(In late February the Greek doom metal band Distorted Reflection released their second full-length through Iron Shield Records, and that led our Comrade Aleks to contact the band’s founder and guitarist/vocalist Kostas Salomidis for an interview, which we are happy to share with you today.)
Distorted Reflection was created by Kostas Salomidis, guitarist and co-founder of one of the first Greek doom metal bands, Sorrows Path. Kostas left his first band in 2022 due to creative differences, and the newly formed traditional doom outift, Distorted Reflection, released their debut, Doom Rules Eternally, two years later. The second full-length, Doom Zone, was recorded by Kostas, again with Vangelis Yal (bassist for prog metal band Fragile Vastness) and new drummer Thomas Zen.
Kostas performs not only as a guitarist but also as a vocalist now, and by the second album, he has made progress in his new role. For better or worse, Doom Zone’s eleven tracks fit into 38 minutes, and within this framework, Distorted Reflection offer a slightly revised formula of the first album. This collection of tracks, built on the foundations of doom and heavy metal, is energetic in spirit and filled with melodic themes that, despite their richness, are remarkably compact.
Let’s try to catch a glimpse in Distorted Reflection with Kostas himself.
Hi Kostas! How do you do? How is everything in Distorted Reflection?
Hi Aleks! I’m great, thank you very much, and I hope the same for you! Things are going amazingly well; within just three months of the release of the new Distorted Reflection album, the reception feels even better than the debut, and this paves the way for the band’s third album. Health, inspiration, and creative drive!
Honestly, it seems like I lost the track, and I don’t know that happens in the Greek doom metal underground nowadays. I think, I even missed the release of The Temple’s last album two years ago. So how is it? What’s new at this side?
When I formed the first pure Greek doom band with the late Takis Drakopoulos back in 1993, there were no other bands in that genre and the overall metal scene in the country was at a very basic level. Today, things are great. There are remarkable doom and metal bands, and we have improved incredibly in terms of technical skill and performance. The extreme Greek metal scene played a huge role in this upsurge. What we still lack is consistency in releases and a distinct personality in the sound. Once we achieve that, I think we will be even better.
But there aren’t “national doom scenes”. The UK Three were all different, the USA Three were all different, only the Italian Dark Sound scene maybe can serve as an exception from rules, but Greece has authentic bands like Rotting Christ and Septic Flesh, maybe this is the way, isn’t it? To rely on national cultural roots?
Yes, of course! Although I am not a big fan of extreme metal, I deeply appreciate their contribution to our scene. They stood out from other metal genres through their innovative productions and truly laid the groundwork for the future.
By the way, how much of Greece is in Doom Zone?
Very much so, and I believe this is what sets us apart in our epic heavy doom sound. It stems from a profound respect for the traditions and roots of our homeland, and indeed far beyond.
The band’s debut Doom Rules Eternally saw the light of day in 2024. How did you spend this period in-between the albums as the band?
There was a lot of promotion for the first album, but simultaneously, composition, rehearsals, and orchestration for the second album were underway. Everything flows naturally and harmoniously in this band. We are talking about people who feel and know what to do and how to do it. Without love and a plan, you cannot move forward.
How would you sum up the band’s live activity? How often did you play during these two years? What were your highlights?
Distorted Reflection keeps a low profile, meaning no live shows, signings, or audio/video interviews.
Why don’t you play gigs?!
Low profile. Dark, faceless, and obscure attitude. And let’s be honest, concerts don’t offer much promotion. Small ones are almost as if they don’t happen; bigger ones are extremely expensive for various reasons, usually sad ones. There are modern ways to promote your work, and they don’t blow the band’s budget out of proportion. While concerts are beautiful, they are often not really alive, or they are a field of very superficial artistic expression – more of an act or a pose.
What was your initial plan regarding the second album? What kind of ideas did you search to fulfill in these songs?
The basic plan is to do a mix of old and new songs. I have a large archive of old ideas that I always modify to fit the upcoming work, alongside a big portion of new songs written the year before the release. This approach works really well for us; we manage to release albums every two years, which is the perfect time span to express yourself properly without feeling pressured, while ensuring you don’t get tired or disappear. The lyrics generally explore self-knowledge, harmony, deep emotions, extreme psychological states, and death. With strong references to philosophy and psychology, they touch upon themes that concern every living being.
Are your lyrics personal to some degree?
While there are personal touches to the lyrics, I appreciate how listeners can adapt them to their own circumstances. I lean toward universal themes that resonate with every living being – perhaps not just humans.
Kostas, Doom Rules Eternally was the first album for which you recorded vocals. Did you feel more competent recording new songs for Doom Zone?
Being a composer from the very early days of Sorrows Path (my previous band that I founded back in 1993) means that I was working in melodies and stuff like this. But of course, this is a totally different instrument that also needs theatrical training and courage. So I’ve been working a lot on my vocals and hopefully I will keep improving!
One of Doom Rules Eternally’s peculiarities was the relatively short duration of the tracks, and three-four minute tracks prevail in Doom Zone. Is this formula comfortable for you? I bet that most of us are used to longer doom metal tracks.
Certainly, short pieces are more digestible, and I often consider extreme length to be a disadvantage of the genre. It’s always a matter of what you want to say, but complex genres like jazz and classical can have longer durations without getting tiring. Of course, we also have pieces that exceed 5 minutes; it’s all a matter of mood and taste.
Is it difficult to fit all your ideas in one balanced track? How much do you usually cut down during mixing and mastering stages?
With so many decades of experience, everything becomes easy and focused. I would say that by the time we get to mixing and mastering, we are ready for anything. Essentially, months before we enter the studio, every note has been studied, and the changes we make are minor.
Doom Zone follows the same formula as its predecessor in many ways; how do you see differences between the albums, being their main composer?
They are similar…heavy, doomy, and epic. But in my humble opinion, the sophomore album is darker, deeper, and heavier. Also the production, the performance, the songs, and the lyrics are better and more mature.
You certainly pay attention to the songs’ structures and there are non-linear, almost progressive patterns in some tracks as well as quite intricate melodic solutions. How spontaneous was the composing process of Doom Zone?
Thank you very much for the compliment, I consider it very important. Musicality is essential; our genre is not particularly intricate, but it is serious. I love complex music as a listener, but doom metal has to be solid and refined on a melodic and harmonic basis. You can’t be superficial when talking about death and other dominant themes.
Do you draw your inspiration regarding complex music only from the metal scene or do non-metal genres inspire you as well?
As much as I have been devoted to metal since I started as a musician, I am equally open to what I listen to, but also to what influences me. It is not only music; a melodic speech, an emotion, the rustle of the leaves, the forests, the waves – everything influences me. But from me, you will always hear only metal, because that is my truth. And of course, I also prefer the darkest and most peculiar sounds.
How did it happen that Jack Starr made this guest appearance in an opener song, “3000 A. D.”? How did you get in touch with him?
Having released six full-length albums and spent nearly 30 years on stage (despite some health-related breaks), we have built strong bonds of mutual affection with various people. One of them happens to be the great Jack, who is also considered responsible for creating Virgin Steele in the early ’80s at the dawn of American Power Metal. This was a huge honor, especially since it follows the band’s debut where the one and only, immortal, and unforgettable Ross the Boss played. These are shocking moments that will seal our releases forever.
What are your plans for the rest of 2026?
Things are already going very well, as we mentioned at the beginning, and now this success has secured the band’s third album. We are completing its pre-recordings in 2026, the material is almost ready, and in early 2027 we will enter Fragile Studio with the band’s bassist Vangelis Yal as producer again to record the new work.
Thanks for the interview Kostas! Good luck with Distorted Reflection and Doom Zone!
Keep up the good work with No Clean Singing. Thank you very much for the hospitality. Doom on!
https://distortedreflectiondoom.bandcamp.com/