Naxatras
Album: V
Release Date: 2025
Greece
Their new album V intends to represent a bold leap forward for the band. The ingredients of the NAXATRAS sound have been multiplied and their influences broadened, incorporating not just the classic touchstones of 70s progressive rock but also world music and electronic elements, delivering songs that are both tightly constructed and daringly expansive. Exploring the saga of the world of Narahmon with the introduction of the Spacekeeper as a new chapter in their mythical lore, the album’s concept narrative reflects a band at the height of its creative powers, pushing boundaries while crafting music that resonates deeply. [More on Distorted Sound]
Lyrics: Numenia
Nightland, silver kingdom
Grow thy scarlet flowers
Tides, golden blossoms, crystal towers
Goddess long forgotten
Face of velvet midnight
Change, alteration, brings the moonlight
Secret, vision, enchanted
Symbol, forest, fountain
She has an ivory tower
That shimmers in the night
And in the witching hour
The Dreamer goes inside
Secret, vision, enchanted
Symbol, forest, fountain
Tracklist: V
01. “Celestial Gaze”
02. “Spacekeeper”
03. “Numenia”
04. “Utopian Structures”
05. “Breathing Fire”
06. “Legion”
07. “Sand Halo”
08. “The Citadel”
“V” is a prequel to our previous concept album “IV”. Without going into too much detail and spoiling the story, we can say that her actions set in motion this chain of events that leads to what happens in “IV”. She is a morally ambiguous character, too powerful to be judged by human standards. She is a cosmic being but also has her own desires and aspirations.
John on the secrets of ‘V’ and ‘Numenia’
Congratulations on your new concept album! “V” seems way more Eastern than your previous records. How did you end up having more Eastern elements and how happy are you with the outcome?
The East has always been the common denominator in most of our albums but this time we went further with it. Over the years before “V” we accumulated a lot of oriental ideas and we decided to take the leap and experiment more with this both in compositions and instrumentations. We are super happy with the outcome and the balance between Eastern sounds and spacey prog elements.
Our loop song selection from your new album is Numenia which refers to the new moon in Ancient Greek tradition. How does that idea play into the song’s meaning? Is it about new beginnings, cycles, or something deeper?
Yes, you’re right, it is a word that describes the new moon. When I stumbled upon this word, I immediately thought that it would be a great name for a goddess. So when we started working on the song, I felt this vibe of a tribal cult, a feminine one in particular, and Numenia was the perfect fit. The moon is traditionally associated with feminity, transformation, the ever-shifting cycles of life, and in a way this song symbolizes the transition into our new musical era.
The lyrics mention a “Goddess long forgotten” and how “change brings the moonlight.” Were you thinking of any specific Greek myths when writing this? Maybe Selene, Artemis, or even Hecate, since they’re all tied to the moon and transformation?
My god, are you reading my mind? The first lyrics for the chorus were like a chant and included the names of Diana (Artemis), Devana, Selene and Hecate. But we changed them so that we create our new myth. Numenia is connected to the archetype of the three-faced goddess, she’s like an aspect of these goddesses in our universe.
As usual, it has this hypnotic, otherworldly feel. How do you approach the sound to match your lyrics in general, and how did you achieve that in this specific song?
The music usually comes first and the lyrics follow. Both went under a lot of changes until they reached their final form. The first lyrics were more descriptive, more like a direct storytelling, but after John’s (our guitarist) suggestion, I went for something more poetic and abstract.
“She has an ivory tower that shimmers in the night”— who is “she”? Is it a divine figure, wisdom, or something else entirely?
Numenia is a very important character in the album’s lore. She is the one that commands our protagonist, the Spacekeeper, to go on his quest, she assigns this mission to him to travel to the secret land of Narahmon and protect it from the coming Void. “V” is a prequel to our previous concept album “IV”. Without going into too much detail and spoiling the story, we can say that her actions set in motion this chain of events that leads to what happens in “IV”. She is a morally ambiguous character, too powerful to be judged by human standards. She is a cosmic being but also has her own desires and aspirations.
It sounds so rich and so clean. What was the recording process of this song in the studio? And also, where did you record the album?
Thank you! We recorded at Polytropon Studio in Thessaloniki, Greece, with Nik Logiotatidis. The mix was done by Alex Bolpasis and the mastering by Nick Townsend. This song in particular was probably the one we had the most fun with. We recorded layers of percussion, guitars, synths and keys, vocals, ney, and a violin quartet. We really paid a lot of attention to detail. The bass is recorded through the Beyonder rig, an all-tube amp and 2×15 cab, both custom-made for us (and super heavy, like 70-80 kg each).
The video enhances the song’s mystical vibe, too. How involved were you in the visual concept?
I actually directed and produced the music video. I studied cinema, which is where me and John made and decided to make a band. So this video is directly related to the themes we talked about above, it’s about three priestesses of Numenia that perform a ritual for the moon goddess. We shot it on the island of Lemnos, which is a very mystical place, full of locations that are very different than the other Greek islands. There is a small desert there, also a beach with ancient lava-formed rock formations and a dried lake that looks white like snow. We chose to shoot the night ritual in the desert during the night of the full moon, so we were all really getting into some surreal vibes there…
What is the secret of the Greek psychedelic scene? Why do you think it gets such big recognition from all over the world?
Greece has a tradition of psychedelic and progressive bands, like Aphrodite’s Child and Socrates. During the previous decade, our scene kinda exploded both in Greece and abroad, with bands like 1000Mods, Villagers of Ioannina City, Nightstalker, Planet of Zeus, and many more. We are all mostly D.I.Y. and we’ve been non-stop recording and touring for a long time, so I think it all grew very naturally, by word of mouth and with the help of the internet of course.
The very first Naxatras song I ever listened to was Waves and I loved it as a huge Pink Floyd fan. What does Pink Floyd mean to you personally?
Pink Floyd was my favourite band growing up and it’s the one that introduced me to psychedelia, progressive rock and all these beautiful things. It’s still among my top bands for sure and this applies to all of us, we all love their albums and we are definitely influenced by them.
Lastly, are you going to be touring soon?
Yes, as a matter of fact, we are going to play some summer festivals and then we are going to tour Europe presenting our new album this autumn. The cycle will continue in 2026 for sure and we really hope to come to the US this time as well!
