Ghost Season are a metal band from Athens, Greece. The band just released their terrific debut record Like Stars in a Neon Sky. The music is hypnotic, well-written, and runs the gamut from sludgy metal to arena -sized rock, to a surprise cover of a Savage Garden tune. Slickster recently had the opportunity to speak with Ghost Season’s bass player Dorian Gates about their new record, his biggest influences, and what’s next for the band.
On how the band’s native country of Greece influenced its sound:
Dorian Gates: Many bands have been influenced by their country’s native music, or instruments let’s say. The Scottish Grave Digger came in mind now and many other bands from Finland I know they have. But they have beautiful music.
I don’t think Greece has influenced us. If it had it would have been for negative only. Greek music is bad, very bad. At least for our taste. Not that I have anything with the country itself, but the music is far away from my ears. Even the way I think and write lyrics is far away from the way Greek songs are made.
On how Ghost Season came together:
Dorian Gates: The band was formed because of heavy metal. It was the summer of 2013 I was looking for people to create my new band and obviously, I was playing in one before, but I wanted something heavier and more melodic than the one I was in back then. So I was in search of a drummer, singer and two guitarists.
Thank god it all came really fast thanks to the internet and some ads I put online. Of course, the original line up has changed a couple of times since 2013 but I think this is the best line up Ghost Season has had up till now. The band is Hercules Zotos on vocals, Nick Christolis on guitars and Helen Nota on drums. I am the bass one.
On how has the band grown from the first EP, Ghosts Like Her, to the new record, Like Stars In a Neon Sky:
Dorian Gates: Well, we haven’t grown to tell you the truth. We just learned how to do things better and faster. We know what we want to play, how to play it and, with the help of our guitarist Nick, how to properly record it. As an album I think is much more deeper than our first EP “Ghosts Like Her”. Musically and lyrically.
We recorded more, even if we are less as a band. We try to have the band create something beautiful that hopefully one day people will pick it up and will create the same emotions for them as it creates to us.
On the band’s writing and recording process and the vibe in the studio:
Dorian Gates: Creating music is always difficult. Basic ideas arise quite quickly and you have to work on them and it’s amazing how many options you have available. You have to take care of even the tiniest details cause it can completely change the whole atmosphere of the song. Demos are recorded on every song and trying many arrangements. No song is easy.
It is interesting and very hard work to put an album together. Sometimes is a bit of a pain in the ass. We worked on the studio and at home to get some ideas down. At the end of the day I think it paid off. We’re a young band so we have done it only a couple of times.
The vibe in the studio is amazing. It all depends in the persons you have next to you. The thing with Ghost Season is that we are all 100% in to what we do and want so it makes things easier for all of us.
On the meaning behind the name of the new record Like Stars in a Neon Sky:
Dorian Gates: It’s a bit melancholic and it has this vibe of, let’s say, vastness to me. The thing I like with music, and lyrics in general, is that to every person the lyrics hit different veins if you know what I mean. To me Like Stars In a Neon Sky might mean that we all are under the same big sky like the stars, all your beloved ones, your past loves, your pain, your friends, friends you lost, people that are gone, memories of summers past, even dreams you had and have.
But on the other hand it can mean something entirely different to someone else. I was always intrigued by the infinite, the everlasting. Sadly nothing is. So Like Stars In a Neon Sky is a better way to say this. At least for me! I can go on if you like (laughs)
On speaking to themes of transition, change, and loss, especially in the lyrics to “War of Voices”, “The Highway”, and the single “Break My Chains.”:
Dorian Gates: I think all good music has to come from a deep personal place. Either way I don’t listen to a lot of happy lucky bullshit. Again it’s the combination that I wanted to mix. I didn’t want to just play metal. I wanted to combine it with something that has to do with the matters of the heart which I believe are the strongest matters. The melancholy aspects make for good art, the dramatic music.
Don’t forget the opera singers, the classical music, poets and so on. And for me when I hear a melody or pick up my bass or when Nick picks up his guitar. To tell you the truth I don’t think I can write a happy song. I’m not the happiest person in the world either way. Not miserable but not the happiest.
On the band’s cover of Savage Garden’s “Break me Shake Me”:
Dorian Gates: We just really liked the song actually. It’s a nice 90’s song and hasn’t been covered, so we said why not. Nice lyrics by the way!
On the first record he ever bought with his own money:
Dorian Gates: You take me far back now man! I think it was 1995 The X-Factor by Iron Maiden the same day the album came out in clear vinyl! Man what an amazing day it had been, I was holding it like Gollum was holding the ring in the Lord Of The Rings movie!
From that day on I was buying vinyls every week. You know, the money back then was little so we had to save all week just to buy one or two vinyls every Sunday! Tough days man. Actually now I remembered the second one too, it was Tales from Topographic Oceans by Yes.
On a record that your fans would be surprised you own:
Dorian Gates: I think I have a couple of rare ones, in my opinion, vinyls. I have the first album of a band called Q5 – Steel The Light really nice album this one, another one is Crimson Glory – Transcendence in picture vinyl, Bathory – Blood On Ice, some Iron Maiden shaped vinyls and I recently found Black Sabbath’s Headless Cross 7” single on ebay. Grabbed it right away!
I don’t know if I have any surprise record that people will go “WOW” because I never bought something that’s out of the rock/metal/goth genre. Don’t expect any Britney Spears from me!
On the current musicians are you digging at the moment:
Dorian Gates: I personaly like very much J. Loren Wince and the band HURT, an American Rock/Alternative Rock band, who we had the honor to have him as a co-producer on the album. I was a fan of HURT for many years before I met J and you just can’t imagine what joy it gave me when he wanted to be involved in the whole writting process. J’s lyrical and songwriting skills are beyond amazing. We’re talking about deep stuff here man.
Another band I dig very much are AFI. I started liking them since their album “Sing The Sorrow”. I didn’t know them before. Used to listen to this album five times a day! Shamans Harvest are another band I like, the play a lil bit more country-ish kind of hard rock but I dig ‘em a lot. Seasons After are my latest love.
Mostly American based bands you know. They play the style I like most.
On his biggest influences as a musician:
Dorian Gates: Well I grew up listening to heavy metal stuff like Iron Maiden, Saxon, Angelwitch and a lot of prog rock and hard rock kind of bands like Nektar, Wishbone Ash, UFO, Jethro Tull and the list goes on. I think my biggest influence as a bass player is Steve Harris of Iron Maiden. Man I used to have posters everywhere in my room and VHS with bootlegs and all that stuff! I think everybody in the band is pretty different. Nick our guitar player I think is pretty much the same as I am.
Our singer Hercules is more of American hard rock kind of style with singers like M.Shadows, Chris Cornell, Geoff Tate, Robb Flynn.
Helen our drummer likes Gavin Harrison from Pocupine Tree, Joey Jordison, Danny Carrey, and Chad Szeliga.
On what’s next for Ghost Season
Dorian Gates: Yes, next step is to promote the hell out of our album Like Stars In a Neon Sky as much as we can with the help of our label Pavement Entertainment and play live shows everywhere we can book. It would be amazing if we toured outside Greece though.
We have some plans but they’re not on paper yet. Music wise we have already some new material written and left on the shelf for the next record. Hope this one goes well though!