Cyprus isn’t the largest of islands, but seems to have a decent metal scene. Winter’s Verge aren’t the first band we’ve featured from there and I doubt they’ll be the last…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Hello, Miguel here from Winter’s Verge! We are from Cyprus!
How did you meet?
I kind of knew George from the general metal scene in Cyprus, we were both active in different bands in the early 2000’s. One day in 2005 I see an online request looking for a bass player for a new epic/power metal band, and considering that’s my favourite style I decided to go for it and here we are!
How long have you been playing as a band?
The band started in 2004, I ed in 2005. The lineup has changed over the years, with the current lineup in place from 2019.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Winter is a mystical, magical time which has a special and unique vibe. There is a combination of dark and light, with a certain atmosphere. That is the type of vibe we try to get with our music.
What are your influences?
Many of the usual influences with this type of music! Iron Maiden of course, along with Stratovarius, Edguy, Sonata Arctica, Blind Guardian and so forth – also the individual band all bring along their own influences in playing, a few of us also play extreme metal so we bring a few techniques from there, as well as the cold, harsh atmosphere of black metal making the occasional appearance, as well as some more groovy style riffs like Machine Head, Megadeth and Pantera. Most of us also have studied music at university and we all have a deep appreciation for classical music – that makes a big impression on the sound
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Well like I described earlier, we have a pretty diverse set of influences and we try to bring them all together in as cohesive a way as possible! We try to keep a signature sound of the melodies used with the type of atmosphere we get from the symphonic arrangements, along with George’s voice. We’ve been doing this for a while now and we think we have our own identity – every band needs to find it.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
We deal a lot with fantasy and mythological themes – especially central European werewolf/vampire mysteries along with other fantasy settings. We always have songs about the sea on our albums – we live on an island, so the sea has always played a big part of our own background and that of our heritage!
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We try to really get our energy across to the crowd. We’re not a band that just comes to the stage, stands still playing the songs and then leaves, we try to engage with the crowd and really get into it. George always makes the crowd sing along and take part! And how many shows? I honestly have no clue, it’s been 16 years now… hundreds? There is no way to count!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
At a Winter’s Verge show? Not much, really – we’re quite professional on stage and are well-prepared so we’ve never had any nasty surprises fortunately!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
We all use a bunch of different gear. I personally use my custom-made Marleaux bass and Mesa Boogie amplifiers for Winter’s Verge, but none of us are tied down with endorsement deals. We use whatever is best for the moment!
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We’re looking to release our fifth full-length album, The Ballad of James Tig. It’s been in the works for a while now, and is a bit different from our previous albums, but it’s definitely Winter’s Verge! We’re waiting for the right time to do it, as things are kind of complicated now…
What are your plans for 2020?
Well, as you may imagine, all of our plans have been cast into doubt for the time being due to the coronavirus! We’re all self-isolating at home for the moment, which means we all have a chance to practice more and write music. This is time we’re using well at least! Should this all get under control sooner rather than later, we’ll be fully intending on playing a bunch of promotion shows for the album, and choosing the perfect time to release it.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be ing and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
Personally, I would love to play with Powerwolf! They have a great, epic sound, and their fantasy/folklore/mythology themes and vibe would fit perfectly with us! I think a lot of Powerwolf fans would like our music, so it would be a great combo!
Opening for us, I would really like to have Adastia, a great Romanian epic band we played with when we visited!
Header image by Maria Engler
Winter’s Verge: facebook | bandcamp | youtube | spotify
