Interviews: Psyanide

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Melodic Death Metal/Groove Metal band Psyanide from Greece. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

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

We first started the band when we were in high school, some of us even younger than that, and adopted a gory name like Mutilated Corpses which after a couple of shows in our hometown knew would just not work for us. After a couple of days of brainstorming, we came up with Cyanide which we quickly turned into Psyanide which we really felt would fit us perfectly.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

We had absolutely no discussion or preparation to rehearse any death metal songs before our first rehearsal. On the contrary, we were supposed to play Crystal Ball by Candlemass which nobody learned or even paid the least attention to. So in the growing frustration of simply throwing our money away on a really bad quality studio some guy had in our hometown, our singer just screamed in the mic, and by the end of our rehearsal, we had our very first Death Metal song. 

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

More or less yes. We all come from the same small town, Katerini, which had like 4 or 5 active bands at the time, 2 of which were thrash metal bands that had at least one member from our original lineup. So at first, there was this kind of rivalry between us and everybody was trying to outsmart each other musically which eventually made us better musicians.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

We all come from and later grew into different musical backgrounds. But still our love for bands like Lamb Of God, Machine Head, Death, Gojira, The Haunted, etc are what held us all together through the years.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs? 

Everything revolves around us both emotionally and socially. It's not simply one thing. It could be something mundane like a movie or a story we've heard somewhere to a huge emotional turning point in our lives. If you are craving inspiration, you will find it hiding behind everything around you.

6. Where was your last gig? 

That would be the Golden R. Festival in Volos. Crazy festival where we had the chance to share the stage with legendary bands like Gravedigger, Suicidal Angels, etc. Festivals are a great place where you meet old friends and make a ton of new ones so it's an extraordinary experience.

7. Where would you like to act?

Every-fucking-where. Of course stages like Wacken Open Air and Hell Fest would be a dream come true, but still, we have this inner voice pushing us to perform wherever people need a good dose of Death Metal.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

It would be a huge honor to play with anyone from the bands we mentioned previously. All the different techniques and methods each one uses in their recording could prove to be a huge lesson on what you've been doing wrong or how to make something sound even better. STILL everyone in the band shares a common wet dream, Mario Duplianter.

9. Whom not?

All the racist, bigot, self-hating shitbags that pollute our scene and genre as a whole.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that? 

Of course, we all have and maybe still do sometimes. You really don't know when it's gonna crawl up at you but still, if you have prepared properly and rehearsed your show thoroughly after a couple of songs we begin to feel like that's what we do and people show up to witness it so it will definitely start to feel like home on stage.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

That would be Lamb Of God and Gojira for their explosive live shows and intricate songwriting.

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

While we were on a small tour with Aetherian around the Balkans we were asked to sign on different kinds of stuff, from beer bottles to photographs of our faces a guy printed by himself.

13. What do you think of your fans? 

We really have a ton of gratitude for everybody who has followed us through these past few years, shared our music, and supported us through everything. It goes without saying that without this kind of support, we would simply wither out into a cover band playing in cafés and restaurants, and trust me in Greece this is the best (if not the only) way of actually making money through music. Still, there are a few people who've walked the extra mile supporting us, who have followed us on concerts around our country, and who have helped us out of pure love for what we do, and for those people there will always be a special place in our hearts.

14. What do you think of our site? 

Excellent and really professional work! Webzines like yours are what keeps us, smaller bands alive and well, spreading our music and word out and we are really grateful for all your hard work and dedication.

15. Something to add? 

We'd like to close this interview by saying that by the start of 2024, we will be realising our 2nd full-length album "Vertigo" and will do our best to play our music live near everyone reading this! Thank you so much for this! Keep the horns up! WE ARE THE UNDERDOGS!