1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
The band was formed back in 2012 by me (Tso Nee-guitar), and the two Billies (bass/vocals, drums) in the city of Drama (Greece).
A few months later Striker (Lead guitar) joined the band and we started playing our first gigs in town with some thrash/punk covers.
During the last year we released our first E.P., first on digital format, and later officially as a split CD, along with the Greek band “Human Slaughter”, in association with the label “Witches Brew”.
2.In September you had released an ep which was also re-issued on a split recently, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
As the most reviews till now aptly noted, our sound is more associated with the American crossover/thrash scene, as it has been defined by some of our influences like Anthrax, DRI, Tankard, Assassin Etc.
But you know, I guess we try to mix things up a bit, so we've heard that it has some classic heavy elements too, even punk.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Our lyrical subjects mostly reflect daily life, personal experiences and society in general, with the necessary dose of humor.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hillbilly Revenge'?
Nice question! Although it hasn't got a direct meaning, there is an actual concept to the name.
First of all, our hometown is a northern, small and, kind of, "forgotten" city in Northern Greece so you could say that, in our own way we are some kind of “Hillbillies”.
As far as the "revenge" part goes, it refers to the fact that we FINALLY (since there are a lot of difficulties in provincial cities) formed a band here, thus being able to express ourselves the way we wanted.
Also, there's a positive side to the meaning of "hillbilly revenge" and this refers to us being totally OUT of fashions and behaviors that indicate any kind of complex (that we’re sick of), which are usually associated with “big city”, “scenes” and people.
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Haha. Every member has another personal favorite gig, so I'll answer for me. Mine is a gig we played in a skate contest here in Drama. I believe it was our best performance to date, the crowd was full of friends and generally the vibe was perfect. Also, another great gig (due to the vibe, not of our performance haha) was at a festival in the neighboring city of Kavala, when we had the chance to play along with some bands of friends, and meet some new.
6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Unfortunately, we have a big problem in this sector, as Billy Vanda (Bass/Vocals) has moved into England and Striker (Guitar) has moved to an island for studies. As you can see, it's very hard even to rehearse, let alone play a simple gig. Although we keep the band active by writing new stuff, we need to allocate our time during the few weeks we’re gonna have available in the summer accordingly, in order to book as many gigs we can.
7.Recently you where a apart of a split with Human Slaughter, what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the split?
Tolis and Human Slaughter are personal friends of mine and we had the idea of this split when we were talking about our first recording. I have seen them live in many gigs, and with many different line ups through the past years and I can clearly state that at this moment they're better than ever! We liked their tracks of the split very much and their sound too (a special thumbs up for the fact that it’s a live recording!)
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of thrash metal and crossover?
Our worldwide feedback, evident mainly from facebook, is waaaay bigger than we expected!!! Of course Cheryl and Witches Brew has played a defining role in this, giving us amazing support and promotion!
9.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Hm, it's kinda hard to answer that. Right know we are writing some stuff but I don't know when we’ll have the time to put them in order and record them. Maybe in late 2015 we’ll have come up with some material for a new release.
10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Our influences are soo many and from many and diverse, that it’s no use mentioning everything , they go from rap to death metal. But specifically, bands that have defined our musical style more directly are classic thrash, crossover and hardcore bands such as Slayer, Anthrax, Venom, Exodus, DRI, Tankard, Suicidal tendencies, Cro mags, SOD, Poison Idea, Municipal Waste, Dr. Living Dead...
Of course each member has his own preferences that come into the Hillbilly mix. Personally I’m into a lot of Punk stuff (from 70s to 90s), hardcore, Rock n Roll (like Hellacopters, Motorhead, Turbonegro etc), classic metal, Rap and more. Billy Vanda digs electronic stuff and Striker is a big bald NWOBHM fan.
I’d say that our “Common Ground”, meaning some stuff that we all dig are Dr. Living Dead’s S/t, and Midninght’s “Satanic Royalty”.
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I'm finishing my studies as a Geoinformatic/surveyor and I’m in the middle of an internship course, Billy has finished his studies as a teacher in English language and now he is studying Music Engineering in England, the Striker is in the Corfu University of Art and Sound and Billy (junior/drums) is finishing high school.
Apart from that each member has his own hobbies and interests such as Beer Drinking, Working out, Video Games, Archery, Football, Reading just to name a few.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
SUPPORT YOUR VILLAGE SCENE!
The band was formed back in 2012 by me (Tso Nee-guitar), and the two Billies (bass/vocals, drums) in the city of Drama (Greece).
A few months later Striker (Lead guitar) joined the band and we started playing our first gigs in town with some thrash/punk covers.
During the last year we released our first E.P., first on digital format, and later officially as a split CD, along with the Greek band “Human Slaughter”, in association with the label “Witches Brew”.
2.In September you had released an ep which was also re-issued on a split recently, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
As the most reviews till now aptly noted, our sound is more associated with the American crossover/thrash scene, as it has been defined by some of our influences like Anthrax, DRI, Tankard, Assassin Etc.
But you know, I guess we try to mix things up a bit, so we've heard that it has some classic heavy elements too, even punk.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Our lyrical subjects mostly reflect daily life, personal experiences and society in general, with the necessary dose of humor.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hillbilly Revenge'?
Nice question! Although it hasn't got a direct meaning, there is an actual concept to the name.
First of all, our hometown is a northern, small and, kind of, "forgotten" city in Northern Greece so you could say that, in our own way we are some kind of “Hillbillies”.
As far as the "revenge" part goes, it refers to the fact that we FINALLY (since there are a lot of difficulties in provincial cities) formed a band here, thus being able to express ourselves the way we wanted.
Also, there's a positive side to the meaning of "hillbilly revenge" and this refers to us being totally OUT of fashions and behaviors that indicate any kind of complex (that we’re sick of), which are usually associated with “big city”, “scenes” and people.
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Haha. Every member has another personal favorite gig, so I'll answer for me. Mine is a gig we played in a skate contest here in Drama. I believe it was our best performance to date, the crowd was full of friends and generally the vibe was perfect. Also, another great gig (due to the vibe, not of our performance haha) was at a festival in the neighboring city of Kavala, when we had the chance to play along with some bands of friends, and meet some new.
6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Unfortunately, we have a big problem in this sector, as Billy Vanda (Bass/Vocals) has moved into England and Striker (Guitar) has moved to an island for studies. As you can see, it's very hard even to rehearse, let alone play a simple gig. Although we keep the band active by writing new stuff, we need to allocate our time during the few weeks we’re gonna have available in the summer accordingly, in order to book as many gigs we can.
7.Recently you where a apart of a split with Human Slaughter, what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the split?
Tolis and Human Slaughter are personal friends of mine and we had the idea of this split when we were talking about our first recording. I have seen them live in many gigs, and with many different line ups through the past years and I can clearly state that at this moment they're better than ever! We liked their tracks of the split very much and their sound too (a special thumbs up for the fact that it’s a live recording!)
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of thrash metal and crossover?
Our worldwide feedback, evident mainly from facebook, is waaaay bigger than we expected!!! Of course Cheryl and Witches Brew has played a defining role in this, giving us amazing support and promotion!
9.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Hm, it's kinda hard to answer that. Right know we are writing some stuff but I don't know when we’ll have the time to put them in order and record them. Maybe in late 2015 we’ll have come up with some material for a new release.
10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Our influences are soo many and from many and diverse, that it’s no use mentioning everything , they go from rap to death metal. But specifically, bands that have defined our musical style more directly are classic thrash, crossover and hardcore bands such as Slayer, Anthrax, Venom, Exodus, DRI, Tankard, Suicidal tendencies, Cro mags, SOD, Poison Idea, Municipal Waste, Dr. Living Dead...
Of course each member has his own preferences that come into the Hillbilly mix. Personally I’m into a lot of Punk stuff (from 70s to 90s), hardcore, Rock n Roll (like Hellacopters, Motorhead, Turbonegro etc), classic metal, Rap and more. Billy Vanda digs electronic stuff and Striker is a big bald NWOBHM fan.
I’d say that our “Common Ground”, meaning some stuff that we all dig are Dr. Living Dead’s S/t, and Midninght’s “Satanic Royalty”.
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I'm finishing my studies as a Geoinformatic/surveyor and I’m in the middle of an internship course, Billy has finished his studies as a teacher in English language and now he is studying Music Engineering in England, the Striker is in the Corfu University of Art and Sound and Billy (junior/drums) is finishing high school.
Apart from that each member has his own hobbies and interests such as Beer Drinking, Working out, Video Games, Archery, Football, Reading just to name a few.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
SUPPORT YOUR VILLAGE SCENE!
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