WORDS OF EDITOR
WE CAME AS ROMANS DARKBLOOM
. PEI FON @PEIFON JOURNALIST, PHOTOGRAPHER AND ROCK MEETING’S GENERAL DIRECTOR
My journey of musical dis-
without seeing anything...
covery has taken me to
It's necessary to look at all
places I have never visited.
sides, in a 360º view.
I have experienced a huge
Since September 2020, I've
world and that, as I said
been following most of the
here in the editorial of issue
releases by Metal Moder-
#136, I had mistakenly left
no bands. This has been
behind.
very interesting, as they are
But life is ever changing
bands that I already know,
and it's a good thing I didn't
but that I had never given
keep myself stuck in these
the proper attention to. As
traditionalist bonds of mu-
is the case with We Came As
sic. Music is universal and
Romans.
doesn't deserve to be delim-
On the day of the release
ited. That's how it should
of “Darkbloom”, I took a
be with Metal, don't put
moment to listen to it. This
a blindfold on and go on
song captivated me in the
first few seconds. I'll even
orchestral arrangements,
wonder if I should start
synthesizers, a chorus that
doing react videos, because
echoes in your head... It's a
it's really interesting how
well-crafted, well-thought-
music has this power to im-
out song!
pact people.
Choosing the song that will
Even though I'm the gener-
open the way for a new
al editor of Rock Meeting,
work is not easy, howev-
a specialized magazine,
er, I'm sure We Came as
I'm also a listener, and
Romans knew that “Dark-
these songs should reach
bloom” is special. Just look
us in the best possible way.
at the numbers, they speak
I'm not just talking about
for themselves.
technique, but about all
Now we can only wait for
the musicality there is.
the new songs and the sixth
“Darkbloom” is certain-
album from these guys. For
ly a song that captivates
sure, I'm already looking
you, that involves you in a
forward to it and “Dark-
unique and breathtaking
bloom” doesn't leave my
way. It has weight, melody,
playlist.
. PEI FON @PEIFON JOURNALIST, PHOTOGRAPHER AND ROCK MEETING’S GENERAL DIRECTOR
SUMARY 2021
53
13 65 27
08. GUITAR SESSION BY GEORGE MATHEAUS 13. PROMPTS LAUNCH "ASPHYXIATE" 27. DEFOCUS "IN THE EYE OF DEATH WE ARE THE SAME" 53. PROSPECTIVE "BLOODROOT"
08
65. RESOLVE MADE FROM FRANCE
GENERAL DIRECTOR Pei Fon EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Felipe da Matta DESIGN Thiago Silvestre Chama Publicidade
STAFF Bárbara Lopes Fernando Pires Gustavo Tozzi Kayomi Suzuki Marta Ayora Mauricio Melo Murilo da Rosa Rafael Andrade UIllian Vargas
41 WE CAME AS ROMANS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW TO BRAZIL
CONTACT contato@rockmeeting.net
WWW.ROCKMEETING.NET
ARTICLE . GUITAR SESSION
Photo: Promotion
GUITAR SESSION SESSION GUITAR FROM THE BEDROOM BUILDING A MUSIC CAREER ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY GEORGE MATHEAUS
Guitarist, Music Producer and Content Creator
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N
Fo to :
Ju
ny a
Ya sh ik i
I
f I told you that it’s possible to record high-quality, professional-grade music using just your instruments, a computer, and an audio interface in the comfort of your room, would you believe it? A few years ago this would have been unimaginable, but this is the reality of most musicians, artists and independent producers who are starting their careers. A process that took months, today can be done in a few hours. This convenience was only possible due to the advancement of technology and digital processing. You can find simulations of practically all processes done analogically. And with that came a big clash: analog or digital? Which one is the best? To solve this
ARTICLE . GUITAR SESSION
question, I’m going to talk about an example from the beginning of digital samples. The first Drum Machines began to be developed between the 30’s and 60’s in order to facilitate the recording process and replace the drums. But, at first, this idea didn’t work out very well, as the sound was very different from the original drum sound and most of the producers rejected the innovation. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that they started using these samples intentionally, not to look like drums, but to have a different sound within the music. So, equipment like the Roland TR-808 became a fever in studios that produced Pop, Hip Hop, Disco, among other genres that sounded more electronic. I quoted this story just to show how we can use all the tools to our advantage. If you judge digital processing by its ability to look like analog it’s logical that it will be
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inferior, because they are different methods. But if you admit that you can get good results even though you sound different, you can find unique sounds. Today, it’s possible to get great tones just with pedals and plugins, in addition to creating great arrangements and delivering a good mix and master, all “In the box”. This has been the difference of most “Room Musicians”, although a while ago this term was used in a pejorative way for musicians who did not have a career outside the internet. But reality has changed, and performing well on social media is essential. Even renowned guitarists are having to learn to live in this new scene. Many modern guitarists have built their careers from videos on social media and posting their ideas to online communities. One of the biggest examples of this was guitarist Mateus Asato, who started posting videos on
João Medeiros
- Photo: Promotion
ARTICLE . GUITAR SESSION
Nik Noturnal
Instagram and YouTube and years later was playing on big stages alongside artists like Jessie J and Tori Kelly. This game changer encouraged many musicians to invest in their internet career. With all the technological advances in the music world, recording your ideas has never been easier than it is today. Who knew you could build a career just by shooting videos in your bedroom? And despite the mu-
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-Photo: Promotion
sic market still having its difficulties, we must recognize that it was already much more difficult to enter this medium. So, for those just starting out on your journey, know that you are lucky to live in this audio age. And for those who came before us, all that’s left is to say thanks for all the hard work and that even with all the difficulties they still made music, because they loved what they did, because Rock ‘n’ Roll was in their blood.
INTERVIEW. PROMPTS
BY MURILO DA ROSA / PHOTO THINGS.
T
he macabre, the guttural, the visual and the weight of protest in energetic and rhymed verses. Features that are part of the collection of an authentic Metalcore band, such as Prompts. Born in Japan, the quintet uses an admirable gothic character and an avant-garde style to express the collective position of those who know that society is not so correct… In this way, the works presented to the public exude an aura charged with hatred, incomprehension, but also a desire to show the world that there is still hope, for in the darkest darkness, a small beam of light can mean salvation. Current days, futuristic issues, dystopia, and existentialist themes also make up the identity of a super project that still has a lot to show us. Created in the mid-2010, Prompts finds itself in a kind of limbo between modern Metalcore, oscillating between countless references to Death Metal and Deathcore, finding and demonstrating its differential by joining these elements to an interesting experiment with electronic and industrial effects, which further customize the reflective ideal that the band brings. Comprised of vocalist PK, guitarists Matsuno and Yasui,
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bassist Piguri and drummer Daisuke, the group has released a total of 6 singles, including the song Asphyxiate (in partnership with Crystal Lake leader Ryo Kinoshita), which had its debut. this year (2021). In addition to these examples, in 2019 the band released their first EP Magenta Smile, featuring 5 tracks., among which the song Tunnel Effect (with the highest number of plays on Spotify) and Black Pill stand out, which
marks in several points the osities involving some of the group identity. band's hits and what news we should (as fans) expect from Rock Meeting had the privi- this team. Talking to us were lege of talking to these guys, vocalist PK, who answered who received us with all their some of the questions, and enthusiasm and gave space founding guitarist Matsuno, for great conversations and who answered the rest. Check first-hand topics, and who did with us this excellent chat not stop to show affection to with the people at Prompts. the interviewers, after deciphering some of the analogies Starting in Japan, you made by the group... Since the guys make heavy music beginning of its trajectory, we through an interesting also went through the curi- mix of Metalcore and Me-
INTERVIEW. PROMPTS
WE WANT TO KEEP ON RAISING AWARENESS FOR RACE ISSUES, SOCIETAL PROBLEMS THROUGH OUR LYRICS
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lodic Death Metal, in addition to a striking gothic look and well-crafted clips highlighting the intense color palette, following the lore of your songs. Tell us, how were the group's first steps? Hi Rock Meeting. Founder and guitarist Matsuno, and vocalist PK answering now. Currently line up of this band is PK (Vo.), Matsuno (Gu.), Yasui (Gu.), Piguri (Ba.), Daisuke (Dr.) The band formed in Tokyo in 2012. Matsuno gathered members to playing music influenced by For The Fallen Dreams, Adaliah, Structures, etc. At that time, All the members except me are different from now. I also think the sound style was a little bit different. It sounded a bit more hardcore. We released 1 demo and 1 EP in that era. But in 2015, Members except Matsuno quit the band and we were in about 3-years hiatus. During that period, I was looking for new members and I was being a session member in friend's bands such as Loyal To
The Grave. In 2018, PK (Vo.) and Piguri (Ba.), and Daisuke (Dr.) joined the band. PK and Piguri is from South Korea. They were in their own bands in the Korean metal scene before. Currently they live in Japan to play music. We got to know each other through our mutual friends End These Days. Daisuke contacted us with an interest in that we did a cover of song called "Departure" from Structures at our show, then he straight to joined us because we all love Structures. Yasui was playing in his own band called From the Abyss before. They were also pretty popular in Japan; they’re dropping a few music videos from Dreambound. But earlier this year they stopped their activity and then Yasui decided to join Prompts. As mentioned before, the band emphasizes the visual presence of the members, as well as the strong performances in the clips and on the
INTERVIEW. PROMPTS
stage. For the group, which elements stand out for the soul of Prompts? I think that the fact that the Japanese and Korean scenes intersect in one band is an originality that other bands do not have. We all are proud to play this kind of music as Asian. Throughout your releases, there is an evolution in the group's compositions, but always keeping the same identity, such as, for example, the detachment with the use of repeating choruses, giving a stimulating authenticity to the songs. For you guys, what is it like to keep the same initial proposal in a constantly changing music scenario? On the sound side, the backtracks created by low-tuned guitars and Djent and fusion-influenced drums. Our characteristic is the combination of that backtrack and vocals with a lot of backgrounds such as Nu-Metal, Hip-hop, Deathcore, and Hardcore. Regarding the topics covered in your songs, we see the pres-
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ence of delicate issues, such as struggling with depression and ways of dealing with the chaos of our lives, but there’s also controversial issues such as current social criticism, which affect as well in the aesthetics of your videoclips. In the group's opinion, what is it like to debate these matters through extreme music? For us personally it’s the best music genre to criticize society intuitively. It’s not only when criticizing society but we think that extreme music does have its own appeal when it comes to conveying a message. As the word ‘extreme’ itself already implies, it’s a great genre to share your beliefs in a strong way. We want to keep on raising awareness for race issues, societal problems etc. through our lyrics. By not only using English but mixing it with Japanese and Korean as well, we hope to reach a broader audience and make different interpretations possible. Your interaction with the fans and public through social media is very constant and intensive. For you guys, how have social networks become allies for the path of Prompts? Yeah. The tours and songwriting
INTERVIEW. PROMPTS
are top priorities for us who live far from the main areas of the world's metal scene such as the US, Europe, Australia, social networking that connects people around the world plays a very important role in our activities. Now that shows and tours have been limited by COVID, that's especially noticeable. The single “Black Pill”, released in 2019, has a dark cover art that dialogues well with the atmosphere that the song propagates, with heavy growls, aggressive guitar riffs and punctual modulations. What styles served as guidelines for the production of this song? At the time of making this song, PK and Piguri were still living in South Korea and as a band we were looking for more Prompts sound concepts than now. It is a style that fuses clean vocals with a breakdown using a low-tuned guitar. At that time, we remember listening to bands such as Void of Vision, Alpha Wolf in Australia,
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and Currents in the United States. In 2019 you released the band's first EP, Magenta Smile, which has 5 tracks at all, including the single “Black Pill” that closes this work crushing at whole. How did the idea behind this record came about? We have been playing music influenced by American bands such as Adaliah, Beacons, For the Fallen Dreams, The Plot in You, Sworn In, Structures and Australian Metalcore such as Northlane, Hand of Mercy, Confession even before the hiatus. I think Magenta Smile was born by adding new music such as Nu-Metalcore and the musical background of new members including Koreans. “Tunnel Effect” is the song with most plays on Spotify, reaching the mark of almost 60.000 streams. In the song, besides the electrifying gutturals and screams, there are also hip-hop insertions and the closing with a melodic and touching chorus; as if, in fact, we listeners were transiting through a tunnel marked by distinct emotions. What was
INTERVIEW. PROMPTS
it like to bring all these elements together in a short-lived song? Oh, Thank you. I'm impressed that you check us up to that point. To be honest, it didn't take long to make this song. Because the tour was just around the corner, and we couldn't take the time we expected haha. However, we are proud that this song has succeeded in packing the elements we want to do as much as possible. Of course, We love music like Nu-Metalcore and Deathcore, but we also like music like Deftones, Finch, Hum, Narrow Head, Trade Wind that feels like outer space at the same level. Recently, new bands such as Higher Power, Soul Blind, Fake Eyes, and I
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was Afraid were also good. As for the artistic contempt of Magenta Smile, especially its sound and visual aesthetics, we fans can notice an implicit reference to Cyberpunk titles - a style that even became known worldwide at the end of the 80s through Japanese pop culture. In your opinion, which references do you think that apply the most to the concept of this EP? You're quite right there. Cyberpunk titles are not only a huge part of Japanese pop culture but also of Korea’s. Korea and Japan experienced a sudden and very big growth in the 80s. As
the times changed cyber punk culture is again back in the spotlight. When we thought about which concept to use to express the recent problems of Asian culture, we concluded that cyber punk would be most fitting to use as a reference. In 2020, the Magenta Smile EP was re-released in a Deluxe version, with a slight reduction in the number of tracks, but with the intriguing addition of the cover of “Boom”, by Nu-Metal band P.O.D. For you, what was it like to bring this hit from the early 2000s to today’s era, adapting it to the band's
musical identity? Heavy music from the 90's to the 2000's certainly exists as our roots. Bands like Sepultura, Machine Head and Ill Nino etc... are still our favorites. P.O.D. was one of them, and we were convinced that this song with a strong hook would be the sick when we mix 2021 style's metalcore. And now, in 2021, we have the most recent work released by the band: the single “Asphyxiate”, in which the group dives into a much darker and more aggressive atmosphere, compared to the other singles. With nearly zero melodic moments, instead,
INTERVIEW. PROMPTS
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the constant presence of ripping and imposing growling vocals. What is the idea behind the heaviness of this single? Yeah, certainly this song doesn't have the clean vocals that other songs have. Originally, we also like Downtune mosh metal such as Bodysnatcher, Emmure, The Acacia Strain, Strangled and Eurobeatdown such as Paleface, Crawhammer, Harm/Shelter, Carbine. It was very spontaneous that such a song was born. You also have the partnership of Ryo Kinoshita – front man of the metalcore band Crystal Lake. How did this collaboration come up? He and I (Matsuno) were originally friends in the metalcore scene in Tokyo for over 10 years. Even before he joined Crystal Lake, we used to perform in different bands at the same show. This time, we had the concept of wanting to make a song that is heavier than ever before. At that time, he was the first person to come up with the idea of adding a guest spot. Really happy to be able to get together and work with my friends who have been listening to the same music for a long time.
INTERVIEW. PROMPTS
And what comes next? Is it the band's first full length album on the way? The fans are curious to know what’s Prompts new steps and if we can still count on the perfect harmony you establish between darkness, modernness and emotional waves? Thank you very much and we'll talk again soon.
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It's one of our dreams to release an album from an American label, so we're working hard towards that. We are so happy to be working with a venerable label called Modern Empire Music. The influence of Covid continues, and everyone is in a difficult situation, but we will do our best with PMA as our slogan. We can't wait to see you all in Brazil soon! Domo Arigato!
INTERVIEW. DEFOCUS
BY BARBARA LOPES / PHOTO LEANDRA BONNET
W
ith just over two years of existence, the German band Defocus had the intention of releasing just one EP to show who they are. Plans changed due to the pandemic, and they invested in the production of their debut album, “In The Eye of Death We Are All The Same”. In the meantime, they signed with Arising Empire and are reaping the rewards. The quartet consists of Simon Müller (vocals), Jeffrey Uhlmann (guitar), Jonas Mahler (drums) and Marcel “Bambam” Heberling (bass) and they know very well what they want. We talked with the friendly Jeff and Bambam about many things, from the beginning until now, about the paths of this musical journey. Follow it right now.
Photo: Lukas Schmid
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Defocus is a new band that already has very clear goals. At what time you got together and said, 'we are a band'? Bambam - We formed Defocus like it is today back in early 2019. Before that, we made music together for a couple of years, but never with those clear goals like you said. We had some member changes over the years and then in 2019 we finally felt that it´s time to start doing it more professionally.
Photo: Lukas Schmid
The name of the band made me curious. What is the cause for this loss of focus? Jeff - I must be honest, everyone came up with literally hundreds of different band names and we had a big list in our rehearsal room. Our goal was to choose a name that's not too long, you can recognize easily and it had to be something we can identify ourselves with. I think Defo-
Modern Metal's great labels. How important is being at Arising Empire? Bambam - We are very happy to work with this awesome label. I think there wouldn´t be that many people that notice us without the help of Arising Empire. They´re doing a great job in pushing our music to the right peoTo be new and get no- ple, giving us the platform ticed. You are already for our music and helping us part of the cast of one of grow as a band. cus stands for breaking out of your habits and thinking outside of the box. Bambam - For me the name Defocus stands for not pushing yourself too much in one direction. You should always be open to all kinds of influences, whether it’s in music or culture.
INTERVIEW. DEFOCUS
I THINK WITHOUT THE TIME THE PANDEMIC GAVE US WE COULD HAVE NEVER WRITTEN THE ALBUM HOW IT IS NOW
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Death We Are All the Same". Were you already working on the project when the pandemic exploded or was it a process that emerged during that period? Jeff - Yeah it kind of went hand in hand. We had some ideas laying around that were meant for a short ep. Right when the pandemic started, Bambam came up with the idea to record an album, because it would have a much bigger impact as a band, and now we had more than enough time to do it. I actually didn’t think it would work out in the beginning because it’s way more stuff to work on, but Bambam really kicked our asses and I can’t thank him enough for that. Jeff - It’s very important in my opinion, because today everything happens online. If you don’t know how to market your music, your music will be lost in a pool with millions of other musicians and artists. Of course, you want your music to stand out in general, but a little help from other people that know what they’re doing is the best thing that could happen to us, because otherwise no one would probably find our songs. You have just released your newest work, "In the Eye of
With all the difficulties that the pandemic brought, many bands made their materials online. What are the positives and negatives in remotely developing a new album/EP? Bambam - DTotally depends on how you´re writing songs. We´ve never really been a band that jams together in the rehearsal room and writes songs that way. So, for us it wasn´t that new to write our songs remotely from home. After we´ve learned new ways to communicate, like streaming our songwrit-
INTERVIEW. DEFOCUS
ing process over Twitch or other platforms, it was kind of easy for us. Usually someone in the band comes up with an idea or a riff and the others will start building a song around that. Of course, it’s always a little different when you’re working on songs alone in your bedroom or with people around you, watching over your shoulder, but I think everyone was so motivated during that time, that all the songs came together really quick. The vibe is really different when you’re not in the same room and a slow internet connection doesn’t really help either, but I think if you have a clear goal, you can
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definitely do it! The debut is very well targeted, with a high-quality sound, strong lyrics, powerful riffs… a full plate for Metalcore fans. Looking at it like that, it almost sounds easy to make music, doesn't it? Can you tell us how big was the scope of this work? Jeff - Thank you! The time we put in that record was enormous. I think without the time the pandemic gave us we could have never written the album how it is now. If you have a creative flow, you don’t want to interrupt the process,
right? So, without the pandemic, we probably only had time on Sundays to work on the album. And with a project this big, we could work on this for months/years. Writing and recording an album takes a hell of a lot of work if you want to do it right, but doing everything from home gives you a lot of freedom. I think we started with the songs for the EP around October 2019, then in March 2020 we decided that we wanted to do a full-length album and I think writing and recording was finished in August 2020, so basically 10 months. But it doesn’t stop after that, because you have to look after stuff like promo, merchandise, album artwork, distri-
bution, label, music videos and so on. Fun fact: The Music Video for Disease was finished like two days before release. Defocus released the songs little by little and seeing how your listeners felt. With the release of the debut, how do you evaluate the path you have taken? Jeff - It still feels weird, at least to me, because I think the best place to see how people react and feel your music is at live shows. You instantly feel the connection and you can directly see what works and what doesn’t. So, the only source you really have are basically com-
INTERVIEW. DEFOCUS
ments on social media. The best thing that comes closest for me are actually YouTube reaction videos, because you can see which songs make people headbang and stuff like that. As of right now, after playing our first show in like 18 months and meeting some fans, I can safely say that we are very happy with how everything came together and I wouldn’t change anything. With the pandemic, many social problems became evident, such as the manipulation of those who exercise some kind of leadership in society. Why portray this specific theme in
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your songs? Bambam - As a band you get the chance to reach many people. We have the privilege to live in Germany where we all have a good life, but there are so many global disparities that so many people don´t recognize, especially when you are in a privileged position like we are. And we think it's only fair for us to use this platform to show close-minded people how fucked the world really is that we're living in. When you dive into these topics, it also really helps us to make the songs angrier and more authentic. "Bury the masses in a com-
mon grave, regardless of ranks and positions, in the eye of death, we're all the same" is an excerpt from "Common Grave", the title of the album, assertively describes the crisis COVID-19 in the world. Do you believe people learned something from that period or not? Bambam - Fun fact: Common Grave was the first song we wrote for Defocus back in early 2019 when COVID-19 wasn´t a thing yet, but it’s kind of funny that it is now more relevant than ever. All in all, Covid has brought two things to our society: It has never been that split and connected at the same
time ever before. Jeff - Yeah, I think everyone realized how everything can change and go upside down within seconds. It’s hard to see people struggle in a situation like this and it makes me even more sad and angry seeing someone not taking the situation seriously. While I think some people learned to adapt their lifestyle to a “new” normal, I really hate to see all the ignorant people that do not give a shit about others, like all they learned was to care about themselves and no one else. The track “Shelter” mixes aggressiveness with clean and delicate vocals, resulting in
Photo: Lukas Schm id
INTERVIEW. DEFOCUS
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a contrast that stays in your head for a while. Who was asked to do this collaboration, and why did you choose a female voice? Jeff - When we wrote all the songs for the album, we also had to think about the track list, and I’ve always wanted to write a song that’s specifically meant to be the closing track of the album. The first thing I had was the melody you can hear throughout the track, which also fades out with clean vocals at the end. So, we basically built the track around this melody and after the song was almost finished and Simon sent the first ideas for the vocals, we always had a soothing female voice in our heads for that part. We asked a dear friend of ours called Mimi (@mimixcean on Instagram) who is also a great singer, because her voice perfectly fits the vibe we were going for. The reason behind that really comes down to the dynamics of the song and of course the way it sounds in context to the rest of the album, because 90% of our material is pretty aggressive and loud, and we really wanted to make this
song stand out. Still talking about feats., the track “Diverge” features Tom Brümmer (The Oklahoma Kid). How was the invitation? Were the lyrics ready when Tom recorded it, or was he able to participate at some point in the creation? Bambam - - I know Tom and the rest of the band from a show they played in our hometown a few years ago and in June 2019 we played at a festival together. At this point we already wrote Diverge and we knew that we wanted a feature guest on that track, so we just asked him and he immediately replied that he was down for that. Simon sent Tom an idea of what the lyrics and melody could be, because we weren’t able to write and record in the same room. We just told him to do it in his own style and flow. He changed a few words, sent us his idea and we instantly loved it. So, it was really easy to work with him and we´re thankful he decided to do the song with us! The excerpt "Ignorance is bliss except when ignorance
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INTERVIEW. DEFOCUS
reigns supreme" from “Disease”, very well sums up what happens in our society, regardless of the country. How to alert people to these actions that can have deadly results? Jeff - That’s a good question to be fair, because nowadays, people spend too much time at home and on the internet. You can try to talk to these people but in my experience, some of them
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are already so deep in their own bubble that you can’t change their mind with stuff like common sense, which is pretty sad to be honest. They don’t believe anything anymore and I can somehow understand why. But as we already said, we as a band have a platform to communicate and reach many people we try to bring messages like this to ignorant people and if we just reach one person and change their mindset, we reach something. The debut album already has more than 250 thousand streams on Spotify. To what do you attribute this expressive number? Bambam - Our label did a great job in
giving us the platform for our music, so this is probably the biggest reason why we’ve come that far. I still can't believe that so many people from all around the world are listening to our debut album. And right now, I'm here, giving an Interview for a magazine in Brazil, that's crazy. With the advance of vaccination and a gradual return to the shows, at any point did you think about this return? How does it feel af-
INTERVIEW. DEFOCUS
ter this period away from the stage? Bambam - Yes, we always had hope in the return of shows. Everyone in the band loves taking long car rides to different cities, meeting new people and of course being on stage. Fortunately, we had the chance of playing our first show last weekend after 17 months off stage. It was overwhelming to see people headbanging, dancing and moshing again after all this time. I hope there won't ever be a time again in absence from the stage with my mates. Finally, until the effective return of the live shows, do you intend to broadcast any livestream presenting
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the debut? Much success to Defocus. Thank you! Jeff - Just like our album, we want to do it right and as best as we can. Setting up a livestream needs lots of equipment and of course the right team in the background. As of right now, there are no plans for a livestream because we simply would not be able to deliver the energy from a real show. But who knows what the future will bring? You’re Welcome, thank you so much for taking your time and asking us to be your interview guest!
MAIN. WE CAME AS ROMANS
BY PEI FON | PHOTO ALEX BEMIS
O
ne of the greatest challenges for human beings is to move on. Not everyone can step forward after losing someone. Only those who have been through this know how this grieving process is. It's painful, and we question ourselves if we could have done more... Since we're all human, the folks from We Came As Romans had to go through this after vocalist Kyle Pavone's early departure in 2018. Since then they've been through all sorts of pain. Returning to the stage was not an easy task and when they were ready to celebrate their debut album, the pandemic appeared and forced everyone to stop. A year and a half later, they released “Darkbloom” and the coming of a new album, still without a name and date. For sure, the quintet consisting of Dave Stephens (vocals), Andy Glass (bass), Josh Moore (guitar), Lou Cotton (guitar) and David Puckett (drums) are feeling that positive energy again and making their tributes on stage , with new songs, 'honoring Kyle's name'. We tried to get some information
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about the new songs and this new album, but it's kept under lock and key, yet they promise to release new singles in the coming months. While that day doesn't come, read below this exclusive interview that Rock Meeting did with Dave. We Came As Romans is back with “Darkbloom”. Given what you’ve lived through, how do you feel about going back to doing what you love most?
Writing has been very therapeutic for all of us. We know Kyle would have wanted us to continue as a band and honor his legacy and everything he helped create. The writing process has become a way for us to release all the pent-up feelings we’ve had since Kyle’s passing and keep the memory of him alive. It is not easy to take a step forward after losing someone. At what point did you guys decide that you needed
MAIN. WE CAME AS ROMANS
WE KNOW KYLE WOULD HAVE WANTED US TO CONTINUE AS A BAND AND HONOR HIS LEGACY AND EVERYTHING HE HELPED CREATE
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to get back and write a new album? When Kyle initially passed, we weren’t sure if we could continue as a band or if we even wanted to. However, after we talked about it and thought over the decision, we knew we had to continue on. Like I said already, we knew it’s what he would have wanted. Shortly after that decision was made, we knew we needed to make a record to honor Kyle’s life as well as work through all the grief we had to endure. “Darkbloom” got people curious about the upcoming songs. This generates even more anticipation, which can be very positive thing. What are your next steps? We definitely have a lot more to share with our fans, but… we don’t want to just drop it all at once! We’re going to continue to release new music in the coming months, and we’re also headed back out on tour in the US celebrating our first record, To Plant A Seed.
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Do you intend to release more singles before the full album? By the way, does it have a name yet, or even a release date? We definitely intend to release more singles before the full album, but as for the name and release date of that - it’s a secret for now! But don’t worry, as soon as we’re ready to share - we’ll be posting about it everywhere! “Darkbloom” is being featured on the main streaming platforms to critical acclaim. How do you evaluate this receptivity after a period without new material? We know our fans have been super hungry for new material, but the response has been even better than we expected. When I first heard Darkbloom in the studio, I knew it was something special. Darkbloom’s release has received some of the
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most positive feedback I’ve ever seen any of our songs receive. This new single starts with the chorus, how does this change in structure contribute to the song? It’s not unheard of to start a song with the chorus, especially in some pop songs - but it does seem relatively different for metalcore to go that way. I think we just wanted to write something that our fans could sing to, right off the start. “I won't pretend that I can see the end, The light may fade but I won't wither away” … We just can’t leave this part of “Darkbloom” behind. Even though we don't see the end, where does this force that keep us going
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come from? For me, it’s all an internal struggle. Recognizing the where I am in life, and finding the right path forward - and pushing myself to continue that way. “Darkbloom” has an impressive strength, driven by aggressive riffs and visceral vocal interpretation... simply impossible not to feel drawn to it. There is an emotional charge involved in this new job, isn't there? Our lyrics have always been emotionally driven, so that’s not new territory for us. After losing Kyle though, everything we’ve written feels incredibly emotional to us. You played a show recently and introduced "Darkbloom" formally to the public. How was the vibe of returning to the stage
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after this period when everything stopped due to the pandemic? I have never been so nervous for a show! It had been 17 months since we had played a show, which is the longest time I’ve gone without playing a show since I was 12 years old! With so long between shows, I was scared I forgot how to sing. So we practiced a lot leading up to the show, and we did great! When you are composing the songs, do you already know which songs will be played live? Like this new single, it looks like it was ready to be performed at shows. Sometimes, yes, we can accurately guess what songs will be well received and then played live. I definitely knew we’d be playing this one live because I was confident it would be popu-
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lar with our fans and they would want to hear it. Many parts of this song were also written specifically for a live setting. For example, the group singing in the chorus, the group singing in the intro, and the entire chorus itself was written to sound like a chant. Soon you will start the 10th anniversary tour of “To Plant a Seed” postponed due to the pandemic. What are your expectations for
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this extensive tour? I have high hopes because I know our fans are dying to hear that record be played live! I know it is going to be a different style of touring than we are used to with the new covid protocols, but I don’t care. I just want to tour and play shows again. Talking a little about “To Plant a Seed”. Analyzing your trajectory through this album must be im-
pressive. What is your reflection on your own history since you planted a seed 10 years ago? It’s crazy to see where our journey in music has taken us! We never knew that we’d be able to see or accomplish a fraction of the things we have, and we’re incredibly grateful that we’ve had such an amazing run so far. We hope that our new music is as well received as TPAS was, and we really hope we can just continue to make
music and play music for our fans. Today “reacts” are a fever and of course you are in many of these videos out there. What is the band's impression of this new musical feedback format? I love watching them! While we were in the studio recently, we would send new songs to close friends and family members but make them Facetime us just to see their reactions. Seeing
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someone’s reaction is one of my favorite things about making music, especially if it’s a positive response! I want to thank you for our conversation, here is the space for your message to our readers. Wish you
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success. Thank you! It’s been way too long since we’ve been to Brazil and the shows there are always some of the crazies in the world. This pandemic needs to end NOW so we can come back to your country, play some shows, and celebrate by drinking some cachaça!
INTERVIEW. PROSPESCTIVE
BY MURILO DA ROSA / PHOTO DAMIANO AFFINITO
A
lways thinking about making good music, the Italian band Prospective found its authenticity in the oscillation between the immersive atmospheres of Progressive Metal and the explosive and crushing parts of Post-Metalcore and Djent. Born in the city of Bologna, the quintet is composed of vocalist Pietro Serratore, guitarists Davide Ruggeri and Luca Zini (who also supports vocals), drummer Flavio Cacciaro and bassist Giuseppe Colli. Acting since 2015, the group already has a concrete discography, consisting of 4 full length albums and a 5th one on the way. In addition to these, the band has also released 2 EPs and 11 singles in total, including “Reset”, a partnership with also Post-Metalcore Shading group, which came out in the first half of this year (2021). Throughout this discography, we listeners find a constant evolution characteristic of Prog Metal bands, but still a wild and robust essence that accompanies the content of all the works so far. Among the main elements, we have guitar riffs typical of Djent, which harmonize with bass and ripped vocals, as well as melodic passages and clean and moving verses. Taking advantage of the band's moment, Rock Meeting wasted no time and in54 // ROCK MEETING // AUGUST 2021
terviewed some of the group's members with a series of questions concerning Prospective's character and which were even very well received, mostly answered by drummer Flavio, in addition to vocalist Pietro and guitarist Luca, who also participated in the interview, which reinforced the idea of how much the group is in synergy regarding what is presented to us through their songs. Then, the inter-
view with the answers (signed very important message for by each one who answered), music in general. The thing enjoy. that matters the most is creating good music, not where Having emerged in the you were born. city of Bologna (Italy), how do you identify Starting your works in with the multiculturality the second half of the present in current metal 2010’s, you guys already bands and how is this rep- have a consistent discogresented in your music? raphy with great materiFlavio - It’s very cool to see als for the current Metalmulticulturalism in the metal core scene. How was the scene. We think this carries a inspiration process for
INTERVIEW. PROSPECTIVE
IT’S VERY COOL TO SEE MULTICULTURALISM IN THE METAL SCENE. WE THINK THIS CARRIES A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR MUSIC IN GENERAL
such songs in the midst of the scene the band is part of? Flavio - Every album that we released has different inspirations. You can clearly hear a more proggy vibe in our previous releases (Beyond, Unreal) because the scene back then was much more riff centric. Now, with All we Have and our new single, we are much more song centric. We tend to inspire ourselves with a lot of music that isn’t from the metal scene, just to create a good song. Establishing an balance between and melodic, the tinues with very
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interesting aggressive group coninteresting
works that fit like a glove for Metalcore and Progressive Metal fans. Which ideal motivated you the most and how was the band’s first steps? Flavio - We’ve always been attracted to the melodic side of metal, but we also like to do angry riffs. Whether or not we put melodic stuff in a song is decided by the mood of the lyrics or the song in general. The song “Liar”, third track from the 2020’s album “All We Have”, was re-released as a single, along with its immersive instrumental version. How did you come up with
the idea of this re-release and what it’s the coolest thing about the same song having two versions? Flavio - We always felt that Liar had something special, and we always wanted to do a video for it. We opted for a very simple playback video just to pump up the song. Another recently released work was “Reset”, a collaboration between you guys and the band Shading. In addition to brilliant cover art and a psychedelic, high-tech music video, the single also features ecstatic prog effects and punctual keyboard and
INTERVIEW. PROSPECTIVE
synth inserts, all compact, even with its not-so-long length. How did this partnership come up and what did you like the most about its result? Pietro - So the featuring between Pietro and Shading was born really spontaneously. There Is a lot of respect between the two bands and a lot of times we spoke about doing something together. It was so much easy to collaborate that the song came out in like two or three days. The most ... part was shooting the video because it was the first time where I had to put everything into my facial expressions, and this helped me a lot in making our new videos. The single “Deadman”, which has already reached more than 60 thousand plays on Spotify, has great crushing moments and a very striking chorus, as well as a synergy with its music video in the aesthetic aspect. For the group, what was essential for the elabo-
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ration of this work and what references did you follow during this recording? Flavio - The song was composed before the covid-19 first lockdown back in January 2020. We had a feeling that the song was special, but it was not entirely how we wanted it. After the first lockdown was over, we were overwhelmed by the return to normal life, and we sat down again in front of the song and
tried to put all our emotions in. The combination with Pietro’s lyrics was perfect and we decided to make it a single. We didn’t follow any reference; we just went with what felt right. In “Bloodroot”, the last work released so far, we can see strong references to the subgenres Nu-Metal, Alternative and Groove, following accentuated punches
INTERVIEW. PROSPECTIVE
and breakdowns. Are those your roots on Metal styles? Flavio - Everyone grew up listening to Slipknot, Lamb of God, and many other bands, but for this particular song we just wanted to write hardcore riffs. Your sound style has a captivating proposal regarding the arrangements, lyrics, and difference in the duration of the songs. From the band's point of view, what is taken in consideration while composing distinct songs, such as “Increase (parts 1 and 2)” and “Against all Odds”, for example? Flavio - The Increase saga was an experiment that we did a long time ago. Composing two songs, one very easy and straightforward, and the other overly complicated and long. Against all Odds was the first song composed for All we Have, and it has been the song that changed our approach to writing song. As I mentioned earlier, we try to be more song-centric, and with this song we reached that goal. Both in the sound content, as in the design of your albums, EPs and singles, there is a distinct and captivating artistic expression.
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How is it to communicate visual with sounding? Flavio - Our visual artist is very good; we just give him the songs and he does the rest. He goes with the vibe. With constant modulations during your songs, we noticed a significant oscillation between heavy instrumental and clean vocals. For you, how does it feel to be able to thrill the listeners with this union of elements? Luca - Mixing warm and melodic atmospheres and more aggressive and ferocious parts has always been part of our identity. Since the first record we have tried to give our best in both. It's something that comes naturally to us, and we don't have to think about it when composing songs. It's always nice trying to surprise the listener with something unexpected, whether the audience likes it or not. Some people hate clean vocals, other love them. We like to sound like this, always trying to understand the needs of our audience. Progressive Metalcore and Djent are very expressive subgenres in your songs. For future works, do
INTERVIEW. PROSPECTIVE
you think about continuing in those styles? Flavio - We always try to compose what we feel it’s good, then people can categorize it. About the current situation due to the chaos of the COVID-19’s pandemic, how was it for you to produce in the global conditions we are all facing, how is this challenge for the group and how does it affect in your songs? Flavio - The producing routing was not affected since we always did everything on our own in our bedrooms. But we can surely say that the covid19 pandemic made 62 // ROCK MEETING // AUGUST. 2021
us feel angrier and you can clearly hear it in the composition style and in the lyrics. Among the topics covered in the songs, we (listeners) can also notice an interesting dynamic in relation to issues such as existentialism and personal conflicts of an individual. For you, was this already following the original idea or was it evolving throughout your career? Pietro - It was a necessary process to make our music more mature. If You want to reach the Heart
of people You have to speak about what You are living without boundaries. Maybe this period of fear, loneliness and disappointment is influencing our lyrics, but we think that we would have this kind of change, speaking about song's subject, anyway. Again, on the content of the songs, there is a significant flexibility between melodic verses and the weight of growling vocals, as well as guitar and bass drops. What is it like to talk about delicate and sensi-
INTERVIEW. PROSPECTIVE
tive topics, such as those present in your songs, through the weight of Metalcore? Pietro - Every kind of metal it's the best way to express what you’re feeling and luckily, we have the possibility to use different kind of vocals to express different kind of feels. Other music genres Will never be so intense and powerful as what we are trying to do right now. Finally, we have a new Prospective album on the way. There's already a date set and what can we fans expect besides these 2 intriguing singles already released? Thank you very much for the interview and keep moving us with your beautiful songs. Flavio - Just keep an eye on us.
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INTERVIEW. RESOLVE
BY GUSTAVO TOZZI / PHOTO ANTHONY ARBET
T
he diversity and combination of varied genres can perhaps be considered as one of the main characteristics of modern metal. And it is in this context that Rock Meeting is pleased to present its readers an interview with Resolve. Formed in 2017 by Robin Mariat (bass), Nathan Mariat (drums) and Anthony Diliberto (vocals) in the city of Lyon (France), the band has in the diversity of styles one of the band's strengths, as Robin told us. Giving even more prominence to the modern metal scene in France (Landvmrks, for example, was the interview published in issue Nº. 136, April 2021), Resolve is releasing its debut album in November, with the single “Emerald Skies” made available earlier this month (05.08.2021), revealing a theme that demonstrates the political and environmental focus explored in his compositions. Without further ado, let Robin talk about it. Resolve started in 2017, releasing the first EP Rêverie in October of the same year. How and when did it all start? Nathan and I are brothers and had been playing in the same band for a while. We met An-
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thony through sharing shows with his previous band, and when both projects fell apart early 2016, it just made perfect sense to join our forces and create Resolve. The band is based in the beautiful city of Lyon, France. You can make the difference an equality by combining a wide range of styles, but labeling Re-
solve's sound under a single genre seems like a limited vision of what you really do... What are the biggest influences of the band and each of your members? That’s something that we feel is one of our biggest strengths, we all have very different listening habits, and it certainly shows in our music. We really love everything be it
from Thrice to The Weekend, or even Opeth, Woodkid… the list goes on! About the two new singles, “Beautiful Hell” and “Seasick Sailor”. In less than three months since launch, you've already managed to reach over 120k views adding both. Did you expect such receptivity in such
INTERVIEW. RESOLVE
PEOPLE INTERNATIONALLY ARE STARTING TO BE EXCITED ABOUT THE FRENCH SCENE
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a short time? We certainly hoped for this at least! After having been silent for so long, it felt so good to see people hadn’t forgotten about us, and to see so many faces join the adventure. Now we want to take it up to another level with this upcoming debut album. Due to the repercussion achieved with the singles’ music videos, fans must be eager to know what you will provide on the first album. What can the band give us? What theme is the band looking for with the debut album? That’s a loaded question… the thematic on Between Me and The Machine are quite broad, but at the same time it’s basically the same it’s always been for us: how to deal with this constant battle against time and society’s relentless train of events. It’s quite introspective, but the problems we’re talking about can definitely speak to anyone from our generation. I think previous fans and listeners sort of know what to
INTERVIEW. RESOLVE
expect from us musically at this point, but rest assured there’s also plenty of very fresh stuff for us all throughout the album! “Emerald Skies” is the new single that makes up their debut album. What is the concept of this song? Emerald Skies is the first half of a two-part story that is continued on the album’s title track
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Between Me and The Machine. It takes place in a (less and less) distant future, when Earth is so damaged that the sky turned green, and humanity had to either escape into space or bury itself underground. Musically, it’s also our most extreme song to date probably, which really fits the lyrics. On the other hand, the sequel to the song is the same story but from the perspective of those
who escaped into space. This is probably the track we’re most excited for people to hear. “Beautiful Hell”, in addition to demonstrating the versatility and combination of various styles explored by the band, contains a crystal-clear criticism of the global environmental crisis. Was giving voice to critical thinking through music what you were looking for from the beginning or did it come naturally? We do dip our feet into more politic/environmentalist themes on the album, but Beautiful Hell is not one of these tracks! It deals more with how overwhelming and difficult it can be to try to reach your goals in today’s life, and how sometimes it’s ok to « hide in your chrysalis » to recharge your batteries.
INTERVIEW. RESOLVE
When studying your compositions, it is noticeable there is a philosophical bias. For example, “Of Silk and Straw”, from the EP “Pendulum (2019), contains the following sentence: “Man is a Wolf to man”, which seems to point to the thought of Hobbes (man is the wolf of man). Do you agree with this reading or is it just a metaphor? It’s more of a metaphor about how mankind tends to destroy itself. The whole human civilization has been based around conflicts and war for pretty much its entire existence, and that’s mostly what fed society’s progress, for better or for worse… In October the tour begins in Europe, and this is the moment you - and the fans - have been waiting for. What are your
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expectations? Actually, we just announced that the tour is going to be rescheduled to spring 2022, as there’s still too much uncertainty around borders crossing, testing, and everything. But we’re incredibly excited to hit the road again, especially with a fully French line-up, which is not something you see every day! Currently, the metal scene in France is gaining more and more strength internationally, through Gojira and Landmvrks. How does the band see this moment of “opening up” to modern metal, both in France and in the European continent itself? People internationally are starting to be excited about the French scene these days yeah, it’s really nice to
INTERVIEW. RESOLVE
see but to be honest, heavy music is still such a niche here in France, there’s still a lot of work to be done for this music to be considered as it should be. It’s definitely on the right track though, Hellfest is playing a huge role in bringing this movement to the mainstreams. The livestreaming in partnership with Landmvrks and Glassbone, broadcast in early June of this year, seems to have given even more prominence to Resolve, demonstrating the same quality of (recording) studio live. Is that the vibe Resolve seeks when it takes the stage? Absolutely. You were mentioning Gojira earlier, they are probably our biggest in-
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fluence in terms of how tight we aim to be on stage. We worked so hard on this livestream show, it was important to us to show this aspect of Resolve because we’ve always worked extra hard on our live performances. The contrast that is present in the sound of Resolve makes the listener alternate a constant coming and going from heaven to hell,
either by the melodies or by the heavy breakdowns. Is the duality of the sound the representation of the band's vision of contemporary society, especially in times of crisis due to the pandemic that still devastates the planet? We want this dynamic to be always present in our music. There’s already so many awesome bands that excel at
INTERVIEW. RESOLVE
breakdowns, or with more ambient soundscapes, but our goal is to bring our listeners to an experience, a journey with its highs and lows in terms of energy. 100% energy all the time can quickly get boring, we don’t hesitate to throw away demos when we feel like they are too stuck in one direction. Still about the pandemic. How do you lead with a long period of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic? New compositions, videos, anyway... Was it a moment of overcoming difficulties? It’s been a tough year and a half just like for everybody, especially since 2020 was the year we were
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supposed to start touring on a larger scale and achieve a lot of long-term goals… but life goes on, and we used this time to make sure our album was as good as it could be, and to refine our vision for the whole concept behind the record. We even got started on what will be coming next, cause when life comes back to a form of normalcy, it’s all gonna be so fast and overwhelming, we gotta be prepared for this too! We would like to express our gratitude for your availability and partnership! Thank you very much! We hope to get a chance to see them on stage as soon as possible! Please feel free to leave your message to our readers. Thank you to the Rock Meeting staff for having us on your magazine, we had a great time! Our new single and music video Emerald Skies is available now, and you can preorder our debut album Between Me and The Machine on resolveofficial.co! We’re incredibly excited to everyone to hear this record.