• IN THEIR DEBUT ALBUM VALIANCE WERE PLAYING EPIC SYMPHONIC METAL IN THE WAYS OF RHAPSODY. NOW MORE MATURE THAN EVER VALIANCE PRESENT A VERY GOOD ALBUM OF POWER/PROGRESSIVE METAL THAT FRIENDS OF THIS GENRE SHOULD NOT MISS. WITH MY FRIEND MARCO DE ANGELIS WE TALKED ABOUT THEIR BEUTIFUL ALBUM AND THE PAST STORY OF VALIANCE.

1.GIVE US IN A FEW WORDS THE BAND'S HISTORY TILL NOW. WHO ARE THE FOUNDERS AND WHICH IS TODAY'S LINE UP?

• (Marco De Angelis): Ok…VALIANCE exist since Spring ’94 (the band was formerly known as Tixotropia), when we used to play a very hard NWOBHM influenced music. Gian Paolo (bass) and me (guitars) are the only members remaining from the very former line-up, right now! We’ve been starting to compose our own songs as soon as the band was founded and a lot of things have been changing during these years (we had 3 different vocalists!!). After our first demo tape recorded in ’96 (TOP DEMO on the Italian magazine Metal Shock) and a line-up split the band released a promo tape and finally the demo-cd, Time Enchanter (’99) which gave us the chance to be here, talking to you! This demo cought the attention of  specialized press ,which gave us excellent criticsms, and of course, of our label Black Lotus rec which offered us a 3 album deal!! So after the release of our debut album “The Unglorious Conspitacy”….we’re back to promote the follow-up “WAYFARING”!!!

• (M. De A.): Well, as you can check out ,the former monicker was simply…HORRIBLE!!! You must know that we chose it when we were still too young! Eh eh! As it concerns the meaning, I can tell you that it’s a chemical process involving some natural elements! VALIANCE, otherwise, is easier to remember and to pronounce; it recalls us the “values” we’ve been always believing in: loyalty and…heart-inspired music!!

• (M. De A.): I would not define it a “change of style”…we never made our  music, thinking of which trend to be followed or which element to be evolved! I’d prefer to call it a “natural evolution” of our sound! Many tracks included in the debut-cd have been written a couple of years before, with all the limits and the “mistakes” related to the very young age! Now, we grew as musicians as well as men, so I think it’s natural to get a different point a view! Besides, I can tell you that WAYFARING it’s much more aggressive than our debut and it’s an album where the SONG is the more important element…NOT the barren instrumental virtuosisms!

• (M. De A.): We entered the ZAPPING STUDIOS (Heimdall, Scenario, Nude etc.) in March 2002 and the entire work took us almost 4 months…but as you can see, it is worth!!! We gave our souls to record it and nothing has been trascurated; this time we have a 7-string guitar giving to the band an incredibile fat sound! We produced the album  with Salvatore Salierno a great sound engineer! About the title…well, the decision has taken place because  we wanted to explain the inner meaning of the “experience”, as lesson given to every single man by the daily life…so the “wayfaring”, the wanderer has been taken as symbol of a man walking through paths of life, making mistakes, making choices…in other words, learning to live!

• (M. De A.): This track gave us really great satisfaction…we didn’t believe our own ears while listening to it! We’ve always had in great consideration the choirs line and sections and it’s been like a challenge for us! Besides, some members of the band absolutely love MANOWAR, so….we did it! The song has been required for the Japanese version which is released by KING RECORDS as a licensed album there!!! Unfortunately, there are “rules” given by the musical business, that’s the reason why this song appears only there! Anyway, I can tell you that our Japanese label is working wonderfully to spread our album as much as they can!!!

• (M. De A.): Maybe you’ll not believe me, but we still ignore the exact number of sold copies of “The Unglorious Conspiracy”…I can tell you that the approximated amount is 3500/4000 copies. But consider that WAYFARING is going to get over this number just in the first weeks after the release date! We still get nowadays, many many e-mails from all over the world, showing us how the metal guys joined our music…and that makes us really happy!!!

• (M. De A.): BLR simply offered us a good deal for 3 albums, after listening to our demo-cd “Time Enchanter”…so we signed it!! ‘Till now everything seems going well, but that’s the moment  when both of us, the band and the label, have to work hard to give to WAYFARING the appropriated promotion!

• (M. De A.): Well, some of the band-members has studied….like our vocalist Carmine or our keyboards player Ciro, who started to study piano since he was only a child! So he combines his classical background with progressive metal influences! The other member (including me) are totally self taught!

• (M. De A.):Oh…we got a lot of reviews during these years! I hope you don’t mind if I reply you telling that the best reviews we got, have been those in which has been felt , understood and caught all the passion we use to put into our music! It doesn’t matter if the writer comes from a small ‘zine or a big magazine!  There were also some really bad review, but it doesn’t matter…we’don’t think we’re the best and  untouchable! Someone may like what you do..and someone else not, but the only really important thing is doing it with your soul and heart!!

• (M. De A.):Well, the secret to keep  something alive, is NEVER thinking to be arrived or to be the best! So we constantly search for individual or band improvements: maybe one of the best parts of our music is the right equilibrium between melody and aggressivenes!  As the voice acts before the opening song of the album: “Way to the knowledge...ain’t never too short!”

• (M. De A.):Hey...what a nice question!! So, let me think....uhm...No!...No!...Really, I’m not able to imagine our future without music! We live, breathe music day by day....I’m starting to think we’re sick!! Eh eh!

• (M. De A.): Personally, I’d like to check out 3 different periods: the ancient empire of Rome, the 19th Century England and...the London in the 60’s / 70’s!! I don’t know exactly why, but something inside of me reminds me of these ages...maybe I lived there in one of my past lives!!

• (M. De A.):Oh..that’s a real good question! Probably, I’d ask the reason why of all the sufferings we’ve been forced to live, while spending our short life crossing this planet!

• (M. De A.):May I really tell you?! “HEART-INSPIRED METAL: when violence meets melody!” It sounds good, don’t you think?! Eh eh eh!!

• (M. De A.): Oh...It’s been a real pleasure, believe me!! I’d like to thank you, Nick,  all at BEHIND THEVEIL ‘ZINE and, of course......everyone who dedicated their precious time joining this interview and a concentrate of passion, rage, feeling, violence and melody titled WAYFARING!!! Take care, my friends!!!