(((O))) Interview: Igor Omodei from Uneven Structure

When Uneven Structure released their second full length album La Partition, it not only matched up to the lofty standards of predecessor Februus, but arguably surpassed it – a monumental slab of post-metal, channelled through Meshuggah-tinted goggles. We managed to grab a quick chat with guitarist Igor Omodei at Tech Fest.

E&D: So how is the current tour going? You’ve been on tour with Jinjer…

Igor: Yeah, it’s just a single show actually, with Jinjer in Cologne. And the show went really well, nice reception, and good mood with Jinjer, Exist Immortal and The Royal. Overall, this mini-tour is going really nicely.

E&D: You’re back at Tech Fest after a few years’ absence. What do you think of the festival, and is there anyone this weekend you’re really looking forward to seeing?

Igor: Obviously, there are a lot of bands I would’ve loved to see on Sunday but we are leaving early… so we’ll miss Igorrr, Humanity’s Last Breath… many of the bands on Sunday actually are the ones we wanted to check out. Regarding the festival, the last time we’ve been there was back in 2013. It’s quite a while ago – wasn’t in the same place actually, and coming back this year seeing how the festival developed, how the whole tech family gathered stronger than ever… it’s crazy, and I’m blown away by all the organisation, how professional, nice and smooth, and the general mood – having fun yesterday night, partying with guys… it’s been great…

E&D: You like the new site then?

Igor: Yeah, definitely.

E&D: It’s not really new anymore… Speaking of festivals, hypothetical question: you’re playing a festival with six other bands, can be literally anyone, you can bring back bands that don’t exist anymore, who would you want to play with?

Igor: That’s a tough question… Lots, lots of bands, six wouldn’t be enough… I guess, I’d love to see A Perfect Circle… Tigran Hamasyan… he’s a piano player, jazz player, he’s released quite a few amazing albums… Death Grips, because you need to party too… what else? Chelsea Wolfe… otherwise… so many bands, I can’t choose.

E&D: Your new album, La Partition, it’s a concept album. Februus was also a concept album. Was that a conscious decision when you started writing that it’d be another concept album?

Igor: It was a conscious idea, actually, before starting writing the music, we wrote the whole concept, made sure it did fit in the Februus, our previous album’s universe, and everything, the whole story was basically written out before even making the first note…

E&D: Do you want to quickly sum up what the album’s about?

Igor: Definitely, yes. It’s about a fisherman who gets compelled by mermaids to bring them back their music for their chants: they lost their voices due to event happening on Februus… It starts from there, on Februus, and builds into La Partition universe. It’s more like, there’s the story, and the thematics all about losing control of yourself to any kind of addiction to the point where you don’t recognise yourself.

E&D: On the topic of concept albums, what are your favourite concept albums?

Igor: Meshuggah, Catch Thirtythree. It’s the album that made me click on the whole… one album, sections, but one song, and honestly, I’ve not listened to much other concept albums I guess, or I didn’t pay attention. It all stemmed from Catch Thirtythree’s structure. I don’t remember any other concept albums helping me out on it…

E&D: Do you have any particular influences or favourite bands from outside the rock and metal worlds?

Igor: Definitely, lots of electronic music, Aphex Twin, lots of jazz bands, Tigran Hamasyan lately… Nine Inch Nails lately… It’s kind of rock, but it’s more the electronic side of it.

E&D: Is there anywhere in the world that you haven’t played yet that you would really like to play?

Igor: We’ve got a soft spot for Nepal, South America, and it’d be nice to get to Australia.