Hello and thank you for this interview and for your support. This is Stathis Kassios on behalf of Karmic Link.

2° Your new album is entitled “Esoterica”, why did you choose this tune?

Esoterica is the state where few people share information about something that they think is pretty important with high secrecy. According to our concept story there are only two personas sharing this esoteric state. The female protagonist Sandra (also featured in the album’s cover) who starts realizing her troubled life working as a news anchor in a giant media network, and the other male protagonist (her guardian angel?) who is helping her to learn the truth. Only two people in this story share the secrets that help them to escape their mental and body prisons towards liberation. Thus Esoterica is a general term to describe esoteric meanings and gatherings. It can also be used to look through big corporations where important meetings stay out of public knowledge or in political and religious institutions that hide pure truth from the outer world.

3° With the arrival of Evan Hensley, did you change something in your creating process for this album, or do you use the same “recipe” ?

It was the first time that I co-operated with a musician coming from the USA and it was a different and very creative experience overall. Evan brought his personal music influences and style and together we spent a lot of time discussing about the modern role of technology and the power of the modern media. We created an artificial story out of these discussions. The story is taking place in a not so distant future where the aforementioned powers play a great role in shaping the metropolis of the future. The music dressed the lyrics and the story, in a natural flow of simultaneous inspirational stages.

4° You create a concept album, may you tell us a little bit more about this concept, and what attract you in this concept ?

Even though I revealed some of the concept’s details in the previous answer I would like to add that this is not a typical concept story used to criticize technology or modern media in a typical almost cliché way. Esoterica is more of a self – realization trip into the complicated world of human psychology (soul?) which is affected by powers such as vast media information and technological impact. I would also like to give a hint and say that the lyrics for the track “This Affliction” are similar in content to the movie “Holy Mountain” by Alejandro Jodorowsky.

5° To know a little bit more about the album may you tell us some words about these songs (how did you create the music, what do the lyrics deal with, recording…):

- Cold
The female protagonist Sandra is driving her car to another day of job routine. While driving through the city’s highways to reach the media network she feels the coldness around her. The coldness of strangers and single individuals who are packed and isolated in their “metal” cabs. There is no human interaction only personal faceless struggle. Everybody is living in his own little world. She parks her car, she walks towards the company’s stuff elevator in order to access the high security building. She stands still in order for her eyes to be scanned to let her in. On air while telling the news she unexpectedly passes out and falls to the cold ground. The track “Cold” is when our story kicks off…

- Still
A progressed stage in our protagonist’s story. At this point in “Still” (which is my favorite Esoterica track by the way) Sandra has started realizing her present situation in relation to her past life and compares the two inevitably. She is calm sitting next to the ocean. The call of the nature heals her wounds. She hurts inside though because it’s very painful when somebody realizes the bitter truth…

- Twisting Patterns
A very personal angle talking about human relationships and experiences, sex partners, etc. parallel to twisting psychological patterns.

For all these songs I would like to add that I never sit down just to compose music. Somehow over the years I have learned to waiting patiently for my own personal muse to visit me and inspire me to create a new piece of music.

6° What is the song that you like to perform the most ?

Well, this song is not included in our second album “Esoterica” but in our debut album instead “No light but rather darkness visible”. Its title is “Devil’s Dance”. Somebody should dig this song in order to understand why it’s my favorite song when Karmic Link performs live. It’s also an instrumental track.

7° Where did you recorded the album? Why did you choose this place?
That was the most complicated and enjoyable part at the same time. Different recording territories like Sweden, Greece, USA. We recorded keyboards, drums and vocals in Athens. Bass, guitars and some spoken vocals in Sweden. Extra spoken vocals in USA. Because different nationalities were co-operated for this album we had the curse and the luxury to record different sources in different territories. Even though I endured some stress to organize all these album happenings in various times and places I admit that the outcome has satisfied everybody.

8° A special remembrance about the recording time?
During vocal recordings I had many short fights with Mina G. as regard to the production of the vocals. But this is more of a cultural thing when Greeks pick fights all the time. It’s not actually a quarrel so to speak. It’s more of a cultural thing or peculiarity as I said. Hehe…

9° Will you shoot a video clip? For which track?
I am not sure yet. Because of Youtube bands have the opportunity nowadays to generate their own promotional videos. Many of these videos as you may know attract thousands of viewers. Professional videos cost a lot and I would prefer to use the same budget to record another Karmic Link album. I can’t deny though that shooting a new video after the official video we shot for the track “Still here”, is not seriously messing with my mind. Any financial bail – out video package for Karmic Link anyone? Hehe…

10° A word you would like to add?

I would like to add the first prelude featured in the booklet of Esoterica which was written by Evan. It might trigger the reader of this interview to dive into the album’s world!

Prelude
June 19th, 2017;
Dear Mom,
I hope you will forgive me for taking so long to reply to your message. My life has been a wreck lately, and the stress of my job has really been getting to me. Fifteen years out of college and I have finally been promoted to anchor, but I had no idea about the amount of stress this position holds! One of the things they didn’t cover in those journalism classes. However, I know I have made the right decision and that I couldn’t go on chasing leads and filing stories forever. This promotion is a blessing, and despite the stress, I really appreciate Sean (one of the network exec’s… I told you about him, right?) for handpicking me from the rest of the reporters at the network. But life isn’t all about work, is it? Well, that’s what they say, but somehow I still find myself alone on the weekends – so to answer your question before you even ask it, sorry Mom, no new man in my life yet. Well, I need to be getting to the station; hope you’ll be able to watch me tonight!
Love,
Sandra
11° To end our interview we have a special question :
If you have the opportunity to choose between eternal life and to have the power to be in different places at the same time, what would you choose?

I know where you heading with this question… hehe… and my answer is: No I would never choose to be a L.O.S.T. character… I prefer watching the episodes instead of experiencing an uncertain eternal life or living at different places at the same time…
I am wondering though what Karmic Link does right now in a parallel universe!

Thanks for your answers
Best wishes

Thanks.

Full interview available in French too! Copy and paste!

http://lautremonde.radio.free.fr/interview.php?id=374