Interview by FORLORN SOUL

To begin I would like to say it is a big pleasure for me to have an interview with your band, since I consider it as one of the absolute best ones springing from the Italian musical scene. How do you feel now that you have achieved a good success in Europe, and you’re under the wings of a known label? We can of course say that you started as a totally Underground band, so what has changed from that period concerning your perception of music, of the fans, and of the business that sometimes involves this circle (music) ?
Well let me start by thanking u for ur words. Yes, we started 11 years ago and everything was quite different back then. Everything was underground, I mean Death metal was an elite thing. No band was ever mentioned in the magazines. There were only xeroxed 'zines. I liked that! For sure the bands sold less copies than they usually sell today but they were much more into it. Still it ain't bad today, I mean, at least I don't have to spend a whole day replying to 10 letters a day. With e-mail all is much faster, easier and cheaper. Being under a big label gives lot of safety, we know we'll never be let down since there's a contract to fulfill. There's more money for advertisings, tours. You know, small labels may bankrupt anytime and that's a nightmare for a band.

What can you tell us about the frequent line-up changes occurring within the band? Is it just a casuality or maybe because of your bad character?! ? Introduce to us the new Novembre members.
Yep, my nickname is The Duce and I don't want rivals around. Jokes apart, we're quite unlucky. During the years some guys just gave up. Some thought they could earn money. But u don't earn money 'till u don't sell 100.000 copies. Some just had to. Alessandro had to move to Milan to work. Then Massimiliano is back in the band for good. This summer, during the recording sessions for Novembrine Waltz there've been troubles beetween us all, due to the massive stress for the deadlines and we were back from 4 months of continuos concern for Giuseppe's health. He had to go under surgey at his back. All summed up, Massimiliano left the band, but luckily he returned few months later. Guess someone noticed him at our italian dates with Opeth and Katatonia. He's a foundamental member.

The new “Novembrine Waltz” is finally out and I guess it is a great satisfaction to receive such great reviews and feedback. What are the elements of your music that you think people appreciate most? I think your musical maturity has reached its hightest point from “Classica” on… Looking back to the past, are there some elements you would change or improve in your first 2 albums?
Well yes, the album received a couple of overwhelming reviews from all over. So glad we have many renowned fans like the guys from Opeth and Katatonia themselves, guys from My dying bride too. That's nice. As long as it's pure music, it will always be appreciated. If music gets spoiled by extraneous elements like greed, ambition then it will inevitably suck. When I write music I just turn my rational side off in order to avode to spoil it. Regarding our first 2 albums Wish I could dream it again... and Arte Novecento let me say that I'm so proud of them. Sure, the recording could have been done better, the vocal performances could have been done better and other details too but it's fine. That's they way we were back then. No regrets, it's like they're my sons, and u love ur sons anyway, anyhow

“Novembrine Waltz” is the perfect follow-up of “Classica”, yet it is a very personal album. What do you think are the main differences between these two works? As in “Arte Novecento” and “Classica”, the mere cover-artwork is so beautiful and evocative that the listener can immediately perceive in his mind how the album’s general atmosphere and mood will be. Can you tell us more about your fantastic artworks?
We work together with the artist. Travis Smith, for instance made the work by reading the lyrics and listening to rough mixes. He wanted me to explain him what I meant with some sentences and what images our songs evoked in me. He's really cool! I'd be lying if I say I don't like the covers of our last 2 albums but even if we work togather with the artists (Niklas Sundin for Classica and Trevis Smith for Novembrine Waltz), the computer graphic method is way too common today for giving me a thrill. U won't believe it but I prefear the covers of our first 2 albums.Regarding the differences beetween the last 2 albums, I've got some words for Classica; obsession, cold, war, madness. In Novembrine Waltz there're new feelings filtering through those mentioned before. They're coolness, non-blinding sunset, ring-a-ring-o'roses, spaces, sleep…

Your music and lyrics are often sad and melancholic, reminding in some way the godz Katatonia (expecially “Classica”, I would say). Maybe you’re not always depressed people, but in this case from where do you draw inspiration to create this sad music/poetry? I’m convinced such music and lyrics cannot come from shallow and empty people, so you must have a deep inner life… What are the elements of life that make you sad and lead you to express these feelings in music?
Reading the next few questions I see it's gonna be very hard. U know, I don't wanna disappont u nor the readers by not answering but, shit, real deep questions uh!? :) Let's see! mmm... I dunno, what a toil! Well, I assume there're must be a vast depressed core behind it all. I mean, there certainly is, and I guess it all comes from there. Besides that I don't think there's shallow people at all. Never met one. (I admidt I really avoided to answer... sorry!)

I think the “Arte Novecento” lyrics were absolutely the most depressive lyrics you ever wrote. There is a kind of desolated desperation inside of them… Was that period a particular period for your life? I noticed one of your preferred themes is the sorrow of the Past, the remembrances, the “nostalgia”… What is your relation with the passing of time and with our memories?
The passing of time is not a problem, indeed, it's all too slow. I find difficulties to live the present time. Too harsh and hard. I find shelter in the past and the future. An example is the song L'Epoque Noire, set in the year 12973 AD. I often fancy about travelling in time. Unfortunally both past and future are out of reach, that brings uneasiness. But there're remedies. Sleep, music, movies... I advice 12 Monkeys, Vanilla Sky (amazing), Orwell 1984, The day after. Real unbalancing stuff. Regarding Arte Novecento's lyrics, they were written one after the other during 2 weeks in January 1995, totally in the flow. I was like in a trance and let the pen go. It's always like that. When songs are ready, then lyrics are ready too even tought they're not written yet. It's like they're in the air. I think it really was a bad period, but can't analize it now. It's seems to me like it happened just yasterday so it's still too close to be focused. It's like a picture too close to your eyes, u just don't see anything but if u move it back u'll get a clear sight of it. Maybe with time I'll be able to analize that period and I'll be able to find out the very meaning of those lyrics.

Have you ever resorted to alcohol abuse, drugs and self-mutilations to hide the inner pain you felt, to flee in another dimension? What do you think about the help that drugs and alcohol can give to keep far from reality, do you like its effects? Do you think they are also an input for creativity and sensorial perceptions to become more evident? In “Carnival” (Arte Novecento) you say : <The roads I walk are even sadder than ever/ Every word has a reason and every line has a rhyme/ All the things which used to be dark are suddenly clear>. Please comment these few sentences…
Yes, when I'm drunk things take a different shape. Can't say if it's the real shape or just the usual one under another point of view. Some things seem to become clear. It seems like u have intuitions, but who's gonna say if they're real? Ain't sure of anything nowdays. I'm like in wait, astonished by all there is. In wanking wait! Sometimes I can't even tell sleep from wake. I'm not into drugs. I occasionally drink and no self mutilation (maybe alcohol is!)

What are the most importart things of your life that give you the strength to live? What is your opinion about suicide? (“Just give me a reason to remain, I’ll give you a thousand to go away…”)
I sense suicide is something not to ever do. It's nothing dealing with church or whatsoever. It's just a feeling I have. I think we'll regret it for a very long time. Nevertheless, I think there's an exception. Sometimes it happens that someone jumps down the balcony, all of a sudden, without a reason, not even a hidden reason. A cold, unaware act. Just like an automaton. Unexplainable acts we sometimes read a few lines in the newspapers. I call it : the thing that should not be. But still sometimes it happens to be. Don't think these people will ever pay for having been literally torn away from their beloved, by dunno what demon hiding beyond the dusk. Oh God, forget this shit! The lines u mentioned were written long ago. Can't really remember if I had the same opinion about sucide back then (...I think so), but, to me, going away can assume the meaning of cutting myself off from reality.

Another frequent theme in your lyrics is journey, but expecially mental and imaginary journey rather than real ones. The way this topic is dealed with in your lyrics reminds me that of “The ballad of the ancient mariner” of Coleridge. Do you draw some inspiration from this book maybe?
It's kinda funny when people ask me about the books they suspect I drew inspiratiom from. Well, I don't read books at all. Never read one in my entire life. I'm just not able to read more than half a page without loosing the thread. I'm not used to, and I think reading is such a bore. In the past I've been forced to study (with poor results!) so maybe that's why! To me journey is another form of detachting from reality, but not only. It also deals again with my past and my homeland (Sicily), with my immaginary ancestors which hailed from somewhere in East. I'm so fascinated by Marco Polo's The Million. Haven't read it, just saw the cartoon :)

Also dreams are an everlasting topic of your texts… what is your personal interpretation of this strange element of life, do you give to dreams some particular meaning or do you look at them only from a rational point of view?

I changed my opinion about dreams lately. I had believed in the science of psychology for a long time but I got really disappointed. I still believe dreams are messages from the subconscious but this theory, the way is taught at universities is too restrictive. There must be much more behind it. Way much more than they'll ever admidt. Needless mentioning the presaging dreams. Never had one but I know someone who usually make this kind of dreams and I trust him much more than doctors. It's strange, in a hand doctors say dreams are still a mistery, in the other they claim all their bullshits to be taken as the pure truth. By the way, from dreams I receive many gifts like song-titles, ideas for covers and even tunes. In a dream I had someone told me that the scenary I was dreaming would have been the cover for the next album. So it was. I found the pic of the first album in a magazine and it's exactly the way I dreamt it. In another, I dreamt Bjork whispering the title for a song into my ear. And now a song has that title. Well, I take these things the way they are, without worring too much about this and that.

Now back to music. Is the musical direction of Novembre already established and definitive, or will there be any radical changes in the future? Will you ever include any influence from other musical styles such as fusion, jazz, classical, blues, electronics, trip-hop or such stuff?
Got not the slightest idea. None of the genres u mentioned annoys me at all, so everything can happen, except for trip-hop which dunno what it is. Is it a super hip-hop? I don't like hip-hop hehe By the way, nothing is definitive since nothing is up to us. Music sets the rules.

In your thanks-list you name some bands that you consider “fundamental” for your musical evolution. Among them I found some names that I absolutely wouldn’t expect from a band like yours! Like for example U2, Rem, Duran Duran, Csi, Bjork and many Italian singers considered as shameful by the average metal-listener (Branduardi, Battiato, De André, Marco Masini !)… Apart from wondering about your incredible open-mindedness, I would like to know in which way these people were an influence to you and to your music.
Many people here in Italy asked me about Marco Masini. Nobody said a word for all the others. On the contrary they all seemed to agree. If u strip that artist (M.Masini) from all the shit surrounding him, I mean things like the excessive dramaticity of some of his lyrics, or the fact that someone says he's a jinx, it only remains some of the greatest songwritings I've ever heard (with lots of Classical elements inside) and some outstanding poetry. Why shouldn't I have mentioned him? Just because of someone? Ha, no way! Regarding the others, many are artists I listened since before I got into metal, while many others were discovered later. By the way, some old time fans will withness Suzanne Vega was named in the credits of the Unreal demo tape 1991 when we were named Catacomb.

What are for you the most depressive bands on Earth?
Beyond Dawn, Katatonia, My dying bride.

Ok, that was all. Thanks a lot for this interview, dark greetings…
Thanx a lot for this deep and extraordinary interview!