INTO
THE ABYSS were formed in April 1987 by three Greek students
in Germany, but don't search for any main parallel lines between that period
and today because our early days were characterized by a dark, Post Punk
sound laid upon simple song structures.
In the beginning we used
to consider the band only as a hobby, it was great just being in a band.
Two demo releases in 1988 and 1990 marked that period, before we finally
felt mature enough and started to rearrange our thoughts totally in order
to develop ourselves as a band and create our own sound.
A few line-up changes gave
us the possibilty to realize and fulfill our new direction. Looking back
to that time, I would say that the band really started to be the way you
know it today, in 1992. We started working on a common level and communicating
with each other through our music.
The most important thing
in a band is that all members work together on the same musical basis and
at the same time do their own part concerning the development of the music.
Our musical inspirations spring from 80's Gothic Rock, which is the music
we can identify ourselves with due to the deep and strong emotions combined
with this kind of music. Playing Gothic Rock is for us a feeling which
can be perfectly expressed through the corresponding musical forms. But
I believe that we have a huge spectrum of other influences as well, which
are put into our Goth-based sound in order to enrich our sound and give
to particular songs a new and often unusual touch. A lot of influences
lie deep in us, some of them are to be found in the subconscious and when
they come to light, they have a rather psychedelic character.
In a similar way we consider
the Abyss. The word comes originally from Greek, meaning the depths of
the Sea, the primordial chaos and the uttermost limit. Everything took
form and shape out of the Abyss. The name
INTO THE ABYSS refers to the plunge into the labyrinthine
depths of the human soul. Descending the spiral into the core of the own
psyche is necessary in order to appreciate life and conceive its wisdom.
And when we will ascend again, we will bear with us the precious oyster
of our true selves.
First of all, the Snake stands
in many old religions and mythologies for wisdom as well as for the power
of the unconscious. In this way it has a very different character than
the evil symbolism Christianity has given to it. We learnt a lot from old
and forgotten cultures and combined this knowledge with our own perception
of life. "The Feathered Snake" is a creature which
can be found in a similar way in Ancient Greece, in Egypt, in Asia and
in Australian Aborigines as well as in the European literature of the Romanticism
and also in the Arts. But the most inspirating symbolism concerning the
snake we found in the Aztec Mythology, in which "The Feathered Snake" has
the name of the god Quetzalcoatl. The snake, which belongs to the water
and the land combines with the bird, which is a creature of the light and
the air. This way, he combines the opposites such as light and darkness,
conscious and subconscious, life and death, male and female, reality and
imagination. He is an ambivalent god who reconciliates the opposites, which
coexist in every creature.
The true meaning of life
lies in their union and not in their separation. For us, all these characteristics
of the Snake are also a way to describe our second album, which is a journey
through gloominess and light, both put in the corresponding musical and
lyrical forms. A marriage of heaven and hell...
INTO
THE ABYSS is a Gothic Rock band, indeed! This doesn't mean that
we are clones of The Sisters Of Mercy or someone else.
Gothic exists since the
early 80's and it has been a very diversified musical genre. Take for example
the music of Bauhaus and the music of Fields Of The Nephilim: Both are
rather different directions, still both are characterized as "Goth". It
is the particular feeling which makes a band being "Goth". It was not a
coinsidence that the term "Goth" was chosen to describe obscure, macabre,
eerie, dark, threatening, melancholic, depressive, morbid and also subliminal
aggressive music forms. The name "Goth" was given to this music because
it creates similar feelings as the ones you get when reading a book by
Poe, Mary Shelley or Lovecraft, when staring at a Gothic Cathedral and
feeling its dark form heavy in your soul and at the same time its high
and sharp edges uplifting your spirit. A lot of people seem to have forgotten
where Goth comes from and believe that "Goth is black clothes and sad looks".
But it's really much more than this!
We feel influenced by some
particular 70's Art Rock bands such as Van Der Graaf Generator, King Crimson,
early Pink Floyd, Embryo etc. which created a very intense and psychedelic
sound full of dark moments. A journey through exotic and mystic worlds...
Psychedelia interests us in all its forms and is mainly expressed on tracks
such as "The Eternal Heat" or "Dragon
Snake", where the bottleneck guitars visualize the endless Ocean or
the flow of the magmatic lava...
Each genre has a few bands which are original and others who are not. This is not only a problem of the Gothic scene. Some bands are scared to discover their own identity and prefer to express themselves through the music of others. But the main characteristic of Gothic music is to be always original and fresh and to have always something new to say, stirring the stagnant waters. And there have always been bands who have been able to do exactly this and still today some of the new Gothic bands have this power.
We are in touch with many underground Metal fanzines who have been showing interest in our band. I believe that the Metal Scene is quite open-minded at the moment concerning the relationship with Gothic Rock.
To play in Mexico some time next year, a tour which we are currently planning though the dates have to be confirmed.
The approach of Metal to Gothic shouldn't be superficial or become a trend since, as I said above, Gothic is not to be taken lightly. The results of this convergences are very satisfying in general and I really like the combination of the styles above. And since both music genres adore the obscure and dark side of music, a collaboration between them was to be expected.
People who come to see us live on stage get the power and the energy we want to give them. A gig of INTO THE ABYSS is an unforgettable experience, a haunting dream but also a trip through relaxing worlds. "The Feathered Snake" is doing very well and is distributed in many countries all over the world. It is going to be pressed again very soon.
I know HOLY RECORDS...They have released the stuff of many Greek bands like Septic Flesh, Nightfall as well as the excellent CD by Orphaned Land. They're doing really good work, I guess. GLASNOST Records is one of Germany's pioneer labels for Gothic Rock music which means that besides our very healthy collaboration, the main things that keeps us together is our common tradition of Gothic Rock, we have quite the same definition of what is "Gothic".
Bram Stoker's Dracula is probably the most well-known novel of Gothic Fiction and the obscure thematics about vampires in it are to be seen as part of the origins of Goth and they have also influenced the development of the Gothic Scene. The symbolism hidden in the Vampire's theme is the interplay of Life and Death. Early Goth bands such as Bauhaus discovered this symbolism and wrote songs about it, like the classic "Bela Lugosi's Dead". Meanwhile, a lot of Gothic bands have done songs about vampires, but many of them are just superficial and sometimes even ridiculous!
You can spread a lot of emotions through music and that's what INTO THE ABYSS do. Our music can be depressive but also aggressive and even atmospheric or meditative at some particular parts. We combine deep and hidden emotions with unnamed desires expressing the complexity but also the beauty of their discovery.
It would be really good to play in France since we are very well-known within the Gothic Scene in your country. Perhaps there will be a possibility to organize something next year. We are in touch with many French bands and fanzines, who look forward to book us for some gigs in France.
Our latest CD, "The Feathered Snake" is distributed in France by Semantic but people who want to get in touch with us directly should feel free to write to us abyss@pair.com, as communication is one of the things we really seek. We also would like to greet all the people from France we are in touch with as well as our old and new fans. Keep the faith! Thanks for this very interesting interview, we wish you the best of luck with your fanzine and your further activities.
Dream in the Arms of the Fiery Serpent...