With:	Sakis [Guitars, vocals]
Conducted by:	KwonVerge
Published:	27.05.2005

- First of all hail Sakis and congratulations for both "Orgia Daemonicum" of Thou Art Lord and "Sanctus Diavolos" of Rotting Christ, two fabulous releases!

Hails there too Rozz and glad that you liked both SANCTUS DIAVOLOS and ORGIA DAEMNICUM


- Would you mind telling us a few words concerning the history of the band, one of the most cult acts in the Greek scene, and not only, with many important personalities participating throughout the years?


It was 10 years ago that The Magus (NECROMANTIA) and Sakis (ROTTING CHRIST) decided to form a project band under the name THOU ART LORD. The reason was plain and simple: to play fast, loud , extreme sinister music without restrictions and limitations. Th whole image and attitude of the band was undoubtedly Satanic in nature, with violent overtones and an inherited rebellion against the ethics and lifestyle of all major religions, including a devious occult connection. Adding Gothmog (TERRA TENEBRAE, MORTIFY) as a vocalist the band became a hellfire trio!
Their first release was the 7"ep "Diabolou archaes legeones" (aka The Devil's ancient legions) shortly followed by a split 7" ep with the Belgian black metal band ANCIENT RITES in 1993. The eps were received with great enthusiasm from the underground black/death metal scene and they sold around 8000 copies altogether! In 1994 the debut album entitled "Eosforos" was released by UNISOUND RECORDS. The band proved once more their devotion to the extreme music with a totally destroying album! One year later the second and more complete album entitled "Apollyon" , once again released by UNISOUND RECORDS, was a testimony of diabolic fury and bursting violence. Much better sound, much better music! The receptance from the fans was once again huge but due to the obligations with their other bands and musical projects, the main members decided to freeze the band holding a future resurrection as a possibility.
It was 7 years later that The Magus and Sakis decided to bring THOU ART LORD back to life!! Kind of tired of the hypocrisy and "technical perfection" of the current black/death scene it was the right time to play "no holds barred" extreme metal! This time Seth (SEPTIC FLESH) joined their ranks as the main vocalist and Akis K. (NAER MATARON, SEPTIC FLESH, ORDER OF THE EBON HAND e.t.c.) as the perfect drummer. "DV8" the title of the much anticipated album from the die-hard fans around the world! The album is a unique mixture of fast modern death metal, primitive black metal, haunting melodies, twisted harmonies and even slight new-metal touches. All the explosive elements of today's hard/extreme music, packed into one big bomb ready to explode in your ears! The concept of the lyrics remains purely Satanic in nature with emphasis on sexual liberation, initiation into Higher Mysteries and the quality of Satan through the centuries.


- 2005 finds Thou Art Lord with a brand new album, "Orgia Daemonicum", yet, what I noticed since I am Greek, there was not a big promotion for the album before its release, just a mentioning in the Greek Heavy Metal and Metal Hammer in the "forthcoming releases" section!

Yes one of the era's problem?.Too many releases worldwide ?.things are easy come and easy go?..but we wish with our music to get a slowly but long promotion.Also tpromotion is increased slowly slowly and soon we will have a completed promotion pack


- "Orgia Daemonicum", "demonic orgies"; I guess the title harmonizes wonderfully with the cover of the album and the overall eerie and evil atmosphere that surrounds the listener while listening to it, musically and lyrically! Would you mind telling us a few words about the lyrics?

The lyrics are dealed with apocryphal worshipism /Dionysian influenced satanic philosophy/ /pleasure delights of the moment without the fearing of heaven anfd hell?.We have to deal with the dark side of the mind the side that is prohibited from the conservative religious morality






- Let's move to the music sector! Despite the fact that "DV8" musically was a very complex album, with a good production and more affected ideas, "Orgia Daemonicum" is a straight-to-your-face album, having a chaotic feeling of Morbid Angel at times, an early 80s dirty thrash feeling of bands like Venom, Bathory, Celtic Frost etc through its whole duration, but also enriching these influences with ideas coming straight from the bands you and Magus Wampyr Daoloth are into, Rotting Christ and Necromantia! Unveil your point of view?

Yes you are right Rozz?.ORGIA is a more straight to your face album and this is a prduct of how we do feel musically at the moment as individuals?.TAL is a band tht express our musical worries of the moment without any stress of following the wave and at this moment we are really into our old first generation black Thrash so we created an album a tribute to the band we have growed up with?.even though that there are still TAL musical style.


- If it was needed to label the sound to "Orgia Daemonicum", extreme metal would fit best, simply because your new album combines elements from both the thrash, the death and the black metal scene (the Greek one), what do you think?

It is Metal and you can call it as you wish


- The production of the album is good, but flat, making "Orgia Daemonicum" flow in a uniform way; was it because you wanted to catch the feeling of all these bands that influenced and were part of the 80s scene?

The production in my opinion is by far the best we have created s far as TAL as it is RAW POWERFULL and even if it sounds like outdated it happened in porpose.Do you know how difficult is to sound like 20 years ago? So we worked hard on that productions in order to make it sound like this and even if it sounds strange in the beginning after you will get used you will love it or better you will love the lost feeling we used to hve back in late 80's early 90'w


- This time you lowered the participations of other personalities of the Greek metal scene! Linos of a rising underground force in the Greek black metal scene, Ravencult, paid tribute to Thou Art Lord by participating in a vocal part! The fact that you chose him and not some well-known was a good move, since his vocals are very good; which criteria led you to him?

With the criteria of a rising singer of an underground rising band?This is the new generaton in Greece and we the oldest should give a help hand


- How did you choose to do an Onslaught cover?

POWER FROM HELL is the one omy fave albums ever so it was just a litlle tribute to them.






- How do you feel when you look back in the past of Thou Art Lord? From the days of "Diabolou Archaies Legeones" EP and the plit EP with Ancient Rites to "Apollyon" and from the years of silence to "DV8" and nowadays' "Orgia Daemonicum"! Would you mind telling us a few words concerning your releases up to date?

Every release represent a different era of the band a different musical worry we had as individual and starting from EOSFOROS that sound more like early ROTTING CHRIST APPOLYON that sounded more THRASH ans Black DV8 more experimentl we come up with our latest release ORGIA DAEMONICUM


- As a band, Thou Art Lord, were very creative during the 1993-1995 era with albums like "Eosforos", the almighty "Apollyon" and several EPs! A period of silence followed and now in a three years' time we have two albums, "DV8" and "Orgia Daemonicum"! The need to express yourselves, you and Magus, is back, and hopefully we will be seeing new albums of you in the forthcoming future! What follows after "Orgia Daemonicum"?

Really have no idea my friend.TAL is a project a musical creativity that is not involved with deadlines and must??.We will see what the future will bring but firstly let's enjoy our ORGIA DAEMONICUM for the moment


- Many people would like to see you live, it would be a really cult live show, especially for the Greek audience! But concerning your statements in the past concerning a live of Thou Art Lord show i guess we shouldn't expect any, right?

That is one of my goals?to play live with TAL without any stressing without any deadline I have with ROTTING CHRIST?.I am sure that I will enjoy a lot but first I have to push MAGUS for tht as not being really into live shows?.Anyway I repeat that it is one of my dreams and I will try a lot to represent my music on stage.


- Is there an option of re-releasing "Eosforos" and "Apollyon? It's really hard to find them at the moment in the music market?

Yes we have that on mind as some people ask for them


- On a live show of Rotting Christ this year you played one of the most renowned Thou Art Lord compositions, "Societas Satanas"! How did you feel on stage that moment? Which was the response of the audience?

I think tht both me and the audience felt great and that make me seriously to have couple of TAL shows in the future as I told you before.


- And a few questions concerning Rotting Christ now! "Sanctus Diavolos" is a "difficult" album and it needs many listenings to enter its feeling, a wonderful album that takes the sound of Rotting Christ steps further! What should we expect from Rotting Christ in the future?

Another one step forward which means that an album that will be needed much time to be created and to keep our the flame burning ?.but till now I haven't composed something as we are concentrsated in our forthcoming tours worldwide that will be durate for many months.






- Concerning your label, your contract with Century Media is over by now, have you found a new label to support the releases of Rotting Christ from now on or still searching, checking carefully your offers?

As I told you before we are concentrated completely to our further shows we enjoy our "freedom" and finding a new label issomething that we will think from November on when our shows will be over.


- How did the European tour and the tour on Greek ground go? Which were your impressions from both tours?

We are really satisfied with the live response we had this year?WQe have played something like 40 shows so far and we have more than 60 to go and the response was really encouraging


- And final question before I close this interview, concerning Necromantia this time! It would be better to ask The Magus, but since the interview is done with you Sakis, have you heard anything concerning the new long-awaited Necromantia album? Any information would be deeply appreciated!

I was told that NECROMANTIA will have soon a new album out and that it will kick asses?Really look forward to give a listen to it.


- Thanks a lot for your time Sakis, it was an honor interviewing you! I wish you the best for both Rotting Christ and Thou Art Lord! End the interview in any way you like!

Greetings from Meditterannean?

HORNS UP BROTHER

Many thx to Sakis and Elias of Black Lotus Records