|
|
<< Interviews this month
file under Prog / Sympho metal
‘Flowing Portraits’ van het Italiaanse Soul Secret is een van de betere prog metal albums die in grote regelmaat vanuit dat land worden gelanceerd. Natuurlijk is Lords of Metal dan nieuwschierig naar meer informatie en zo wisselden we onlangs via de digitale snelweg van gedachten met oprichter en bassist Lucio Grilli…
Text: Winston
Your new album ‘Flowing Portraits’ was well received, despite of your band being the ‘next’ Italian prog metal band I think this one stands out from your collegue bands, what is your opinion?
Well, I’m very happy you’ve appreciated our Flowing Portraits and knowing you’ve this positive opinion about the band makes me very proud. You’re right when you say our album was well received: sincerely we didn’t expect a such astonishing confirmation from the critics and this is a great prodding to go on in our future musical path. However, there are many valuable bands in Italy and all around the world which are giving new light to prog-metal: we’re a young band, and we hope to carve out our little space in this scene with our music.
The mastering of the album was done by none other than Karl Groom, a well known name in the scene, best for being in Threshold of course, how did you got him involved and how did the collaboration go?
Well, after the end of Flowing Portraits recording sessions, we need a mastering for the album. Thanks to our manager Davide Guidone, we get in touch with Karl Groom at the end of 2007. We knew he’s a warranty from that point of view, as well as guitarist. His previous collaborations with Arena, Pendragon and Threshold were a dandy business card. Obviously, his presence on Flowing Portraits has improved the album: it’s given that something more that Flowing Portraits needed. We’ve to thank Karl for his great work and for his great professionalism and availability and we hope to team up with him in future.
The epic ‘Tears of Kalliroe’ is one of the albums’ highlights, with its’ orchestral ouverture and all. Can you tell something more about this particular song?
Yes of course! When we started to compose one idea that often flashed in our minds was ending the Album in the best way we can, a kind of iceberg top. So we thought to something similar to a suite, but we never would have imagined to reach nearly 17 minutes of song! Before album’s release we’re quite doubtful about this song because its length it would have bored, but now we’re very happy to know that many proggers love it. The orchestral ouverture is entirely composed by Luca Di Gennaro and is a consequence of the song’s length: considering that you can find many different themes, we decided to summarize them to introduce listeners to the Tears Of Kalliroe universe. I really love all the instrumental digressions of this song: they seem so different but still they tie in perfectly in a mix of rough and melodic kind of music.
Ex-Mind Key singer Mark Basile sings on the album, is he a permanent member or just a hired gun?
No, Mark Basile actually is not a member of the band: after recording sessions we’ve taken different paths. However we’re good friends. Every vocal arrangement and every lyric in the album was composed by Michele Serpico with our collaboration Unfortunately, because of health problems on a short notice before recording sessions, Michele had to renounce and was replaced by Mark: everyone of them has done a great job, Michele in composing and Mark in singing. We were lucky in misfortune!
What classic prog band is of the most influence for Soul Secret? And what neo classic prog band?
Well, since we were at high school we like Dream Theater because they’re the pioneers of progressive metal: their great ability in mixing progressive and metal music in the early 90’s made them a touchstone for all the next proggers generations. During the years we enlarged our musical horizons, listening to other bands which, even if in a different way from Dream Theater, have given something to prog scene. At this moment I like listening to European prog-metal bands, like Circus Maximus and Pagan’s Mind, but I listen with pleasure also “older” bands like Symphony X, Pain Of Salvation, ARK and so on…At last, I really love melodic shades, almost AOR, set in prog music.
Are there specific goals set for Soul Secret as a band?
Our main goal is going on in writing and playing our music. We’re working on the second album with great excitement and we hope to transmit all the emotions we feel to the listeners. We’ve completed 2 songs, and the only thing I can say about them is that they’re quite different from the songs on Flowing Portraits. Obviously, with our manager Davide, we’re organizing a tour to promote our debut album. The idea of playing our songs around is really amazing! It would be great if we could share the stage with big names of the Prog landscape, in Italy and maybe away from our borderlines. Let’s wait and see…
How is the situation in Italy in the prog scene? More and more bands are releasing albums, are you friends or is there some rivalry as well?
As you said, this is a very prolific period for Italian prog bands and many of them are very promising. Maybe the ancient splendour of Italian prog music are coming back? Let’s hope! Unfortunately we’ve never met them until now, because the most part of these bands lives and carries out its own musical activity in the northern part of Italy, while we’re from Naples, in the south of the country. However, there’s not any rivalry with these band nor jelousy, rather there’s respect. Maybe we’ll meet one day, oh the same stage !
It took Soul Secret four years to release this first album, are you all satisfied with the way it turned out?
We’re much more than satisfied, if you consider that the album has been composed in a little bit more than one year. Before Luca’s entrance in the band, we hadn’t the stability to begin a to write songs all together. There were some ideas, but only sketched. When we found the right person, was all downhill from there! You know, when you’ve the peacefulness of looking ahead, everything seems to be easier, Flowing Portraits is the crowning achievement of years of great sacrifices, and I can’t describe my happiness to see MY cd finished! We strongly wanted this album. We hope it won’t be the last!
What can you tell us about the founding of the band, how did you meet and where does the name come from?
Yes of course. The band was born in the summer of 2004 when me and my friend Antonio Vittozzi (we’ve already played together in another band) decided to continue together a musical project starting from searching the missing elements and playing some progressive cover. Soul Secret was our name since the first line up of the band, and was suggested by a friend of ours for fun. We liked it because it symbolized what we wanted to express through our music, precisely something hidden inside ourselves and that nobody knows. Early on we felt the need to express ourselves through some own music, even if with a different line-up. Right, because in our brief history we’ve replaced many musicians before arriving to the actual line-up… Maybe too many! In 2005 we recorded a home-made demo called “Never Care About Tomorrow” which contains a rough version of Inner War and an unreleased song called Eternal Lights. When Luca joined the band some month later (the demo was recorded with another singer and another keyboardist), we’ve already started to arrange some ideas for what should be Flowing Portraits. With his friendship and musical collaboration, everything was more simple, and in the course of an year we finished to compose our debut album. Flowing Portraits recording sessions started on April 23th 2007 here in Naples, and finished approximately on July 2007. The rest is recent history…
How were you signed by ProgRock Records? A great label for new prog bands of course…
Well , when Flowing Portraits was definitely completed, together with our manager Davide Guidone, we decided to send promo copies of the album to some labels. We’re extremely happy to know that ProgRock Records would have been ready to bet on us. We’ve to thank Shawn Gordon. It’s a great opportunity and we hope to repay his trust.
Is playing in band like Soul Secret the way you imagined it to be? Did you under or over estimate some things?
When I started to play bass, my first aim was to play in a band. Even if Soul Secret was not my first musical experience, when Antonio Vittozzi and I founded the band I had great hopes because I was conscious of my responsibility, but at the same time I was sure that some other time our reliability and passion would have led us to something concrete. During the years Soul Secret have slowly take up an ever greater place in my life, becoming my priority. The second aim was writing music that I could have called “MINE”, and recording an full-length album: with Flowing Portraits I’ve reached also this second goal! Playing the music I like with the right people is really amazing, and I hope this adventure can go on a long time.
http://www.myspace.com/soulsecretband
<<
previousnext >>
|
|
|
Maak home
Bookmark