Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

NIKI: The word “Eufobia” is of ancient Greek origin, and it literally means “fear of good”. Most people describe our music as melodic death metal. My name is Niki. I’m the frontman. I play the guitar and sing. Steff is the name of our bass player, Blago’s the name of our drummer and the last member of our band is the other guitar player – Ivan.

Our latest album, called “Madness”, was released last year by the biggest Bulgarian distributor of rock and metal music Wizard LTD. Besides this album, we’ve got two more full-length albums released by the same label and an EP released by the Romanian label Axa Valaha Productions.

We have shared the stage and have gone on tour with many great bands such as Arch Enemy, At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity, Cannibal Corpse, Rotting Christ, Vader, Immolation, Onslaught, Malevolent Creation, Pyogenesis, Christ Agony, Primordial, Gorgoroth, Sinister, Broken Hope, Jinjer, Eluveitie, E-force, Negura Bunget, Suicidal Angels and many more.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

NIKI: Yes, we are. We all live in the city of Sofia, which is the capital of our motherland Bulgaria. I am the founder of the band. Our story is pretty typical. There’s nothing special about it. I was an enthusiastic young musician and wanted to start my own band. That’s why I invited my friend Stefan the bass player to join me. He was friends with Blago the drummer, who at that time was looking for a serious band, and he recommended him for the position. For some time after that it was just the three of us, but our music was evolving and at some point, we realized that we needed a second guitar player and the perfect man for this job was our mutual friend Ivan. That’s pretty much it.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

NIKI: This is not a simple question. It’s very difficult to answer, actually. On one hand, I can easily name hundreds of bands that have influenced me during my musical evolution, such as Death, Morbid Angel, Motorhead, Megadeath, Gojira, Rammstein, Dark Tranquillity, Rotting Christ, Moonspell or Behemoth, for instance, but on the other hand I have never wanted Eufobia to sound like any of these bands. I have always wanted to make original music that comes straight from the heart. This makes the music of Eufobia unusual and sometimes hard to understand.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

NIKI: Yes, I’ve always wanted to be an artist. Music is my vocation and certainly the most important activity in my life because it gives me the opportunity to express my feelings. I can’t imagine my life without it. Unfortunately, I still can’t make a living out of concerts and album sales. That’s why I have to work. I’m actually a dentist by profession, but even though I don’t make much money out of performing this beautiful music, I’ve always tried to do it in a professional manner, because the people who are interested in Eufobia and support the band, deserve the best and that is what I must offer them.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

NIKI: It depends on where I am. At work I don’t listen to anything rather extreme because I don’t want to scare my patients. I play either Ghost or some old school rock music like Dio, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd or something similar, when I travel in my car, I play my favourite albums. The last thing I listened to yesterday was “The Antidote” by Moonspell, and at home I listen to whatever my woman plays. Fortunately for me, she’s a metalhead, but unfortunately sometimes she listens to some crazy modern bullshit which I don’t like at all.

Do you sing in the shower?

NIKI: No, I never sing in the shower, but sometimes when I’m there I think about some new riffs or lyrics and often make plans about the future of the band.

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

NIKI: Yes, we do, although it is very difficult to plan anything these days. I must admit that the last few years after the pandemic have been difficult for us, but the fact that we’re going through a rough patch won’t make us give up, because we’re not some pussies. The difficulties make us stronger, actually. We had to adapt to the new realities, however, and to be more modest, but I’m convinced that the situation will soon improve. Nevertheless, until the end of the year we’re going to shoot another video and give some concerts in Romania and Bulgaria, first of which is the Way Too Far festival in Bistritza, where we’ll share the stage with Evergray, Sepultura and many other great bands.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

NIKI: No, we still don’t have any new songs recorded and ready to be released, but we feel more inspired than ever and we’re constantly creating new songs, some of which we already play in front of the audience. The people who attend our concerts know them already. Judging by their reaction, I can say that these songs are very well accepted. We’re not going to record them in the studio anytime soon, though, because the promotion of the current album is our main priority for now.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

NIKI: I would choose to perform at the Wacken Open Air festival again. We had the opportunity to play there in front of five thousand people in 2018 and that was probably the best moment in the history of our band. It was an amazing experience and I’d like to do it again someday.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

NIKI: The answer to this question is different every time somebody asks me about it and depends on my current mood. Today my favourite album is “The Antidote” by Moonspell, tomorrow – no one knows.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

NIKI: Yes, I do actually. It’s the band Ghost. This is another story related to Wacken Open Air. During the festival we had the opportunity to see many of our favourite bands perform live and even to meet some of their members. I don’t usually listen to that type of music, so it was very difficult for my band mates to convince me to go with them to watch Ghost perform on stage, but then they did an amazing show and due to good memory, I started listening to their music afterwards, and now I really like them, which is strange for someone like me who usually listens to heavier bands.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

NIKI: I don’t know. I have never thought about that, but probably all the bands which I told you that had influenced me and of course Eufobia.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

NIKI: I don’t remember because it was a long time ago. Sorry. It was probably Nirvana or Alice in Chains because at that time I was listening to grunge.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

NIKI: First of all, I must say that I don’t like the word “fans” and I never use it to describe the people who listen to Eufobia. The word “fans” implies a distance between the musician and the audience, but to me these people are so much more than that. I consider them good friends, some of whom I don’t know personally, because I share with them the deepest secrets of my soul. The message I’d like to transmit to them is hidden in the music and the lyrics of Eufobia’s songs.

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

NIKI: Alright! This is a good idea. By the way, on our website http://www.eufobia.com there are links to all our social media. Here is the full list:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Eufobia/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/eufobia_official/

YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/c/Eufobia

BANDCAMP: https://eufobia-official.bandcamp.com/

WEBSITE: http://www.eufobia.com/

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

NIKI: I’d like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to say a few words to your readers. Stay metal! Cheers!

This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum