WARCOE formed during 2020. What was the story there?

Stefano: Yes, that’s correct. I was struggling with my musical identity and wanted to create something that came 100% from me, without any outside influence. I had some time and a few riffs that I decided to turn into four tracks. At that point, I asked two friends to collaborate and record the bass and drum parts. That’s how WARCOE was born, and I didn’t even realize it at the time. 

The band’s name is very distinctive. Where did it come from?

Stefano: It doesn’t actually have a specific meaning. There’s often fighting and death in WARCOE’s lyrics, so the word ‘war’ does carry some weight, but it’s not about modern war. It’s entirely metaphorical: your own internal war, portrayed as a kind of medieval fantasy battle. ‘Coe’ was the name I used for my character in role-playing games when I was a kid, so the name WARCOE ended up being a mix of both things.

Each WARCOE album has distinct artwork from the coat of arms to the demon to my favorite, the goth witch. How do you go about selecting or making the artwork for each album?

Stefano: The album covers basically reflect the mood of each release. For the first EP and album, the artwork had a kind of heraldic, medieval style because I had a whole world of images in mind, and that style captured it perfectly. In A Place for Demons, you actually see the demon himself. It’s a desperate album, full of fear and existential questions with no clear answers. With Upon Tall Thrones, it becomes more of a narrative album. It tells stories, and the sorceress on the cover embodies those tales, she represents them well.

WARCOE has managed to maintain the same lineup since its inception, which I think A) is remarkable and B) has helped the band maintain a consist sound. At the same time with each album the band seems to be getting more and more refined, especially your vocals. How do you think WARCOE has evolved over the last five years?

Thanks for the question. I think that now we have a better understanding of what we’re good at. We know how to express our ideas using the right tools, so to speak. It’s not really about technique; it’s more about awareness and intention. We have evolved in a more personal sound and character, or at least I hope so.

Is there a unifying theme or concept behind Upon Tall Thrones?

Yes, in WARCOE albums there are worlds populated with monsters, heroes, clerics, dragons, and they all represent something unique for each one of us. I love to take fantastical elements and give them a symbolic or esoteric meaning. And that’s not something I plan while I do it, it’s just the way I see things. Sometimes I write the lyrics first and then only later I realize what they actually mean to me, or I assign meaning depending on my mood at the time.

The track “I’ve Sat Upon Tall Thrones (But I’ll Never Learn)” seems to have much deeper and personal message than many of the other tracks on the album. What is the story behind this track.

Yes, mate, that’s correct, it’s an intimate song. Life is life, and it’s beautiful as it is, but then there’s you, with your choices. It’s always so difficult to understand what drives those choices, so even if you’ve sat upon tall thrones, it doesn’t mean you’ve learned the lesson. You’ve come a long way with your experiences, but you still have to be very careful.

Some of my favorite Doom bands come out of Italy. Why do you think Doom is so distinctive in Italy?

I think we have all the right ingredients that you need to write a good Doom song. We have lots of castles in Italy, small cemeteries hidden in the country, local history, a lot of stories about ghosts and stuff like that. Most of us actually grew up listening to stories told by grannies by the fire and visiting cemeteries with the family. Then there is your personality, of course, if you absorb that you have what’s needed for doom. Then there are the Italian horror movies, they are amazing, and they help a lot, I have a passion for them, I watch a lot of movies of Fulci, Lenzi, Lamberto Bava, Fragasso and many other directors that make exceptional films with near to zero money. They give a lot of imagery to use, and the soundtracks as well are amazing.

WARCOE started out as a Doom Metal band and remains so today. Why Doom?

I love the fact that you can find Doom in so many other genres. I really enjoy Black Doom and Death Doom, and there’s definitely Doom in classic heavy metal too. To me, Doom isn’t just a genre, it’s an approach to music. It’s about atmosphere, weight, and emotional depth.

Tell us about your musical influences. What bands are on your playlist? Anything that would surprise us?

I listen to a lot of Black Metal of every kind, the old traditional one or the more modern sounding like WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM or ALTAR OF PLAGUES and DEAFHEAVEN. I have Death Metal in my playlist (even though I don’t have a proper one, I listen to vinyl most of the time). I love Dirt by ALICE IN CHAINS and I absolutely love NWOBHM, SAXON, MAIDEN, DIAMOND HEAD, ANGEL WITCH. Then, of course, the masters of Doom as SABBATH, TROUBLE, PAGAN ALTAR, WITCHFINDER GENERAL, PENTAGRAM!

What are your thoughts on the future of the music industry with the advent of streaming platforms? Are we seeing the death of vinyl and CDs?

I think vinyl will stay, you can’t beat the beauty of a big cover, and the sound of vinyl is outstanding! I see a lot of collectors out there, people that really love that format. I am one of them as well. The CD, on the other hand, is still digital. I think it might face some challenges, especially since most cars don’t even have CD players anymore! Honestly, I’d love to have one. What’s really changing is the way younger people approach music, they mainly listen to singles now and seem to have forgotten what an album is, and the complexity behind it.

We have seen the emergence of Artificial Intelligence in metal with bands like FROSTBITE ORCKINGS, HAIL DARKNESS, and CZART. How do you think Artificial Intelligence will affect metal?

I don’t think AI will ever replace humanity in creating metal or rather, I hope it never happens. Metalheads won’t allow it!

What’s next for WARCOE?

We have a fourth album nearly ready, so doom will be our job again for at least another LP.

Any special message for your fans out there?

I would like to say a very big thank you to every one of them. Support is what keep the scene alive. I love when someone interacts directly with us, that’s what music is all about, creating emotions and networking between people.