December 23, 1999.
The war is upon us! The Italian act STORMLORD is certainly one of the best revelations from the European underground of nowadays. From the amalgamation of the most severe black metal with classic power metal and symphonic medieval atmospheres did born the Epic Extreme Metal! If you enjoy modern and technical ways of compose black metal music, you must know STORMLORD! My questions were answered by Cristiano Borchi, the one behind the band's epic war screams...
1) OK, introduce us the band and the line-up...
CRISTIANO
BORCHI: STORMLORD project starts in 1991 as a
Death Metal trio. The band records a first demo in 1992 and in
1993, with a second guitarist, "Black Knight" demo,
five tracks of epic death metal. After this, and some line up
changes, the band signes for italian label "Metal Horse
Productions" to take part in the CD sampler "Dawn Of
Gods" with the unreleased track "Cataclysm" and
then, in 1997 with a totally different seven member line-up, the
band records the debut mini-CD "Under The Sign Of The
Sword", three tracks of epic and melodic black metal. Then
the band appears in the second issue of the sampler "Dawn Of
Gods" and begins a tour all around Italy playing with groups
like Overkill, Death SS, Labyrinth, Atrocity, Sadist, Graveworm,
etc... Then the band records a promo with a 5 element line-up
(changing the bass player in favour of Francesco Bucci and
remaining with only one guitarist) and signes for German label
Last Episode. This promo has been published on 2/11/98 by the
label in form of mini-CD titled "Where My Spirit Forever
Shall Be" as a sort of opening MCD for the full lenght album
"Supreme Art Of War". After this record, David
"war machine" Folchitto join the band on the drums to
replace Marcello Baragona and with ths new line up the band
record the full CD "Supreme Art Of War", out on Last
Episode in august. In the last european tour, Simone Scazzocchio
join the band on the keyboards to replace Fabrizio Cariani. The
band have also recorded the cover of Death SS
"Baphomet" for the upcoming CD tribute.
LINE UP:
Cristiano Borchi - vocals
Pierangelo Giglioni - guitars
Francesco Bucci - bass
David Folchitto - drums
Simone Scazzocchio - keyboards
2) STORMLORD started playing death metal but suddenly changed to a more symphonical black metal style. Can you tell us the reasons behind this change of musical direction?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: The main reason was we was tired of the death metal voice and we was noticing that the new songs wasn't so good with a grunt voice. So I try the scream on them and we understand it was really better for the direction we wants to take. It was a normal evolution, when we deicide to change the kind of voice we haven't thinked "OK, now we start to play black metal", all is happened in a natural way.
3) The main feelings, ideas and concepts behind the band changed together with the sound?
CRISTIANO
BORCHI: Absolutly not, we was a band inspired to
all is epic and majestic and we are still so! Of course we are
growed up a lot in the last 2 years, every new CD of STORMLORD is
better produced and arranged, but our emotions are still the
same.
4) What can you tell us about the newest STORMLORD album "Supreme Art Of War"? Are you satisfied with it? What about the reactions of the people about it?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: We are completly satisfited of it! It is our first full CD after 2 minis and we have prepared all the work in the minimum details. We need 4 months of studio to record all the ideas we had, but the result is completly amazing, of course from our point of view! The reaction of the fans is really good, I don't know so much about the reactions in your country, but here in Europe all is going really well for us, even during the tour we've seen a lot of interest from the fans for us, and it's really great.
5) The "Where My Spirit Forever Shall Be" is one fo the best MCD's that I have heard in my life. Do you like it? Is it a good introduction in the STORMLORD world to one who haven't heard your music before?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: I'm really glad of your opinion, thanx for this. Yes, you're right when you say this mini is an "introduction" to the world of STORMLORD: we record that 3 songs as a promo to send to the labels, and only in a second time Last Episode deicide to publish it as a sort of opening MCD. With the first mini "Under The Sign Of The Sword" we haven't a so good distribution so many countries was uncovered and of course we was unknown there, so Last Episode print the promo to spread the name and prepare the audience to "Supreme Art Of War". Respect to the mini in "Supreme Art Of War" we are most sofisticated, we have tons of instruments as flutes, harps, piano, trumpets, etc... and a real better production!
6) The STORMLORD music is very influenced by the Medieval Times. From where do you get inspiration to compose this kind of music? Do you like movies/books about the Middle Ages?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: It can seems strange, but the answer is no. It's simply something we feel inside, it's the language we know to express our emotions.
7) Do you think the Middle Ages would be a better time to live than this 20th century?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: Historically not, it was an age with poverty and with a strong power of the Church, if you wasn't a son of a duke or something similar your life was a shit. But we like to dream about the fantasy middle age, an age where proudness bring to the glory and the battles are won in the name of justice. Only dreams, you know...
8) Is too difficult to combine the traditional instruments (guitar, drums, etc.) with all that classic exotic instruments like trumpets, harps, violins?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: I think is unusual, expecially in the extreme music, but not so difficult. Usually the bands play the riffs with the strings or with a melody with the guitar, we only think that we can go over this: if we have a melody we want to think about the best instrument for it, we don't care if this instrument is in the common "rules" of metal music, if it's the best we use it. The real long and hard work is the arrangment, to create a melody on the first melody with another instrument and arrange even 5 different guitar parts, all armonized!
9) Do you think that this symphonical, refined and very well worked style, will be the future of the black metal?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: I don't know, but mainly I don't think that our music or the one of bands as Dimmu Borgir, etc... is Black Metal. For me black metal is Darkthrone, Immortal, Satyricon, etc..., I can call Extreme metal the new styles in "black metal". We call our style Extreme Epic Metal... But I think the future of the extreme music could be this, or at least I hope. To be honest I don't like the new tendence of the bands to be gothic, dark and sad, all in a electronic application, it's something really boring.
10) Do you enjoy more primitive and raw kinds of black metal?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: I hear all the black metal even if I play the melodic one. I like even other styles, as power and even a bit of industrial (Rammstein, etc...) but not if applied in black metal.
11) To play live is an important thing to the STORMLORD spirit? Are there any problems to reproduce on the stage all the complex structures of the album?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: We really like to play live, it's really great to have the people in front of you that knows the songs, ask for you, etc..., you can touch their emotions and can create an exchange with them. It's not so difficult to play live the songs of "Supreme Art Of War", of course some parts are re-arranged 'cause we haven't 5 guitarrists or 3 keyboard players, haha! And we don't want to use pre-recorded parts during the live shows, a live show have to be 100% real. All the guys of STORMLORD are tecnically really good and so it's not a big problem, I remember sometimes I have been problems in the past with the old line-ups, but now luckly we haven't this kind of problems!
12) Is possible detect
influences of traditional heavy/power metal in the STORMLORD
music. Are all in the band fans of this kind of metal?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: Yes, we like power metal and you can find a lot of influence from it in our music. You know, we don't want to close our eyes and say: "we are black metal and we have to do this" or similar, if we think something is good for us we insert this influence in our music, we don't want to close some doors only in the name of the integrity of the kind of metal you play. That's one of the reason we describe our sound as Extreme Epic Metal.
13) Religious/pagan themes like Satanism, Witchcraft and etc can be found in the STORMLORD lyrics? Are you interested in things like that?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: We are not so interesteed in religious topics, all the bands talk about religion, we don't care. Only in the song "Of Steel And Ancient Might" we talk about the pagan rites of the ancient roman empire but it's a tribute to this glorious reign.
14) And, by the way, what's your thoughts concerning Christianity?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: I ignore them, as them ignore me. Easy.
15) What are some of the things that interest you other than music? What do you like to do in your free time?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: I have really few free time, in my all days life I'm a musical journalist, I'm the editor of Metal Shock, so as you can imagine I have not so much free time. But I like to play videogames, to collect medieval items as swords, shields, icons, etc..., then I like to go to the locals with friends (expecialy girls!) and then there's the football of course... Roma! (Totti, Aldair, Cafú...).
16) The STORMLORD line-up changed a couple of times and it was even formed by 7 (!) members in the past. What were the main reasons for the change of musicians in the band? And is difficult to work with so many members?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: No, it was musicians not so interested to take seriously the band.You know, all wants to play in a band with a deal and with an audience, but it means you have to give absolute priority to it and sacrifice a part of your life, because when you have to work with the band, there are no appointments, girlfriends, hobbies, etc... you can consider before STORMLORD. Now we are all on the same line, we are good friends but at the same time all give absolute priority to the band.
17) Some of the best bands that I have heard in my life are from Italy... Do you enjoy the musical scene in your country? What Italian bands do you think that deserves attention?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: Rhapsody first of all, I really like them. Then I can say Death SS, one of my all times favorite band, and then Labyrinth, Undertakers, Domine...
18) What do you think about bands that starts playing metal and suddenly change their style to some atmospheric/ambient with only keyboards and no guitars, drums, etc? It's have becoming a quite common fact nowadays...
CRISTIANO BORCHI: I like the ambient music but sometimes it's really boring. I think all the musicians have to be free to do what he wants, but if you want to change completly your sound you have even to change the name of the band, it means respect for the fans.
19) In the composition process of the STORMLORD songs, what's the most important thing: to reach the inner feeling/emotion or the musical perfection?
CRISTIANO
BORCHI: Both of them. When we write at home the
songs we search for the emotions, then in studio we work hardly
to find the absolute perfection in the arrangments, recording,
etc...
20) What we can expect from STORMLORD for this next millenium? What's your future plans for the band?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: We have some gigs in Italy now, 'cause the European tour we have done in October had only a gig here. Then we start to write the new material but I can't give you a deadline: we want to work with no hurry, because we have to be a "perfect" work, of course for our point of view. This is the politic of STORMLORD: less material but something we are 100% shure.
21) Whithin one week, the Christmas Eve will arrive. Any comments about this date?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: Too traffic, too chaos in the streets but holydays at work. For me it means only this. Then, I hope that not so much poor cats will be sacrified to Satan or similar, I really love animals.
22) OK, do you have any last comments/exclamations/summonings?
CRISTIANO BORCHI: With Our Swords To The Sky We Salute You.
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