Steel Notes Magazine
January 2017
Wow ! That is awesome . With Firewind do you do most of the writing or is it split up amongst the team ?
It depends on every album . Sometimes it used to be me and Bob , Apollo , our previous singer . In the very early album , it was just me and the other singer we had back then . On this record , it changed up again . I did all the music and co-wrote it with Dennis Ward who co-produced the album with me . So he and I basically co-wrote and co-produced the whole thing
Very good . Tell me how you got the Ozzy Osbourne gig
I got an e-mail from his management in 2009 asking me if I would be interested in auditioning . I was like yes , of course ! I learned a bunch of songs and a couple weeks later they flew me out to LA and I did the audition . It went really good and they asked me if I wanted to come back and play a show with him and that was it . In August 2009 we did the first show which was like a televised appearance or something . It was a show in Anaheim and that was a warm-up thing . Then I went back home and two weeks later they asked me to come back and play another show with him , The Sunset Strip Festival and the next thing you know I was hanging out at his house the next day and he played me the record he was working on and I ended up staying for a few days recording some guitars and the next thing you know I am working fully on the next album and everything took off from there
I ’ m sure it had to be pretty exciting touring the world with Ozzy and playing in stadiums and festivals
Oh yes of course man , it ’ s amazing ! These are things very few musician ’ s get to do and it definitely is mind-blowing Is there any word from his camp that you guys are going to be going back into the studio ?
No , I have not heard anything . I know he has been hinting at press a little bit the past few months but I really don ’ t know . Yes there is apparently a plan for another album but it ’ s probably not set in stone right now , still busy with that Sabbath final tour
Yes , he ’ s still doing that until February
Yes apparently and maybe there is going to be some more gigs they said or festivals or something like that . Didn ’ t Naomi say that or something ?
They did say that yes . It ’ s supposed to be in February I guess I saw one report where he was writing with Steve Stevens which scratched my head because that makes absolutely no sense
Yes . That ’ s not new . Those demos , those are from last year . He was telling me about it . I really don ’ t know . There ’ s nothing really official I know he is busy doing this other thing right now .
That ’ s good . Who are your endorsements ? Obviously , we know Blackstar and Jackson . What else are you endorsing ? Are you endorsed by a pick company or pedals ?
A lot of people ! A lot of good people actually . Seymour Duncan for pickups , I ’ ve got my own pickups through them . DR Strings . Morley pedals and Boss Units , Line 6 for my wireless units . Red Monkey makes my guitar straps and some of the accessories like the cuffs that I ’ m wearing , wristbands
I know you came to America from Greece but did you find it hard to be noticed ?
You mean back then when I was 18 ? It was a tough time for heavy metal in America back then . Like in the late ’ 90 ’ s it was about wrap metal and new metal was emerging and all that stuff . The traditional stuff was nowhere . I was a bit discouraged back then . I ended up going back home a year later and I ended up living in Sweden for a while and that ’ s
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