Stefano Benfante
ShadowThrone
I would like to thank Metal Temple for the space given to ShadowThrone and to me. We are currently working on a new single that should be published online via Non Serviam Records. It is not a song contained in "Elements' Blackest Legacy" but a cover whose name we cannot reveal.
Black Metal always fascinated me, as many other people around the world. This new album is on a higher level comparing it with "Demiurge Of Shadow" and the old fans recognized it, defining it more mature and professional. The new listeners were struck by the power of the sound and the atmospheres that the album produces, finding old sensations and discovering new glacial dimensions. Lots of them expressed their willingness to go and rediscover the old works, as they became curious.
We did not expect anything, we made this album more for ourselves than for anything else, therefore having found a label like Non Serviam Records willing to publish the album and having received such positive feedback surprised and made us fully satisfied.
In my personal opinion and for my personal tastes I would had make the album more 'old school' but seen that the result is so appreciated I think that we had taken the best decisions during the recording session.
When you play with someone and have to share the stage, backstage and travels with him you need to have a strong connection of ideas and passions. With Serj this connection was not so strong and when the work to create the new album entered a heavier phase we decided by mutual agreement that the harmony created would not lead to a peaceful work.
Searching a new singer in the middle of a creation process is difficult, you have restricted choices, but we found Zilath's request to join us, along with others. He results to be the best choice for the band and for the album thanks to his experience in live performances and recording sessions, united with is skills as extreme singer and lyrics writer. We played with him, when he was with Voltumna, in different occasions so we already knew what to expect from him. He's high scream and clean growl would have given to ShadowThrone a perfect singer for the sidereal atmospheres that we would have evoked.
The common opinion is that of a giant step forward in comparison with "Demiurge Of Shadow", and we agree with it. Maybe with this new level of creation and production a reworked "Demiurge Of Shadow" could give the album the beauty we had imagined but that we were not able to express. We do not know if this direction will remain the same for the next album, we play and write songs for our self and then for the others, so we don't want to follow the fashion of the moment or create a copy of something made from famous bands. We will maintain the synth surely and other elements that helped us in the creation of this atmospheres.
I don't think that this album is so special, facing the truth "Elements' Blackest Legacy" is an ordinary black metal album as the ones you can listen every day. The only thing that make every album different, but I'm talking about the good ones, is that the people who created it are not the same as the others. In this album I injected my sensations, my tastes and my idea of black metal, things that are different from that of another artist.
I am the one who wrote all the instruments and the basic orchestrations. Zilath wrote the lyrics, reinventing in his own style the ones already created by Serj for some of them. For the orchestrations we asked to Riccardo Studer from Stormlord, and man behind Timecollapse Recording Studios, to create some cold and sidereal synths. We can say that this album was created by me but enriched by other artists, last but not least Davide and Francesco that putted their personal touch during recording session.
When I think about guitar riffs I never start from the idea of having to demonstrate technique or skill to someone. The most important thing is to succeed in creating the right atmosphere and this can also happen through two simple chords. We are not one of those progressive bands that denaturalize everything through the excessive use of techniques, depriving the songs of a soul. I prefer a Darkthrone album to a Dream Theater album. I believe that in some parts of "Elements' Blackest Legacy" we have been able to combine violence with a melodic plot. A bit like Swedish bands if we think of Dissection or Sacramentum".
Those "Elements' Blackest Legacy" are earth, fire, ice, air and all those factors that give life and continuity to nature. Elements that have always fascinated and accompanied mankind in the course of progress, linked in the imaginary past to alchemy and witchcraft, stored in obscure points of history. I love nature and the places that are part of it, those far from civilization, and I spend part of my free time in contact with it. The homecoming translates into contempt for the other people and the advanced civilization. The artwork of the new album portrays this aspect, if we look at it from the bottom upwards, where the shades are closer to the fire and as they rise they turn into glacial tones.
Zilath is the one who wrote the lyrics. I gave him carte blanche about it but with the leitmotiv of a cold and dark universe, a sidereal and far dark sky over a pure white slice of ice.
"L'Autunno Di Bacco" is the song I prefer and it is strange, because it is a semi-instrumental. In reality it reflects a lot my soul with its simplicity and cold and evocative atmosphere.
We had the same feeling! This pleases me. The song was inspired by some places I frequent visit on free days. I spend those days walking along the paths of the surrounding mountains which in Autumn light up with strong and ancient colors and in winter everything seems to crystallize with snow and ice. I wanted a silent song from a lyrical point of view but repetitive and closer to avant-garde atmospheres. At the end we decided to insert a verse in Italian from a translation of Callimaco's Inno Di Bacco to leave an italic signature and an ancient and mysterious mark. Certain sensations or atmospheres are not found only in Northern Europe; Italy is full of them.
"Faded And Cold Humanity is a revival of "Faded Humanity", a song contained in the previous album "Demiurge Of Shadow". It's a song that I love so I made an ambient version of it using synths. In studio we decided to add a drumming track to give dynamism to it, making it more suited to the context of the entire album.
Non Serviam Records asked us to choose a second song for a new lyric video and we chose "Black Dove Upon My Shoulder". At the moment we don't have any other planned video.
I haven't been watching videoclips for a long time. By now all the possible themes in videoclips have been used and many of them are similar. The last one I saw was Kampfar - Tornekratt and I must say I loved it. At the moment I have no idea how to make a videoclip. I think that when we have to pull out a sterile, simple and already lived video just for the sake of calling it 'official videoclip', showing off our shitty faces, I much prefer a nice lyric video with lots of cold atmospheres and graphics. We are not required to follow the cliché of the market. The album is already a proof of our musical credibility because we played it in full, every single instrument.
The rest is just a side dish that you can add, but is not necessary, also looking at the fierce competition. If you are referring to the numbers of likes and views I would say that today a wrong evaluation metric is used. On YouTube also the shit smells of flowering meadows.
We are working on it, we have been confirmed for the 2019 edition of the Black Winter Fest with Hellhammer, 1349, Kampfar, etc... Here in Italy is not so easy to find good gigs, thanks to a restricted number of decent places and the fact that there are lots of underground metal bands that want to play but no one goes to see each other's shows. We are new on the international scene so at the moment we are looking for gigs in other countries.
Well, I have never aimed at an extreme live from a 'scenographic' point of view. I believe that the live dimension reflects us as people. We have a fairly sober but dark atmosphere on the stage through cold lights. This is because those who see us must not be stopped or get distracted only by the scenic aspect but should pay attention to the music. I must say that this thing works very well because in our live reviews people talk more about the musical aspect.
I thank Metal Temple for the interview and for supporting ShadowThrone. I would like to invite readers to follow the band on our Facebook page and other channels for upcoming news".
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