POSTVORTA’s Beckoning Light We Will Set Ourselves On Fire is one of those albums that seemingly came from out of nowhere and spread like wildfire through our team; their cover of Massive Attack’s ‘Angel’ particularly caught people’s attention. We needed to find out more about these Italian post metallers so no one was better qualified than Daniela Patrizi to track them down and pop a few questions.
(((O))): Hi Andrea, many thanks for taking time out to speak with us. Where are you at the moment?
Hi there, thank you for your time. We are all in Ravenna at the moment, writing down new material for a new Ep and planning our winter tour.
(((O))): How was your summer ? Is there any particular event that happened you want to share with us?
We don’t use to play a lot during the summer, don’t ask me why but ….ahahahaha maybe because we prefer to perform in dark clubs than open air!
(((O))): Firstly, congratulations on Beckoning Light We Will Set Ourselves On Fire because your album is flippin’ amazing! How did the writing and ideas for the record come about?
Thanks for the kind words. I wrote a good 95% of the stuff; I just come out with the main ideas but then we all envelope everything. Me and Lucio have been playing together since years and the there’s a great natural collaboration between us.
(((O))): Let’s go back to you, could you tell us a little bit about how POSTVORTA came about?
Pstvrt born from the ashes of Black Sound Empire. BSE were pretty active with 1 album and 1 ep. The full length called SISMA was produced by Andrew Schneider (Cave in, Zozobra, Unsane,Rosetta) and John LaMacchia guitarist of the band Candiria at the Traslator studio in Brooklyn. We always changed some members in the line up. Nicola (who also sings in THE END OF 6000 YEARS ) joined us just 2 weeks before recording his lines on the album….incredible…he had only 2 weeks to learn all the material! The album and all the activities related to it were made by a sextet: 1 singer, 3 guitars, 1 bass and 1 drum. After losing Raffaele that yesterday left the band after 5 years, today line-up is made by myself at the guitar, Lucio (guitar), Nicola (vocal and guitar) , Luca (bass) and Stefano (drum. We are currently looking for a new member as multi instrumentalist. We had hard time with the band line up before finding Nic : in a few words, one singer died, one disappeared one week before starting our tour and another one remained deaf!
(((O))): I’m also pretty curious about your band name.. how did you come up with it?
Postvorta is the Roman Goddess of the Past, the sister of Antevorta. I just wanted to turn on mythology stuff, I was really digging that kind of things at that time and when Lucio came up with this name, it sounded cool to me.
(((O))): Being Italian I know pretty well our music background. Did your local scene impact you as a band?
Don’t be mad at me but, i do confess, I don’t listen to many bands from Italy, just a few of them. I admit that about 90% of the music that comes from Ravenna really sucks. I know that there are a lot of great bands out here but, honestly, i don’t spend my time nor my energy looking for them. I just don’t believe in brotherhood between bands at all. I am not an egocentric lazy bastard who thinks only to himself , I just focus on my music. I honestly don’t give a fuck (can I say fuck ?). I used to be more involved in the local music scene and at that time here was better and more genuine music around…now there’s only a kind of ‘American wannabe’. All that shitty Metalcore stuff….
(((O))): Which is your favorite Italian Band?
The End of 6000 years, Sunpocrisy, At the Soundawn, are for sure bands that deserve more attention. They are really impressive. And talking about the past, Disciplinatha, Raw Power, Karma and maybe others I don’t remember.
(((O))): What do you think about our current political situation?
Good question…well I guess …I m not in the position to say something. My only regret is that I’m not probably fighting enough for a better tomorrow for my Son…
(((O))): What are some of your musical (and other) influences?
Isis, Jeff Buckley, NIN, Rosetta, Cult of Luna,Radiohead, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd….a lot !
(((O))): How do you describe your music style and how you think it differs from other band’s sound?
We are not different, we are strange, maybe too soft for who listen metal music and too hard for who doesn’t !!! We are hard to locate and put somewhere . Our music is insane, we are insane in a way or another. I m a weirdo, a dark soul..I just put down feelings, emotions like a painter on his canvas. I don’t play a single riff at home, the whole album born in my head! Before I start playing, I know exactly how each song must sound, what everybody has to play and what you hear now is what I had in my mind. I’m not a genius, I’m a freak.
(((O))): What do you think is the most difficult challenge that new bands face starting out in the music industry today?
Finding honest peoples to work with! We trusted the wrong peoples in the past and my suggestion to the emerging bands is to believe much more in their power.
(((O))): When writing new music, what’s the process? Is there one of you who brings the music to the table?
Yep it s me for the music, and Nicola for the lyrics and vocal lines.
(((O))): How would you describe Beckoning light we will set ourselves on fire as a record?
As a Multi layered complex Rubik’s Cube. Hard to write, hard to record, hard to listen.
(((O))): How long did it take to you to write it and what was the theme, sound or image you wanted to convey?
One year more or less. The oldest song of the album is ‘Set Them On Fire’ (that’s also my fav) and we played it also with Black Sound Empire. The newest song is ‘We are nothing. We wrote it only in one week! If I had an unlimited budget I would a love to have a production based on Radiohead’s Ok Computer that I consider a masterpiece. My fav producers are : Andy Wallace, Steve Albini, Nigel Godrich and Alan Moulder. I could spend my life in the studio, I love it, maybe more than being on a stage. We don’t care about image, we are old and ugly ahahahahahah.
(((O))): The amount of dynamics and sounds you guys pack into a track is impressive. What are the benefits do you feel to existing as sextet?
We are a sextet,six minds, 12 hands..we found a formula to keep order and clean all the stuff. We are not a Pro Band, we can ‘t write an album in the studio. We recorded Beckoning in one month: each of us knew what to do and it was pretty intense. believe me, no single riff on it has been forced, everything came up naturally, in harmony. Our pruducer Riccardo Pasini helped us a lot with his experience and musical taste in some critical moments. I think the production is one of the awesome thing on the album.
(((O))): Your vocals are impressively powerful. Who is the band’s vocalist? What about the lyrics? What inspires you?
It may sounds not cool but I should turn the question to Nicola ahahahah, no, kidding . All the stuff is based on interior nightmares and struggles. He had some really bad moments in his life and wrote down the lyrics. Nicola made an awesome job on the album and he gave a darker touch to the project.
(((O))): Your cover of Massive Attack’s ‘Angel’ is awesome. Starting from that song you managed to create a new great song. Who had the idea? Why you choose that song?
I always wanted to play that song . I love Massive Attack, I saw them live a i was impressed. We had then the idea to take one of their masterpieces and to work on it. I’ m really happy about how it sounds and it seems that people love it. A friend of mine said : “What you hear it’s not ANGEL but you know it is ! “ …I think it s awesome don t you think ?
(((O))): Hell yes! Your CD has been released these days through Bleeding Light Records. How do you feel holding your album in your hands? Which is your favorite music format?
We feel great and more than happy ! Paul is a unique and honest guy. He has been honest on every point since the beginning. He trusts us and we would love to pay him back for his trustworthiness. At Bleeding Light Records we feel at home and we are proud to be part of their selected rooster. We hope to release also a vinyl with them. On December we will be recording a new single that will be released on 7” split album with the extra cool Spanish post rock band called MUNDOZERO. the split will be released via Oniric Record. The format we love is all unconventional…all is weird and classy. And the vinyl off course.
(((o))): Talking of your favorite bands, who did you grow up listening to and who do you listen to now?
I use to listen to Hendrix,Pink Floyd, Dire Straits since I was a kid. Jeff Buckley is my fav. I also love a great part of ’90 grunge scene, they are in my bones. I used to love different kind of music and I still do. Even electro stuff, coz Synthetizer is my second love, and I’m a NIN ultra fan and collector . Anyway i currently don’t listen to new music beyond the post metal scene cause i don’t have enough time but i know that there are great tones out there.
(((O))): Any bands you guys are listening to at the moment which people should be checking out?
I’m currently in love with a band from Oregon called This Patch of Sky …I just can t stop to listen to them: one of the best music I’ve ever heard in my life. I would love to see them live and opening a show for them would be a dream .You also should check two bands from our hometown : The Doormen and Shonwald , and the other band where Nicola sings: The End of 6000 years, maybe one of the greatest band in Italy.
(((o))): Of course I will. If you could go back in time…what gigs would you have liked to have been at?
mmmhhhh…of course Isis. Talking about recent times i would love to ope a show for Old Man gloom and playing in front of Aaron Turner, my hero!
(((O))): I’d love to see you perform live. Is there a chance for a tour? What can people expect to see at your live performance?
We play a really dark shows and where is possible we don’t use lights on the stage but only lamps on our instrument head-stocks. We keep the ambient as darker as we can, no single word is spoken….only music and fog..ahahah…we are also building up a visual concept on banners between us and the crowd . We are planning an European Tour on February/March 2015. It will be spitted in 3 parts staring from England, Ireland and Scotland. I’ll keep you posted about our tour, for sure.
(((O))): And finally…do you have a message for our readers?
I want to thank all of you (people,blogger,fans) for supporting us on what we do and, please, keep on doing it ! And stay tuned because if you enjoyed Beckoning Light, you’ll be surprised with the new stuff.
