Interviews: Inter Omega

In this new occassion we have had the opportunity to interview the Progressive Metalcore/Metalcore band Inter Omega from Estonia. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE. 

1.Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

The band name was a very deliberate decision made by our lead guitarist Steven Kingo. ‘Inter’, to mean buried and between, in this instance representing ‘within one’s self’. And ‘Omega’, (Literally meaning ‘Great O’) signifies greatness, but also as the last letter of the Greek alphabet, denotes limitation and represents the ultimate end of a set. Combining these two words conveys the idea that we all have potential within ourselves, and the only thing stopping us is our own minds. We aim to continue this theme with the subject matter of our songs.

2.Why did you want to play this genre?

Heavy music is a huge part of all our lives so naturally we gravitated towards playing metal as it’s the best way of expressing ourselves. In terms of our progressive style more specifically, music tends to go through phases of varying complexity, like how bands such as Joy Division and the Cure rebelled against punk’s simplicity and rawness in the 70’s. I feel like there’s currently a wave of quirky but very technical and proficient guitar based music and that’s something we all enjoy being part of.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Our guitarist Steven and drummer Joel have known each other for the longest time as they grew up together. Our other guitarist Kristo has also been friends of those guys for a long time. Mathias and I (Ben) came into the picture later down the line as Steven was looking for people to front his project.

4. Each band member favourite band?

Steven (Guitar) - Northlane

Kristo (Guitar) - Black Tongue

Joel (Drums) - Gojira

Mathias (Vocals) – The Dillinger Escape Plan

Ben (Vocals) – A Day to Remember

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Our inspiration revolves around the theme of our band as we try to express different angles and scenarios based on the idea of mentality and it’s corresponding life experiences.

6. Where was your last gig?

In our hometown of Tartu, Estonia, we just played our album release show. There’s this cool venue called Genialistide Klubi where most main gigs happen. It’s like an abandoned house that has been converted into a music venue, there’s art all over the walls and a popular little bar on the ground

floor.

7. Where would you like to act?

So far we’ve only performed in Estonia so we’d love to begin to push out into other countries and get some gigs further in the Baltics or Nordic countries. To get somewhere like Tuska Open Air Festival in Helsinki would be absolutely amazing!

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Every once in a while a major metal artist will come through the capital city Tallinn. In recent years we’ve had August Burns Red, Miss May I, Black Tongue and Bring Me The Horizon to name a few. Often there is the chance for a local band to be the support. I’d like to think we’d be in the running for that slot whenever the next opportunity arises. We’d love to play for any band like that.

9. Whom not?

I was going to say Imagine Dragons because I’m really not a fan but if by some strange turn of events we got the opportunity to support them we’d jump at the chance obviously! Haha

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

I [Ben] am a ballet dancer by profession so I’m used to being on stage, however fronting a band and using my voice on stage is a completely different experience. When we had our very first show, during the set my hands and face went numb whilst performing and I couldn’t release my grip from the microphone! I spoke to a medical student friend of mine after and as I explained my symptoms she told me it sounded as if I had a panic attack. The sheer adrenaline I got from that show though made that night one of the most enjoyable and memorable nights of my life.

For me personally I’ve overcome stage fright by psyching myself up before going on stage. Putting on a metal show is a very energetic thing, so simply trying to ‘keep calm’ doesn’t have the right effect. I feel it’s about overcoming fear with an aggressive ‘go get it’ attitude.

Our drummer Joel says he gets some stage fright before playing but as soon as he hits his first note it all goes away. I think a lot can be achieved by just immersing yourself in the music.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

The bands that inspire Inter Omega the most are bands like Periphery, Tesseract, Intervals and Meshuggah.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

As far as I know we haven’t had any weird requests. We’re hoping to keep expanding our fanbase and so hopefully one day we’ll have a whole collection of weird and wonderful memories from fan interactions.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Our fans are fantastic. As a band we’re still at a very early stage and with so much music out in the world I know how easy it is to dismiss young bands or artists because they don’t instantly capture your attention. With that in mind you tend to take the mentality of bracing yourself for no one to pay any attention to what you’re doing. To find that anyone has given us and our music the time of day is an absolute honour and we’re very grateful.

14. What do you think of our site?

Breathing the Core is the kind of platform that is invaluable to us! It’s becoming ever more apparent that bands these days don’t need to rely on record labels to ‘make it’ in this business and as a band we’ve taken this DIY approach to a lot of what we do. Breathing the Core helps us so much and is a wonderful place to find like minded artists and their music.

15. Something add?

We’d just like to say a massive thanks for having us, our music is up online on all the usual places and we have a good few videos on YouTube so please check them out. If you come to Tartu anytime I can get you cheap tickets to the ballet!