Lefki Symphonia

Lefki Symphonia has a strong history in rock music. They were the first Greek band to make an appearance on MTV—groundbreaking, to say the least, and they spent most of their time between 1986 and the year 2000 on tour. Since the project’s creation in 1984, Lefki Symphonia has amassed a dedicated, strong following that still grows today. Their fifth album is set for release this year, making this their first album release since 1996. After taking a listen to their latest single, “Mehri Ton Thanato (Until Death),” I think you’ll be very interested in this upcoming album. It has the production quality, movement, and depth any connoisseur of musical darkness would long for. The experience is there, it shows, and it’s really quite good.

Lefki Symphonia’s front man, Theodoros, isn’t only influenced by the some of the post-punk greats of the early 80s, but also by other projects that have helped shape and stylize the gothic rock/dark wave scene we know today. Theodoros has the talent and the voice to support the band’s next release and any other future endeavors we might look forward to.

I had a few questions for Theodoros related to the upcoming album SanTon Ilio (Like The Sun), and a few questions beyond the music itself.

How would you compare your methods of writing and recording music today with methods used in the past?

Writing and recording music today is for us an easier, more enjoyable and not so costly procedure as it was in the past. Productionwise we are very satisfied with the sound and aesthetics of the new material of our new album. We tried to take advantage of our experience in song writing and arranging through the years and focused on revealing the essence and inner worlds of each song.
The first single and video ‘’Mehri Ton Thanato (Until Death)’’ came out on 12 September of 2019 and it does very well. A new single and video titled ‘’SanTon Ilio (Like The Sun)’’ will be out at the end of January and the new album with the same title will be available digitally in February and physically on LP and CD in March by Labyrinth Of Thoughts and Lab Records.

How do you respond to fans when they ask about the project’s hiatus?

We never really officially broke up. During the band’s hiatus, the fans have always been in contact with us. They posted videos and audio stuff of our songs in YouTube, making dedicated pages in Facebook. Our fans kept asking if there is any possibility that we would re-unite. The re-union happened in January 2017, when we decided to meet again in the studio and play a selection of songs out of the four previous albums and play a concert in a large Athenian venue. After this we did about 25 concerts in Greece. During this period we started writing new material and played some of it live.

Can you tell us about anything specific that seems to ignite your creative side?

One of my permanent concerns is the ways that authorities and organized religions force and educate people to isolate and hurt, mentally or physically, an individual when it happens to differ from the masses. My lyrics also deal with the constant inner struggles and suffering that each one of us has to go through during his lifetime. First of all to discover and accept oneself. Then the endless revolt against these cruel global economic, military, religious systems and beliefs in order to change things for the better. The isolation and coldness of the modern way of life, the numbness of the senses, the pain of life, the death of love and the loss of sincerity and friendship, the utopian idea of a free way of living are themes that I try to explore and express lyrically. Musically I always look for strange sounding melodies, themes with dark and mysterious overtones that create mystic, dangerous and strange atmospheres.

How do you feel about the evolution of rock music since the 1980s?

The velocity and easiness of communicating and exchanging musical ideas and inspirations, as well as the evolution of recording studios and techniques, the ever expanding experience of generations of rock musicians has helped modern rock bands to evolve and produce new exciting material. I really enjoy the endless possibilities of discovering and hearing bands from all over the world that play new stuff with references to the past. It is great to have the chance to check out new musical ideas in composing, playing and performing; blending styles and genres. I believe this is a great time for rock music.

I hear a very pleasing, dark theme in the new single Until Death. What genre(s) do you identify your project with, or are there several?

The Doors and the psychedelic bands of the sixties were the first to introduce me in the dark, revolutionary and adventurous aspect of rock music. The two albums of Joy Division were my first glimpse into the world of post punk. This guided me to start listening to the great dark and mysterious bands of the era: The Cure, Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees. The concert of The Birthday Party in 1982 and two years later that of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in Athens were revelations for me. In February 1984 Lefki Symphonia was formed and we began to play our own songs with a new wave-post punk sound and with Greek dark lyrics. I would identify the today’s sound of the band with the modern post punk sound, with elements of industrial, gothic rock and 80’s new wave.