Greek heavy metal five-piece Firewind hit the UK tomorrow for a handful of live dates promoting their latest album Days of Defiance. Music-News.com caught up with guitarist and band founder Gus G about last-minute tour changes, being hailed Best Shredder and joining Ozzy's band
Music News: How are you feeling about the imminent Defiance Over Europe tour?
Gus G: I'm excited about it! Our last European tour was three years ago, so we're very eager to get out there again and play for our fans.
MN: Your frontman, Apollo Papathanasio, had to drop out of the European dates because of family matters. How do you deal with such a last-minute and significant change?
Gus: Had I been a bit younger, I'd probably be very upset about things like that. But nowadays I don't stress that much about it. Actually, Apollo has cancelled a few other tours in the past, so it doesn't even surprise me anymore. Our motto is ‘the show must go on’ and that's what we always do. We're happy that we got a more than capable replacement frontman for this tour, Mats Leven (ex-Therion and ex-Yngwie Malmsteen). I'm actually looking forward to this tour even more now as Mats has been one of my favourite singers since I first heard him play with my idol, Yngwie. I've always wanted to work with him somehow and fate brings us here today.
MN: You’ve been playing and recording with Ozzy recently. What was that like?
Gus: I've been in Ozzy's band for two years now and I'm definitely living the dream. I mean this gig is the ‘once in 10 lifetimes’ gig! I love working with Ozzy and the world tour we just completed, which lasted 14 months by the way, has been the best time of my life.
MN: Did you feel any pressure to take on such an esteemed role?
Gus: Of course there was pressure, mainly from the press, critics, fans, etc. Ozzy and his camp made me feel very relaxed and had faith in me. I am very focused and put 120 per cent into what I do, so the pressure didn't really affect me in a negative way. On the contrary, it made me become a much better player than I was two years ago.
MN: What have you taken from your time with Ozzy and brought to Firewind?
Gus: I got a great insight into how the ‘big boys’ do it. This has made me work even harder and, of course, change a lot of work ethics in Firewind for us to reach another level.
MN: How do you manage to juggle two bands? Does it feel like you’re always on the road?
Gus: Very much so, but I love being on the road. I'm bored if I stay home for too long. Ozzy's tour is done now, so I'm gonna be doing Firewind for the rest of the year. When that's done and Ozzy's ready to start writing again, I'll be wrapping up Firewind's activities and focusing on Ozzy's next album.
MN: Congratulations on your Metal Hammer Golden Gods award this year. How did it feel to win Best Shredder?
Gus: Thank you! Actually, I wasn't even there to receive the award, I was on tour - what a surprise! The legendary Alice Cooper accepted the award for me and I sent in a video message to the fans. I would have never thought something like this could happen to me. I'm proud of this achievement and feel the fans have rewarded me for all the years of hard work. I sincerely thank everyone who voted for me.
MN: Is there much of a metal scene in Greece? How do you fit in – or don’t you?
Gus: Yes, there is a metal scene in Greece, although it’s a bit more underground. Firewind is one of the leading metal bands to come out of Greece and pave a way to an international career level. I think lots of younger bands in Greece feel inspired by this and that's a good thing. I believe we have lots of talented musicians there that deserve to be heard.
MN: With over 10 years in Firewind, several albums, international success and a high-profile guest slot, what do you want to achieve next?
Gus: I've set out to make the best Firewind album to date. I want our next album to be monumental, and the material we have so far has got what it takes! And, of course I'm hoping to start working with Ozzy on another killer album.
MN: What can fans expect from your upcoming UK, European and US shows?
Gus: We plan to hit them twice as hard this time. This show will be heavier and tighter with more shredding than ever. So, whoever's curious about this band – or ‘Ozzy's new boy’ – had better not miss this tour!
MN: And for newcomers to Firewind, what do we need to know and what should we listen to first?
Gus: You should know that we can play our asses off, but we can write a song too! I think a representative album would be The Premonition.
Days of Defiance is out now on Century Media
Catch the band
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