Kostas Karamitroudis
 |
Member
Live musician
Guest musician
|
Interviews
| 24.01.2005 | Firewind |
| 22.01.2005 | Firewind - Forged By Fire |
Personal information
Also known as: Gus G.
Born on: 12.09.1980
Official Website
Facebook
Instagram
show more
For many Gus G. may have seemingly come from nowhere to land the job as Ozzy Osbourne's new guitarist - but the truth is Gus is already a true phenomenon in European metal circles. His deniable work ethic and his instant likeability has won the Greek guitar God a raft of admirers throughout the industry.
His career CV includes stints with Arch Enemy, Nightrage, Mystic Prophecy, Dream Evil and of course the hugely successful Firewind. Gus's singular playing style and effortless ability has garnered him a legion of fans across the globe.
He knew from a young age that he wanted to make music a career and at just eighteen made the trip from his home in Greece to enrol at the famed Berklee College Of Music. Although Gus was only at the college for a short amount of time, the knowledge gained has stood him in good stead and persuaded him that getting his career off the ground as soon as possible was the right path to follow.
Working with melodic death metal act Nightrage gave Gus an immediate platform to show just what he could do and it wasn't long before Gus was one of the most talked about guitar players on the Euro metal scene. He then hooked up with famed Gothenberg producer Fredrik Nordstrom to form power metal legends Dream Evil. The band quickly signed to Century Media and were soon hitting stages around the world opening for fellow power metal bands Blind Guardian and Hammerfall .
After three successful albums Gus chose to dedicate more of his time to his true love, his band Firewind, a project he'd been working since 1998. At this time he also ended his working relationships with Mystic Prophecy, a band he'd also made three albums with.
Firewind signed with Leviathan Records (owned by renowned guitarist David T. Chastain) who put out the band's first records, 'Between Heaven And Hell' and 'Burning Earth', the band began touring the world, including a Japanese run with Rob Rock and a world wide deal with Century Media was soon signed. The first album as part of that deal ('Forged By Fire') further established the band but it was the follow up 'Allegiance' that really put the band on the map. Gus had finally found the right members (with the arrival of Time Requiem singer Apollo Papathanasio) and the subsequent two years of touring in support of 'Allegiance' (opening for Dragonforce and All That Remains) saw the band hit three continents and clock up thousands of miles. The hard work paid off as both "Allegiance" and the acclaimed follow up "The Premonition" albums made it to the Top 10 in Greece and the "Mercenary Man" single became a Top 5 hit. "The Premonition" also charted in Japan.
Despite the band's success Gus was always ready to get back out on the road so when Arch Enemy needed a temporary replacement for their guitarist Michael Amott, Gus was first in line and it was on Arch Enemy's 2005 Ozzfest appearances that Gus first caught the eye of the Osbourne camp.
But it wasn't until 4 years later when Gus was invited to audition for the guitar role in Ozzy's band. Gus was then asked to perform with the band at 'Blizzcon 2009', where he ripped through Ozzy classics such as 'Crazy Train', 'Mr Crowley' and 'Bark At The Moon' with aplomb.
Remembering to stay faithful to the original songs but adding enough of his own individuality to ensure that his appearance was met with a unanimous 'thumbs up' from the fans.
The end of 2010 will be an equally busy year for Gus with not only the new Ozzy Osbourne album hitting the shelves but there's also a brand new Firewind CD, the eagerly anticipated follow up to their highly rated 'The Premonition' release due at the end of 2010.
Born on: 12.09.1980
Official Website
show more
For many Gus G. may have seemingly come from nowhere to land the job as Ozzy Osbourne's new guitarist - but the truth is Gus is already a true phenomenon in European metal circles. His deniable work ethic and his instant likeability has won the Greek guitar God a raft of admirers throughout the industry.
His career CV includes stints with Arch Enemy, Nightrage, Mystic Prophecy, Dream Evil and of course the hugely successful Firewind. Gus's singular playing style and effortless ability has garnered him a legion of fans across the globe.
He knew from a young age that he wanted to make music a career and at just eighteen made the trip from his home in Greece to enrol at the famed Berklee College Of Music. Although Gus was only at the college for a short amount of time, the knowledge gained has stood him in good stead and persuaded him that getting his career off the ground as soon as possible was the right path to follow.
Working with melodic death metal act Nightrage gave Gus an immediate platform to show just what he could do and it wasn't long before Gus was one of the most talked about guitar players on the Euro metal scene. He then hooked up with famed Gothenberg producer Fredrik Nordstrom to form power metal legends Dream Evil. The band quickly signed to Century Media and were soon hitting stages around the world opening for fellow power metal bands Blind Guardian and Hammerfall .
After three successful albums Gus chose to dedicate more of his time to his true love, his band Firewind, a project he'd been working since 1998. At this time he also ended his working relationships with Mystic Prophecy, a band he'd also made three albums with.
Firewind signed with Leviathan Records (owned by renowned guitarist David T. Chastain) who put out the band's first records, 'Between Heaven And Hell' and 'Burning Earth', the band began touring the world, including a Japanese run with Rob Rock and a world wide deal with Century Media was soon signed. The first album as part of that deal ('Forged By Fire') further established the band but it was the follow up 'Allegiance' that really put the band on the map. Gus had finally found the right members (with the arrival of Time Requiem singer Apollo Papathanasio) and the subsequent two years of touring in support of 'Allegiance' (opening for Dragonforce and All That Remains) saw the band hit three continents and clock up thousands of miles. The hard work paid off as both "Allegiance" and the acclaimed follow up "The Premonition" albums made it to the Top 10 in Greece and the "Mercenary Man" single became a Top 5 hit. "The Premonition" also charted in Japan.
Despite the band's success Gus was always ready to get back out on the road so when Arch Enemy needed a temporary replacement for their guitarist Michael Amott, Gus was first in line and it was on Arch Enemy's 2005 Ozzfest appearances that Gus first caught the eye of the Osbourne camp.
But it wasn't until 4 years later when Gus was invited to audition for the guitar role in Ozzy's band. Gus was then asked to perform with the band at 'Blizzcon 2009', where he ripped through Ozzy classics such as 'Crazy Train', 'Mr Crowley' and 'Bark At The Moon' with aplomb.
Remembering to stay faithful to the original songs but adding enough of his own individuality to ensure that his appearance was met with a unanimous 'thumbs up' from the fans.
The end of 2010 will be an equally busy year for Gus with not only the new Ozzy Osbourne album hitting the shelves but there's also a brand new Firewind CD, the eagerly anticipated follow up to their highly rated 'The Premonition' release due at the end of 2010.