GC: George here (vocals), Thank you very much, everything has been amazing!

CR: Please tell us a little bit about the band’s background, and how you first formed.

GC: Around 5 years ago, Stefanos (keyboards) and I met up and I explained how I wanted to start a melodic power metal band. He liked the idea and after many line-up changes on guitar and bass and few demo recordings, here we are today. Winter’s Verge is George Charalambous (vocals), Stefanos Psillides (keyboards), Harry Pari (guitars), Miguel Trapezaris (Bass) and Chris Ioannides (Drums).

CR: What inspired you to come up with the name Winters Verge?

GC: We really like that melancholy feeling that the autumn/winter brings and you can also see that through our music and lyrics. I guess that was the main reason why. We also don’t really have that much of a real winter in Cyprus, so that is probably something we long for. We only get to the Winter’s Verge. CR: What’s the main inspiration/concept behind your new album 'Tales of Tragedy'?

GC: There is no main concept behind the album. We named it ‘Tales of Tragedy’ because, if you read the lyrics to each song, it is like reading through 11 little tales. Tales of Tragedy. The only thing that is like a little concept is the song ‘I Swear Revenge’, which is the continuation of the song ‘Eternal Damnation’ on the first album.

CR: How does it differ in terms of lyrical/musical inspiration from your previous album?

GC: I think the main difference from the 2 albums, is that the new album is done with a little more experience, and the fact that we see and do things a bit differently now than we did before. With the addition of Chris on the drums we also got a different opinion and playing style on the drums. I believe we have all grown up musically a little bit and write songs in a more mature way.

CR: What was the reaction within the band at being asked to play with Stratovarius on their European Tour?

GC: The first reaction was that we couldn’t believe it. I mean those guys have been influencing us ever since we were very young. It was truly a dream come true

CR: The Stratovarius guys have been around for some time. Were they forthcoming with any advice on how to make it in the world of power metal? Being one of the largest bands in the genre I imagine they had plenty of pointers/stories to tell?

GC: We learned a lot on this tour! A lot about taking care of yourself, your voice (in my case), and what you should do in different situations. They had been very kind to us and we thank them a lot for everything! The tour was a huge learning experience; we met a lot of people and talked about a lot of things. Just by watching Stratovarius perform every night, we learned a lot!

CR: Was there a different reaction toward you from the Stratovarius crowd?

GC: When we first went, we didn’t really know what to expect. The first gig was in Belgrade. I couldn’t believe it when we first walked on stage and the crowd started cheering for us. It was truly an unbelievable experience! We then went to Sofia where there was a huge crowd! That was the best gig of our lives! The truth though, is that all the people that came to the gigs, came for Stratovarius. Every night we had to get up on the stage and try to win the crowd. It was like going to war! In the end though, there is no better feeling than the one we had when the crowd was cheering for us. A truly incredible experience!

CR: Is there anywhere you would like to play that you have yet to visit?

GC: There are many places we would love to play! Japan is one of those places.

CR: What/who are your main musical and lyrical inspirations?'

GC: Everyone in the band has different influences, from metal to classical music. Some of the bands we are influenced by are Iron Maiden, Metallica, Rage, Blind Guardian, Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Rhapsody of Fire and many more..

CR: And finally, what are the plans for Winter's Verge both short and long term?'

GC: The plan for Winter’s Verge is to try and play anywhere we can at the moment. Our main goal is to expand our fan base, so in the near future the plans are to play in a couple of festivals during the summer.

Thank you very much for reading! Cheers and Keep Rocking and we hope to see you somewhere down the road the soon!

For more on the band check out http://www.myspace.com/wintersverges

Interviewed by Charlene Rance

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