Interview with SACRED GATE

 

Interview questions by Tomek/Nevermore, Pure Metal magazine (Poland)

Answers by: Nicko Nikolaidis (guitars)

Photo: Thorsten Bethe

Pure Metal: Hello Nicko, this is Tomek from Pure Metal Magazine from Poland. As this is our first meeting, could you please introduce the band?

Nicko: Hi Tomek, Sacred Gate were formed in March 2008, the band consist of Jim Over on the vocals, Peter Beckers on the bass, Christian Wolf on the drums and me on the guitars. This line up exists since 2010.

PM: Why did you decide on playing traditional heavy metal instead of more modern sounds?

Nicko: Because this is the music we love! We've listened to Heavy Metal for more than 25 years. We grew up with all these great bands which released great classic metal albums. Metal is in our blood, it is some kind of religion, you know, it is an important part of our lives, we can’t live without it. When we started listening to Heavy Metal it was not only some kind of fashion, and we didn’t want to be cool by listening to this kind of music like some other guys. And I think the most metal fans feel the same way.

The music we play comes straight from the heart. I am 37 and still love this music like at the beginning. Metal is like a virus that can’t be cured, hahaha.

PM: You’re debuting on the metal scene as Sacred Gate, but you’re certainly no novices. Two of you have a pretty big experience gained in the band called Made of Iron. I concede - I don’t know that band, I only know they recorded some demos, an EP and one LP. Could you describe Made of Iron in a few words? Do they still play?

Nicko: Me, Jim and 2 other guys formed the band in 1999. We started covering some Maiden songs and then composed our own songs and of course Maiden was our biggest influence. We had some releases, we played some gigs, but there were many differences between the band members so some of them left the band in 2005 and finally in 2007 the band split.

PM: Do you think that the times are good for starting a traditional heavy metal band?

Nicko: Times are always good to do what you want to do. We don’t do it for money, on the contrary, we spend a lot of money for equipment, rehearsal rooms and recordings. Metal is our passion and a way to escape the daily routine.

PM: Your career with Sacred Gate escalated really quick. Two years of work and you already had the material for one LP and... a record deal! Do you think you got lucky, or are you really that good?

Nicko:I think you need both. Maybe some labels listened to the album and didn’t like it, but fortunately there are a lot of people, like Jowita and Simone with good taste and liked it, hahaha. We knew we had strong songs on the album and it would be a pity if we couldn’t release it. The labels receive hundreds of demos every month, so it is very difficult. Apart from that, I think that the bigger labels, like Nuclear Blast, AFM or Metal Blade don’t sign so easy newcomers but they wait to see how the bands sound after 2 or 3 albums and if they are good enough to go to the next level.

PM: Why Metal on Metal? Didn’t they want you in, say... AFM Records? :))) Just kidding...

Nicko: We had 4 offers for a record deal, but the one of Metal on Metal was the best. Metal on Metal has a good reputation, Jowita and Simone are both Heavy Metal lunatics but also very professional and very fair with the bands.

PM: I guess every interviewer is asking you about your inspirations... in your music there are some really Maiden- and Priest- esque moments, but chances are they are not your only influences. So, what are the others?

Nicko: Maiden and Priest are the main influences, but also Iced Earth, Dio, Sanctuary, Running Wild, Manowar, Black Sabbath (with Tony Martin), Grave Digger, Virgin Steele and Yngwie Malmsteen are some more bands which „helped” us to create our sound. It is normal that when you start a band, your sound and songwriting has many influences of the bands you like, and the fans and press always compare you with these bands. So our goal is to create our own style and sound. But I don’t have a problem when they compare us with Maiden or some other bands, we are a new band and we need some time to show to the people what we can do and how we can sound.

PM: You chose a rather interesting name for your band. What does it mean?

Nicko: First of all, I think it sounds good which is also very important. I wanted to have the word Gate in the band’s name, so we choosed Sacred Gate. Also, in ancient Athens the second biggest city gate was called Sacred Gate and it was like a fortress, protected by 2 or 4 towers.

Me and Jim are Greeks, so this was another good reason to choose this name, hahaha.

PM: What do the burning monsters on the cover art symbolise?

Nicko: In relation with the songs „Earth, My Kingdom” and „Heaven under Siege”, they are the fallen angels who lost the battle in Heaven. They have become demons, their new realm is on earth and they try to lead mankind to downfall and devastation. They come out of the atom bomb explosion and destroy everything in their way. We wanted to combine the artwork with the lyrics, so we explained to Jowita our ideas and she painted the artwork, she did a great job.

PM: And what’s the burning city?

Nicko: The burning city symbolizes our civilization or, to say it better, the end of our civilization by a nuclear war.

PM: How should I understand the album title?

Nicko: Sometimes we think that everything around us is forever. But everything could also end very fast by a nuclear war for example. So if we will come to this point, the end of mankind, and everything is over, this would be the end of eternity for the human race.

PM: Your lyrics touch upon many diverse matters. What message are you trying to convey?

Nicko: There are these 2 songs about a revolution and a battle in Heaven. „In the Heart of the Iron Maiden” and „Vengeance” are about an alchemist who is imprisoned and tortured by the Holy Inquisition, before he dies, he sells his soul to the devil and he comes back to kill the ones who tortured and killed him. „Burning Wings” is about the story of Icarus, „The Realm of Hell” about someone who dies and ends in Hell, and the rest of the songs are about the downfall and decline of mankind due to war or enviroment pollution. Lyrics are very important for us, we want that people who buy the album listen to the music and read the lyrics and enjoy both. If we can make them think about the substance of the songs, it would be great.

I believe that we cannot trust anymore the politicians because the whole system is corrupted. No matter if you are in Poland or Greece or Germany, you hear only lies from them. It is not normal that 1% of the richest people own 99% of global income and wealth. The problem is that the markets have too much power, they are the ones who rule, not the governments. Politicians are only their puppets, and this is very dangerous. Those investment banks or the stock markets earn hundreds of millions only by spreading rumors, it is insane.

That’s why I am very pessimistic, I don’t know how the world will be in 50 years but it does not look good.

There is a documentary film called „Inside job” by filmmaker Charles Ferguson, I think everybody must see this film.

PM: Your album, ‘When Eternity Ends’ sounds good, maybe too good even, too clear. Don’t you think it would sound better with some more dirt? You aren’t fans of the old school sound, am I right?

Nicko: We are very satisfied with the production, it is clear but not very polished or over produced. We are all Maiden fans and "Powerslave" is one of our faves because of the great songs and the fantastic production. So we wanted something like that but a bit heavier, like a sound mix of Maiden and Iced Earth. We like the 80’s music but we live in 2012, so we don’t need to copy the sound of the 80’s, after all we want to offer some good quality to the fans who give their money to buy the album, this is how Jowita and Simone, the owners of Metal On Metal Records think also, and I must say again that we are very satisfied with the booklet art and graphics which was created by Simone, the husband of Jowita.

PM: A big asset of your music are Jim’s vocals, kept in the middle, sometimes a bit higher registers. What vocalists was Jim influenced by and how much does he work on his voice?

Nicko: Jim has a great voice, a very strong voice, as you said he sings most of the time in middle range. He is infuenced by Bruce Dickinson, Tony Martin, Dio, Matt Barlow and Jeff Scot Soto. We practice all together once or twice a week, and Jim once a week alone. I know he makes exercises before the rehearsal or the shows. His voice is like a trademark of the band, he has a very unique voice, he sounds like no other vocalist as far as I know.

PM: But I was impressed the most by the solos of Nicko Nikolaidis. Nicko, who were your main influences?

Nicko: Iron Maiden was the reason I started playing the guitar when I was 17. So Dave Murray and Adrian Smith were my idols. Their twin guitar leads and their solos are so amazing. Just listen to the guitars solos on the songs „Caught Somewhere in Time”, „The Duellists” or „Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”, they are unbelievable. I learned playing the guitar practicing these songs, the first 2 song books with tabs that I bought was ‘’...And Justice for All’’ and „Seventh Son…”. So if you think now, how a beginner started playing these songs? The answer is I started playing at the age of 11 a greek string instrument, so my fingers were fast enough, hahahaha. But also the old stuff of Malmsteen or Metallica helped me to create my style. Kreator’s „Coma of Souls” is one of my favourite albums, also because of the great guitars of Mille and Frank Blackfire, or Sanctuary’s „Into the Mirror Black” has an excellent guitar work, very melodic but also very heavy, this is the style I like.

PM: From the songs comprising ‘When Eternity Ends’, I really liked the more complex ‘Freedom or Death’. I like the mood of the song and the strong second part. How much effort did it cost you to arrange that song and any similiar ones?

Nicko: Sometimes it is easier than you think! There are days where ideas just flow, but sometimes I need some more time to complete a song. Sometimes I compose a riff and immediately I have the idea for the next riff for the song and so it goes on. For "Freedom or Death" it was more difficult to write the right lyrics, but then I found on the internet the lyrics of the Greek national anthem, and I used them. It is an epic song, and the national anthem is also about the greek revolution in 1821, so i think it was a good combination.

PM: The strongest song of ‘When Eternity Ends’ to me is ‘Heaven Under Siege’. If it depended on me... I’d love to hear the next album in a similiar mood. What are the chances for that?

Nicko: They are very good, hahaha. The next one will be heavier, with a lot of epic moments, there will be also a song with a thrash metal touch!

PM: What’s the German zines' reaction to your album? Did they notice you?

Nicko: Yes, we received a lot of great online reviews from all over the world and some big print magazines here in Germany like Rock Hard, Heavy and Legacy. In general they mentioned the quality of the songs and the potential of the band.

PM: Do you play many gigs? Where could you reach out with your songs.

Nicko: At the moment not too many because we are focused on the composing and recording of the next album. We want to play next summer at some festivals and we just started organizing some gigs with some friends who play in other bands.

PM: Two of you are from Greece, so you probably are planning on some gigs there? How did your friends receive the album?

Nicko: I live in Germany for more than 20 years and Jim more than 35, so we don’t have too many contacts in Greece. With the release of the album we gained a lot of fans there and we were contacted by the press for some interviews, so I think when we release another album there will be good chances to play there.

PM: I know you’re preparing another release. Can you disclose some details? Did you already choose the title?

Nicko: The title of the next album is „Tides of War”. It is a concept album about the 300 Spartans and the battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. We will enter the studio in the end of October to record it. This album will be a killer, remember these words!

PM: You operate and probably also live in Monchengladbach, do you also support the footballers of the local club Borussia? If yes, how did you react to the transfer of Marco Reus to Dortmund?

Nicko: Oh, you are well informed, hahaha...

PM: Of course, I’m BUNDESLIGA fan!

Nicko: We are all Borussia Mönchengladbach supporters, but only Peter and Christian go to the stadium. I can’t do it anymore because of my work. I think Reus is irreplaceable, he is a great player, he is fast with great skills. Very sad that he was sold to Dortmund, but this was also his desire, so Borussia got a lot of money and Reus is very happy, hahaha…

PM: How do you view the last Maiden albums, do you like them as fans?

Nicko: To be honest, no. For me the last good Maiden album was „No Prayer for the Dying”, which is very underrated by the most fans and press but there are such good songs on it. Maiden had a golden era from 1982 to 1990, they released fantastic albums, milestones of Heavy Metal and for this they deserve our respect. But at that time they were 25 and now they are 55, so we can’t expect from them to write again and again songs like „The Trooper” or „2 Minutes to Midnight”.

PM: What traditional heavy albums impressed you the most in the past 4-5 years?

Nicko: „Thor” from Wizard, „Iron Will” from Grand Magus, „Ravenous” from Wolf, great albums with a fantastic atmosphere, there is also a death metal album which belongs to my favourites and this is „Twilight of the Thunder God” from Amon Amarth.

PM: Do you know any Polish band that plays classic heavy metal? Does the name Turbo ring any bells? Their style is pretty similiar to that of yours.

Nicko: No, I don’t know them but if you say that I am going to check them. Poland is worldwide known for its extreme metal bands like Vader or Behemoth. But I am sure there are a lot of good classic metal bands in the underground.

PM: Your musical dreams...

Nicko: To make a worldwide tour as support for Maiden, hahahaha, this is one of my favourite dreams, I think this is the favourite dream of all classic metal bands, hahaha. Seriously, it would be great to reach as many fans as possible, release a lot of good albums, tour many countries, and of course it would be great to make our hobby a profession and one day live from music. But that depends on many factors, not only how good we are but it is also a lot of business.

PM: In Germany you have pretty much everything a metal musician could dream of: a huge fanbase, a lot of metal fans, prospering labels and a ton of festivals too. This must be awesome...

Nicko: Yes, you are right, there are many metalheads and great festivals, but we are still a newcomer band, we have to work hard and release good albums to gain more fans. We have a lot of loyal fans who come to every show when we play around our home city, but the most difficult thing is to reach fans everywhere.

PM: Thanks for the interview!