The year 2001 brought a new band to Greece, one focused on thrash metal. Suicidal Angels, for that is who we’re talking about, started their journey with covers of songs they loved, from artists like Slayer and Sepultura, and gradually created their own identity.
“Thrash metal hit me hard as a teenager. I listened to Slayer’s «Show No Mercy» for months on repeat. That’s when I knew what I wanted to do. Of course, after Slayer, I started discovering the whole «planet of thrash metal», and I was like, «Oh yeah, that’s what I’m going to do»”, states Nick Melissourgos, founding member, vocalist, and guitarist.
And he followed his plan, reaching a vast discography that includes albums such as “Eternal Domination” [2007], “Bloodbath” [2012], “Years of Aggression” [2018], and the more recent “Profane Prayer” [2024], which will resound once more at Quantic, Bucharest, Romania, during MorbidFest 2025.
Suicidal Angels during their latest show in Quantic, 18 September 2025
© Anca Coleașă
Hello, Nick. It’s a pleasure to have you on the pages of Din Întunerec. You’ve been in Romania before, and people really appreciate your music.
Nick Melissourgos: That’s good to hear, thanks.
Let’s start from the beginning. How was it for you when you started Suicidal Angels?
Nick Melissourgos: Back in 2001 I was still in school. Suicidal Angels started as a school project. We were just playing covers of bands we liked, Slayer, Sepultura, stuff like that.
Later we began writing our own songs, recording some demos. By 2003 I met Orpheas Tzortzopoulos, the drummer. Some of the original guys had left for universities outside Athens, so I replaced them. The rest is history.
Why thrash metal and not something else?
Nick Melissourgos: Thrash metal hit me hard as a teenager. I listened to Slayer’s “Show No Mercy” for months on repeat. That’s when I knew what I wanted to do. Of course, after Slayer, I started discovering the whole “planet of thrash metal”, and I was like, “Oh yeah, that’s what I’m going to do”.
“The whole «planet of thrash metal”, you say! Care to tell me more names?
Nick Melissourgos: Absolutely. Kreator, Sodom, early Morbid Angel stuff, Deicide, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, Anthrax, Dark Angel, Death Angel. The catalogue is never ending. I still love all this stuff.
Quite a catalogue! Now, going back to 2007, what do you remember about recording the first album, “Eternal Domination”?
Nick Melissourgos: In the past, we had the chance to sign a contract with a label called Old School Metal Records [OSM Records] from California. The owner was a Swiss guy living in California, and he liked old school thrash metal. He signed us and even gave us some money to work on the production. Not for the whole thing, but at least half of it.
We entered the studio somewhere in late 2005, beginning of 2006, and just started recording. I remember using a shitload of amplifiers and equipment because we wanted to make it big. We didn’t have the experience yet, but in the end, it was a really nice result. Not a DIY thing, but definitely a good one. Actually, a very strong beginning.
You have a very consistent discography, if you ask me. Does each album represent something different for you as a band?
Nick Melissourgos: Every album represents a different era of the band. How we saw things back then, how we saw things later, how we see things now. We started touring, meeting people, doing shows, being around. We became a recognisable name, and we were really happy about that. We loved the energy of the audience and the people following us. What we wanted was to give it back to them with every album. With every album, we’re trying to evolve ourselves. We have to move forward.
We try to bring something new, of course, within the borders and perspective of thrash metal music. So we’re just trying to make music for our people who are following us, and for ourselves as well.
Many consider “Division of Blood” [2016] and “Profane Prayer” [2024] amongst your most aggressive works. What’s your personal view on how your sound has evolved, both musically and lyrically?
Nick Melissourgos: With “Division of Blood”, it was a change. But we also had a change with “Bloodbath” in 2012 and with “Years of Aggression” in 2018. Then COVID-19 fucked up the whole thing. It took us around four years until quarantine stopped and we were allowed to get back to the rehearsal space, back into the studio, back into rehearsing and composing. And we reached “Profane Prayer”, which has nine songs that are totally different from each other. I would say they represent my nine different personalities.
Can you tell me more about the first track, “When the Lions Die”, from the last album?
Nick Melissourgos: The inspiration behind it has to do with philosophical meanings. It references the three stages of human existence based on the philosophy of Nietzsche, who I’m a big fan of. I think somebody has to read Nietzsche to get the actual meaning. Not just the song itself, but the whole philosophy behind “When the Lions Die”. According to Nietzsche, there are three different stages of human existence: first the camel, then the lion, and then the child. That’s what inspired me to write this song.
Food for the thought. Generally, when you write lyrics, do you see yourself as defining the meaning, or do you believe the meaning emerges through the listener’s interpretation?
Nick Melissourgos: Good question. Look, the thing is that sometimes you’re writing lyrics just like painting. What you write and what somebody else receives, it’s a totally different approach. I don’t give any specific meaning from my side to X, Y, Z. I prefer to let them get their own meaning out of it.
I write something, I express myself. For me, maybe it means red. For X, maybe it means green. You know what I’m saying? For me, it’s way more interesting to listen to how people receive it, instead of giving a meaning that someone has to follow.
I am always saying, “Just read it. If you like it, okay. If you don’t like it, it’s still okay. But you’re still going to get the meaning”. And for me, that’s the most important thing.
I’ve heard people say that one song reminds them of something with their mum, with their dad, with an ex, with a car accident, with whatever. So it’s better to leave people to get their own interpretation.
I try to touch their feelings somehow with the lyrics, but it’s going to be from a different perspective from their side, because we translate it in different ways.
Interesting approach. Out of all the songs from the album, which one was the hardest to compose?
Nick Melissourgos: All of them, because we always wanted to change something in our way of making the songs. We didn’t want to repeat ourselves, and we still don’t want to do that. And for this, we needed and need to go deep into our brains, souls, hearts, whatever.
We released “Bloodbath” in 2012. We could repeat Bloodbath again and again and again. But to what end? It would be pointless.
We like searching around, and searching around is difficult itself, not only for one song, but all of them.
Suicidal Angels during their latest show in Quantic, 18 September 2025
© Anca Coleașă
Suicidal Angels during their latest show in Quantic, 18 September 2025
© Anca Coleașă
Understood. You have been recently in Romania. How did you feel coming back to our land?
Nick Melissourgos: Great! Romania is a nice country. Sadly, for some years we haven’t been so much present because we had other obligations here and there. But when the things changed, we were very happy to be back, revisit, first of all, the country, revisit all our friends and people here.
Bucharest is a beautiful city. I still remember my first time in 2005. We had our first show in Bucharest. It was actually our first show abroad out of Greece, and we were like, “We’re going to play in another country. Fuck!” That was an adventure, let’s call it like that.
We are close as nations, you know, Greek and Romanian. We share stuff. So it feels really, really comfortable being here.
During our last performance in Romania we played some songs we didn’t play in many years. We wanted a change in this regard as well, so we went like, “Why not try and do some other stuff?”
Another thing I want to ask you is about the metal community from Greece. From what I know, you had quite a strong community. How is it now?
Nick Melissourgos: It’s even stronger. The bands are growing stronger. And also the whole scene is growing stronger.
I remember when we started the whole thing, how difficult it was to go out of the borders, to participate on tours, to get a contract from a label, to get a booking agency and the whole package. But right now I see more and more bands breaking the borders and participating in tours or festivals. Bigger tours, smaller tours, single shows, festivals, small ones, bigger ones, whatever. There is activity. And this makes me satisfied.
I don’t say that that kind of music is good or that other kind of music is bad. Maybe it’s stoner, maybe it’s heavy metal, maybe it’s female fronted black metal, whatever. For me it’s really good that I see bands and even friends of mine that are trying to make the breakthrough. That’s, yeah, another satisfying thing.
What’s next for the band?
Nick Melissourgos: Touring, new album, touring again. That’s a whole chain.
Wish you good luck with that! Finally, one word for your supporters, for the people who bought your albums and come to your shows?
Nick Melissourgos: Join us in chaos!
Thanks for the interview.
Thank you, too!
