On the occasion of the anniversary live celebrating thirty-five years of the band’s presence in the Greek scene, metalwar.gr got in touch with Nikos Christogiannis, one of the two long-standing members of Deviser throughout all these years. Below you can read everything that was said.

Spyros: Hello and thank you very much for this interview!!
Nick: We warmly thank you, Spyros, for the platform Metalwar gives us, for your time, and for your interest in Deviser. We sincerely wish you success and, above all, good health. Our scene truly needs beautiful efforts like Metalwar’s!

Spyros: We would like you to mention the most important moments of the band’s thirty-five-year journey.
Nick: There have been many moments, some beautiful, some difficult—just like life itself. We hold on to the best ones and those that marked us as a band. I’ll mention a few that I personally consider milestones for Deviser.
Unspeakable Cults — definitely a landmark album for the band and our first beloved child (our debut).
The live show with Venom at OAKA in 1997!
Our first live show with Rotting Christ and Ancient Rites at Agathi Club in May 1993 — essentially the first black metal live show in Greece with a foreign band.
I also remember the sold-out two-night show with Tiamat during the Clouds era in 1994 at the legendary An Club, as well as the headline mini tour we did in the Netherlands in 1994, among many others.

Spyros: How do you remember the Greek scene, especially the Greek black metal scene, and how do you experience it today?
Nick: In the ’90s we were few and far between. Without mobile phones, we somehow knew where to meet. Information spread by word of mouth. We recorded tapes for each other to discover new music. Everything we did to promote our music happened through regular mail.
Those were hard, “stone” years. Everything was much more pure and real. No internet, no mobiles, no social media. It was very expensive to make an album. A single tape reel cost 285,000 drachmas — almost two and a half monthly salaries at the time — just to own the reel, without studio recording costs.
You had to truly be a skilled player since there was no editing like today. That’s why there were fewer bands, and many of the best albums came out in the ’90s. A serious production required millions of drachmas — an unattainable dream for many. Communication with labels was done by phone, letters, or fax. You waited for the post office. No DHL tracking. We always lived in the unknown.
Under these conditions, Greek black metal was born. Years later it grew massively, and today it stands at the top, thanks to countless sacrifices and hardships by the major bands of that era.
Today everything is different. With one click you’re everywhere. You can get lost in the overload of information and bands out there. In some ways it helps; in others, it confuses. For me, it’s balanced.
Now you can create a basic production at home if you have some technical knowledge. Huge differences. Many bands, many subgenres in black metal. But I’ll emphasize this: the Greek scene right now is at the top of the global music industry, and it truly makes us proud.

Spyros: What is that flame that keeps burning inside you after so many years?
Nick: It’s our passion for musical creation and expression. We never stopped playing music, even during our recording hiatus. It’s our life and oxygen.
We may have grown older, but when we step on stage, we feel just like we did back then—only with more experience. We constantly study composition, orchestration, music technology. We invest in equipment. Personally, I still experiment with synth sounds. Music has no boundaries for us.
For example, I might run three synths in parallel through MIDI and experiment, or route the bass through a synth into a vocoder to create a unique sound using filters. In the past, we even sampled our guitarist’s cat — we turned its meow into a violin sound for demo recordings.
That’s the magic of music: creation. To invent and build something new. Instinct alone isn’t enough—you must study to truly be a musician. Otherwise, you’ll reach saturation sooner or later.
Only then can you give new breath to the genre and develop your own identity. You must dare in order to mature musically. Today’s Deviser have high standards and superior quality in composition and orchestration. That’s why you hear techniques like fugue and counterpoint even in Evil Summons Evil, something very few bands use anymore.
And of course, the audience keeps us strong. Without their support, we wouldn’t exist.

Spyros: In 2023 you released Evil Summons Evil, an album that made a strong impression. What has the feedback been like?
Nick: We were anxious after many years without a release, but the first reviews in the international press and the high scores in major European magazines immediately lifted our spirits.
We saw tremendous response from the audience, with the highest percentage of sales recorded in the U.S., both digitally and physically. That’s very important, since it’s the biggest market in the world.
We still receive messages from all over the world — America, Latin America, even the Philippines and Japan. Recently, at our show in Istanbul, a fan flew in from Iran just to see us at IF Beşiktaş. We didn’t even know people listened to us in those countries.
At our live show at Temple Athens, people will also come from Germany and Norway, as well as from Crete and Thessaloniki. We truly thank them all!

Spyros: What is the timeline for the new release?
Nick: After our live show at Temple Athens, at the end of March, we’ll officially begin recording our sixth album. Production will once again be handled by Psychon of Septicflesh.
I believe the new album will likely be released in the second half of 2027.

Spyros: Tell us about the anniversary live show on Saturday, March 7.
Nick: We’ve prepared the biggest set in our history. We’ll cover a large part of Unspeakable Cults and Evil Summons Evil, plus songs from Transmission to Chaos and Running Sore — a special set spanning Deviser’s entire history.
It will be a big celebration, with historic Lloth and the explosive Ignominous from Thessaloniki joining us. Special guest will be Mario’s from Lucifer’s Child, who will perform a special track with us.
Eleni Iosif has prepared a ritual choreography that will create a magical atmosphere. And there will be more surprises — the rest will happen on stage!

Spyros: There will also be an anniversary beer available.
Nick: As lovers of quality beer, we always wanted our own label — something special, without commercial intent. Last summer in Kalamata we discovered Kalamata’s Beer Company. We were impressed by the quality and contacted them — they were fans of the band too.
Together we created a dark label and a unique Pilsner recipe. High-quality ingredients, unpasteurized, unfiltered, no preservatives. It will be available at Temple and at the afterparty at Skeleton Bar.

Spyros: What do you feel when you’re on stage?
Nick: There’s no more beautiful feeling — especially when the audience responds. It’s awe. On stage, you forget everything — fatigue, problems, worries. That’s where a band truly gains strength to continue.

Spyros: What are the most important concerts you’ve played?
Nick: Opening for Venom at OAKA in 1997. The crowd’s screams, a sea of metal fans. Police escorted us to the stage — I thought we were being arrested! It was magical. Those who were there know.

Spyros: How do you see the future?
Nick: We don’t want to make big statements. We want to focus 100% on writing a new album — something that will last and be synonymous with the Deviser name and quality. We’ll speak through our music. The rest will follow soon.

Spyros: Close this interview with a message to your fans.
Nick: Thank you, Spyros, and Metalwar. We’re waiting for you all on Saturday, March 7 at Temple Athens — old and new friends — to experience a night we’ll remember for a long time and to raise our glasses together!

Thank you all warmly.
See you on Saturday.
The fire still burning bright.

Interview – Text: Spyros Tribos