sitemap

search the site here

interview with Christianna (vocals) and Johnny Zero (guitar)

organized by Elysion and Matthew Haumschild

That can be a little frustrating for the neighbours

Where were you when you found out you all were a signed band?

Johnny:
To begin with, a huge thanks on behalf of all Elysion for having us!

Well.., I recall we were at me homestudio recording songs when we received a call from our manager saying Massacre Records sent us the contracts.
 
 
Was it a shock? How many other labels did you try?
 Johnny:

It definitely was some of the greatest news I had ever received in my life! Not exactly  a shock because once we had recorded our demo plenty of record companies had expressed their interest in Elysion, for which we are more than grateful. But to sign up with one ‘’top-of-the-field’’ company like Massacre for our very first album  exceeded all our expectations, once we recovered from the original enthusiasm and thrill we knew we had to work very hard from that point on to measure up to the label’s trust in us.
 
 
Given the advent of the internet over the last 15 years or so, do you think that rock has lost the mystique it once had?
 Christianna:

 Internet has for sure exposed rock a lot and made it very easily accessible to everyone, which I think was  a great help to all rock bands. I guess that in any case music holds the key and it is up to the beauty of a song to either carry the listener away or become just another web page visited on his computer. I have faith in rock and its magic…all Elysion do. Otherwise we wouldn’t  choose to dedicate our lives to it.
 

Do any of the songs derive from personal experience?
 Johnny:

Some of them, yes…personal experiences do play an important role in the inspiration part, because this is usually a very effective way to become emotionally vulnerable and put your soul down to a song, however, the general idea of how each of us interprets life also holds an important role... "Silent Scr3am" is not about what Elysion have been through, it is about what any of us would like to whisper or scream to life itself, hoping to be heard, a celebration of the human soul in all its moments of greatness or weakness.

I know this album just cam out, but do you have any ideas what your next album will sound like? WIll it be more of the same or do you all plan to branch out try some newer styles and blend them into your own?
 Christianna:

Indeed, it’s quite early to discuss the new album but since composing to us is a matter of inner-need and not a matter  of deadlines, I can say we feel quite inspired at the moment and already have a great lot of a new material to work on. We definitely aren’t planning on repeating ourselves  on the next album, I think we will come up with something stronger and even more emotional , blended with new ideas but still faithful to the musical identity of Elysion.
 
 

When Lacuna Coil came out, they had great great pride coming from Italy. Do you have the same coming from Greece?
 Johnny:

As our album was very recently released , I guess it is quite early to talk about national pride or anything. .We are very grateful for all the amazing feedback we ‘ve been having in Greece and this is one of the reasons why we plan on starting our tour by first visiting as many cities in Greece as we possibly can to honor them for all the outstanding support so far. Right after that Elysion’s European tour will begin and it will be a great thrill but also responsibility to us to make our homeland proud!
 
 

Would you ever relocate if it meant furthering your career?
 Christianna:

Considering this all is the dream of a lifetime for us, we would all gladly relocate even in space if we had to J! Greece will always be our dear homeland but we are so devoted in Elysion that we would do anything to seize all opportunities given to do what we love most.
 

Besides being signed to an awesome label, what has been the highlight of the band's career at this point?
 Johnny:

I would have to say working with Ted Jensen…having a producer who has mastered the albums of Iron Maiden, Madonna, Evanescence and many  other huge artists master Silent Scr3am was a bless…We are more than grateful that someone of his talent and reputation made sure that our album would sound exactly the way we wanted it to, strong and sharp but also balanced, concentrating all attention on the beauty of the songs rather than the instruments. It was very important to us that the atmosphere of Silent Scr3am would best represent what Elysion are about and Ted is definitely the man who knows how to do that!
 
 
If you were given a chance to play Summer Breeze and Wacken Open Air or to do a club tour in North America (including Mexico) with a well-known group, which would you rather do?
 Christianna:

This is very difficult to answer because for all Elysion playing live and sharing such great energy with the crowd is our greatest reward…We treasure each and every show and honor individually each and everyone who has come to see us , as it is in their eyes while we play that we see our music become meaningful. It makes o difference to us whether the crowd is huge or not, or what name headlines. Each sow is a chance for us to communicate our feelings through our  music and we make the most out of all cahences we are given to perform live.
 

Do you think CD's will ever go out of style?
 Christianna:

Probably…the way technology is evolving I think it is a matter of time for everything to be replaced by new inventions of higher quality. Music is no exception, either. I don’t know how much time it would take to come up with a better standard format than a CD and how the industry would slowly embrace that but it is bound to happen and it is ok. Gladly, music itself will never go out of style as to me it is one of mankind’s greater creations.

 
 How do you all practice when you're at home?
 Johnny:

We love to practice at the studio a lot, where we can all be together and work on forming a very ‘’tight ‘’sound. We also practice at home, we don’t see as practice, it’s rather an entertainment to play music and trying to improve. I usually play guitar in the night, sometimes all through the night!
 Christianna:

Same here…night time is always the most creative time for me. That can be a little frustrating for the neighbours, having to put up with me trying new vocal techniques right before dawn, but I cannot help it…once I feel like singing I really have to do it!
 

Have you all been endorsed by any musical companies?
 Johnny:

We haven’t announced anything yet because plenty of musical companies have honored us by offering us an endorsement deal and we are making the final arrangements  as we speak. All this interest in Elysion has provided us with great amounts of strength to work even harder to make sure we let no one down, first and foremost ourselves.
 

 
My final question. This is not a serious question at all. No drama or anything. It is called the game of the tower, and we do this question to every band we are interviewing for the very first time. there is a very high tower and on top of this tower there are three bands waiting for you and you have to kick down two of them , saving only one. For you, Metallica, Nightwish, or Lacuna Coil are waiting on the tower.

 Christianna:
..ok, that’s a tough one! As the only female member of my band it is my job to take care of my dear bandmates so I’d gladly save Lacuna Coil to do everyone the present of enjoying the company of gorgeous Cristina Scabbia up on the tower! …needless to say, I’m a huge fan of her myself and since I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her in the past I can say she is a truly amazing person..No offence, Nightwish and MetallicaJ
 

Thank you very much for everything!

Christianna and Johnny:

We would like to thank everyone for all your great support and interest in us, it means the world to Elysion. We keep our fingers crossed that we will soon be able to see you all in a live show!