INTERVIEW : NEW ZERO GOD by Mike Pougounas.

Links :

https://www.facebook.com/NewZeroGodPages/

http://www.newzerogod.com/

https://newzerogod.bandcamp.com/

https://www.reverbnation.com/newZEROgod

https://www.youtube.com/user/newzerogodgr

   1. Can you present your band in a few words? When and how did it all begin ? Where are you from and does it have an influence on your music? Did your line up change since the beginning?

My band’s name is New Zero God. I am Mike Pougounas and I do the singing, Harri Stavrakas plays the bass, Akis Nikolaidis plays the guitar and Babis Efthimiou plays the drums and does the programming. There is also John Psimopoulos, our live gig drummer. We play a dark kind of rock’n’roll, which has nothing to do with our native country’s language or popular musical style.

It all started in 2006 in Athens, Greece, when a few of us decided to put together a band for fun. We were playing together before with two other bands: The Flowers of Romance and Nexus. We started playing covers of songs from these former bands of ours, coming up with a new tune every now and then. The first time we were booked for a gig, we had to come up with a name for the band, so we came up with this.  People believed this was a Flowers of Romance reunion but it wasn’t. It was the birth of New Zero God and many line-up changes followed to end up with the one I mentioned above.

Pic By Georges Lab

 2. How many albums have you already released ? How did you manage to release it ?

We released our first album, “Fun Is A Four Letter Word” in 2010 when our sound engineer played a couple of our tracks for the owner of the indie record label, Puzzlemusik. The album did well and climbed one of the English Goth charts. That was when the English indie label Secret Sin Records offered us the chance to release a mini album titled “Club Bizarre” in 2012 and the full length album “MMXIII” in 2013. Following a 7” single and some digital ones, we released our current album, “Short Tales & Tall Shadows” on March 15, 2016.

----> Cick on each album to listen it and buy it directly on the bandcamp of NEW ZERO GOD !

3. Can you tell us more about your very new release « Short tales & Tall shadows » ? Inspiration ? Who write the lyrics ? The music ?

I produced all of the albums I did with my bands since I was with the Flowers of Romance, except one.  “Brilliant Mistakes”, the final Flowers of Romance album, was produced by Wayne Hussey.  When I took the producer’s seat for New Zero God, I pushed things into a certain direction. Our first album was mostly a post punk album and the next one moved towards a dark place. “MMXIII” started with a piece I wrote, which was inspired by “La Révolte des anges” by Anatole France and moved on from there without being consistent to an atmosphere. That album helped us appear on the English movie, “Athens Drift”, where the band played our track “In Dreams We Trust” and I had a part in the movie as a street philosopher. 

The new album, “Short Tales & Tall Shadows” opens with a tune inspired by my favorite E.A. Poe story and never leaves this macabre atmosphere. The CD version of the album ends with the sound of rain, a church bell and ravens. It is an obvious hint… E.A. Poe – The Raven… the final track is called “Ouroboros” (an ancient symbol depicting a serpent eating its own tail). A full circle.

The vinyl edition has some different tracks and closes with a different song…

I wrote the lyrics (except one… the “My Reaper” lyrics were written by Anna Psarreas) and all the band members wrote the music. Okay, sometimes I write a little more than the other band members… 

---> Click on the album to listen and buy !

        4. What are your favorits artists and how do they influence your music ?

Oh that is a list that would take a book to mention them all. But I’ll try to make it a little more specific:  I like the work of many artists in the sense that you hear a song on the radio and you go like, “Oh! I wish I was the one who wrote this song…” I think it happens to all musicians. What I like the most is to deconstruct a song.  To check the structure and to try to reveal how the composer’s mind worked while it was being written. This influences me. The sounds on each track, the sound effects of each instrument… Music is a never-ending book to read. The Mission influenced me. The Southern Death Cult, Death Cult and The Cult. The Damned. Japan, Erik Satie, The Cure, Killing Joke, King Crimson, Nine Inch Nails, The Lords of The New Church… New Zero God is musically influenced by a list of musicians from all ways of life. The open-minded spirit of the band, though, has deep roots in the punk rock ethos, thanks to which I am doing music all these years. It started with the Sex Pistols and The Clash and opened gazillions of doors in my mind, helping me release 10 albums so far.

      5. Are you planning a tour for this year ? Touring seems quite hard these days ? How do you manage with that ? What do you think about that ?

We played in Italy last year and when we came back we started working on “Short Tales & Tall Shadows”. Being on the road creates camaraderie among band members, with memories to cherish mixed in with lots of laughs. Being on stage is party time for the musician. We have to be on stage and share the fun. We connect with old friends and find new ones. I believe that the audience is a musician’s best friend.

We booked a few shows in Greece for this season. Touring outside Greece has to wait for awhile. New Zero God is a DIY band. We work on everything ourselves. Plus, touring is difficult ‘cause people have financial problems everywhere.  We are planning to tour abroad next year.  It wouldn’t be bad doing so this year, but, being realistic, next year is more plausible. So it is one year releasing an album and playing in our country, and next year playing abroad…  It would be nice to visit France for a few gigs, and we hope to have that opportunity!

Pics by Fabiovezzani and Georges Lab

Thank you very much for this interview!

Thank you very much for your support!!!

Mike Pougounas

Thank you very much Mike Pougounas for answering so quieckly to my questions and also for your support and friendship ! 

Karo

Some REVIEWS of new album "Short Tales & Tall Shadows" (taken on the official website of NEW ZERO GOD) :

21 MARCH 2016 - FIRST REVIEW - "SHORT TALES & TALL SHADOWS"
The first review is up on our newest studio album, "Short Tales & Tall Shadows", and, we must say, we're quite flattered.  Click HERE to read the full review by Subexistance.  Don't forget to leave your stars at the bottom!

09 APRIL 2016 - NEW REVIEW AT TERRA RELICTA
Very nice review from Tomaz at Terra Relicta.  Thank you for your kind words!  "Short Tales & Tall Shadows is more emotional than anything done before by New Zero God. The strong reverberate bass guitar is more primal, it has…" Click HERE for the review.  

09 APRIL 2016 - NEW REVIEW AT TOMATRAX
Another lovely surprise-find tonight ... One more review for New Zero God's "Short Tales & Tall Shadows".  "This is an amazing album full of atmosphere, passion and feeling as the music drags you off to somewhere dark and bleak!"  Click HERE for tomatrax.

10 APRIL 2016 - NEW INTERVIEW AT EYEPLUG MAGAZINE
Thoughts and feelings exposed... Eyeplug Magazine interviews Mike Pougounas of New Zero God with the Dozen Questions! Go on... you know you should...  :)  Click HERE for the DozenQ!

For more news go on NEW ZERO GOD official website :

http://www.newzerogod.com/news.html