By Nicholas Jason Lopez
Greek Symphonic Death/Black Metal band Gentihaa recently released their debut full-length album ‘Reverse Entropy’ on Sep. 23, 2019 via Symmetric Records. It was produced by Bob Katsionis (Firewind, Serious Black), mixed by Fotis Benardo (Septic Flesh) and recorded at Sound Symmetry Studio. Tom Englund (Evergrey) lent vocals on tracks “Singularity” and “Command.” The group also played two live shows in Greece with Dimmu Borgir in September.
Their music revolves around fantasy themes layered with heavy guitar riffs, diverse rhythms and multi-dimensional vocals. A big emphasis is also put on the band’s image, as Natali Christaki crafted and designed exclusive handmade costumes.
Gentihaa, formerly known as Enochian and Collision Zero, was formed by Guitarist George “Valgran” Giannopoulos in Athens after a long hiatus when he recorded two EPs with Katsionis in 2009. In 2017, he reformed the band and added Bassist Babis “Béheaal” Kapageridis (Memorain, Ex-Circus Witches, Ex-Gas Mass), Vocalist Andre Boutos (Sonata Antarctica, Wings In Motion, Project Zeroed), Lead Guitarist Spyros “Rös Dracùl” Roditis (Ex-Keepers Of Jericho) and Drummer Merenhor (Drums) to complete the current lineup.
Music Bugle – What were your thoughts/expectations of playing with Dimmu Borgir in Greece when you found out it would be happening?
Valgran – Hello and thank you for the invitation. What can I say about those two shows? A big dream came true for us cause D.B. is one of our great influences, so sharing the stage with them was amazing! Our expectations were to grab this opportunity and play our songs from ‘Reverse Entropy’ as best as we could do. I think we finally achieved that because lots of people, after that, gave us great comments.
Music Bugle – Could you explain the backstory and meaning behind ‘Reverse Entropy’ and how it came to be?
Valgran: First of all, ‘Reverse Entropy’ is a concept album. The guy behind this concept is our frontman, Andre, who came up with a mysterious novel that he found on the internet and he said to us, ‘’This is a great concept for our album.” So, the whole novel story is about a guy that can go in far in the future and see that the whole universe is about to be destroyed, then he comes back to present and tries to inform some people and gives them a magical pill with superpowers in order to prevent such a thing.
Music Bugle – Who would you call some of your musician influences?
Valgran – I would say Dimmu Borgir, Children Of Bodom, Archenemy, Metallica, Judas Priest, etc.
Music Bugle – What is the hardest challenge of being a band in your particular genre?
Valgran – We deal with so much competition worldwide, so the hardest challenge I think is to write exceptional music and perform it in the best way you can.
Music Bugle – What has been your biggest memory as a band so far?
Valgran – For sure, our debut shows with D.B. in Thessaloniki and Athens. It was awesome!
Music Bugle – What do you feel is the biggest problem in the music industry right now and how could it be fixed?
Valgran –I think that the biggest problem in the music industry is that nothing is for free. If we talk about a newly formed band, it’s quite difficult to manage something in the industry and overcome all obstacles such as music, writing, the band’s image, the correct choice for live shows, etc.. To overcome such things, the whole band must be like a fist in order to manage it and this is very difficult.
Music Bugle – What feelings do you look to convey through your music?
Valgran: Well, the feelings that we want to magnify through our music vary, depending from the riffs and ideas we were overwhelmed with when we were putting together the songs. I’d say from aggressiveness and uprising emotions to up and downs of telling a story, filled with hope, anger, etc..
Music Bugle – What are some of the band’s future plans?
Valgran – There are many plans, but currently, we are planning a European tour, as well as putting together ideas for our second album.
Music Bugle – In what ways has the band grown or matured over time?
Valgran – Difficulties and obstacles are the ultimate “tests” for checking if a band or a group of people in general can stay and work together, finding ways to make it out through this time and be more connected and stronger than before. In the last three years, we have been through all this, and made us more mature, as the test of time and challenges that came in our way proved that we make a really strong team that we can make it through any challenge if we want.
Music Bugle – What do you feel is the most meaningful song or set of lyrics from ‘Reverse Entropy’ and why?
Valgran – “Force divine beyond humane comprehension….and I’ll use it for you, there is no one who will ever take me away from you.” Even though it’s a concept album and these lyrics stand for the concept of the pill of power “Alpha,” they can also be interpreted as the power of will that someone has towards his goals and I think that can be a statement and a testament towards our passion for music and success!
