By Nicholas Jason Lopez
With influences that ranged from metal and punk to grunge and a pursuit of a dream to tour around and play their blended style of music, Kalamata, Greece-based quintet O.Y.D. have accomplished plenty since their early 2012 formation.
They worked with legendary producer Toby Wright (Metallica, Alice In Chains, Korn) for their debut 2015 album ‘Deep Breath’ released via Pavement Entertainment. It was recorded at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, Tenn. and was co-produced, mixed and engineered by Wright, while Andrew Mendelson mastered it.
Their sophomore effort ‘Indigo’ was self-released in March 2019 and produced by Frederik Nordstrom (Architects, Bring Me The Horizon, In Flames) and recorded at Fredman Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden.
O.Y.D. is currently vocalist Orestis Alimonos, bassist George Manesiotis, guitarist Nikos Koumoundouros, keyboardist/backing vocalist Stavros Tsotras and drummer Haris Kolozis.
The Music Bugle had the chance to talk with Manesiotis about what the band has been up to recently and more.
Music Bugle – What does O.Y.D. stand for?
George Manesiotis – O.Y.D. stands for “One Year Delay” and it prevailed as the band’s name due to that all the major events for the band happened after a period of a year’s time, coincidentally, of course, yet that was enough for us to consider it as “karmic” in a way…
Music Bugle – What was it like making your album ‘Indigo’?
George Manesiotis – It was a wonderful experience in terms of working or having fun. Our collaboration with Fredrik Nordström was a pleasant one. We learned useful things from him and overall, we believe that eventually, it bore fruit.
Music Bugle – What inspired the artwork for ‘Indigo’?
George Manesiotis – Our inspiration came out of the 50’s and specifically by Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece “Vertigo.” We were always fond of a minimalistic approach when it comes to album covers, plus that title carried a similarity to a song of ours, called “Indigo Flow.” In addition to this, we were attracted by the obscurity of the Noir era. We thought it would match our music and lyrics and the feeling we intended to pass to our second album in general…
Music Bugle – What is the biggest challenge of being a band with five members?
George Manesiotis – Communication has always been a problem when a band is consisted of members with differences in age, music preferences, life experiences, etc.. Us, being a five-membered group, cannot be an exception, yet we tried to use these differences in favor of the band, adding everything in a melting pot of creativity. Furthermore, we agreed that we don’t want to be a band that will be just another copy of “this” or “that,” so arguments or disagreements led us in somewhat original ideas at times.
Music Bugle – How would you describe Kalamata, Greece to someone who has never been there before?
George Manesiotis – Our hometown Kalamata is a really attractive destination, which is usually appreciated more during the hot months of the year, since there are plenty of choices when it comes to beaches, is relatively unparalleled. The biggest advantage though, can be found in the exceptional combination of mountain and sea level landscape. You really should check our town out!
Music Bugle – How have you felt the band mature as the years pass by?
George Manesiotis – The band gradually started getting closer to what is called a “personal sound,” although that is a rather bold statement to attempt because every band has so many influences, without a doubt. Other elements that would be kind of easy to notice might be the speed and aggression that followed our debut, along with the melodic lines that were accentuated with an overall improvement in terms of skills and composition.
Music Bugle – If you had the chance to chat one-on-one with one of your musical influences, who would you choose?
George Manesiotis – I think that the band members would eventually agree on one name – Dave Mustaine.
Music Bugle – How would you compare “Indigo” and “Deep Breath”?
George Manesiotis – Our debut album had a naivety along with a sense of exploration in terms of genres. Sound-wise, also, it felt like an American production, thanks to Toby Wright, of course and this is what we wanted at the time. ‘Indigo’ finds us in a more “mature” musical state of mind and the exploration here has a rather “compositional” orientation.
Music Bugle – What was your favorite show to play?
George Manesiotis – It would probably be the one at Thessaloniki supporting Comeback Kid at the Principal venue. Nice ambience, nice people, great gig!
Music Bugle – How have you been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?
George Manesiotis – Like everyone around us, we received our fair share of shockwaves, but as time went by, we regained hope and confidence and we really think that being positive helps a great deal. Thank you for this interview, wishing you and your followers a happy recovery from these global challenges we are currently under. See you on stage!
