Sometimes when artists describe their influences, you can’t help but say, “You’ve got to be kidding.” For example, it’s hard to imagine that Korn frontman Jonathan Davis, known for his abrasive nu-metal, was obsessed with Duran Duran as a teen. However, when Firewind guitarist Gus G. reveals that his dream band would include Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi (guitar), Deep Purple’s Jon Lord (keyboards), Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris (bass), and Rainbow’s Cozy Powell (drums), it seems like a reasonable approximation of his own group’s sound.

“I think we’re a band that can appeal to a diverse audience, because we’re not just playing speed- or power-metal—we’re also a hard-rock band,” says the 27-year-old, reached at his home in Thessaloniki, Greece. “We’re trying to combine a bunch of things together, but at the same time be very heavy and melodic.”

On the quintet’s fifth studio album, The Premonition, the most notable exception to that blending of vintage proto-metal and hard rock is the opening track. “Into the Fire” has a sorrowful acoustic intro similar to the start of Metallica’s “Battery”, which segues into a rampaging thrash epic, laden with Yngwie Malmsteen–type arpeggios.

Otherwise, within fist-pumping arrangements that recall G.’s former bands Dream Evil and Mystic Prophecy, the 10-track release embraces old-school pop-rock catchiness. There’s a hint of Bryan Adams’s “Summer of ’69” in the riff of “Mercenary Man”, whose recent military-equipment-laden video was created by Swedish director Patric Ullaeus. Also eyebrow-raising is a juiced-up rendition of Michael Sembello’s “Maniac”, which boasts pulsating keyboards from Bob Katsionis and an urgent vocal performance by Apollo Papathanasio.

“Bob suggested that instead of doing a classic-rock cover version, we should try something like synth-pop,” G. says about tackling the 1983 Flashdance chart-topper. “We originally planned to make it a B-side for a single, but it came out so well that we said, ‘Hey, let’s put this on the album.’ ”

The six-string magician got his taste for metal in the early ’90s, when grunge was putting a damper on ’80s-style fretboard acrobatics. But he insists he didn’t deplore that Seattle-spawned scene.

“Sure, for a while you’d see a lot of guitar players on the covers of guitar magazines who didn’t know how to tune their instruments,” he says. “A lot of people blamed Kurt Cobain. But I don’t hate grunge because of that. Pearl Jam always had some pretty cool solos on their songs with Jimi Hendrix influences. If the songs were good, I listened to it.”

G. likewise respects two of Greece’s better-known, softer-sounding musical exports: “Yanni did some cool records, like Live at the Acropolis, and Vangelis scored many legendary films. I have great respect for both guys. They’re huge. They’ve sold millions of records, and they did the right thing—they left Greece to make a serious career in music.”

Firewind plays the Croatian Cultural Centre on Monday (May 26).