Hi Michael, thank you very much for this interview and congrats for your last excellent cd. Since this is our first interview it'd be nice to begin with a small biographical note.

Hi Alekos, thanks for your kind words! "Event Horizon X" came to life with the completion of my first concept, "Fall Of Darkness", in the beginning of year 2002. After a few months the live band was formed and we made our first appearance on stage in an open-air festival on the fortress of Koule in Heraklion (06/09/02). In the beginning of year 2003, having completed my second concept, "Along Came The Winter", I recorded the Event Horizon demo (selecting 3 tracks from the F.O.D. & 2 from the A.C.T.W. concept) and received extremely good reviews despite the fact that the tracks were recorded quite offhandedly! After a number of live shows and changes in the live line-up, having already completed my third concept ("Far Across The Wasteland"), I recorded and released my debut album "Event Horizon X - Fall Of Darkness" (December 2003). Possessing the ideal live band members we appeared at Neoria (Chania) with "Power Crue" (19/12/03) & at Mylos (Heraklion) with "Marauder" (04/04/04) at which point I started working on the recordings for my second album, "Along Came The Winter". After the release of "A.C.T.W." (November 2004), having added a second guitarist in the live line-up (as I decided to focus on vocals), we appeared at Mylos club with "Rotting Christ" (24/10/04) & "Brocas Helm" (23/03/05). In the beginning of summer 2005, a few weeks after the completion of the recordings for my third album ("Far Across The Wasteland"), we appeared at Matala (Heraklion) as headliners in the "8th Cretan Bikers Gathering" (02/07/05). What followed was the release of "F.A.T.W." (October 2005) and the "F.A.T.W." Release Live with "Jag Panzer" (09/11/05).

It's been almost three months since its release and I'm curious to know what feedback you receive from the media and the fans.

The feedback has been awesome from everyone! I've been constantly receiving positive comments from all around the world, from fans & reviewers to stores & distributors! It makes me extremely happy, so many people can see that every next "E.H.X" album is a more mature album, one step up at least - in every aspect!

You've done an excellent job recording and producing your cd so please enlighten us with some more details on these two "crucial" aspects.

Well, it all took place in my home studio at Rethimno which I moved from Heraklion after the release of "F.O.D." to begin my studies in the "Music Technology & Acoustics" department. The entire process lasted about 5,5 months (2,5 months more than each of the previews 2 albums) mostly due to the fact that this was the first album I recorded the drums as well (in contrast to the programming on the previous 2) and I wanted them to sound as close to "perfect" as possible which took about 3 months to achieve since I used an electronic drum set (via M.I.D.I.) and had a lot of practice to do and many test recordings to perform!

Before we dig deeper into your latest release I'd like to know how did you come up with the name Event Horizon X?

After watching the movie "Event Horizon" (with Laurence Fishburne & Sam Neil) I talked to my father about the "title of the movie/name of the ship" as to what it actually means and the outcome of our conversation was all I needed to hear: "Concerning Black Holes, Event Horizon is the point of no return, point from which not even light can escape"! The reason I added the "X" in the name will become clear in the following albums!

Ok now let's return on "Far Across the Wasteland". I see that you're the songwriter, the vocalist, the guitarist, the producer and so on and it's pretty impressive that you have released 3 cd's in the last 3 years. How do you manage to catch up with all this stuff? How long did it take you to complete "Far Across the Wasteland"?

Basically, this is my life, my work, my hobby… creating musical concepts! All 3 where complete when I released my debut album so what I had to do next was record and release them as well! It's all about the fun & satisfaction of each creation's outcome and hopefully I'll be able to keep doing it - as long as the income covers the expenses! I completed "F.A.T.W." in 6 months (recordings, mixing, mastering, overall production & artwork design).

It seems that your main source of inspiration is the European Power metal scene with some transatlantic traces. Does this reflect your musical likings? How would you characterize your music?

Pretty much! I've always enjoyed the combination of American and European elements (aggressiveness & melody, speed & power, atmosphere & technique)! So, if you're into long tags, the music of "E.H.X" can be roughly described as "speed-melodic-epic-power-heavy metal"! Personally I have no problem with such tags as long as they truly contain elements of the music they describe.

Are you going to experiment more in the future with your music or is power metal the genre you prefer?

Although , in general , the musical style/genre of "E.H.X" remains basically the same there are a few unique elements in every album that make each next one differ a bit from its predecessors and also be a more mature and perhaps a more versatile one . This will always be the case when it comes to "E.H.X"!

What about the lyrics? You managed to create some very interested concepts, so what's your main source of inspiration on that aspect?

Most of my inspiration, concerning concepts, comes from movies & comic books, mostly epic & sci-fi! Any other inspiration comes from life itself!

I read on the booklet of "Far Across the Wasteland" that you preserve a five-members live line-up and at the same time you decide to release and record your cd's on your own. Why not forming a regular band? You can still have total control over your music and be the leader, but at the same time someone might throw some excellent tunes on the table that can really boost your music. Is there a chance to see this happening in the future?

Ever since I started composing I have been very specific in how I want my music to sound. In addition, when it was time to start recording my first concept I realized that you can't actually tell other people exactly what to do when it comes to performing which is something I really understand because when you play with other musicians (especially when it comes to heavy metal) everyone should be who they are and not someone they are told to be … so, in conclusion, baring in mind that I could play and record pretty much all 4 instruments, I made a choice corresponding with both of my beliefs … on the one hand - concerning studio work - "Event Horizon X" would be me alone (recording my own creations, expressions & performances on each album) and on the other hand since I always loved performing live and playing with other musicians there would also be an "Event Horizon X" live line-up in which everyone would add their own touch into the music (creating a second - slightly different - version of it)! The only thing I had to do next is find a group of people that like and respect my music and consequently add stuff into it that we would all enjoy which luckily, after a bit of a search, I did! The whole idea behind "E.H.X", from the very beginning, was that it is a "one-man" band and this will probably remain the case for as long as I am able to release new albums, under this logo ..!

In "Far Across the Wasteland" we can find a very nice bonus video track? How did you come up with the idea of shooting a video? Are you going to attempt something similar in the future?

I love music videos, especially the ones that focus on the band's line-up while still containing a small touch of the lyrics' plot! One of the main reasons I considered shooting a video was that I wanted to adduce the whole "E.H.X" live line-up "concept" even more and since I am not particularly fond of live videos, that was the obvious way to go (I strongly believe, the whole idea behind a live show is that you should be present to experience it, not watch it at home on your PC). I'm already working on the next video track (for a song from the "A.C.T.W." album) which will be included in the next "E.H.X" release.

Have you been approached by any labels, yet? Would you consider singing a contract with one?

Actually, I've had a few offers so far but - being realistic - in order for me to consider signing a contract with a label they have to be offering something that surpasses the capabilities I have with "Orion Publications"… I mean since I am able to release my albums through my own company and do a job at quite a similar level as most of the independent record labels out there what's the point in signing with one? If I were approached by a record label that had the ability to really take my music "EVERYWHERE", I would probably consider a contract.

Are you going to perform live in the near future? What do you choose among the studio and the stage?

Of course! I'm always trying to arrange more live shows, it's something I really love and have had in my mind since forever! I can't really choose between the studio and stage, that's the whole point of the existence of the live line-up of "E.H.X", I wouldn't want to have the one without the other!

The Greek metal scene seems to have made great progress the last few years. Do you share my opinion on this? Are there any bands you pick out?

I believe so too, although most of the progress seems to appear in genres I don't listen to as much. Anyhow, my favorite Greek band will have to be "Firewind" (which may not be entirely "Greek" - but neither are our football teams ..!). I really enjoy Gus G.'s playing & writing.

In general what are your favorite bands?

Quite a lot actually, from quite a few different genres … and the list keeps growing constantly! I can't list them all but I can mention the bands that got me eager to create "E.H.X" in the first place which were: Iced Earth, Blind Guardian, Judas Priest, Gammaray, Virgin Steele, Crimson Glory, Savatage, Megadeth as well as various other individual artists, albums & songs!

What's your biggest dream regarding Event Horizon X and you as a musician?

To, someday, be able to sing in front of thousands of people and simply have the chance to listen to all of them sing along…

Okay before closing tell us a few things about your future plans. What are you working on at the moment and when should we expect a new EHX album?

I'm currently working on my fourth and fifth album which will hopefully be released in the early months of years 2007 and 2008! They will both be parts of the same concept, referring to the bands name!

Michael thank you very much for this interview. I wish you all the best for the future and great luck and success for EHX. Is there anything you'd like to add?

Thank you very much Alekos! I would like to thank everyone out there that has supported "E.H.X" in any possible way… I really hope I get the chance to meet you all one day and thank you in person - as silly and impossible as it may sound... and don't ever forget that you are all true "Archonians"!