Fabiano Romagnoli

Lunarsea

Italian band Lunarsea, after releasing their debut album Hydrodynamic Wave, went on a promoting tour visit here in Athens and under this occasion, I had a pleasant in-person interview, with guitarist Fabiano Romagnoli answering my questions.
By Elina Papadoyianni
May 28, 2006
Fabiano Romagnoli (Lunarsea) interview
Let's start with a few words about your course so far and the reasons you've decided to switch from Prog Power Metal to melodic Death.

We started by playing just Power Metal music, the band members were the same with the current ones and we released a Demo with four songs. Then we started to listen to some Death and Black Metal music and we decided to stop this project and create a new one. I can't say why, we just wanted to change our musical style. If you listen to the album, you will see that we have many Death Metal elements, but sometimes the basis is still Power Metal. We have two more releases as Lunarsea, Evolution Plan.txt and Bio Ashes Halo with a drum machine, while in the last album we have a real drummer.

Who is in charge of writing the music and who writes the lyrics?

On this album it was me and Cristian Antolini. Normally I write all the music and he writes all the lyrics and the vocal lines. Our singer is usually not involved in writing anything. He receives the vocal lines and then the only thing he has to do is to record the voice.

What comes first? The lyrics or the music?

We write the music first and then we write the lyrics. And that's because our singer doesn't live in Rome, he lives in Southern Italy, so we have to send him all the music and the vocal lines.

That's a very common situation for many bands...

Yes, actually we end up recording in three different studios, two in Rome and one in Sicily and it was quite amusing. I mean, the result was ok, not the best, especially in the first album, but more than ok.

How important is the cover art of an album for you?

I think that a good cover art is essential. It's more likely for someone to buy a CD when it has a well-put layout, even if he doesn't really know the band.

Here's a question: a big multinational record company or a very good middle one?

I can answer that with an example. There is an Italian band called Novembre and they had signed with Century Media Records. They are no longer with this record company and what they have to say is that it was very hard to follow the company's course and direction. It's all about releasing to the market as many albums as you can. With a medium size record label, things are not that strict. Don't get me wrong, of course it's a band's dream to sign with a huge record company, but it's very early for us to talk about something else.

Any live shows planned?

We are open to any suggestions (Laughs). We did some live shows in Rome but the crowd wasn't that big...

[gst]Due to the fact that many Metal fans in Italy are more into Power Metal?

Yes, a lot of Power and Progressive and so much Death Metal. I think that this happens because many of the people that work in webzines in Italy tend to favor the local Power Metal bands in their reviews and not local Death Metal bands by characterizing them as nothing really new or special. I don't know why this happens, maybe because we have many Power and Progressive Metal bands and maybe because this kind of music is more acceptable in Italy. And I will tell you this, we are Lunarsea from Italy, if we were

For whom would you like to play as support in a live show and which band would you like to have supporting you live?

Oh, well, let me think... Normally I would have to say In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Soilwork, not Children Of Bodom...

Why not?

Because many people that listen to us say that we sound a lot like Children Of Bodom, although we have a lot of differences in our music. I mean, we do like this band but it's not our basic inspiration.

Apart from music, do you tend towards a specific theme regarding the lyrics?

Well, nothing that involves politics or fairytales and myths, like Viking stories, castles and warriors and stuff like that. Mainly it is about religion, technology and normal life experiences. The song And The Gardens Of Jades Remained Void reveals a story with many religious aspects but not under the usual frame and context.

What is your opinion about the music industry in general?

I really like modern music. It is a time where many bands step away from electronic music and start using instruments again. A few years ago it was all about electronic staff, keyboards, Pop music, Hip Hop music and now you see more and more Rock bands coming out. And most of them are with very young people, 15-16 years old, playing commercial music, but I much more prefer that and I really like it.

Thank you for your time and I wish you all the best!

Thank you!

crossmenucross-circle linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram