By Nicholas Jason Lopez
On Mar. 10, 2020, Greek heavy metal band Social Scream released their latest album ‘Organic Mindset’ via Heart Of Steel Records and recently put out an official lyric video for “World Of Shadows.”
Previously, they released two albums since their 2008 formation – 2014’s ‘Epiclesis’ and 2018’s ‘Initiation To The Myths.’
Social Scream is guitarist/vocalist Vlasis Diamantakos, guitarist Giannis Lymberakos, bassist Alexandros Oikonomou and drummer Dimitris Kiousis.
The Music Bugle had the chance to chat with Oikonomou from the Sparta-based band about their new music and more.
Music Bugle – How did you guys decide your band name?
Alexandros Oikonomou – This happened 12 years ago before our first concert when the original members voted between five names and “Social Scream” won. It was the same day when the song “Homonym” was written and performed live.
Music Bugle – What was it like making your latest album? Did you have any obstacles to overcome?
Alexandros Oikonomou – ‘Organic Mindset,’ comparing to our previous releases, came more naturally and easy. Vlasis, who is our main songwriter, finished with the compositions and then after rehearsing and discussing the ideas, we started recording at Dimos Studios in Athens and Think Recording Studios in Sparta. Both our producer Dimitris Sakkas and Louis Vlahakis, who helped us with voice recordings, made the process easier.
Music Bugle – Out of the music videos you have made, which one was your favorite to shoot?
Alexandros Oikonomou – We have done two videoclips so far, one for the song “Stigmata” and one for the song “Truth Divider,” which isn’t released yet. The shooting for “Stigmata” was my favorite since we were shooting outdoors at the foots of a mountain named “Taygetos.” We had to perform the song and also, we took shots with climbing, running, etc.. We had a great time!
Music Bugle – What’s something people should know about the band?
Alexandros Oikonomou – We are a heavy metal band who try to offer a fresh approach to traditional metal sound, including elements from both the old-school and modern metal scenes! We don’t want to sound generic and we always try to have interesting lyric themes that the listener could connect and experience our music in the best possible way.
Music Bugle – Does social media make it easier or harder for a band to stand out these days?
Alexandros Oikonomou – Social media is a good tool to communicate your work and stay connected with listeners worldwide. On the other hand, the “over-information” at social media makes it harder for a listener to filter all the offered music and decide which artists to follow.
Music Bugle – How would you describe Sparta to someone who has never been there before?
Alexandros Oikonomou – Most people know Sparta as the ancient Greek city who played an important role in history. Today, Sparta is a modern town located near the ancient city at the foots of the mountain “Taygetos.” Our area offers great natural sites with many activities on both mountain and sea environments and also, you could enjoy the lifestyle of the modern city of Sparta and visit the ancient sites and museums.
Music Bugle – What is the biggest challenge of being in a band?
Alexandros Oikonomou – You have to progress as a player and performer and set new goals each year. Also, you need to have patience and believe in your path because in music and art in general, the product you offer is recognized and gains value as time goes by.
Music Bugle – What made you want to play your style of music?
Alexandros Oikonomou – With “Social Scream,” of course, we focus on composing and performing heavy metal, but each member has a variety of music influences and are also involved in other music projects. The commonality we all four have is that metal is our first musical passion we have since our teenage years, so it became natural to play this genre and have it as a priority in comparison to the other projects we are involved in.
Music Bugle – How has COVID-19 affected the band?
Alexandros Oikonomou – Unfortunately, we haven’t done any live shows for some time now due to the situation, but we managed to release two new videos from our latest album and also finished with the recordings for our upcoming release.
Music Bugle – What was the hardest song for you guys to write?
Alexandros Oikonomou – The song “Taleton” from our latest album. It is a 10-minute instrumental track with many rhythmic changes, different chords, scales, etc.. In general, it’s the most progressive track we have composed so far.
