Krushya is a thrash metal band from Patras(Greece) and Joanna Gkonas contacted the band on behalf of Metalwar.gr and below is the interview!
Hello Krushya and welcome to Metalwar.gr!
-Jo: You are a band from Patras, to tell your story, how you met and created your group and what is the role of each of you in the band!
-Krushya: Welcome to Joe and Metalwar, our honor for hosting!
The history of Krushya is a long story that begins at the beginning of the new millennium in the city of Patras.
Let’s take things from the beginning, though, and as briefly as possible.
Before Krushya in the mid-90’s, we had already started as teenagers playing with another band consisting of four people which disbanded.
So basically the creation of Krushya came from the two members of the previous band with whom we used to know, but even today we keep in touch.
Krushya was founded by bassist-singer Vangelis Papadopoulos and drummer Sotiris Douvas in 2000 with a thirst for metal music!
Today, in 2025, the band’s lineup has undergone many changes, which has to do mainly with the demanding nature of this musical genre, but also with the unprofessionalism that unfortunately pervades many “musicians” and not only, nowadays.
The core of Krushya has always been three people, bass-vocals, guitar, drums, as they are now, with different faces on drums and guitar.
But as the years go by and the playing demands grow, we made an effort to collaborate for a period of time with a second guitarist, which took us back another year and a half, from our already limited time for our new release, unfortunately in vain, something that has been repeated too many times in the past.
In the countryside, unfortunately, it is even more difficult to find the right people in this genre and in general (even one) and if they are found, they will already collaborate with other bands.
To close our long answer, the lineup of the band now is:
Vagellis Papadopoulos-Bass-vocals, Apostolis Karalis-Drums, Chris Kalogeropoulos-guitars.
-Jo: An original question, what does the name of the band mean and how did you think of it?
-Krushya: And yet in our case the question stands very well hahaha!
We found the name Krushya in an internet café with Sotiris in the year 2000 from the information that the internet provided us at the time.
It specifically means “funeral silence” in Hindi, as the very early internet informed us at the time.
Now nowadays, there is no information about this name on the internet, as India includes more than 400 languages and dialects of different language families.
We can say that this is a completely rare phenomenon that arose without our knowledge and distinguishes us from other bands hahahaha.
-Jo: Last full album”. Dogma.” and then came a single “Unholy Trinity” (very strong track with a very strong social message for humanity). Do you want to tell us about these works of yours?
-Krushya: First of all, thank you very much for your words, regarding the powerful social message of “Unholy Trinity” to humanity! After all, this was the purpose of its creation.
“Unholy Trinity” is a precursor single to our new album called “Doominion”, which we have already started recording and is the continuation of “. Dogma.”.
The theme goes as follows. A new doctrine has now been established in a new dystopian society destroying everything old, the domination of its wretched as well as the consequences against us since we allow it,
is described in our new album called with a pun “Doominion”, instead of Dominion, from Doom-condemnation.
Our new album which we are writing at Flowers In Concete Patras Studio is expected to be released later this year with new elements that indicate perhaps a new style and path, but always with our personal stamp as a band.
“Unholy Trinity” is here to prepare the listener for our new album, describing the three pillars of social psychological manipulation, a type of social influence that aims to change the behavior or perception of others through deceptive or insidious tactics.
Jo: When you write music or lyrics where does your inspiration come from?
-Krushya: Very good question, since the source of our inspiration for music and lyrics is the society that surrounds us all.
An inexhaustible source of inspiration that our world has to offer, as well as some actions for which we alone are responsible and how we could turn these actions in our favor, since the power comes from within us individually, combined with the numerical volume of citizens around the world, Which stands in stark contrast to the handful of mentally ill authoritarians who are trying to lead us down their dark paths by recommending that we all wear the blinders made in their factories.
-Jo: Your signature style, although it combines elements of thrash, death, grindcore maybe other genres, is not lost, how do you guys?
-Krushya: We hear this often, thank you for mentioning it yourself, if anything we are really honored that in an era with thousands of bands known and unknown we have managed to maintain our characteristic style for 25 years.
Indeed, our music combines death/thrash/gridcore with thrashcore-crust-hardcore passages from the Greek scene of the 90’s with which we grew up and have assimilated into our music during our musical career.
Regarding our vocal parts and their placement on the music, there the combinations are even more than simple rock tracks even older chronologically.
The main reason, however, is that the whole composition has always been done and is done by one Vangelis, of course putting their hand all for the best possible result.
Jo: Where are we going to give the Oscar for the artwork cover?
-Krushya: And the Oscar Goes To: Aetherian Art and Rafaela Misiri.
What I admire about the covers of AetherianArt and Rafaela is the mysticism that surrounds this style just as it does in “. Dogma.” but also on the single “Curse of Death” single, a precursor to the then”. Dogma.”.
Never in 25 years have we put out a cover of a different style, such as splatter, or anything that supposedly imposes this musical style. The theme of each album plays a big role The single of course.
There are no impositions on musical creation nor restrictions on the inspiration of each of us. Besides, we want to encourage the listener to understand the combination of each cover with the music contained in each album separately.
Somewhere here, however, it is worth noting that Rafaela of Aetherian Art, does not deal exclusively with artwork covers, this is because we have been partners for 16 years.
Which is difficult to work with, as easy as it may seem for some hahaha.
It took us a long time with many disagreements until we came up with the final plan, but I think the result was worth it and vindicated us!
-Jo: How difficult is it for a band based in the province to promote its work, in Patras there is support from the people? In general, the Greek scene is supported, does it have a future?
Krushya: Now you raised a big issue.
A band based in the countryside is even more difficult to promote its work unlike the capital, we are a small country of 10 million of which almost half live in Athens.
This automatically means that if you do a concert in the countryside it will gather far fewer people, compared to a capital city that is outnumbered.
Numbers don’t lie no matter how you play, however you play, and that’s a fact.
From then on, the promotion is now also done through social media without negating the above facts, even if someone from social, from another city or the capital really learns and likes you, they will not travel to listen live to a band either from Patras, Volos, Larissa, etc, etc, without of course blaming anyone, It’s not easy for everyone and it’s completely understandable.
Finally, in Patras in particular, the few people selectively support the few bands we have, the Greek scene must change mentalities such as, “they will eat our “glory”, “we do not play with new bands”, “we are better”, “we only play in shops” or “do not spoil our image” and clearly some unacceptable behaviors of some.
That’s in a city that has a few bands, counted on the fingers of one hand.
For us personally, these are funny and belong to the imagination that each one has created individually in his mind and we do not embrace such tactics, after all we all have the same goal and we all face the same difficulties.
Finally, the Greek scene has a bright future, it is enough for some “known unknowns” of magazines and not only who praise 40 years of the same great Greek bands that made their career, to stop doing this and start dealing with the many new bands that are clearly the future, when the old ones leave, as is normal.
If there is money, you might go one step further than the other, but that’s about it.
Jo: If you were going back in time anymore is the advice would you give yourselves now starting the band?
Krushya: My personal opinion is that nothing happens by chance, developments around us are changing rapidly.
This gives an answer to your question that whatever advice we give, events would probably take the same turn.
Maybe we would accept some proposals that we had rejected at the time as teenagers for abroad, since the reviews, sales and salaries we had at the time, were very good and especially since everything we did was self financed, but again we can not know if things would be worse or better because again we would have the same obligations (schools, universities, social stereotypes, etc., etc.)
A band is a collaboration of different personalities that needs patience, perseverance and equality.
The only advice we would give to everyone who is starting now is, be careful who you work with, make a circle so that you can stand in the patchwork of the music industry without haste, meet other bands, support other bands as you want them to support you too, organize concerts together.
Unite, we are all together in this struggle.
Jo: What skills are the most useful in the music industry today and how much do they help bands?
-Krushya: Very interesting question! I will try to mention some that of course does not mean that if you do you will succeed. To help a band in a minimal percentage MAYBE.
Most importantly. Creativity and composition: The ability to write original pieces (difficult nowadays).
Bands that stand out often possess strong songwriting skills.
Marketing: Understanding how to promote your music through social networks, platforms and ads. Almost everyone does this anyway, of course, nowadays.
Networking: The ability to develop relationships with other artists, (as we said in the question above) producers, promoters.
Concert Performance: The ability to perform live with energy and professionalism is key.
Concerts are also a source of income for a band.
Sound engineering and production: Perhaps the most basic. A strong production attracts the listener. Look for your own sound engineer, specializing in your sound!
Finally, organization – time management: The ability to organize rehearsals, recordings and concerts is important for the proper and healthy functioning of a band.
It doesn’t matter if you play in one H in two bands, appetite is needed (if you play in more choose the one that fills you the most, DO NOT waste your precious time, DO NOT spend).
These are the most useful skills today, whether they help bands I think not much, is a vicious circle since everyone does all this, some less others more the bands are thousands.
Every year about a billion albums are released by acquaintances and strangers, with acquaintances being promoted much more.
Why do you think your band will stand out? (Food for thought for new bands and beyond, this question everyone should ask.)
Jo: There are a lot of new bands and so many new releases. Do you think it’s good that it’s happening or is it too much for the metal lover? How difficult is it for a new band to stand out and become known?
-Krushya: The new bands are hundreds of thousands, known unknown as we mentioned above, as millions are the releases that come out every year as the previous answer closed and as the years go by this increases.
If it’s excessive; This depends, one thing for a simple listener, another if you have a band (which again you are a listener with completely different criteria though).
For the casual listener it may be good because it has millions of music choices, on the other hand, in the midst of all this chaos bands that have paid the most will be shown and as every algorithm now does, it will put them first.
Somewhere, the meaning of good music creation is lost and replaced by the money of each band.
For example, a worthy band may not have the money it needs just for the essentials and thus never have the impact it deserves, unless someone searches targeted, which again requires a promotion so that someone can search targeted.
For a new band to stand out nowadays it has to have money for the simple basics like, manager, merchandise, production, studios, covers, social, sound engineer, things that everyone now just has some to a greater extent than others.
It is almost impossible I would say from personal experience for a new band to become known and when we say known we do not mean globally, of course, but domestically first if you are lucky.
Everything else is fantasy scenarios unfortunately.
-Jo: Upcoming gigs, appearances, presentation for your new release that we need to know?
-Krushya: A very interesting question with many answers hahaha!
First of all, somewhere here we should mention that in April 2024 as Krushya, we had organized a festival in Patras called Metal-Blast-Patras-Festival with free entrance to a concert hall in the student dormitory of Patras, which had a tremendous impact with a large number of people, something unprecedented for many in the city of Patras.
I took this initiative personally for two reasons, the first was the revival of our metal scene here in Patras and especially after what we were all deprived of during the quarantine and the second, to create a new circle of acquaintances and cooperation in the metal community, so that there is a flow between the groups.
Unfortunately, there was no flow.
We had three bands from Patras and two guests from Athens, the night was wonderful and the bands had a great time together with the people until the night it ended.
This year we will do it again, as well as some live shows probably in the same place, with more bands from other regions of Greece since in Patras last time unfortunately some local bands did not support
with their participation in this project that was done for themselves, another answer to your previous question about the audience of Patras and whether it supports.
This year and after learning from our mistakes last year, we will of course be more careful in the selection of groups but also more careful in general.
As Krushya we hope to have completed our new album by then so that we can present some tracks.
We will definitely not have time to release the album until then, because at the same time a festival organization by one or two people, with a recording of a new album at a key point,
does not leave you room even the required time to do both correctly and as they should.
When we finish organizing the festival and finish our album, we intend to do a live album presentation and maybe even make it two bands collaborate, since 2025 will be a year with several new releases from the city of Patras.
-Jo: Someone who wants to find your job or get in touch with the band that finds you?
-Krushya: Krushya are on Bandcamp but also on all online music platforms!
Anyone interested in contacting us can contact us by emailing us or messenger-instagram, or on our website.
Email: krushyaband@gmail.com
https://krushya.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Krushya.band/
https://www.instagram.com/krushya_band/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk2JjRmKPW2Y2iFilU6tI0w
Anyone interested in listening to us or learning more about us, we leave you our linkTree which contains all the necessary elements and platforms.
https://linktr.ee/krushya
Thanks For Your Time Guys
With Metal Greetings Jo
Thank you very much for this wonderful and informative interview!
Metal greetings Joe to the whole Metal War team and of course to the readers!
Support to our bands, who sweat for everyone with love and of course, to those around us!
Keep Up The Metal Spirit.
Interview – Text: Joanna Gkonas
