Hailing from Thessaloniki In Greece, Graywitch is soaring force that has an owl as their mascot which is symbol of wisdom, power, justice and knowledge in Ancient Greece! Pretty cool huh? We wanted to find out more about this metal elite to check out this interview!
TheNwothm: Hey there Graywitch! How are you guys doing, I hope you are well! Please can you introduce the band and where you are from?
G: Hi Rob. Thank you for the interview. Everything is fine at the Graywitch “HQ”. We hope you doing well too.
Graywitch is:
George Papadopoulos – Vocals
Lampros Stefou – Guitars, back vocals
Dino Nassis – Guitars
Spyros Vlachopoulos – Guitars, back vocals
Dimitris Ravikalis – Bass, back vocals
Vaggelis Kanavitsados – Drums, back vocals
The band formed in Nicosia, Cyprus but has been relocated to Thessaloniki, Greece since 2021.
TheNwothm: Going back to 2018 and how did you guys come up with the idea of forming the band? Were you all friends before?
G: Back in 2018 I was located in Cyprus and band-less, trying to form a band to jam. At the same time Dino was at the same place trying to form a heavy metal band. We met via common friends and the idea of “Graywitch” was born.
TheNwothm: And how did you choose the name Graywitch?
G: The band’s name is inspired by the Grimm brothers stories. Dino came up with the name. We were trying to find something short, rememberable and spooky. We think it serves its purpose.
TheNwothm: I recently interviewed a band from Athens and heard the heavy metal scene in Greece is thriving! What is your opinion of the metal scene especially in Thessaloniki where you guys are from?
G: The scene in Thessaloniki and in Greece in general has surely leveled up the last few years. There are great productions, more advanced compositions by talented musicians and to sum up the bands are more “professional”. This led to support from the metalheads, but also the bands are doing their best to stand out from the crowd. The Greek metal scene may be at its best.
TheNwothm: From my understanding and forgive me if I am wrong you are now based in Nicosia, Cyprus? What is it like there culturally and musically and why did you relocate?
G: It is actually the other way around. We formed in Cyprus and relocated to Greece. However, the question is valid.
Cyprus is a smaller and remote place. Not many people there are into heavy metal, not many things going on and there are less musicians to collaborate. However, Cyprus musicians do not lack talent or/and virtuosity.
Me and Dino are from Greece though. For several personal reasons I decided to relocate back to Greece, where it is easier to find musicians that are into metal and more things are going on, bands, events etc and it’s also easier to travel abroad and perform live shows.
Culturally and musically both countries are not that far apart. Most of people are not into metal but into a more eastern or pop music. It’s hard to be a metalhead over here 😊
TheNwothm: Thinking about the culture and history of both countries has it had an influence on your music?
G: They surely do, both in the sound and the lyrical theme. As a band we do use Greek history and mythology in our lyrics, but not just to tell the story. Everyone can read the story. We kind of present another point of view of the it.
Musically, what other people may think as “exotic” is a very familiar sound in our ears. It’s easy for us to use in our songs.
TheNwothm: So if you were to describe your take on heavy metal to first time listeners, how would your describe and who would you say some of your biggest influences have been?
G: Graywitch is mainly a heavy metal band. We do have other elements that can be described as epic, power, speed, progressive, which are all included in the wide concept of heavy metal. Our influences span from hard rock to extreme metal and differ for every band member. The list can get really big, hence it may not be suitable or fair to name just a few bands here.
TheNwothm: On a personal note can you tell our readers a bit about yourselves? For instance any keen travellers or cooks in the band etc
G: We do try to travel as a band, go to festivals and live shows abroad, meet new people and cultures. We really love it. Each band member has other talents too, for example Vaggelis is an excellent graphic designer, responsible for all the illustrations on the booklet and back cover of “Children of Gods”.
TheNwothm: So after a few years of being together you put out your first album “Rise of the Witch.” Thinking back to writing and recording the album, what was that period like? Did the songs come together quickly and how did you decide on the albums direction?
G: Most, if not all, of the songs have been written by one member each. Most of the time a full song is presented to the band by a member. However, the song may change a bit, but not drastically or even can get rejected as to fitting to our style. Each member adds their part of the song, for example guitar solos, bass lines etc.
On both the albums all songs are written by Dino and I, both lyrics and music.
So, when we had more than enough songs that we thought they were good enough, we, all band members, chose the tracks and decided it was time to hit the recording studio. By picking the tracks we had the advantage to be able to set the musical direction of the album to a more “classic” heavy metal. In addition, these songs have been composed from 2017 till 2020, along with other songs that were scheduled for later albums.
Recording them was not the easiest thing, as we were recording in Greece. Thomas our former drummer recorded all drums and I redorded all guitars in Greece. Aris recorded the bass in Cyprus and sent the bass lines. Dino had to fly from Cyprus and sing everything in 3 days. These were long studio days, spending a LOT of hours recording all the main vocals and most of the back vocals. The whole recording took several months.
TheNwothm: And if you could each pick a favourite song from the album which song would you choose?
G: Spyros: Hard to pick one. Maybe “Heavy Metal Life” or “My Comrade”.
George: I am between “The Rise” and “Witch of the damned”.
Dino: “My Comrade”.
TheNwothm: You guys are with the label Sleaszy Rider Records! How did that collaboration end up happening?
G: Well, this is really simple, we got the best deal and communication with them. Tolis was very clear to what he could offer and very supportive to what we asked.
TheNwothm: You latest album “Children Of Gods” came out in February! How has the reception been to your newest release?
G: We think that it’s doing well till now. The sales got a bit bigger comparing with the first album, but during our live shows, we also realize that people have listened to it, which is really important and rewarding to us.
It also got some nice reviews from media and air play from radio stations. We also had a huge spike on our Spotify listeners. So, we believe that this album introduced us to a lot more metalheads. We are really happy about it.
TheNwothm: How does the album compare to your previous music and what kind of themes this time around does the album explore?
G: “Children of Gods” has a more epic vibe lyrically and is also a more complex in terms of compositions. The base remains Heavy Metal but it also has some power and epic metal elements. The tracks are a longer and more consistent in every way throughout the album. We also used more classical instruments, choirs.
On the other hand, “Rise of the Witch” has a more raw and classic Heavy Metal direction.
TheNwothm: Typically, how do you operate as a band? For instance for this album did you all jam ideas out in a studio or share ideas online? Who are the main song writers?
G: Till now the main song writers have been me and Dino.
On both albums the songs have been written in a “demo” format either by Dino or myself, before heading to the studio. They are being worked for some time by adding more instruments or details, extra background melodies, back vocals and any ideas that may fit in the original “demo” version. Some of these ideas may also be added during the recording. For example, the orchestral version of “Swansong” was not planned, until George Stournaras, our produced, asked us to make such version during the recordings.
TheNwothm: Can you give our readers a brief overview of the tracks on the album? Any particular songs you would also like to highlight?
G: We don’t think we can highlight songs as a band, as each member will answer a different song as their favorite 😊
G: Some info about the songs:
G: “Overture to Olympus” + “Children of Gods” are supposed to be one song. Straight heavy – power metal song with the usual structure. Lyrically the “fight for your believes” part should sum it up. 😊
G: “Odysseus” has a more fold vide with the violins and it is inspired by Odyssey looking at it from a different point of view. Our hero, on his way back, questions himself if going to war was really worthy all his adventures.
G: “Holy Lands” is inspired by the movie “Kingdom of Heaven”, while “The One” is inspired by the “Baldur’s Gate” video games. We are huge fans of RPGs. “Immortals” talks about the human vanity and “Swansong” is a mourning song for the destruction of nature by human actions.
“God of war” is maybe the most complex track structurally, but we are not sure if we should analyze it lyrically as it may get us in trouble. Last song “Over the Red Sky” describes a post-apocalyptic world where humanity searches for a new home other than Earth… and fails.
TheNwothm: It is common for people to interpret music in a certain way, so now looking back, what do each of the releases mean to you on a personal level?
G: Each album and each track are like my own children to me. We’ve put our soul into them. Looking back to them bring up memories while composing, recording them and performing them live for the first time.Having the DAW open for days until the right chorus has been found, leaving some day time job behind, staying up till dawn because inspiration came at midnight, reading books to get some inspiration for lyrics.
Dino calling and saying that he has something in mind and that we should meet in a couple of hours. Then coming by and presenting to me for example “Children of Gods” and me thinking “f@ck, this should be the opener of the next album”. Or sending “Holy Lands” on messenger and the next day sending “Odysseus” and Aris going “WTF mate…”. It’s a big part of our lives.
Each release is a part of ourselves and a small step of being more full as a person.
TheNwothm: I have noticed that an Owl is in your logo and featured on your album covers so what does it symbolise for the band?
G: The owl has been a symbol of wisdom, power, justice and knowledge in Ancient Greece. It is also used as a symbol of seeking the truth, dispersing of the ignorance darkness. In the Chinese culture it is associated with death, darkness and the underworld. We would like to pick the first case, but you are free to choose your own interpretation.
TheNwothm: Are you planning on a big shows or tours for the rest of 2024 to support the new album?
G: We had a live show about 10 days ago with “Enemey of Reality” and “Wildfire”. Next show is on June 2nd in Athens and then on June 7th in Thessaloniki with “Scanner” and “Fortress Under Siege”. On the 31st of August 2024 we have already arranged to participate at the “Golder R Festival”, sharing the stage with bands like Mayhem, Varathron and Sorcerer.
We are still working on booking more shows and we are also making some plans for 2025.
TheNwothm: Where can fans buy your music and merch?
G: The easiest way that you can find all our merch is at the Official Graywitch website. Another easy way is via our Bandcamp or via the Sleaszy Rider’s online shop. Of course, we would love you to come to our shows where you will find all our merch and we will be able to meet in person and chat 😊
TheNwothm: Anything else you would like to mention?
G: We would like to thank you for the interview and your readers for making it to this point!
We hope to see you soon on a live show and why not follow us on Facebook, so you can stay informed with news about the band. Support the new bands and the NWOTHM movement that has been rising lately and of course “STAY METAL”.
The Nwothm 
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