Interviews: ORIA

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Progressive Groove Metal band, ORIA, 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? Did you plan it or came out just like that?

During his high-school years, Leo (Vocals/Guitars) was into a Greek comic book written by Apostolos Doxiadis titled “Logicomix”. In it, there is a quote written by Ludwig Wittgenstein that says: “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”. The word “limits” in Greek is “όρια” (pronounced “oh-ree-ah”), which sounded cool, and represented some of the qualities that we apply to our mindset and eventually became our band’s name.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

It felt natural to play aggressive music! We all grew up listening to some form of metal in one way or another, so we were naturally inclined to gravitate towards that. We like to think that ORIA has many sides to its multifaceted sound. We don’t want to lean into aggressive groovy metal all the time. It’s fun to switch it up with more mellow songs like “Slow Down, Take A Breath And Bury The World That Was” or “Flisvus”. It helps us keep things interesting by dipping our toes into uncharted waters without leaving the “metal” framework that our music is based on, and it’s definitely something that we will continue to do.

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

Jordan (Drums) knew Leo and were friends for about a year before they met Thanasis (Guitars) back in September of 2017 through an ad on Facebook. They were looking for another guitar player to join their cover band, and surprisingly, in less than an hour, a friend of Thanasis tagged him in the comments of that post. Oddly enough, it was the only comment that was left in that post. Thanasis was the right person for the band (and in many other areas as well) on the first try! Thanasis knew Stefanos (Bass/Backing vocals) during university, and they’ve been in a few bands/projects throughout the years. And later on in 2018, we collectively decided to ditch the cover bands and create original music.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

It’s really hard to pick just the one, so we’ll go with two!

Leo: Meshuggah, Gojira

Thanasis: Opeth, Tool

Stefanos: Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead

Jordan: Dream Theatre, Leprous

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Musically, it’s fun to pick up influences from other genres of music beyond metal, such as hip-hop, world music, movie soundtracks or classical. When these ideas are incorporated into metal, it can help lead to a more interesting song. For instance, this happened on our track “Terragenics”, where the main groove was inspired by the song “Body & Blood” of the American experimental hip-hop group Clipping. Leo thought it would be interesting to make a similar sound with his guitar, and it helped kick off the making of that track. When it comes to lyrics and concepts, Stefanos reads a lot of philosophical books, sci-fi and draws inspiration from cinema as well. He is really good at coming up with ideas for themes, which then he and Leo use to write the lyrics for ORIA songs.

6. Where was your last gig?

It was in the hometown of our guitarist Thanasis in Lamia (Greece)! The festival that we played in was not really metal-centred, as there were lots of rock, folk and funk bands on the bill…we were worried that people would wander off the minute we started playing. But much to our surprise, the crowd, comprised mostly of youngsters, greeted us with such great energy! They moshed, danced and headbanged their way throughout the entire set with us. It was so unexpected, and it made us feel very welcome. We are super thankful to meet and play for those people and will definitely come back to play in Lamia again!

7. Where would you like to act?

We’d love to tour more extensively around Greece and then move into the wider European scene. Playing festivals like Wacken Open Air or Hellfest would be an incredible experience. We’ve always dreamed of connecting with fans outside our home country and seeing how our music resonates with new audiences.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

When we recorded the group/gang vocals on “This Future Wants Us Dead” with a bunch of our friends, we learned how valuable it is to collaborate with people from outside the band, apart from the producer. It is definitely something that we will lean into more in the future! With that being said, off the top of our heads, Within Progress is a band that we admire and are best friends with. It would be really interesting to have all members join forces and collaborate on a song! Next up, we’d love to have Konstantinos Togas from Herta and Nightrage record vocals on a future song. Dionisis Klokas, the vocalist from Psyanide, would also be such an amazing fit for that, too. When it comes to guitar players, nothing would be greater than to have our dear friend Gus Drax record a killer solo! There are so many options…who knows? Maybe on the next album, there may be some surprises!

9. Whom not?

It is unlikely for us to collaborate with a person who doesn’t have the same mentality as we do, both creatively and as people. It is important for us to work with people that we vibe with and who share a similar passion to music as we do. 

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

We would be lying if we said we don’t stress out about things that could go wrong in our live show! Even though we feel comfortable with playing and having a good time on stage, we get worried about our equipment failing mid-show. We believe the more shows we play, the better we will become at facing the inevitable issues that will occur. However, for beginners who suffer from stage fright, it depends on where the anxiety comes from. Is it musical, technical, or psychological? Ask yourself: “Am I nervous to go on stage because I will mess up that guitar solo?”, “Is this drum fill too difficult for me to perform live?” , “Does this song have a high note that makes me anxious every time I try to sing it?”.

If so, that means the parts you’ve written take up too much space in your brain for you to perform them confidently live. Simplify these parts, bring them to your level. Sing within your range, make drum parts that suit your playing style. This will also help you find your band’s sound. Or you can practice relentlessly until you feel completely comfortable performing them live. That way, you will have other things to worry about instead of your playing.

If your anxiety stems from technical issues, like gear-related problems, we recommend familiarising yourself with your equipment and how live sound works in general. That way, when things go wrong, you’ll spend more time fixing them rather than stressing about them. Hiring a live sound engineer also helps a lot if you want to focus solely on playing and putting on a show. We understand that not all starting bands have that luxury, but having your own sound engineer in a live situation is extremely valuable and alleviates the stress of technical worries. 

Last but certainly not least, it really helps to create a supportive environment within your band. Talk openly about stage anxiety. Chances are, you’re not the only one feeling it. Having honest conversations or even creating small positive rituals before going on stage, or just sharing a quick laugh, can make a big difference. Beyond that, taking care of your mental well-being is key. Whether it’s through seeing a psychotherapist, meditating, or whatever works for you, it can help you build confidence and emotional resilience. Over time, you’ll notice that you feel more grounded and able to enjoy performing, even if things don’t go perfectly. Even if things go utterly wrong - so what? You will probably laugh it off and have an enjoyable show regardless. It helps you stay calm, and you will approach difficult situations more effectively.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Listeners of the first record “Sublimation(s)” will note an indisputable influence from bands like Gojira, Opeth and Meshuggah. While these bands are still in our musical DNA for the second record “This Future Wants Us Dead”, we took influence from bands like Decapitated, Wardruna, clipping., Daughters and a bit of Leprous.

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

Instead of weird, we can share the craziest thing a fan has done for us! We have a superfan who discovered us from a random post on a Facebook group and has supported us since 2020. He lives in France and will travel all the way from his hometown to see us live in Athens (Greece) on the 16th of November! That kind of dedication leaves you speechless. It’s incredible that someone would go through all that trouble — buying airline tickets, booking a room and making such a journey just to see you play. We couldn’t be more grateful to have a fan like that.

13. What do you think of your fans?

We are so thankful to have these incredible people supporting us; it makes the journey all the more beautiful. Our fans notice and care a lot about the details of our music. They like to comment about specific moments in the song, they care about the lyrics and even the vocal techniques we use. One fan tattooed the entire “This Future Wants Us Dead” album cover on her upper arm!! That was such an insane thing for us to see, we were completely lost for words… All of these things our lovely fans do make our work feel appreciated, and it is incredibly flattering. We are looking forward to going back on stage and seeing them again!

14. What do you think of our site?

Having sites such as Breathing the Core keep this type of music alive by helping bring the underground metal sound to many new people! We love the “Genres & Subgenres” section on your site, as it assists in finding something very specific. Your website brings incredible value to someone who is looking to discover their new favourite band, and your work is highly appreciated! 

15. Something to add?

Thank you so much for having us and to all the people who are supporting ORIA! We wish you all the best with Breathing the Core and we’d love to chat with you again in the future! Until next time!