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 DARK NOVA - The Sound of Perseverance
By Adrian ‘The Energizer’ Bromley
It has taken more than five years for Greek heavy/power metal act Dark Nova to return to the spotlight with their Black Lotus debut Sivilla, but as singer Michael Choulakis points out, the road to get to this point has not been an easy one.
“The main reason is that this time we wanted to find a label that would promote and support us sufficiently. Unfortunately both our previous labels went bankrupt and twice we had to start over almost from scratch. Having two albums with two different record companies [1993’s The Dark Rhapsodies on Molon Lave Records and 1999’s 1999 A Step Beyond? on Seven Records] but with no distribution and a plethora of songs we were eager to put out material. Thankfully, our present label Black Lotus Records gives us all [guitarist Elias Koskoris, bassist Kiki, keyboardist Mary Tassouli, and drummer Nick Adams] the support we need and a sense of security that we are certain our future work will not be delayed.”
It has been a lengthy career for the band. What has kept things going?
“First and foremost our love for music,” he replies. “For us to write and play music is as essential as breath itself. Of course since 1988, when the band was formed, we have faced many difficulties, but the bond in the band’s main core is so strong that we easily overcome any hardship and just keep going. And our devotion is usually quite rewarding. What we do is who we are and Dark Nova is something we are not willing to give up.”
Being my first exposure to the band, I was thoroughly impressed with the work on Sivilla. It’s a great record from start to finish. What ideas did you want to bring to this record?
He says, “First I’ll have to explain the concept of Sivilla a little. Sivillas or Sibyls in the ancient times were priestesses of the ancient Greek god Apollo, women who had the gift of foresight to be found in many great cities across the Mediterranean. At that time it was a common practice that when a country had a serious problem, such as going to war or having to face some domestic crisis, they would go to the Sivilla to find out from her the will of the gods. However, her words were always enigmatic and could often be easily misinterpreted. Dark Nova always liked to go around the concept of power, be it political, religious or any other expression of it. The lyrics of course are modern and do not include ancient myths and tales. They refer to the modern Sivillas that try to guide our footsteps in life, though ultimately they are usually nothing more than the inner voice we are bound to listen or turn away from. Musically now, you can meet various Sivillas through rhythm and melodies inspired by different cultures…not that this album is ethnic or folklore in way whatsoever.”
“Desperate Act” is one of your songs I could play over and over.
“I think that’s because the song you mentioned includes all the different aspects of our music: writing in good balance. Some tracks are more melodic, like ‘Reach for the Sky,’ and others are more aggressive, like ‘Say No More.’ And that is the reason why people who prefer different metal genres seem to find something in this album to like. I couldn’t really pick out any specific tracks I think are the best because we see our album as a whole. We are aggressive and we are calm, we like rhythm and we like melody.”
Are you fans of the studio?
“We are virtually running from one studio to another rehearsing, testing sounds and recording demos to check the progress of our songs. It indeed tires us sometimes because we have to keep side jobs at the same time, but we take occasional breaks and then we return with our batteries fully charged.”
The topic turns to the music scene in Greece. Although it’s a thriving scene, it’s not as familiar as, say, Sweden or Norway’s music scene.
“The Greek metal scene has always been active since the early ’80s, though not quite noticed by major labels,” he says. “Starting about 10 years ago, the Greek scene flourished and has put out some stunning works from bands such as Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh, Nightfall, Inner Wish, Fragile Vastness, and Wastefall. As for us, we practically are the oldest Greek metal band still active and we try our best to put the level higher every time.”
Choulakis is obviously very passionate about what he does. In closing I ask him what he’s gotten out of playing this type of music (or just music in general) for the last 15-plus years.
“Expression and feeling, in ways that wouldn’t be possible were we in a different music style,” he notes. “Metal has a really huge variety of means to express oneself not easily found elsewhere. It is as unique and plethoric as each and every one of us.”
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