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InnerWish - Biography


Biography

The Bands history as was written by their members

One day in 1995, the dream of Thimios Krikos (guitar) and Yiannis Papanikolaou (vocals) came true when they got together in a cellar to emulate their idols. They were soon joined by guitarist Manolis Tsigos also an admirer of the melodic oriented metal of bands such as Jag Panzer and Riot. The result was INNERWISH, as the lads called themselves.

The line-up was completed by with Pavlos Balatsoukas on drums and Alexis Levenderis (bass) and in July 1997 they began recording their debut album, "Waiting For The Dawn" in the local 111 Sound Studios, which was released in May of the next year. The press were full of praise for INNERWISH's first album and they had similar success at the concerts they subsequently played. But not every member of the band was happy with the musical direction they were going it, and singer Yiannis, drummer Pavlos and bass player Alexis soon took their leave, to be replaced by Panagiotis Myolonas (vocals), Antonis Mazarakis (bass) and Fotis Giannakopoulos (drums). This not only ensured that every one of the musicians was 100% motivated but also laid out a straighter, more contemporary style of music.

In March 2001 INNERWISH released a "split CD" entitled "Realms Of the Night" with their compatriots, Reflection. The two songs represented on the CD, "Dreadful Signs" and "Realms of Tomorrow", blew the fans away - but this CD was only a foretaste of the next full album. For the rest of 2001 and during the entire year 2002 the lads concentrated on song writing, taking breaks only to play live shows with Therion, Anathema, U.D.O., Valley's Eve, Helloween and Brainstorm. Together with two new band members, Babis Alexandropoulos (vocals) and Terry Moros (drums) they entered Athens's "G-Studios", in order to record their new album, "Silent Faces".

Under the guidance of the successful producer, R.D. Liapakis (Valley's Eve, Mystic Prophecy, David Chastain, Jack Starr's Guardians of the Flame) the material was formed into what it is today. The long period of song writing and production was certainly worth it. Songs such as the exciting title track, the hit-worthy "Hold Me Tight" and the epic "Set Me Free" quickly remind one of the great years of Jag Panzer, Riot, Queensryche and Fifth Angel. This is no small thanks to the impressive voice of the exceptional singer Babis Alexandropoulos, who matches up well to his American counterparts and who breathes new life into older material such as the two tracks from the split CD, "Realms of Tomorrow" and "Dreadful Signs".

(Source: http://www.innerwish.gr)