escape your shadow. How do you feel about all this?
I know what you mean. But nothing else could have happened. We used to be a band that co-decided everything, but that didn’t work. If you look at even the most prominent bands, there is always one “brain”, and sometimes, rarely, there are two. I have the whole composition in Firewind, and I write all the guitars. That, believe me, is already a lot for one person. On top of that, I’m responsible for everything else, including management, booking, etc. The others have their own roles that suit them, they like and can carry out successfully.
When we returned from the Few Against Many tours, we thought we’d take a break. I was tired from all that, and I wanted to take care of other things for a while. That’s when my personal project came about. If this is mainly based on collaborations, I wanted to do and ideas that were there but didn’t fit Firewind.
I’ve already put several ticks on my bucket list, however, dreams and plans never stop
To tell you the truth, I didn’t expect what happened next. I started getting offers for live performances. The crowd’s interest was undiminished, so this whole project took on a bigger scope than I had anticipated at first. To a certain extent, I think it gave me the renewal I needed.
Today, we are attempting to restart. We’re also returning to our roots if you like, as the keyboards have been reduced quite a bit, but we’re not repeating ourselves. I don’t think we could, as I had different ideas and experiences in my twenties and different ones now. But it’s my child, my personal band that I formed as a kid and that I’m still going with to this day.
You already have two active, successful projects. Will this uncomfortable quarantine situation be the starting point for a new project, a new release?
Quite a lot. The other four, I spent the rest of the time working on the album promo. Of course, let me tell you that I have a hard drive full of riffs and ideas, so we have material for future use. But the quarantine, in general, was a good opportunity for composition.
Costas, you're turning 40 in a few months. Firewind, Ozzy, Dream Evil, Nightrage, etc.- you've lived a life as a musician that many would envy! What are your personal expectations for the future? What are your plans or even dreams?
The truth is that I’ve ticked quite a few boxes on my bucket list, but that doesn’t mean my dreams and plans stop. As I said before, I want to see Firewind grow. I also have ideas for my personal project that I want to implement. And my next recording step will be an instrumental album, as I really want to do it.
I've been watching you live and seeing you on social media as well. You generally have a vibe with the audience and are constantly interacting with them. Do you like it that much?
I’m lucky, and over the years of playing music, I’ve gained fans worldwide. I’m doubly lucky that this audience not only stays but grows. The relationship I have with them is sincere. I love learning things, getting ideas, and talking to them. I want to have an honest relationship, and it comes out spontaneously; if I went about, it in a pretentious way, sooner or later, they would know. This relationship I’ve built with fans is my biggest reward as a musician.
As a former cat parent, I'd like to ask you how many cats you have (names) and how your "obsession" with them came about.
Finally! We’ve started the important questions (laughs)! Well, look, I didn’t grow up with animals, but here’s what happened. My wife’s grandmother had a cat named Marko. When grandma “passed away,” the cat was essentially left homeless. Even though he was already nine, we took him in, taught him, loved him, and lived with him.
View this post on Instagram
Mark reached the age of twenty, and after that, it was impossible for us to live without a cat. So we got Valentino, a Siamese cat. Then came Marquesa, who has three little legs, and Leon, who acts as my technician and eats all the time. I’m afraid that one day, he will eat us, too! The other two were not in our plans, but we saved them from difficult situations and kept them without second thoughts. Of course, now the house looks like a jungle, but to heck with them!
Artist: Sober On Tuxedos
Album: Good Intentions
Label: Heaven Music
Release Date: 11/12/2020
Genre: Nu Metal, Metalcore
Gus G. (OW) | Deezer | Facebook | Instagram | SoundCloud | Spotify | Tidal | X/Twitter | YouTube
Firewind (OW) | Bandcamp | Deezer | Facebook | Instagram | ReverbNation | Spotify | Tidal | X/Twitter | YouTube