The Greek Metal band Need surprised the industry with the promising release of The Wisdom Machine. MER got some additional information about the release when Jon V. was on the phone to answer some questions.
Metal Express Radio:
Please, introduce the band to the MER readers.
John V.:
Hello everyone! This is Need from Athens, Greece! The current lineup is John V. on vocals, Ravaya on guitars, K.K. on bass, and Pete behind the drum kit!
MER:
Give readers in brief the band’s history.
JV:
Need started in 2003 by guitarist Ravaya and that year they released the Avoidinme promo CD with a completely different lineup than the one mentioned above (except from Ravaya). Soon after, the guys lost interest in the band and that’s when I met Ravaya in a theatrical play where we were working together. I basically brought the other guys with me since I have known K.K. for over 10 years now, and he has known Pete for a long time and so on … I was also playing with Pete in a cover band a few years ago! We hooked up around the summer of 2005 and after some local gigs and a rough promo CD, we recorded our debut album The Wisdom Machine in the spring of 2006. It was finally released last fall through Burning Star. That’s about it!
MER:
Can you describe Need’s sound?
JV:
Well that’s kinda hard for me to say since we’re the ones creating it … I guess I could say we are playing Modern Heavy Metal. I mean we play music that’s apparently influenced by both older and newer stuff and we try to keep it sounding as fresh and up to date as possible. That’s where the “Modern Metal” of the promo CD came from.
MER:
What are the differences between Avoidinme and The Wisdom Machine?
JV:
Wow! Too many … I mean it’s a whole new band. There’s a different singer, different members, new & better production, different approach to the songs (no keyboards on the album), and certainly a more aggressive mood.
MER:
What is your writing process? Do the lyrics or the music come first?
JV:
Well, for this album, Ravaya had most of the music completed a couple of years ago and he also had this storyline in his mind. So the lyrics came a while after the music. When we got in the band we started jamming the songs together and we came to the result you hear in the CD.
MER:
What are the lyrics about?
JV:
The Wisdom Machine is a concept album and there’s a rather complex storyline about it. Basically, the Wisdom Machine is like an entity that lets you see your life pass before your eyes like a movie while you’re dead. So, our hero dies in the beginning of the record, goes through a journey in the land of the dead until he encounters the Wisdom Machine where he’s given the opportunity to make his choice whether to come back to life or not … It can really grab you if you take some time to look into the story … If someone has the booklet there are some notes that can help him understand the concept easier, and so far everyone that gets into it is thrilled! Also, I have to mention that sometime in the near future Ravaya is going to upload something like a short novel about The Wisdom Machine on our Web site! So keep checking back!
MER:
Did you face any difficulties during the recording of The Wisdom Machine?
JV:
We had some problems here and there … some of the recording equipment of the studio broke down at some point and we had to wait for a few weeks for the replacement to arrive from Germany. I also had to face the fact that I was working at my day job and I had to record the vocal parts in the afternoon, which was really exhausting. It was a hard period, but it was a good one after all. It was a great experience and we learned a lot from the whole procedure …
MER:
Did all the songs that you wrote make it in the album? Are there any leftovers?
JV:
There was one song that was part of the concept, but we didn’t even record it, so basically all the songs we recorded made it to the album.
MER:
What are the band’s music influences?
JV:
I guess too many … from Old School Metal to newer stuff, soundtracks, songs we may hear on the radio, other musical styles … everything could be an influence.
MER:
Are you satisfied with The Wisdom Machine? Is there something that you’d like to change?
JV:
Well, at that time we were really satisfied. There are always small bits and parts that you’d like to change as time goes by, but overall I think that it’s a really good debut album, considering the situations that an underground band like us can go through.
MER:
What is the situation of Metal in Greece?
JV:
The scene is growing bigger day by day, at least music-wise. There are many great bands from a lot of music genres, it’s just that very few of them are willing to take a step forward and make an effort to take it further than the Greek borders. Nevertheless, it’s a great thing to go to all these gigs and see all these great performances taking place. I think that it’s going to get better and better in the future!
MER:
Do you read the album reviews? Do you get pissed off if you get a negative one?
JV:
I try to read all the album reviews, and, of course, I enjoy reading good stuff about our music. I used to get pissed off the first times I read some negative stuff, but now I don’t care that much. It’s just another point of view as Fates Warning said quite some time ago! I just hate it when people write bad stuff that have actually nothing to do with our music. Other than that, a review may point out some negative stuff about our album that could help us get better for the next one!
MER:
Where do you prefer to be? On stage or in the studio?
JV:
Most definitely on stage! There’s nothing compared to that feeling when you’re performing live! You get all that vibe from the people and the adrenaline goes to the limit! In the studio there are all these restrictions, all has to be done perfect, and that doesn’t make it that easy to relax.
MER:
What do you do for a living?
JV:
Mainly I work as a salesman in a house store, but occasionally I make some money from jobs that have to do with music (dj, cover bands, etc). Unfortunately, these are just the exceptions.
MER:
Can a musician survive by writing/playing music?
JV:
I guess there comes a point when a band is getting bigger and bigger, and you can’t do otherwise. I mean, if you’re supposed to do 10 gigs a year, apparently you cannot survive by your music unless if your record went double platinum. But, if you’re a live band and you’re able to play 100-150 gigs a year, I don’t think you can do any other job at the same time. I think that the bands that can pull out big tours are able to live from their music.
MER:
What are your personal music influences?
JV:
Apparently, all those great bands and singers I’ve been listening to since I was a kid. If it would come to a bunch of them, I guess I should mention James Hetfield, Phil Anselmo, John Bush, Jon Oliva, Warrel Dane, Ray Alder, and many more, but I always try to filter all these influences and create my own style. That’s not really easy since I’m only at the beginning, but it’s good not to imitate others, whoever they may be.
MER:
Do you have any tour plans?
JV:
Actually, yeah, we have already booked some gigs in the UK, Denmark, and Greece, and we are in the talks for some more maybe in Holland and Slovenia in the summer. We’ll try to play as much as possible to support our record, and we’ll see what happens! For more info about our live dates you should visit our website www.NeedBand.com!
MER:
What are the band’s future plans?
JV:
Well, for now we are trying to book as many gigs as possible, and around summer we’ll start working on our second album. We have already started working on some songs and we are really looking forward to see how it’s going to come out!
MER:
Thank you for your time. Add anything I forgot to ask.
JV:
Thanks so much for your kind words and your interest in NEED! We really appreciate it! Don’t miss us if we play in your town! You won’t regret it!! C ya!
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