Interview Eldritch

You've just released a new album called "Blackenday", can you tell us more about it ?

Blackenday is our seventh studio Album. Now our music is more heavy and easy listening,. With the first three albums you had to be a diehard progmetal listener to understand us, but now we`re extremely catchy and easy to get along with. This album is still as aggressive as our previous work (Neighbourhell) and we think it’s something special for listeners who enjoy a mixture of Annihilator, Fates Warning, Metallica and some sane Hard Rock from the 80’s and 90’s. It sounds great, thanks to the help of R.D. Liapakis and Christian Schmid at Music Factory studios in Germany. It sounds clear and aggressive at the highest quality. The songs are great and there are a lot of potentially hit singles on here. With this record we`ll surely get into a huge number of metal listeners. The artwork was made by Davide Nadalin from Nerve design CO., Italy. This guy is awesome. He made also the new Threshold artwork. It expresses the sadness of a day gone bad, reaching the end of everything, near death.


How long have you been recording the album?

The album has been recorded between December 2006 and January/February 2007.


What things inspire you to write the lyrics for "Blackenday"?

Terence writes our songs and I can tell you that he doesn’t speak about “fantasy things”, but about real life, feelings of the daily living. He talks about his life during the last decade, and trust me, it's full of shit!!


Can you speak to us about the recording sessions ?

The recording sessions have been organized in this way: For first there have been recorded the drums, then the guitars and bass. At last voice and choruses. All it has been realized at the Big Wave Studios in Leghorn. Then we have  sent the work to R.D. Liapakis and Christian Schmid at Music Factory studios in Germany for mixing and mastering.


What are your favourite songs out of this new album ? And what makes them so special for you ?

My favourite songs are “Why” and “The Fire”. “Why” because it is a strange song with an impressive rhythm  and “The Fire” because accordin’ to me it is the more aggressive song of our Album. And when it is spoken about aggressiveness… John Crystal answers. Hahaha


Are there special guests on this album ?

Yes, we have had a collaboration with Ray Alder (Fates Warning/Redemption) and Nicholas Van Dyk (Redemption) in the middle of the song “Broken Road” and Gabe Palermo (Tragedian)that made a short solo on "The Deep Sleep",I think one of the most beautiful songs of the entire cd for depth and ability to catalyze the different shadings of our personality as musicians. It’s been an idea of Eugene who is a great fan of Ray Alder and  Fates Warning. He has contacted him through Internet (Myspace) and we have sent him the base of the track.  Gabe is a kind of brother for Terence and it was simple to get in touch with him. Often such collaborations play a little unspontaneous, but in this case their partecipation have become part to the perfection in the general context of the album. Redemption is an optimal  band and Nicholas Van Dyk surely has  interesting ideas.

Which songs from the album are you playing live? Why did you choose that ones?

We play “Silent Flame”, “The Deep Sleep”, “The Blackened Day”, “Why? ”, “The Child That Never Smiles”, “Shallow Water Flood”, “We Hold On”. We think that these songs have more impact towards the public. However we'll play also the other songs of the  previous albums and with other six albums on the shoulders we must give consideration also to those works.

Did you film a promotional video ?

Yes, we have recorded on February, the video of “The Blackened Day”. It’s a strange video with the image of a child taken away from “ Mrs. Death”. A topic not so funny but unfortunately real...


What's your opinion about the international metal scene ?

According to me the metal scene is a kind of music encircled fortunately by a public of faithfuls and it's for whom we cannot say that it is not a dead kind. Sure I can say that it has had greater implication during the years ‘80. It is also for this that the internacional metal scene is still tied to the great bands of the ‘80s like Metallica, Iron Maiden, etc. But I think that in Europe and in America many greatest bands are present but unfortunately are stamped as Underground. But, Maybe Underground wants to mean originality...


Can you tell us an anecdote which particularly marked the band ?

When we were in Chicago, we have been treated like true Rock stars. Every day they carried us up to make us see the city  on a Limousine and that one has been an occasion in order to see the highest levels to which it can inhale one band of our kind.

How do you prepare yourselves either mentally or physically before you enter on stage ?

 I make stretching with Eugene, Pek and Dave , naturally in order to decrease the tension and to be as much as possible more aggressive on stage. Terence sings some parts of our songs, and does his usual vocal stretching exercises.

You will play at the Gods of Metal 2007, on June 2th, can you tell us  more, and are there any plans for other gigs ?

Yes, we will play at  the Gods the 2nd of June with Motley Crue, Velvet Revolver, Scorpions, Thin Lizzy, White Lion and more… The “Gods Of Metal” is a beautiful footrest in order to introduce us still more in Italy. After Gods we will have to play on 7 june at the Sweden Rock in Solvesborg and on the 8 at Berlin. This is the order of the closer dates for now. In advance I  could tell you that we have just been contacted also for “The prog Power” in Denmark, an other important event on November. However, visit our website: www.eldritchweb.com where you will be able to see all of ours official dates. 

What do you see in the future for Eldritch ?

We`ll travel the world for playing, then more music albums and videos. We love this job. Of course we`ll develope our sound album after album, like we did with the first seven records. We don`t like to be repetitive or boring.

And as a conclusion, can you say some words for my radio show Metal Choc ?

Thanks Corinne for the interview and… People, Listeners of Metal Choc, Buy Blackenday and stay Heavy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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