DEVISER

DEVISER are:
Matt Chnaras – guitars, vocals
Vaggelis Kastanas – guitars
Nick Christogiannis – bass, keyboards

discography:
studio albums:
Unspeakable Cults (1996)
Transmission To Chaos (1998)
Running Sore (2002)
Seasons Of Darkness (2011)
EP’s:
The Revelation Of Higher Mysteries (1994)
Howling Flames (2017) feat. Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ)
compilation albums:
Thy Blackest Love – The Early Years (2003)
music videos:
Liber Animous (2002)
Black Mass (2017)
Death Is Life Eternal (2023)

playlist:
01 When The Lights Went Out
02 SIGNALS FROM ANOTHER WORLD
03 Of Magick
04 Death Is Life Eternal
05 Stand & Deliver
06 Poisoned Colours
07 Where Evil Dwells
08 Absence Of Heaven
09 Cold Comes The Night
10 Black Mass
11 Evoking the Μoon Goddes
12 TALKING PICTURES
13 DESCEND AMONG THE DAMNED
14 Serpent God
15 Threnody(Live in Athens-Kyttaro Club-11/02/2024)
16 FROM THE STARRY VOIDS
17 Transmission To Chaos
18 BEMUSED MINDS

Deviser-Matt Chnaras:
“From the beginning the Greek extreme scene was of a high level and stood out”
Four protagonists on one stage, four flames, that for years now are lit for millions of fans and fans, one of the most historical black metal band in Greece and not only.
Their sound stands out, is special and can easily be described as the ‘Greek black metal‘ sound.
Yes, we all know them very well, they are the Deviser, the Black Metal band, that was founded in 1989 in Chania Crete, Greece.
They moved to Athens in 1992, later a mini tour of the band took place in Greece and Holland on December in 1994.
The Deviser΄s line up is Matt Chnaras, the founder, singer, guitarist and composer, Vaggelis Kastanas guitars and Nick Christogiannis bass, keyboards.
This unique blend of talent and success, that we enjoyed in Thessaloniki and Athens last month at ‘Eight Ball’ and ‘Kitaro’ club respectively in two excellent concerts which they were crowned with huge success.
For those who still haven’t enjoyed them, you have to go at the first opportunity.
Matt Chnaras in a special interview at Radio Highway Pirates talked to us about the band and everything you want to know about them.
Can you tell us a little about how deviser started, your first professional steps as well as your rise to the top?
“The whole idea started from my passion for extreme music and the tinder was given by bands like Hellhammer and Bathory, with the passage of time and the entry of members into the line up of the band, demo recordings and E.P.’s were made which gave us the opportunity to tour the Netherlands and that’s when we accepted the offer to sign with a big label like Mascot rec. With what we had, our limited experience borrowed equipment, we managed to give our best which made us known throughout Europe. This was very difficult to achieve at that time. You had to be really skilled without the conveniences that music technology offers today.”
Would you say that every time you go on stage, you get the same feelings as the first time?
“I can assure you that at my first time on stage I was terribly stressed with a lot of anxiety, I was shaking all over. All this was soon overcome in our very next appearance. I always remember that we have a lot of passion, when playing our songs live and we try to convey that to our audience.”
Did you encounter difficulties at the beginning of your career and how did you deal with them?
“It was quite difficult, indeed. There was no money, we were at a young age and it was very difficult to cope financially. Musicians passed by who didn’t believe in my vision, we had several member changes. I always tried to work on our music with talented musicians who would share with me the same passion and vision. I can say that some collaborations with musicians who were not willing to give everything to the band soul and passion, was the biggest obstacle I faced.”
Could you tell us, about your album ‘Evil Summons Evil’, your inspiration and about your cooperation with Kris Verwimp, as well as if you are satisfied with the reviews you received?
“Whatever dark thoughts we had as well as true metaphysical stories, were captured in the music we composed at that time when Nick was in a compositional frenzy. We had the opportunity to enrich the musical style accordingly so that everything fits together. We explained to Kris the whole concept of the album, sent him some material and let him freely create something similar. We had worked with him before and were sure the result would be just as impressive as our music. Throughout the world music press the reviews were shockingly impressive. We expected it but not to such a great extent. Even from magazines that we had no response to in the past, they now had Deviser in their pages.”
We open the time capsule and we see the ‘Unspeakable Cults’ album, what memories come out of you?
“Chills and intense moments. For the first time we had the budget and the opportunity to work with time in a big and famous recording studio. Actually, we followed the recipe of our previous self-financed demo at the same studio. I unforgettably remember the day when the mixing of the album started, we were all in awe, we were hearing something shocking and so grand. We were sure that this release would make a big impression and be adored.”
After years of being away from the music industry, what feelings come out of you?
“Frustration for wasted time and resentment for all the wrong decisions and partnerships. Everything went wrong during the composition of ‘Seasons of Darkness’. It wasn’t what I had envisioned, I felt like I was in another band. This was the reason we were in a long hiatus and went into hibernation until we found again the appetite and passion of our past.”
Is there a song of yours that stands out and has meaning for you and why?
“I would probably choose ‘Threnody’ for several reasons. It was the first song that Nick and I composed together. Its melody was nailed directly to our soul and this frozen feeling it emits would remain unchanged in time. Many have told us that they consider it one of the most classic songs in black metal and I have no reason to disagree with them.”
Tell us about your collaboration with Varathron and your recent collaboration on stage as well as the impressions it caused to the audience.
“Nick comes from the same town as their singer and founder, Stefan. They have a long friendship and maybe they were waiting for the right moment when we would work together on an event like this. Personally, I‘ve been a fan of Varathron since the time of their first demo, I would say with confidence. The fans were looking forward to these performances and indeed they were both sensational, the venues were suffocatingly full and the fans were ecstatic.”
Which of the bands you’ve worked with in the past have you had the most harmonious collaboration with and what experiences did you get?
“With Tiamat in early 90’s and 00s, we had a perfect collaboration. We learned a lot and we had a great time. We were taught how to prepare a proper appearance and how to remain modest. As well as with Sadistic Noise, harmonious coexistence, unforgettable memories. And with Septic Flesh we had an amazing appearance at a summer open air festival, our coexistence was ideal, great moments. We have a long-term friendship and we admire them for what they have achieved.”
How do you evaluate the Greek metal dark music scene over the years and what do you think has changed?
“From the beginning the Greek extreme scene was of a high level and stood out. This characteristic sound that most bands had, remains to this day. From time to time amazing albums were released by Greek bands that established our country high in the preferences of fans from all over the world. Some bands today are huge abroad and that makes me proud. I know they went through a lot of hard work to achieve this, they certainly deserve it. Generally, a lot of new releases from new bands are just as high level, now the knowledge is there. It’s easier today to create music. With us and I can imagine with a lot of others when we made our first albums, we didn’t know where it would all end up, if there would be a response to what we did etc. In essence, we were experimenting with the dark extreme sound without knowing that it would all be groundbreaking and timeless.”
How did your cooperation with a large range company like Hammerheart, come about and how would you characterized it?
“They knew us from a long time ago, they were excited with ‘Evil Summons Evil’ album, when we sent it to them complete, they were the only record label we came in contact with. They sent us an offer and we accepted. I think it was the most ideal way to make our return to the music scene have a bigger impact. Everything went as we wanted and as they told us. Our cooperation is excellent so far. They know their job, they are a respected record label, they love our music. Generally, we have always had a special bond with the Netherlands since the beginning of our career.”
What are your next musical and professional paths?
“We are already working on our next album. In the meantime we are also doing some live performances while we are also planning our European tour that will take place in the fall. We want everything to be done right. I can tell you, is that we will have the same producer, in the same recording studio as ‘Evil Summons Evil’ and that we are excited with the material we are working on now. Thank you for your support, I hope to see you in person at one of our gigs.”
…Maria Stella Tsatsi…
Deviser a band with a long history and its roots in the purest metal music, Deviser was formed in 1989 by Matt (Vocals/guitars/bass).
Members of other bands (Agatus, Piranha ) joined the band in 1992.
The band attracted the interest of the underground scene with the release of their 1st 7” inch EP and a small european tour in 1994.
Soon Deviser signed a worldwide record deal with Mascot Rec. (Holland) and the band’s first album ‘Unspeakable Cults’ showed off the fascination Deviser had with the Lovecraftian mysticism and featured melodic symphonic black metal.
This album dragged air into the burning lungs of black metal with triumphant reviews worldwide (Band of the month in Terrorizer and Metal Hammer magazines, No1 position in France ‘s radio stations, etc.).
In 1997 Deviser performed live as a supported band for Venom (with their original line-up), Ancient Rites, Emperor, Rotting Christ etc.
‘Transmission To Chaos’ album was released in 1998.
‘Running Sore’, Deviser’s 3rd album , was released in 2002.
A scheduled european tour and support band for Judas Priest , Slayer was cancelled by the authorities without obvious reasons.
‘Thy Blackest Love’ compilation released in 2003 and also Deviser participated earlier in the Bathory tribute ‘Hellas Salutes The Vikings’ released by Metal Invader magazine, covering the song ‘Call From The Grave’.
Deviser performed live in numerous open air festivals and big venue shows until their self-release ‘Seasons Of Darkness’ album in 2011 that includes a demo from their 2006 era.
The band was on hold until 2017, when the EP ‘Howling Flames’ was released.
In 2019 Deviser begun to work on their 5th album ‘Evil Summons Evil’ but due the worldwide pandemia of covid-19 recordings finished in late 2021.