"We play music because we HAVE to play music and we couldn’t get through the weeks without it."
You might know Greece mainly for its beautiful beaches and ah-mazing food, but what you should already be aware if you follow Ronon's Reviews, is that Greece is also chock full of talented musicians, and that's exactly what we are focusing on today: Black Sun Ωmega, that not only have the most bad ass name in band's history, they also make great Metal tunes and hate racism. What's their flaw? They are not fans of Jägerbombs - oh well, no one's perfect.
Mags: Kalimera dudes! First of all, thank you for taking the time to talk to us, and I hope you’re enjoying the Greek summer... as much as you can in this climate at least! What plans do you have for the hot months?
Alex and Leonidas: Kalimera to you as well! First of all, it’s our pleasure to be having this discussion about the band, it gives us energy boosts to keep going. I have to tell you though that the Greek summer 's getting hotter every year and somedays are really hard to bear. At this point, we continue the effort started during quarantine to work on new material. We are happy to say that we have completed pre-production of 3 brand new tracks and working on some new ideas. M: Wow, well done, you have been really productive during this quarantine! But let's go back in time a bit, I think your fans would like to hear the origin story, how did Black Sun Ωmega come about? A&L: Well, BSΩ were formed in Patras, Greece in November 2018. All four of us have previous participation in local bands and we turned out to have a very good chemistry, so we thought we give it a try. We are quite different between us as personalities, and in my opinion that's one of the main factors that helped us evolve as a band. Additionally, there was material (riffs, lyrics, song forms) that was like 90% ready, which allowed for a rapid progress in terms of songwriting and feeling when playing. M: Opposites attract also in the music biz I see! Btw, I think your name is great, very Metal, how did you come up with it? A&L: The name came out of a depiction of a post-nuclear war landscape, emphasizing to a man- created sick sun, indicating mankind's non-stop ignorant efforts to destroy the whole natural habitat which is so badly needed to survive... Black Sun Ωmega suggests the last sun we'll ever see... M: Mmm sounds familiar, it could be where the world is heading... Anywho, I am a big fan of covers (when done well), how did you decide on ‘Witching Hour’ by Venom? A&L: Well to be perfectly honest, there were tons of candidate songs that we 'd like to cover, as we have done so in the past during live shows. One of the reasons we came up with this one is because we thought we should pay a tribute to a Metal music pioneer-band such as Venom and we were impressed and inspired in equal measures by the Slayer/Machine Head cover. So let's just say that it's a cover's cover after all :) 
M: Of course, there's no limit how many times a great song can get a cover! Talking of which, apart from yours of course, what is the best cover you’ve ever heard?
A&L: There are thousands of exceptional covers of all time classic songs and it would be a shame to refer to just one or a couple, but if I'm to make a distinction, I would say 'Rapid Fire' by Testament and 'The Hunt' by Sepultura. By the way, I would like to say here that a cover's purpose in the first place, is to perform the original song, your way. It would be pointless trying to imitate (poorly in most of the cases) the original performance. M: YES, exactly, you gotta make it your own! Let's talk gigs now, I’ve read you are doing your first lot of touring this winter, is it still happening or has it been postponed? A&L: I truly don't know what to answer on this one. Conditions are changing rapidly and we try our best to follow. Many things have changed since the whole Covid pandemic burst out. Gigs we were eager to play have been cancelled, plans were changed, and along with them our priorities, so we tried to exploit as best as we could this uncertain period by working on new stuff. I have to tell you though that we’re discussing the possibility of a winter Eastern Europe tour on the first days of December which is likely to happen (unless a new lockdown occurs).
M: I'll keep all fingers crossed for you, and if you come to Italy you have to let us know! What stages would you like to play at if you could pick any venue/ festival?
A&L: Definitely small clubs of 250 people or so capacity. It is way more enjoyable for us and for the people as well. It's easier to establish an energy bond with the crowd and honestly when this happens, it's precious. This is a band's true reward. M: That is definitely the best way for the fans to get to know you. Also, massive congratulations on releasing your first album The Sum Of All Fears last December, how was the recording process? A&L: The recordings have lasted almost 3 months and took place in our studio. As for final production we collaborated with several friends, musicians and producers themselves who helped us in any way possible. I have to admit here that as a procedure it was quite stressful because we wanted to get the best we could out of numbered means in our hands. It's a complete DIY production and we all tried countless hours to get the best we could for our debut album...
M: That was quick, at this rate you should pop at least a couple of albums per year! What bands inspired you into becoming a musician in the first place and what bands influence the music you are making now with Black Sun Ωmega?
A&L: As I have mentioned above, all four of us are quite different as personalities with different views and opinions on music. To be more precise, some of us love bands which the others think they're just okay, but this alone as a fact helps in giving a multidimensional approach on writing new music. I think a perfect answer on our influences would be every single band which put few or more bricks to build modern Metal music. M: Sounds fair, compromise is at the base of any successful relationship. As far as I can tell, there’s no guest artists on The Sum Of All Fears, but if could have anyone dead or alive to be part of your next record, who would it be and why? A&L: Probably Chuck Schuldiner... And that comes from all four of us. 
Chuck Schuldiner
M: I see Chuck is a favourite for a lot of musicians... Following that train of thought, you’ve just been signed to do a massive worldwide tour, what two bands are you inviting to open for you and have a glass of Ouzo with afterwards for Europe, the States and Asia/Australia?
A&L: Just Slayer, but that is more than just a dream... As for the ouzo, another factor is that from what I know King's into Jägerbombs which I despite personally :)) M: I love Jägerbombs, but helps if you're already drunk before you have one. You mentioned you live in Patras, Greece, how’s the local music scene? A&L: Local scene has definitely seen better days with at least 2-3 concerts per month. Of course, in the last months there haven’t been any, due to the pandemic.
M: I can't wait for the gig situation to go back to normal, I can tell for a fact your fans miss you as much as you miss them. Let's talk about something way more serious now, I appreciate the FUCK RACISM banner on your Facebook page, do you like to send a message with your songs or this is just a basic human rights stand?
A&L: One does not cancel the other. We use music to express our feelings and our dislike of many things going wrong today in the world. Racism is one of them. Music is a universal language so we deemed it appropriate to use our page as a means to spread this message. M: Well said. With your debut The Sum Of All Fears you are getting a lot of deserved positive feedback, but moving forward, what direction are you planning on taking with your music? A&L: We are already in the middle of the writing process of our new album, which will follow a similar trend, with high speed riffs and a more mature sound. Of course, the goal is to play live, so we are preparing the groundwork to do that, too. M: Soon my friend, soon! The Sum Of All Fears cover art turned out to be somehow prophetic, how did you come up with that design? A&L: Honestly, it was a very good (bad?) coincidence that our cover art matches the current situation. As it seems, the Thrash Metal element of chemical warfare and stuff like that never gets old (haha). 
The Sum Of All Fears cover art
M: I always thought gas mask were pretty bad ass, until we started wearing one on a daily basis. Talking of daily, Is Black Sun Ωmega your full time occupation or you have a 9-5 job you go to, to pay the bills? A&L: We are not anywhere near being full time musicians, but that would be a dream come true. It is not something we do or something we believe someone should aim for actively, to make a living out of music just for the sake of it. We play music because we HAVE to play music and we couldn’t get through the weeks without it. Any economical benefits that may come from that are a profoundly welcomed bonus and assist to help us continue doing it. However, it is not to say that we do not have things we enjoy doing and doing them for a living. M: Heath Ledger's Joker says "If you're good at something, never do it for free". How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business? A&L: It is definitely a huge bonus. Small bands can be heard by anyone around the world. Back in the day, you’d have to be lucky to be an opening act on a local show in order to get people to notice you. Now, talent and good musical taste can be appreciated and supported easier than ever. M: That's a great viewpoint that I agree on, but a lot of musicians seems to hate the new technology because there is so much more competition. What are you currently working on? And what can you tell us about it? A&L: Check out our Quarantine Riffing video on YouTube to get a taste of the new material. 
M: Speaking of which, I’ve read that at the moment you are producing your first video-clip, what track is it for and can you tell us a bit about it?
A&L: All that we can say about this for now is that it will be for a new track that has yet to be heard from our audience ? M: Sounds like we just have to keep an eye on you guys! What is the best advice you’ve been given? A&L: People usually talk about not rushing things and being methodical. But the best advice we’ve been given is that sometimes you need to be spontaneous and go head in into opportunities. M: You miss 100% of the shots you don't take! If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be? A&L: If anything, people could appreciate a bit more the sweat and effort that goes into writing, practicing and performing music, which ties to the rewarding process of the musicians, which is the economic factor we talked about earlier. Anything else is just having to learn how to move around in the currents. M: To be honest, you guys just make it seem like it comes naturally! Name one album that you can never get tired of listening. A&L: 20 years ago, the answer would be different, but now we’ll say South of Heaven by Slayer. It combines musical and lyrical maturity with aggressiveness. We, as BSΩ, like to think that the song goes hand in hand with the lyrics. They are the sides of the same coin.
M: In what social media platforms can your fans find you and follow you?
A&L: We have a Facebook page and an Instagram page, a YouTube channel, a Bandcamp page and our music is distributed on all major streaming services like Spotify, iTunes etc. Be sure to follow and tune in for any news! M: What is one message you would give to your fans? A&L: We want you to express yourselves. Let you voices be heard, pass your message to the world and we’ll do our best to have our music empower you to do so. See you in the pit! M: Hells yea!!! Is there anything you’d like to say that we haven’t mentioned? Or would like to add? A&L: We just want to thank you for having us! M: Efcharistó Black Sun Ωmega, Ronon’s Reviews wish you a bright future of rocking hard! A&L: Parakaló Ronon’s Reviews! Have a nice one!
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