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Hi,
first off I just want to congratulate you on your new album. To
new fans could your please fill us in on the history behind it
all?
Napo - Well…me
(Napo/guitars) and Dr.K (drums) decided long time ago to raise up
a tribute to Iron Maiden (and the name talks for itself….the 1st
song of their 1st album), so we called some friends and set the
1st line-up, with Me and The Eldar on guitars, Dr.K on drums,
Fabio on vocals and our friend Sergio on bass. We started soon to
play original songs together with the Maiden ones but after some
years Sergio quit the band and we found another good bass player:
Alessandro. The latest member who joined the band was Max on
keyboards that arrived in 2003, just after the release of “Souls
Thieves”.
Then
we started composing new songs and with the 4 track demo Devil’s
Bridge we found an agreement with the managing company IntroMental
that brought us the deal with Locomotive Records….and here we
are!
How
has your new album been received by the media?
Napo - Just
take a look at the reviews we collected on our website….they all
seem to like it very much, now let the fans have the final word on
it!
I
know artists don’t like to put a label on their music - but a
spaceship from outer space has just landed in your backyard, and
is demanding an answer - so how would you describe your music to
an alien from another galaxy?
Napo - Huh….before
it all let’s see if they have laser beams pointed at me…..LOL,
then I would let them listen and decide, that’s the best thing,
but if I have no possibility to play the album….well….a
mixture of old school 80’s metal mixed with progressive,
power and sometimes gothic elements.
If
your music was an emotion, which one would it be?
Napo
- Fantasy
(if we shall consider fantasy as an emotion….I do).
Who
and what inspires you when you write a song? Walk us through the
creation of a song?
Napo
- Nothing
in particular, everything can be of inspiration, things we read,
things that happens….usually the music comes first, and then the
lyrics, but sometimes is also the opposite, with the music build
over a concept we want to express…
Who
has produced and mixed the album? Are you pleased with the result?
Napo
- The
producer is the “world famous” Tommy Hansen, who produced
bands like Helloween, Pretty Maids, and Manticora. He’s a very
nice guy, and it was so fun working’ with him in his Jailhouse
Studios. In only 1 week he gave to our CD the touch it needed. The
result was gorgeous.
Who
has done the artwork? And how important do you feel it is to have
a great cover?
Napo
– Mattias
Norén from Progart was chosen after looking’ to some proposals,
and his one was the best…then we worked together to have the
final result, that, as you can see, is perfect!!! And obviously
the answer to the second question is YES, the cover is one of the
things that catch the eye of the “future listener”, so it must
be impressive but also it must contain elements that help the
potential customer to understand the product he’s going to buy!
Do
you have any touring plans?
Napo
- Not
yet decided, but our management is looking’ to find something
that can fit our needs ;-)
Let’s
speculate – you have been granted a free slot on a tour of your
own choice – who would be your ideal touring partners?
Napo
- In
my opinion Iron Maiden would be the best ones, but also Dream
Theater or Helloween can be good partners…
How
do you feel about the co-operation with your label?
Napo
- Well…we
are at the beginning, but we can see that they move pretty fast,
so it’s a good starting point for us to work together.
The
internet is a very important source for many metal fans – how do
you use the internet and how important is it for you and other
bands?
Napo - I
LIVE on the net…I’m connected 24h a day, and I can see that is
one of the most important way of communication that helps the
music to reach every remote place in the planet. Unfortunately is
also the best way to let the music travel “for free”…but you
know….there are always 2 sides on a coin ;-)
And
how do you feel about the metal scene in general at the moment?
Napo
- A
bit boring….too many bands, too many “clones”, and only few
bands playing’ something new.
Now is more the “look” that counts instead of music….look
at bands like Slipknot, Marilyn Manson and the newcomers Lordi.
They play nice music, but the most important part of their
business is their “appearance”…
Which
song do you consider to be the best one you have ever written?
Napo
- “A
Descent into the Maelstrom” is still my favourite, even if it is
on our 1st CD.
Name
an album, person or event that has had a huge influence on your
life … and why?
Napo
- ‘7th
Son of a 7th Son’ from Iron Maiden is the album…because
it was the one that brought me really inside the metal scene. The
person is my g/f Stefy, she’s always the one I listen for
critics about my “musical career”, and she has a good point of
view ;-)
Which
kind of music do you listen to at home?
Napo - Iron
Maiden were and are for me the “very special band”, but I grow
up with all the 80’s heavy metal (Judas Priest, Metallica,
Helloween, Crimson Glory….) but I grow up also with bands like
Beatles…now I like something different, except for Dream Theater,
I usually listen Rammstein or System of a Down….even if
sometimes I like to “slow down” with Simon & Garfunkel,
Placebo, Stevie Ray Vaughan…
Vinyl
has had a small comeback lately – do you still prefer “the old
sound” or are you a CD/DVD kind of guy?
Napo
- I’m
a nostalgic, so I prefer the touch of a vinyl….CD is a “new
thing” for me….but obviously is better to carry and to listen
when you are far from home.
Last
question - do you have any famous last words for our readers?
Napo - The
ways of God in Nature, as in
Providence
, are not as our ways; nor are the models that we frame any way
commensurate to the vastness, profundity, and unsearchableness of
His works, which have a depth in them greater than the well of
Democritus. Joseph Glanville (used by E.A. Poe as prologue to A
Descent into the MaelstroM.)
Don’t
forget to visit us on www.theprowlers.com
Ciao to everybody and “Up the Prows!”
Interviewed
by Kenn Jensen |
