New Zero God was formed in 2006 by MIKE POUGOUNAS on vocals, drummer DIMITRIS "SIDHEOG" STEVES, bassist COSTAS SPANOS, and guitarist AVERKIOS CHATZIANTONIADIS, the members brought together fans from their respective previous acts. Pougounas and Chatziantoniadis stemmed from Greece's greatest gothic rock band, namely, THE FLOWERS OF ROMANCE, which had worked with THE MISSION UK, THE SISTERS OF MERCY, and NEW MODEL ARMY, amongst others.
Once The Flowers Of Romance broke up, Pougounas formed NEXUS and drafted Sidheog and Spanos for a seven-year stint which included opening for longtime pals, The Mission UK. Sidheog was a founding member of THE DROPS (a darkwave band that had shared the stage with CHRISTIAN DEATH).
After Spanos and Chatziantoniadis left to pursue solo careers, a brief time-off followed that saw Pougounas lending vocals for longstanding compadres, RAG, and Sidheog drumming for the revamped Dutch band, MECANO. As work on NEW ZERO GOD resumed, BABIS "B-ABYSS" DIAKOUMEAS and ELIAS "E-RAPTOR" RAPTIS of PAST PERFECT took over bass and guitar duties, respectively. This led to a string of gigs, opening for THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS and, once again, for Christian Death.
This line-up began recording sessions for “FUN IS A FOUR LETTER WORD” in 2008 for an album that would muster their collective experience in music. While recording, the band was interviewed and featured on a Greek TV show, appeared in a compilation CD, and were also featured and interviewed for a documentary about the underground music scene.
In 2009, on the day the band finished recording, they were offered a record deal with PUZZLEMUSIK RECORDS.
During June of 2010, MICHAEL CHRISTOU of the popular bands, PANX ROMANA and AVATON, joined the folds as second guitarist and made his debut performance at the Block 33 Local Delights Festival in Thessaloniki, Greece. When B-Abyss and E-Raptor left to further pursue their band in December 2010, HARRIS STAVRAKAS signed on as bassist, much to the delight of fans from The Flowers Of Romance days. This new line-up of Pougounas, Steves, Christou, and Stavrakas exploded on stage during their first performance in January 2011.
DEBUT RELEASE
The band’s 2010 album, “FUN IS A FOUR LETTER WORD”, is made out of the passion of life. It carries the dreams of a person who takes cover in a foxhole and fights back using soft bullets made out of feelings. This could be a punk rock album or just a musical box. It’s a way to express ourselves and reach out to the world, just like we did in the past with our former bands.
So, here we are once again, using each song of this album as a personal demon that jumps out of it for a few minutes. Sometimes the tracks might be aggressive and some other times they might be tender and melancholic.
Without a doubt, love, hate, and a few other meaningful words have just four letters.
And don’t forget…
Even when it’s time for you to shout out the word “FUCK”…it’s a part of life.
And life must | should | can be fun…
CURRENT LINE-UP:
- Mike Pougounas - Vocals, Keyboards, Tambourine
- Dimitris “Sidheog” Steves - Drums, Loops
- Michael Christou - Guitars
- Harris Stavrakas - Bass
ALBUM REVIEWS: Although there have been several, we'll list just a few here to help you in your decision-making process: (FOR COMPLETE REVIEW, COPY/PASTE LINKS INTO YOUR IE EXPLORER)
Sean at Dominion Magazine [UK]: "Review: New Zero God - 'Fun Is A Four Letter Word'... New Zero God's biography reads like the name-droppers guide to goth. The band's pedigree is connected to legendary names such as The Mission and The Sisters Of Mercy, and in their present guise they have already scored support slots with Christian Death and The Legendary Pink Dots..."
http://truecultheavymetal.com/index.php/dominion/2011/03/24/review-new-zero-god-fun-is-a-four-letter-word
Gothic Paradise [Germany]: "Auf dem Debut der Griechen wird einem ergo so einiges geboten. Hoffen wir, dass der Bandsegen durch die momentane Stimmung in Griechenland nicht allzu sehr getrubt wird und dass sich die Jungs dadurch nicht einschuchtern lassen. Fun Is A Four Letter Word“ ist jedenfalls eine geniales Gemisch, das mit viel Variation und im noch richtig guten handgemachten Stil keine Eintonigkeit aufkommen lasst. (9/10)"
http://www.gothicparadise.de/gothicparadise/node/2961
Musik Reviews [Germany]: "Selbst absolute Gothic Rock-Cracks, die sich gerne FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, THE MISSION, SISTERS OF MERCY und SECRET DISCOVERY zitierende Bands antun, sollten erst einmal vorsichtig an den Horhappchen naschen."
http://www.musikreviews.de/reviews/2010/Ne w-Zero-God/Fun-Is-A-Four-Letter-Word/
Fahrplan Schwarz [Germany]: "Mit Liebe zum Detail und mal ganz „handgemacht“ weis die Musik schnell zu gefallen und sich mit seinem teilweise euphorischen Charakterzugen ins Hirn zu brennen, um dort fur Soundergusse zu sorgen. Schon gemacht und ein Genuss fur’s Nichtelektroniker! Kratzig wie ZZ Top, klassisch wie Van Helen und dennoch newZEROgod. Ein abwechslungsreiches, appetitliches und wohlbekommliches Album fur Jung- und Altrocker! (9/10)"
http://www.fahrplan-schwarz.de/fs/index.php/review/484-newzerogod-fun-is-a-fourletter-Word.html
Gothic Family [Germany]: Leutchen die gerne ein bischen querbeet Underground Musik horen, sind hier sicher gut aufgehoben. Hier gibts Gothic Rock, Punk Rock, Metal aufs Ohr, halt aber alles nur stuckchenweise!
http://www.gothic-family.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=475&Itemid=1&ed=56
Lollipop Magazine [USA]: This is the band's debut, but the members bring a wealth of experience and influences to the buffet table. I can see "Kiss the Witch" and "The Love Hatesong" catching on, and really confusing fans because they're so drastically different. A band to watch evolve..."
http://www.lollipop.com/article.php3?text=2010/04apr/newzerogod.html
Erba Della Strega [Italy]: "Tirando le somme, promuovo a pieni voti “Fun is a four letter word”, album che consiglio a tutti coloro che hanno amato i Flowers Of Romance ed a chi se li è persi, per distrazione o età, negli anni novanta."
http://www.erbadellastrega.it/_NewSite/articolo.php?mcat=4&cat=24&art=1437
Ver Sacum [Italy]: "…E come resistere al basso perfora-cervello di “Kiss the witch”, alle atmosfere cupissime di una “Dead inside” tagliata a metà dalla sei corde assassina?... …Terminato l’ennesimo ascolto, ecco che m’assale la nostalgia dei grandi Ordeal By Fire (ensemble affine a New Zero God, nell’attitudine e nell’esposizione)… Quanto mi mancano!..."
http://www.versacrum.com/vs/2010/07/new-zero-god-fun-is-a-four-letter-word-2.html
Mariskal Rock [Spain]: "Si os gustan las bandas antes mencionadas e incluso los The Cult de sus inicios, no deberíais perder de vista a estos atenienses..."
http://www.mariskalrock.com/index.php/2010/03/08/new-zero-god-“fun-is-a-four-letter-word”/
Subexistance [Greece, Review written in English]: "Constructively, apart from one or two exceptions, there is no exaggeration to refer to “Fun Is A Four Letter Word” as a landmark. Forget it is 2010, and let yourself enjoy this album’s lust. (8/10)..."
http://subexistance.com/reviews/new-zero-god-fun-four-letter-word-puzzlemusik
Want to learn more about concerts, events, and up-to-date news? Visit us at the following links by copy/pasting the URL into your IE Explorer:
° New Zero God at MySpace:
www.myspace.com/newZEROgod
° New Zero God at Facebook (must be logged in):
www.facebook.com/newZEROgod
° New Zero God Fan Club at Facebook (must be logged in):
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=178762597940&ref=mf
° New Zero God at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/newZEROgodGR
° New Zero God - Brazilian Fan Blog (Portuguese Language):
http://newzerogod.blogspot.com/
° NEXUS at CD Baby:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nexus
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