GUS DRAX
48h with Suicidal Angels
a different kind of interview
Chelf | MHF | August 2019
Their new album came out this August and we couldn’t be more hyped about that. After years of aggression a new piece of metal work is born, apparently out of hate.
It was the perfect timing for us to spend 24 hours with Gus of Suicidal Angels and see what they are up to.
Are they Doing a Sacred Dance with Chaos before hitting the gym, what did they have for breakfast, how many hours a day do they spend in the studio and what’s their weapon of choice when they head to the Endless War.
We most certainly have a lot of Bloody Ground to cover.
Day in the life.
Larisa, Greece.
9.00am Gus wakes up.
He goes for a morning run.
Are you a morning person? Is it really feasible for a professional musician to be a morning person?
I would say yeah, I am. I usually wake up around 9-10 in the morning, which is not super early, nor super late. I tend to work out a lot and I try to do my cardio every morning. It wakes me up and it’s good for my schedule to not have it for later. Saves time.
What are you running from? Please, name a thing you can’t stand.
Haha! I am not running away from anything or anyone. But, I can’t stand lazy and unreliable people. Does that count?
It sure does Gus.
Breakfast?
Nothing fancy at the moment cause I am on my cutting period. Just boiled eggs and a banana. Plus black coffee and I am ready to go.
10.00am – 12.00pm Guitar Practice
Studies suggest that there is often little benefit from practicing more than 4 hours per day, and that gains actually begin to decline after the 2-hour mark. Is that true?
You can practice for 2 hours and have great results and “practice” for 12 and have zero results. It’s not only how many hours you spend, it’s more important how much your brain is there. I have done 8-10-12 hours practicing schedules, to me it was harder mentally than physically. If you can stay focused you can definitely practice for way more than 4 hours and have great results.
12.00pm – 14.00pm Afternoon guitar lessons.
What’s the most common problem that you encounter as a teacher and how do you deal with it?
Without a doubt self-taught guys who come “to improve their skills ‘cause they’re stuck for a while”. 10 times out of 10 (Yep, EVERY time) guys who are self-taught have AT LEAST one BASIC thing of their technique, completely wrong. For example, how they place their fretting hand on the fretboard.
Some of them have an extra minus. Friends of theirs (who probably have no idea about guitar what so ever but anyway) make them believe they are great players so they have that kind of attitude. And you can see in them that they are there more to…hear how good they are than getting better.
So the usual scenario. They play some stuff I ask them to. And then I’m like… “You’re going to hate me and everything I’m about to say.”
Most of them accept it and they are like “Okay, what are we doing?” And I proceed to change their bad habits and rebuilt their playing.
Some of them still think they are great players and quit lessons.
14.00pm – 15.00pm More Guitar Practice
How do you convince yourself to get to work the days that you lack self-discipline or motivation?
To me discipline and consistency is the key to succeed anything, any goal you set in life.
So, if I have to do something, it’s there in my schedule, I WILL do it no matter what. No questions, nothing. You just get yourself together and do it!
15.30-17.00 Gym Time.
Does refusing going to the gym count as resistance training?
Haha! Unfortunately, no.
17-00pm -21.00pm /22.00pm Guitar Lessons.
21.00- 23.00 practice
23-00- 01.00 family-relaxing time
What do you do for fun Gus?
Usual stuff. I love hanging out with my girlfriend and friends, watching movies and series and stuff like that.
I love food, so having fun includes good food in one way or another. Going to a nice restaurant or cooking (not me haha) ordering (that’s more like me, yeah) something.
Stuff like that!
Athens, Greece
Another day, another city…
9:00am Gus wakes up.
10:00am-11:00am He hits the gym.
Does the band join you? Are you all gym enthusiasts?
From Sunburst, Nick and I, are the ones who work out more I would say.
From Suicidal, Angel and I are the lifters, while Nick is into running and some martial arts.
Breakfast
13:00pm-15:00pm rehearsing with Suicidal Angels.
How did you guys meet? Any interesting stories?
I met Vasilis Georgiou probably 15 years ago! He was a totally different person back then. And so was I. Our friendship and creation of Sunburst just came naturally I think a few years later.
Kostas, I met him through Black Fate’s bassist Vasilis Liakos. (Also played in the first days of Sunburst before meeting Nick). There was a mutual respect and it wasn’t long before we became friends and we actually started Sunburst together!
Nick, we met when he approached us for the bassist position in Sunburst. You know how sometimes you meet someone and everything just fits? That was what happened with Nick.
From Suicidal I first met Orfeas in 2010 in Sonisphere.
Angel and Nick, I met them when I was about to join Suicidal.
Nick and I first met and spent 12 days together in the studio when I went to Germany to record the “Division Of Blood” solos.
There was no time to lose so I went there and I was literally listening to the songs for the first time and I was composing and recording my solos right then and there.
15:00pm-17:00pm Lunch and Practice
How does your guitar practice approach differ when you are preparing for a live show or a concert? What are some of the things that you do to practice for preparing yourself to play guitar on stage?
I will for sure include practicing the songs in their entirety along with the backing tracks I have. Both sitting and standing up. I always go ready to the rehearsals.
17:00-22:00 Guitar Lessons
Is the following chart true?
Ηaha partially true. I guess some guitar players are like that. I think I don’t fall in this category though.
22.00-00.00 practice
Hold on. Can you please stop practicing for a moment and count your guitars?
How many do you own? Be honest.
I don’t need to stop. I can count them while practicing.
Haha! They are not that many. Five, at the moment.
00:00am-01:00am Relax
While you are relaxing, let’s give the following some thought: What do you have to say to those who claim that metal musicians are just posers?
I really have stopped thinking about stuff like that and people who think like that.
I honestly don’t care what other people think. I have no time for stuff and people like that.
I do my thing, I live my life the way I want. I play the kind of music I want and I dress how I want. If someone doesn’t like it they can move on with their lives because I definitely move on with mine!
Ok, now we are going to let you relax for real!
Don’t forget to check out Chelf’s visual diary of their show with Leprous, Rotting Christ and Slayer Link
See you soon!
Thank you for this interview. It was a pleasure.
See you soon!
Until the next one,
