Italian art is known for being very emotional and dramatic, this comes through in Maleficarum’s music, was this by design or subconscious?
Well in the period that I composed the songs for Maleficarum, I was very influenced by At the Gates, so I was into melodic and sad compositions. I don’t know if that is a sad italian characteristic, but it sounded really cool.
Across the Heavens seems to combine the melodicism of early At the Gates and the rhythmic intensity of Immolation. Were those the bands that most inspired you and how did you manage to get the combination down?
Oh yes you made a strike…as I told you in the first question, I was very influenced by those bands in the early 90’s, so obviously the style is very similar, and I still think that old school death metal was at the highest point back in the 90’s
The Raping of Life is a very particular song in regard to vocals as the interplay between the growled voice and the female vocals really makes it stand out, can you tell us more about that?
Well in the beginning both parts were singed by Andrea Zanetti, but I didn’t like how it sounded so I asked for a female voice, and I think that the song was great.
Time I Am is the breakout song from Across the Heavens and features some great passages with three guitars. What was the general idea and writing process behind that song ?
Oh, it was a lot of years ago, well I just can tell you that I usually composed all my music at home making lot of riffs and trying to make them sound good playing them in different tonalities.
Under the Cross opts for a more modern approach that edges closer towards melodic death metal. Was this the logical continuation for Maleficarum or were there other factors involved?
No, I think it was a logical continuation of my song writing, even if obviously all the death metal scene changed and influenced my way of compositions.
After Under the Cross you stopped writing music, why is that?
Really I didn’t stop, and I tried to create a new project band called “Eyes of Agony”, and I had a complete album composed for that debut with about 40 minutes of music. But unfortunately I was not able to complete the line-up and find the money for the production of the album. It was a pity, cause it had great compositions, very technical and brutal. You can find some demos on my YouTube channel if you want.
The one major problem on Across the Heavens is the production. Why did drums end up so loud and clicky?
Unfortunately the recording studio was about 100 km from my house, so when the sound engineer made the drums mix, I wasn’t in the studio, and that’s the reason.
Any final words?
Thanks for your interest, and for your interest in my old stuff
