Anthenora
After "The General's Awakening"
mini ep, ANTHENORA are back with their first debut album, which is a heavy
metal dynamite. Fabio of ANTHENORA told us few things about their new work
and also explained to us the concept story of the album. The General has
returned, so beware...
1.CONGRATULATIONS FOR "THE LAST COMMAND" ALBUM!
IT'S A PURE HEAVY MTAL DYNAMITE! SO, TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ANTHENORA
CAMP FROM THE RELEASE OF "THE GENERAL'S AWAKENING" TILL YOUR DEBUT ALBUM.
Well, when we recorded the ep “The general’s
awakening” aim was to cut a deal with a label and so we spread around the
world the cd. The cd has received good reviews all over the world, from
South to North America , from Australia to Europe. Some label got in touch
with us, but they asked us a full length cd, so we decided to go back again
in studio and to record a complete album. Meanwhile, we had the opportunity
to play in November 2002 and April 2003 with Nicko Mc Brain form Iron Maiden
during his drum clinic show in Italy. Now there’s the possibility to do
with him a couple of shows in your country next autumnn!! It will be great.
2.YOU HAVE SIGNED A DEAL WITH THE SPANISH LABEL
LOCOMOTIVE MUSIC, WHICH HAD TILL NOW ONLY SPANISH BANDS IN ITS ROSTER.
BAND'S THAT SING IN THEIR MOTHER TONGUE. HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO DO THAT?
WHAT HAS LOCOMOTIVE MUSIC OFFERED YOU AND LED YOU TO THE DECISION TO CUT
A DEAL WITH THEM?
When we released the ep “The general’s awakening”
we got in touch with Chris Bolthendal, the singer of Graver Digger, who
works for Locomotive Music. He appreciated the work, but the label were
much interested in a full length cd not in an ep. So when we finished to
record the "Last Command", we got in touch again with Locomotive Music
and we cut a deal with them, cause they’ve offered us a good distribution
in Europe and North America. A good distribution and promotional support
are the most important things a band needs, especially for his first album.
We are very satisfied! Locomotive Music has done a good work.
3.THE PROMO CD THAT I GOT IN MY HANDS DOESN'T
INCLUDE THE LYRICS, WHICH I REALLY LIKE TO READ. SO, TELL ME A FEW THINGS
ABOUT THEM. WHICH IS THE THEMATOLOGY OF EACH SONG INCLUDED HERE?
All the songs included in the ep eand in the
album “The last command” are chapter of the same history. The story is
set in the wasted Europe of the II world war and in a dark future leaded
by cyborgs. Do you remember Blade Runner? The story begins in 1940, when
the nazi’s troops were organizing the invasion of United Kingdom (The Operation
Sea Lion). Meanwhile the German scientists are tryng to create the perfect
soldier – General K – half man and half machine: a cyborg. This cyborg,
hidden in a secret laboratory, suddenly awakes in the 2240 completely out
of control and starts to conquer the world with his army of cyborgs (Planet
jail, Machines of war, Last Command, The fortress). Even if the story is
set in a particular period of the European history, we want to say that
the story is a creation of our fantasy we don’t have any political aims
writing the lyrics. We are interested in history and science fiction and
so we like to write about this arguments.
4.THE COVER ARTWORK SHOWS A NIGHTMAR-ISH PICTURE
OF THE EARTH'S FUTURE THAT IS DOMINATED BY THE POLICE FORCES. DON'T YOU
THINK THAT IF WE LEAVE ASIDE THE FUTURISTIC ELEMENTS, THIS IS ALSO THE
PICTURE OF THE MOST WESTERN COUNTRIES AFTER THE TERRORIST ATTACKS IN THE
U.S. AND THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ? DO YOU THINK THAT ITALIAN TROOPS MUST DEPART
FROM IRAQ?
The cover artwork is strictly connected to
the lyrics and to what I said in the previous answer. In the cover artwork
you can find all the subjects of our songs. About the situation in Iraq
each of us has his own opinion, but we don’t like to speak about politics.
With our music we tell something, we speak about human emotions and past
historical events. We prefer to divide music from the bad things that happen
in the world. We prefer to speak about the past or about a possible future
to make people think.
5."THE GENERAL'S AWAKENING" MINI CD HAS GREAT
SONGS, BUT ON YOUR NEW ALBUM YOU ADDED ONLY THE SING "SAVIOR" AS A HIDDEN
TRACK. WHY DID YOY DO THAT AND WHY DIDN'T YOU INCLUDE ALL THE SONGS FROM
YOUR MINI CD? I THINK THAT EVERYONE MSUT LISTEN TO THESE DIAMONDS!
We added the song “Saviour” as bonus track
to unite our ep “The general’s awakening” with the album “The last command”.
Perhaps another song could be added to our second album, that we’ll start
to record next December.
6.ON YOUR PREVIOUS RELEASE TONY "MAD" FONTO FROM
WHITE SKULL HELPED YOU WITH THE PRODUCTION. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT ON
YOUR NEW ALBUM AND WHERE DID YOU RECORD IT?
He is “the man” also for this album! Tony
mad Fontò is still our producer and we have recorded the album in
his “Remastered Studios” in Vicenza. I’d like to say that he is not only
our producer but also a great friend.
7.HOW DID THE PRESS RECEIVE THE DEBUT ALBUM TILL
NOW? ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE FEEDBACK YOU RECEIVED FROM THE FANS? WHICH
WAS THE WORST STATEMENT YOU READ THAT PISSED YOU OFF?
The album has been received very well from
the metal press. Many webzines and fanzines find very strange that an Italian
metal band could play classic heavy metal and not power metal. Ah.ah. some
of them don’t believe that we come from Italy!!! Anyway, we are very satisfied
with the feedback we received from the fans all over the world. The worst
statement we read has been written by a Swedish fanzine. They don’t like
anything in “The last command”.
8.DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS? WILL YOU
APPEAR IN ANY FESTIVAL OUTSIDE ITALY? WHCIH WAS YOUR BEST AND WHICH YOURT
WORST LIVE APPEARANCE?
We have played some gigs in the last months
to promote the album. As I said before we had the opportunity (to be corect
not me, but the other four guys of Antenora) to play with Nicko Mc Brain
for the 3rd time on the previous June during his drum clinics shows. But
in this case we didn’t play our songs but only Iron Maiden’s songs. Next
December we ‘ll start to record our 2nd abum and then we hope to play in
some festivals out of Italy next year.
9.WHICH ELEMENTS IN YOUR MUSIC OR WHICH EMOTIONS
WOULD YOU LIKE TO EVOLVE AND EXPAND MORE ON YOUR NEXT RELEASE AND WHY?
We think that our next album will be even
more direct than “The last command”. Of course we won’t insert keyboards.
The music will be hard but not too fast. Perhaps we’ll compose some more
mid-tempo songs. On september, when we’ll start to write the songs we’ll
see.
10.TELL US SOME ALBUMS YOU LIKED THIS YEAR AND
WERE RELEASED BY ITALIAN BANDS. WHAT DO YOU THINK IN GENERAL FOR YOUR COUNTRY'S
METAL SCENE?
My favourite Italian 2004 album is the “XIII
skull” from White Skull. As I said, we are really good friends with them,
but also they play the kind of music that I love! About the Italian metal
scene it’s growing, there is a great number of good bands. In the previous
years, bands like Rhapsody, Labyrinth an Domine have paved a path that
many Italian bands have followed. They have brought Italian metal outside
the Italian borders.
11.WHICH WORDS DO YOU THINK COULD BEST DESCRIBE
YOUR DEBUT ALBUM AND WHICH PHRASE SUMS UP YOUR EFFORTS TILL NOW IN THE
BEST POSSIBLE WAY?
“The last command” is pure heavy metal, it
is an iron fist in a metal glove!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12.WHICH IMPORTANT PERSONALITY WOULD YOU LIKE
TO BE FOR A DAY AND WHICH DAY OF HIS/HER LIVE WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A
TASTE OF?
I wouldn’t like to be any personality. But
there’s a thing that I’d like to do: travel in the past!
13.WHAT TITLE WOULD YOU LIKE THIS INTERVIEW TO
HAVE?
Anthenora: The prophets of heavy metal.
14.THE INTERVIEW ENDS HERE WITH YOUR WORDS, SO
MAKE A WISH AND ADD WHATEVER YOU WANT TO SAY...
We like to thank you and Behind the veil zine
and all the metal bangers from Greece. Hope to see you soon metal friends.
Fabio
Nick “William_Kidd”
Parastatidis
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