Thlipsis (from the word θλίψις, meaning sadness) is a relatively new name in the underground scene but its band members are no rookies. After a formidable short EP in 2021, the project's debut full length Dawn of Defiance came out just some weeks ago and constitutes one of the best Greek black metal releases of the year so far. Pumped with scourging melodies, fantastic musicianship and an intimidating presence, the record is worth your time both sound-wise and lyric-wise. The band discussed with Arson Cafe topics around its release, ideology and current status.
- Greetings. What’s currently going on at the Thlipsis camp?
Greetings and starting off we would like to thank you for your invitation and time. Things are pretty busy currently regarding to both new material being prepared in the resonance of our First full-length and also our personal lives. We are overwhelmed from the people's support and really happy that we finally got the chance to share our latest work with you. Hopefully this is just the beginning !
- The band’s new album Dawn of Defiance was released recently. The first eye-catcher is this well-made artwork. What’s the concept behind it and its relation to the album title?
This fantastic artwork has been made by a very talented artist that we had the honour to work with Vamon VII. The Artwork was inspired by extermination islands like those of "Makronisos" and "Gyaros" that had been instituted after the Greek Civil War and were utilized by the post-civil war regimes to imprison and torture thousands of communists and political dissidents that fought for the freedom and prosperity of this land. The artwork itself depicts scenes of a torture method, widely used on these islands, the torture of the fig-tree, very indicative of the monstrosities and violence that these heroic prisoners faced in daily base without betraying their beliefs and fair struggle.
- Your music is strongly inclined to the traditional Greek black metal sound. What are your favorite bands that influenced you the most?
Indeed it is and the case could not be different as we have been raised with this sound and we love it.. Among many of the Greek Giants that shaped us are Rotting Christ, Varathron, and from international bands it would be Immortal and Bolt Thrower. Τhe more obvious examples that heavily influenced our sound in this album are bands like Sorgelig, Mayhem, Spectral Wound and Afsky.
- One can get an idea of the band’s discussed topics through several narration samples that you use. Would you like to explain the general ideology of the band’s music?
Our ideology is based on the things that happen all around us, like war, poverty, inequality (every kind of it) and our view on how to change things. We believe that the current political system is rotten and has only brought misery everywhere that has been imposed, every country, every continent etc. We are inspired from people that have fought all their lives fighting to change this system through every day struggles at their workplace, through strikes, through revolutions, through resistance in war times etc. And that’s the reason that we have taken inspiration in our lyrics from people like Bertolt Brecht, Giannis Ritsos as well as old WW2 resistant songs like “Παιδιά Σηκωθείτε”.
- Dawn of Defiance opens, in my opinion, with a highlight track “A War Handbook”. Where is the introductory speech from?
We’re glad that you consider it a highlight. The introduction speech is from Ernesto Che Guevara as Minister of Industry of revolutionary government of Cuba. A speech about the three most principles of a revolutionary country which are “Work, Study and Rifle”. The title of the song was inspired by Brecht’s “Manual of War”.
Great references are included in the last three tracks of the new album.
- How would you describe the concepts there to someone who is not from Greece?
So, the concepts are mainly inspired from the class struggle in Greece during the 20th century. From WW2 resistance, the invasion of English forces on December 1944 that slaughtered many resistance fighters of EAM – ELAS, to the exiled in the islands of Gyaros and Makronissos. Especially on the track “The Night That Wolves” the narration is from Lountemis’ book “Abyss Street Number 0” and Giannis Ritsos’ poems from “Makronisiotika” that were written during their time of exile in these islands of torment. Greece’s history is not only the Gods of Olympus, the Parthenon etc. It is also the resistance movements throughout the time and their struggle for not only freedom from occupiers, but for another system, a fair life, without poverty and exploitation.
- How long did it take for you to create Dawn of Defiance, from conception to its final form? Were there any notable obstacles?
Well, many obstacles came along, from finding time to compose to different ideas on which riffs will stay, which ones are not that good, finding inspiration for lyrical themes etc. If you consider that our EP came out on 2021, it took us almost a year (maybe a year and a half) just for the composing. We wanted the album to be something that we as listeners would like and we didn’t compromise to release anything just to get it out, but we made sure to cover all details that we considered important.
- For those who don’t know, share some insight on the background behind the photo of the EP.
Absolutely! The photo of the EP is what inspired Giannis Ritsos to write the Epitaph. It’s depicting a mother mourning over the body of her dead son who was killed by the police on the strikes of May 1936 in Thessaloniki during the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas. A strong image that depicts the grief and the anger and describes exactly what’s happening right now worldwide, which is that the system kills anyone who’s fighting against it.
- Band members are also involved in other underground bands of the scene. What drove you to initiate Thlipsis?
We (Felix Argus and Tumultus) met in the university when we were studying. We wanted to create the music that we love, which is Black Metal and we slowly started writing riffs and then the mighty ND (Sorgelig, Isolert) joined the band around the same time we started composing our first EP. The lineup was completed when Reactive (Sorgelig, Isolert) joined and composed the bass for our album. I think that in the end, our love and passion for this genre is what made the whole project possible and keeps it going.
- You write lyrics both in English and Greek. Is one or the other more convenient for you?
It really depends on each song. Each song and each lyric describes a certain emotion or tells a story and at the time that we’re writing the lyrics the language to describe all these come naturally.
- Are there any bands currently active that you would like to tour with or collaborate for a release?
Well, we would love to do a tour with Sorgelig for example and many other Greek bands like Nihilism or with crust bands like ΚΑΤΑΧΝΙΑ. When it comes to splits, I guess the future will show since we haven’t thought about that.
- What are the immediate next plans for the band? Any live shows in the near future?
Well, there’s riff writing and generally composing the next album. As it comes to live shows the coast is not yet as the band members are in different cities. We would love to do a live show, so, I guess that we will just have to wait and see.
- Thanks for taking the time to reply, the last comments are yours.
We want to thank you for giving us the chance to have this interview. We wish to your readers to be strong, because we live in extremely difficult times and we need to act if we want to change anything. Support the underground!
Our Valor Lights Up Strong
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