INTERVIEWS

DEADLY CARNAGE: Awareness, Self-criticism, Constance ....
METALPIT.IT STAFF01 / 03 / 2016INTERVISTE
We had the pleasure to have a chat with Fabio Arcangeli, guitarist of Deadly Carnage on the occasion of the release of CHASM (Read the review) EP that celebrates their first decade of life. Enjoy the reading!!

MP: First of all Welcome to Metalpit.it
FABIO: Thank you very much, it's a pleasure.
MP: "Chasm" has just been sold. Tell us about this EP and what it represents for the band.
FABIO: When we approached ten years of activity we felt that it was time to do something different from the usual, we absolutely wanted to find a way to celebrate this event together with the people who have always supported us in this decade and a 7 "in The limited idea seemed to us the best idea. "Chasm" is not just a celebratory EP, but a real manifestation of the changes of recent times. We celebrate the past, but we always look forward, those who follow us know it well, for us it has always been and will always be so; every new job is a new stimulus to experiment something different.
MP: Your first decade of activity has arrived. Looking back, what do you see? How much you have changed / evolved together as a band Deadly Carnage and as musicians.
FABIO: It's been ten years and yet it does not seem so far from the moment of the first trials, the first compositions and the first ideas that brought us here. I am perfectly aware of what our beginnings and our years have been, but I do not usually look back, I always look forward, I'm happy with the results, but this is not the end of the path, it's a new beginning, with a new energy. When we founded the band we were very young, little more than teenagers, we have matured, first of all as people and consequently as musicians, our influences have changed and the way we play music, after ten years we have a different awareness and a mentality more open, the thing that has not changed, and that probably will never change, is that we always do things our own by playing exactly what we want.
MP: As written in our review, your music is impregnated with this latent maliconia and I dare say almost perennial. Where do all these emotions and feelings come from?
FABIO: Hard to say, you might think that the thing is desired, but it is not at all, regardless of how we want to structure a song, the melancholic vein always makes its way spontaneously, I can not even define how or why it happens, we know only that it is part of us musically speaking, it accompanies us in every composition and I like it, we feel at ease with the sounds that shake the emotional sphere.
MP: How is a Deadly Carnage song born? How much is each copolent songolo inside the pieces?
FABIO: Normally our songs are all born in the rehearsal room from a jam session, which is then reworked and reworked long before becoming a real piece. Normally we do not like to define a goal at a table, we do not like being too constrained. Usually it is Dave (rhythm guitar) to outline the skeleton of the song giving the "La" to the whole, but each song is worked and processed by everyone, I think it is precisely this aspect that has always given me the incentive to continue to make music, the fact that when I enter the rehearsal room I never know what will come out and I have no idea of ​​the influences that will be brought into the song, each of us has a very different musical heritage and this undoubtedly affects the composition phase.
MP: In 10 years of activity the band has been practically unchanged, if not in 2008/2009 in which dave and Alexios entered training. What is in your opinion the strong point of the Deadly Carnage to stay in training almost stable for at least 6 years. What is the glue that unites you?
FABIO: Indeed, our training has been stable for a long time, even if I have to report a recent change of line-up that is not known to everyone; Marcello, the singer since our demo of 2006 left the training shortly before the recordings of "Chasm" although he has rightly wanted to participate in this celebration. The separation took place in a totally friendly, I would say almost consensual, he felt that his role in the Deadly Carnage had come to an end and decided to take a step back, both for him and for the path taken by the band itself. Currently Alexios has also played the role of singer as well as solo guitar as usual. We tried to take advantage of this change in a positive way, for us it was simply an input to try something new. We have already presented the new live training a few weeks ago, so someone has already had the opportunity to hear the changes from a vocal point of view that are not few at all. For those who will not have the opportunity to see each other live, they will unfortunately have to wait for the next work to hear them. The change of line-up, however, has not in any way contemplated the entry of a new musician, over many years we have created a strong alchemy between us and it was not our intention to alter it in any way, the glue that unites us is as a band is without doubt the commitment to a common goal and currently we do not admit interference in this.
MP: On a general level, what do you think is the most important factor that a band should have?
FABIO: In three words: awareness, self-criticism, constancy. Without these three factors, I think we do not go anywhere in the music world, they are the minimum requirements for being able to exist in an overcrowded yet often invisible music scene. Awareness is essential to understand where we are and where we want to go, we must have clear ideas while remaining in touch with reality. Self-criticism is the main factor in creating music that can be defined as such; if I am not satisfied first of all myself how can I think that someone else is? The constancy, today, in 2016 is the main factor, you must always continue to move forward, without stopping and without losing sight of the goals or you may get lost in the sea of ​​the underground and no longer find the shore.
MP: Always looking at an eye to the past. Do you find that the Italian metal scene has evolved to levels of possibilities for bands both to play live and qualitatively speaking?
FABIO: Compared to when we started out, we know that the chances of playing live today are infinitely greater than ten years ago for virtually anyone. Today the number of concerts is absolutely very high compared to years ago and also the quality of the same has greatly improved, I think the Italian scene is very active from this point of view. Unfortunately, in Italy the public is missing, with rare exceptions, the audience at the concerts is always lower and it is always harder to be able to promote an evening as it should. Even if you can not attribute all the blame to the public, if it does not go to concerts there will be a reason, perhaps the disease that affects this decline is not only in the mindset of the public, but is attributable to the whole system. Often there is a lack of basic professionalism, this is undoubted, but there are also causes that are more hidden and difficult to understand. A good live is like cooking a good dish, everything must be done in the right dose and at the right time. I am convinced that things will soon improve also from this point of view.
MP: We stay in Italy. What are the Italian bands that have inspired you and that you follow?
FABIO: Turning your gaze to the past (I refer to the times of "Decadence" and "Ashes") we have undoubtedly undergone the influence of the Italian scene watching with admiration bands like Spite Extreme Wing, Janvs and our fellow label Absentia Lunae and Melencolia Ecstatic. Today our vision is probably more focused abroad and different musical genres, although the esteem and admiration for the aforementioned bands remains enormous and undisputed, we simply prefer to broaden our views as much as possible without placing limits. However I would like to mention an Italian band that inspires us since the composition of "Manthe", I am from Rome and respond to the name of Lento, in my opinion the best Italian band, impressive.
MP: What are your plans for the future? Dreams and aspirations of an evolving band?
FABIO: We are currently working on the fourth album, there is a lot of boiling for this project, but I do not want to reveal too much, it would be premature, I just say that the processing started in October 2013, as soon as the "Manthe" recordings were finished and that probably in the coming months we will make the very first details.
MP: Do you have any live events during this period, on the calendar to which we can redirect our readers?
FABIO: Currently the only scheduled date is March 26 at the Grind House in Padua in the company of Common Grave and Melencolia Estatica, it will be a real pleasure to share the stage with two bands that we value so much. On that occasion we will present a part of the songs that will compose the new album, a first taste of what we are working on.
MP: MetalPit thanks you for the attention you gave us for this interview. We leave you a space to say what you want!
FABIO: Streams of Shine!

Hail, welcome to Sick And Destroy. Before we start the interview, I would like you to introduce yourself to our readers. To begin with where are you from and a brief history about your band? 

We come from Rimini, a small town squeezed between the hills and the Adriatic Sea in the north of Italy. The project was born romai 13 years ago, many things have changed since that time, but our intention has always been to play a music that would satisfy ourselves, without thinking too much about the labels that the public could give us.

How would you describe your music? And what bands have influenced you the most? 

Our music can be thought of as a journey, we base our sound especially on the atmosphere and on the duality, in our music you can find very dark moments alternating with other brighter ones. There are many bands that have influenced us over the years; Lento, Russian Circles, Aclest, Drudkh, but also others that perhaps no one imagines like Tool, Opeth or My Dying Bride.

How many and which albums/demos has Deadly Carnage released so far?

We have published a total of four albums, two EPs and a demo in the now distant 2006

Which ones happens to be your favourite songs? of Deadly Carnage and personal.

Probably the favorite song by all Deadly Carnage members is “Ifene”, from our last album, maybe it’s really our best song ever, I also agree with this idea, even if it’s right for me to mention “Manthe” from the our album of 2014, I’m very proud of that song, it cost six months of composition work.

Do you feel that Deadly Carnage’s music has changed over the years and how? 

The music of Deadly Carnage has changed a lot in these years, it has been a gradual and constant change, we started playing a sort of Black / Thrash over 13 years ago and today we play something that could be defined as Post Metal. What has never changed in our music is the desire to experiment and try new solutions, precisely for this reason in 13 years our music has had this strong change.

How much time does it take for Deadly Carnage to record an album? 

Normally we need at least two years to compose songs for a new album and another year to pre-produce and record it, our albums have a gestation of about three years, although, for example, we worked on our last album for four years. We are not in a hurry when it comes to our music, we need to take our time.

Tell us something more about the latest album ‘Through the Void, Above the Suns’. 

It is an album that can be considered as a cyclic journey that repeats itself to infinity, a journey through the cosmos, inside the elements that compose it and inside its phases. This is “Through the Void, Above the Suns”, all the music of this album comes from this idea.

Whats next? Working on any new album? If so, some details please. 

We are people who take our time, but we work constantly on our music. We are currently working on a new concept album, it is soon to give a lot of details, but I can say that I will be something unexpected, especially from the point of view of the times treated in the lyrics.

Any tours, gigs for promotion of latest album? 

We are currently organizing some dates for the winter 2018/2019, soon we will announce something more detailed.

Any future plans for playing in Europe or USA? 

Certainly some date in Europe we will do, for now we have nothing planned in the US, although we would love it in the near future. In the United States there are many people who support our music and sooner or later we would like to play for these people.

Has Deadly Carnage done any opening acts for other major heavy weight bands? If yes, then when and where? 

Surely the most important band we played with were the Venom in 2015 at an open air festival here in Italy. Over the years we have also played with Nargaroth, Agalloch, Lantlos … We are very proud of this, it was a good experience to participate in concerts so important.

What do you feel about the Metal Scene there in your country? 

Often the Italian metal scene is not much considered, neither in our country, nor abroad, but things have been changing for a few years: bands like Forgotten Tomb, Enisum, Selvans have shown that even here in Italy there are very good projects. I follow the Italian scene a lot, there are very good realities.

Any messages for the readers?

Yes! Support music in physical format! CD, Tape and Vinyl are something that lasts over time. Mp3 let’s leave it to those who listen to pop music.

Hi Deadly Carnage! What’s the meaning of your band’s title? What’s the origin of that name? Have you changed the band’s name before?

Our name was chosen over 13 years ago, for this reason the name is so far from our current music, but many years ago it seemed perfect for what we played. The name is a reference to an Italian novel of the ‘800 in which, in one of the chapters, is described the plague that struck the city of Milan in 1600.

What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?

If I had to label our music genre I would describe it as a cross between Post Metal and Blackgaze, even if in our music there are also influences coming from Prog or Doom, we prefer not to put up barriers.

How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?

The band was formed in 2005 and the current line-up exists since 2009. I (Adres – bass) and Marco (drums) are the only members of the first training, he and I are old friends, we have known each other since we were children. The band was born when we attended the last years of school, before graduation.

When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?

At the beginning, in 2005 or 2006 there were not many pretensions, we just wanted to make our own music, we did not ask ourselves many questions, we just played. The goal was to create a band that would talk over time, a band to be satisfied after our previous musical experiences that had led to nothing. After 13 years I am very satisfied with what we have done.

Are you a member of any music organizations?

A few years ago I had founded a musical organization to organize concerts, for a while everything went very well, but I was frustrated by the music scene, now I decided to devote myself only to my musical projects.

What can you tell me about your instruments? (i.e., Are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever’s available? What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/color preference?

Personally I’m not obsessed with the instrumentation brand, over the years I’ve played bass fenders, ibanez and now I play a warwick, I love the sound of my current bass. Marco (drums) has a Sonor drums with cymbals Ufip, is loyal to these brands, as our Alexios (vocals, guitar) is loyal to Ibanez. I think it’s something very personal.

Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?

We are currently organizing some concerts for autumn and winter. Among the places where we played in the past one of the best was the Cylce, near Florence, that place has an incredible sound. In 2015 we also played in an open air festival with Venom and many other bands, a very important stage, but we prefer to play in clubs, are more intimate and our music has a better result in these conditions.

Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list?

We are currently playing only the tracks of our last album, it is our habit to play only the most recent tracks. It ‘s hard to say if there is a song that we have played several times, but “Antica Europa”, a song from our first album is one of the most loved by our supporters and it happens that we also play in our current concerts.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?

The instrumental part is written mainly by Dave (guitar), but the whole band is present when something new is composed and each one gives its own contribution. The lyrics are always written by the singer (until 2015 Marcello, now Alexios). I also wrote some lyrics like “Antica Europa”, “Ceneri” and “1486”. In the past, when Marcello was behind the microphone the lyrics were set on personal reflections and existentialist, when he left the band we decided to treat more abstract subjects because we found them more interesting for our musical evolution.

Could you briefly describe the music-making process?

We have a small rehearsal room in a country house, we meet them and do a bit of brainstormig, then we start to play something, some riffs, jam … when we can create something good we process it, we develop it until get a temporary piece. Then we go to a larger rehearsal room, with higher volumes and better instrumentation, and we continue to play the song and improve it until we are 100% satisfied.

What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?

We meet every week, almost always the same day, in the evening. Normally we have dinner together, we show our ideas and then we start working in the rehearsal room.

How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?

Our music is very different from 13 years ago when we started, first for us it was essential to have an aggressive and rough sound, now we prefer to create a sound based on the atmosphere, on the dilated sounds.

What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

When we finished recording “Manthe” in 2014 it was time for us to do something different, to break down the barriers and create something that was new and different for us, something that motivates us to go on with the same enthusiasm as always For this reason we have worked hard to create our current sund, this was our biggest challenge.

What’s your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?

No fame no luck, if I wanted these things I would not play what I play now. We only want to create something to be proud of and to be satisfied with, we make music especially for ourselves.

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?

Play thinking about what you like, do not think about the audience, do not copy anyone, play what you represent.

How can fans-to-be gain access to your music?

Our music is available on Youtube, on Bandcamp, on Facebook … who wants can find everything on these platforms and can support us concretely if you want it.

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?

I would like to show appreciation for Mike Crinella, our close collaborator who has always supported and helped us, it is also thanks to him if we are here now to talk.

Any last words?

Supporting music in physical format, mp3s are not suitable for real music.

Deadly Carnage Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

The recordings ended at the end of 2017, while the album was released a few days ago, now we spend a lot of time in the rehearsal room, we are preparing some concerts, the first of which will be the official presentation of the new album.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

This new album, like the previous ones, has a sound based on the atmosphere and on the rhythm that punctuates it, but compared to the past there are more musical influences ranging from post metal to prog rock. In this album we decided to use only tube amplifiers and analog effects, I think this makes our sound truer and closer to our live performance.

3.Originally the band played in more of a black metal direction but over the years have added in more post and doom metal influences, what was the decision behind going into this musical direction?

Ours was not a decision, the evolution of our sound was natural and spontaneous, it is matured together with us and our influences. We play what we want to play, without thinking too much about definitions.

4.The lyrics on the new album have a concept to them, can you tell us a little bit more about what you have covered lyrically on the new album?

The concept of this album is the cosmos, we have imagined the cosmos as a living organism that breathes and completes its cycle of life, from birth to death, to start this cycle from the beginning in an endless whirl of long cosmic breaths

5.A lot of your lyrics have an existential and quantum science theme to them, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

Trying to understand the cosmos and its laws is something that has always fascinated humanity, we are no exception. Stephen Hawking's theories were very fascinating to us, so we decided to take a cue from them and create our own vision of things.

6.You also cover spirituality, sacred geometry and occultism, how would you describe your interest in the esoteric arts?

I have always been fascinated by the esoteric arts, I am fascinated by everything that is mysterious and difficult to understand, from everything that is hidden and obscure. I do not know why, it is probably something that I have inside of me since I was a kid and I was fascinated by the Horror films by Dario Argento.

7.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Deadly Carnage'?

This name was decided many years ago, when the band's sound was very different from now. However, it was inspired by a famous Italian book of 1800 that in one of its chapters tells the plague that struck the city of Milan in 1600.

8.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

One of our best performances is very recent, last summer we played at an outdoor festival organized by our label. The stage was mounted in the heart of nature, in a forest of the Italian Alps, we played at sunset, a beautiful concert. Our concerts are designed as a journey, we do not pause between the tracks, we play the whole concert as if it were a single long track and behind us a film is projected that transports the viewer into our visual dimension. For us music and images are connected and with a legally indissoluble.

9.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

For the moment we have not scheduled a tour, but some dates in our country to promote the new album, however we hope to be able to organize a European tour very soon.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of black. doom and post metal?

This new album is receiving excellent feedback both in our country and outside Europe, we are very pleased that our mix of genres is understood and appreciated.

11.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Me and all the other members of the band are part of or have been part of several musical projects, but at the moment some of these projects are still. Currently among the active ones there are Omega, which can be defined as a parallel project of the Deadly Carnage with which we explore our darker side, then are active solo projects of Dave and Alexios or respectively Wear and Tear and Tha Goblunz March, the first has a sound close to Almbient and experimental electronic music, the second one is crazy and very theatrical folk metal.

12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

It is impossible to really predict what we will do in the near future, we do not program the sound of an album, but we let ourselves be carried away by the inspiration of the moment. However we are developing some ideas for a new concept album, but it is still very early to talk about this, but something is boiling.

13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Bands like Lantlos, Deafheaven, Lento, Celeste and Drudkh have certainly influenced our recent music. I am currently listening to a lot of Italian prog rock from the 70s, like Le Orme or PFM, but also more recent music such Hexvesel.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?

Personally I'm a big fan of Cinema, I watch movies of all kinds, but my favorite record will always remain Sergio Leone. I also have the hobby of nature photography, I often walk in the pristine nature to take my photographs

15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Yes, I would like to point out that within our album there are images that contain a mystery, a sort of hidden message, if someone, who owns our album and can see the images of the booklet, has managed to decipher it can contact us