EMQ’s With Crownshard
EMQ’s With Crownshard
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Italian Extreme Metal band, Crownshard. Huge thanks to their Guitarist/ Vocalist, Cesare, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hello my name is Cesare, in the Crownshard project I play guitar and vocals. The project was born from the need to create extreme music. I have always loved death metal and black metal but in recent years I have been involved in projects far from these sounds so here we are. I am lucky enough to collaborate with very good musicians and this is very important.
How did you come up with your band name?
The name of the band comes from an idea of our drummer Riccardo. It is the fusion of two words, crown and shard, which can create the image of this destroyed crown in a dark fantasy context of a decaying and ruined kingdom as in fact our society and especially our spirit is today. The perfect design intended by dark forces.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We come from a small town near Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy. The metal scene is very limited, and when you attend concerts of underground bands you realize that it is always the same, older and older people who attend the events. Despite this, I notice that more and more active projects are springing up, and this gives me hope for the future.
What is your latest release?
Our last release will be April 14 with the EP, “AWARENESS”.
Who have been your greatest influences?
In relation to the Crownshard project, my influences lie in the extreme music of the 90s, bands such as Death, Dark Tranquillity, Satyricon, Behemoth, In Flames, Dark Funeral, Emperor, Mayhem, Children of Bodom… In other words, the golden years of metal, right?
What first got you into music?
I think I have always enjoyed listening to music, but probably my interest in learning an instrument came about by accident, after finding an old guitar in the attic – sounds like the usual story, but for me it really was. I am still fascinated by the magic that music offers and the process it takes to create it from nothing.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
I really appreciate the analog and old-fashioned approach of the band Satyricon, as well as the continuous attempt to come up with black metal that is always original and never expected.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
There are a lot of good festivals around the world, I think the craziest in Europe is Wacken Open Air so I would love to play there.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
No gifts for us from no fans.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
I don’t think Crownshard have many fans at the moment, we have many friends who appreciate our work, however what I feel like saying is that I thank them for every minute they spent listening to Crownshard because every minute of the songs is hours of work for us.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
There are many, of course, and they are all very important and not just in the metal music arena. However, personally, being a guitar player, I suffered greatly from the passing of Chuck Schuldiner and Alexi Laiho. Their compositional ability and the attitude they had was incredible.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
What I love most is playing live and creating new music, when you create something new that makes you think “Wow, that’s the best time,”. I don’t hate anything about being a musician. I hate that I can’t devote as much time to metal music as I should.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
There is no longer the magic of music, we live in a world that is too globalized, has too much competition, too much low quality, too little time to create good music, and too much music all at the same time. Consuming music is like consuming a dose of drugs, and when the effect is over you look for something new again and again, no one falls in love anymore. We need to change our minds, not the music industry.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Death – “The Sound of Perseverance”.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
I think vinyl is the most fascinating but the convenience and quality of the CD, in my opinion, remains the best.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
With Crownshard we have played very little, only concerts and small festivals in local realities.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I am not really a musician but I am a dealer in musical instruments.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
I would invite my friends over for a big drink.
What’s next for the band?
We are working on new material, we hope to offer our live show in the coming months and then I would like to dedicate myself to recording new music.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Bandcamp – https://crownshard.bandcamp.com/
Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@crownshard1456
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Crownshard
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crownshard/
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
I don’t know.
Thank you for your time.
