INTRODUCING: Raw In Sect

Usually when a band is asked about their influences they’ll discuss who inspired them to play music and how they developed their sound. When it comes to Greece’s RAW IN SECT, it’s not as straightforward. Laughing about trying to sum up who they are as a band, vocalist and guitarist Kostas Diamandis says, “Maybe three musical movements actually: metal, ethnic and progressive.”

Forming around the turn of the decade, RAW IN SECT have released two albums in the guise of 2011’s Red Flows and 2014’s Blue Haze, with third album Kitro seeing the light of day July 6. Diamandis explains the meaning behind the album title, “Kitro, or Citron, is a sour and bitter fruit that has a sweet ending,” – “It represents all those things we need to accept in order to grow. At first they taste sour or bitter but if you can take it, there will be a sweet reward. Kitro is like a medicine that is meant to heal your soul and help you grow to your best self. That’s what it did to us.”

It’s a very philosophical outlook, but it’s all part of the RAW IN SECT tapestry. Even when it came to writing Kitro, it never crossed the band’s mind to rest on their laurels and do the same again. “It has become a rule in this band to always try new stuff and not settle,” Diamandis says. “Compared to previous records, writing was a very pleasant experience as the songs were writing themselves. We tried a different tuning on the guitars and it really put so many new ideas on the table that we had never been aware of.”

A hard-working band, RAW IN SECT have toured extensively across Europe and have had a wide range of experiences on the shows they’ve played. Any particularly good or bad highlights? “We have had all kinds of shows,” reveals Diamandis. “There have been shows that are very poorly organised, ruining our effort to present ourselves, but then there are other ones that have been unexpectedly good, packed with people. Some cities we have had great shows were in Athens, London, Paris, Amsterdam.”

Speaking about their future in touring, “We are currently putting together a European tour that will involve many UK dates from 19-25 November,” Diamandis says eagerly. “London, Manchester, Birmingham and Nuneaton are among the cities we will be visiting. We are really excited about that!”

Describing their sound as ‘aggressive, progressive, emotional, ethnic, greek, balkan [and] symphonic’ RAW IN SECT are a cocktail of ideas and movements to stir the soul and rouse the senses. Greece isn’t known for its metal particularly, but here’s a band wanting to sale to the top of Olympia and beyond.

Kitro is out now via Secta Records

For more information on RAW IN SECT like their official page on Facebook.