1. “Tombs of the Blind Dead” is a powerfully evocative title, referencing a cult horror film series. How does this imagery of cursed, undead knights set the thematic tone for the entire album?
The Blind Dead universe has everything we love—darkness, occult ritual, dread, and that feeling of unstoppable evil. The image of cursed, undead knights isn’t just horror imagery for us, it’s a symbol of the atmosphere we wanted to build across the whole record: cold, menacing, and cinematic.
We write the music first, and the riffs naturally created that kind of haunted mood, so the title felt like the perfect gateway into the album. It sets the tone immediately: you’re entering a world of doom, superstition, and nightmares—where the dead don’t stay buried.
2. The album merges the fury of Norwegian black metal (Mayhem, Emperor) with the heavy metal tradition (Mercyful Fate) and the primal energy of first-wave black metal (Bathory, Venom). Was this fusion a conscious goal from the band’s inception, or a natural result of your collective influences?
It happened naturally. Those influences are all part of what we listen to, so the blend came from instinct, not a formula.
We kept the attitude and the atmosphere, but we let the songs decide where they wanted to go.
3. Formed in 2023, you assembled a lineup of established Greek underground veterans. What was the specific musical void or shared vision that brought you all together to create Sons of Hades so quickly and productively?
The main “void” we felt was that we wanted a band that could bring together old-school black metal intensity and classic heavy metal darkness without sounding forced or artificial. We all share the same obsession with that era’s attitude and we wanted to create something that feels dangerous but still memorable and melodic.
The reason it happened so quickly is simple: we’ve known each other for years, we’ve played together in other projects, and the chemistry was already there. Once the first riffs appeared, the vision was obvious to all of us, and the songwriting just started flowing naturally.
4. Apostolis, as the founder, guitarist, and vocalist: what specific element did you want Sons of Hades to express that your other projects (Demolition Train, Winter Eternal) did not?
With Sons of Hades I wanted to create something more extreme, melodic and ritualistic, where the atmosphere is just as important as the aggression. In my other bands I explored different sides of metal, but here I wanted a very specific identity: old-school black metal intensity colliding with dark heavy metal riffing and melody together with death and thrash energy, all wrapped in a pure horror-fiction world.
It’s the project where I could remove all boundaries, follow instinct, and let the songs breathe without worrying about genre rules—just heavy music with a cursed atmosphere.
5. How did the expertise of producer Giorgos Christoforidis at Ignite Studios help you capture the crucial balance between the album’s raw aggression and its melodic, heavy metal clarity?
Giorgos was crucial because he understood exactly what we were aiming for: raw aggression that still stays clear and melodic. Vangelis had worked with him a lot at Ignite Studios and suggested we do a test session first, so we recorded three songs to see if the chemistry was right. The result fit us immediately, and that’s why we decided to record, mix, and master the full album there.
Once we explained our vision—old-school spirit, alive dynamics, but with modern weight and clarity—Giorgos helped us shape it in a very practical way: tones, balances, details in the mix, and the overall punch. We tried a lot of versions until everything clicked, and he made sure the album stayed intense without losing the heavy metal definition in the riffs and melodies.
6. The cover art by Dimitar Nikolov is striking. How did you communicate the album’s essence to him, and what does the final piece add to the listener’s experience of Tombs of the Blind Dead?
Dimitar is an amazing artist and a longtime collaborator—we worked with him on the two Demolition Train albums, so we already trusted his vision completely. For Tombs of the Blind Dead, we didn’t over-explain things. We simply shared the core idea: the album title, the horror-driven concept, and the Blind Dead references.
The final artwork was entirely his creation—from the sketches and characters to the composition and colors. What it adds to the listener is the perfect “doorway” into the album’s world. Before you even press play, it sets the mood and prepares you for what’s about to happen.
7. Athens has a rich and distinct metal history. How does being from this specific city influence the “morbid atmosphere” and “razor riffs” in your music? Is there a Greek spirit in the sound?
Athens definitely shapes us, mostly through the mentality and the scene around us. It’s a city with a long underground history, and the local crowd is passionate and demanding—so you learn to play with intensity and conviction. That energy naturally feeds into the sharper riffs and the aggressive edge of the band.
As for the “morbid atmosphere,” that comes from our obsession with horror and dark storytelling, but Athens adds its own shadow to it. The city has a certain chaos and darkness in everyday life, and that tension finds its way into the music.
8. You state the album “refuses to be confined by genre boundaries.” Is there a track that best represents this defiance, and how does it weave the different threads of black, heavy, and thrash together?
I think the track that represents that mindset best is “La Noche de las Gaviotas.” It’s an 11-minute epic where we allowed ourselves to go completely outside the boundaries and just follow the atmosphere.
It moves through black metal intensity, death/thrash aggression, and classic heavy metal riffing, but it also includes more theatrical moments—acoustic passages and even a horror-soundtrack type of theme. It feels like a full story-driven journey, and that’s exactly what Sons of Hades is about.
9. Lyrically, what dwells within the “Tombs of the Blind Dead”? Are these personal demons, historical horrors, or purely mythological narratives?
It’s pure horror fiction, 100%. The “Tombs” are filled with cursed stories, occult rituals, undead nightmares, and dark characters—more like film and literature brought to life through metal than anything personal or historical.
We’re not writing confessional lyrics about real life. We’re building a haunted world and letting each track tell its own grim tale.
10. For a band with members from thrash (Sacral Rage), death (Necrovorous), and black/heavy backgrounds, how does the songwriting process work? Is it democratic, or led by specific riffs from Apostolis?
Most of the songwriting starts with Apostolis bringing the main riffs and the skeleton of the songs. That’s usually the spark and the direction. But once the material enters the rehearsal room, it becomes a full band process—everyone adds their character through arrangement choices, dynamics, and how the parts are performed.
So it’s led by riffs at the beginning, but the final result is definitely collective. Having members from thrash, death, and black/heavy backgrounds helps a lot, because different instincts come into play, and the songs naturally evolve without being confined to one formula.
11. What does the “old-school” philosophy mean to Sons of Hades in 2025? Is it about recording techniques, songwriting ethos, or a specific spiritual approach to metal?
For us, “old-school” is mainly a mindset. It’s about writing songs with character, riffs that stay with you, and a feeling that’s raw and honest—not over-calculated or trend-driven. We want the music to sound alive, with real dynamics, because emotion is everything.
Of course it also affects the production choices: we avoid overpolishing and we don’t want everything edited into perfection. But it’s not about copying the past—it’s about keeping that spirit of intensity, darkness, and authenticity, while still hitting with modern power and clarity.
12. The press release promises the album “obliterates the line between the old and the extreme.” In your view, what is that line, and why did it need destroying?
To us, that “line” is the idea that metal has to stay in separate boxes—classic heavy metal on one side and extreme metal on the other, as if they can’t coexist without one cancelling the other out. We never believed in that separation, because the roots are connected. Heavy metal gave us the riffs and the dark melody, and extreme metal gave us the violence, the cold atmosphere, and the intensity.
It needed destroying because we wanted to write freely, without taboos. If a song demanded a heavy metal hook and then a black/thrash eruption, we followed it. That’s how Sons of Hades stays honest—old-school in spirit, extreme in impact, and never confined by labels.
13. With such a formidable debut ready, are you planning to translate the album’s dark atmosphere to the live stage, and what would a Sons of Hades ritual look like?
Absolutely. The live show is where this album truly comes alive. We want to translate the same dark atmosphere and intensity to the stage—not just play the songs, but make the crowd feel like they’ve stepped into the world of Tombs of the Blind Dead.
14. Looking beyond November 7th, does this album feel like the opening chapter of a larger saga for Sons of Hades? What other dark corners are you eager to explore musically?
Yes, it definitely feels like the opening chapter. Tombs of the Blind Dead is the moment where the band’s identity becomes fully real—our sound, our atmosphere, our world. It also sets the foundation for what Sons of Hades can become. As I said before, Sons of Hades are always willing to break the music boundaries, so we’ll see what’s about to follow.
15. For a listener about to descend into the Tombs of the Blind Dead, what is the one essential piece of advice you would give them before pressing play?
When you press play, a cursed doorway opens and drags you into the depths of a dark journey. You may not be prepared. You will headbang, you will feel anxiety and fear, and you will end up singing along to the melodies.
Enter at your own risk.
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