Somali Yacht Club – The Space Season of Mist Release Date: 22/04/22 Running Time: 45:19 Review by Paul Hutchings 8/10
It’s a difficult time for Somali Yacht Club. The Ukrainians third release and first on Season of Mist should have been a career highlight, with a tour to promote “The Space” as well as worldwide exposure via streaming services and review sites. Unfortunately, and completely understandably, music is probably very far from the centre of their world now and whilst I don’t want to get drawn into any political debate here, we can but wish the band well and hope they remain safe in their home city of Lviv.
I’m not over familiar with the band’s previous works but this is an expansive and impressive album, if you enjoy the type of Progressive music which involves wide soundscapes drenched in emotion and atmosphere. They blur the boundaries between Metal and Post-Rock, dreamy vocals and jangling guitars that combine to provide music that is both intense and clever, enjoyable to immerse oneself in but equally attractive to have in the background.
There’s a rich warmth to the vocals of Ihor Pryshliak, who is also responsible for the subtle keys and the thick fuzzy riffs that cascade throughout this release. Although the band haven’t consciously created a three-part concept, The Space does conclude a trilogy that started with their first release, “The Sun”, and follow up “The Sea”. Opener ‘Silver’ sets the scene, the first of six musically heavy tracks that expand and contract through their individual journeys. As the album progresses, the musicianship increases with the formidable stoner jams that play out. ‘Pulsar’ is full of sweeping passages that ebb and flow, creating magical imagery and aural delights.
Whilst Pryshliak’s vocals and guitar are the undoubted focus, the rhythm section of bassist Artur Savluk and drummer Lesyk Mahula hold down the engine room with a natural ease. Their combined interplay on the likes of ‘Echo of Direction’ is a joy to listen to. That Somali Yacht Club can deliver a short three-minute piece in the shape of ‘Gold’ and can then finish with the massive Progressive workout of ‘Momentum’ which clocks in at over 12 minutes in length is quite remarkable.
‘Momentum’ is without doubt the band’s finest hour on this impressive album. Opening with a slow, Doom march, it segues into more gentle and comforting music, shimmering guitar echoing alongside the clean vocals and as the song develops, it achieves its status as the epic masterpiece that closes off this album in some style.
Although these are dark days for the band, there is a ray of light in the shape of this release. It’s certainly one to play repeatedly.
‘Pulsar’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING: 01. Silver 02. Pulsar 03. Obscurum 04. Echo of Direction 05. Gold 06. Momentum
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Paul Hutchings and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
KYOTY – Isolation Self-Released Release Date: 25/02/22 Running Time: 01:10:00 Reviewed by Paul Hutchings 8/10
I took a punt on this one. It wasn’t something that stood out as hip or fashionable to review. I knew nothing about the band or their music. So, a short history lesson for me is important. KYOTY play atmospheric Sludge and Post-Rock. They are based in New Hampshire and formed in 2009. Abbreviated from Keep Your Opinions To Yourself, the band are regarded as cryptic and secretive. Consisting of two members, guitarist Nick Filth and bassist Nathanial Parker Raymond, they released an album entitled “Undiscovered Country of Old Death and Strange Years in the Frightful Past” in 2012 with drummer Rob Brown. The album was remastered and rereleased as “Remanufactured Realm of Ancient Annihilation” in 2017. Their discography lists a live recording, split releases and a number of singles. Since Brown departed in 2020, KYOTY has utilised selected drummers to enhance their sound.
This leads us neatly to “Isolation”, their latest release and one which certainly impressed on first listen. 70 minutes of deep, dark sonic soundscapes varying in length from four to 12 minutes and all weaving musical threads that envelope the listener. It isn’t warm, but at the same time it doesn’t chill the bones; more a variation of sounds that enable the listener to become immersed in the waves of sound that the band generate. Huge swathes and heavy passages are interspersed with lighter, almost ethereal moments that capture emotions and feelings on a tide of musical magic.
Written during the pandemic, the music captures the divide of quarantine. Shared electronically throughout the past two years, music was completed and finalised before being released in single instalments. For fans of the band, tracks including the opening ‘Quarantine’ and ‘Ventilate’ have already been available via streaming sites and they provide the first 15 minutes of the release. The music is crushing, thick riffs and crushingly heavy passages dominate, but there is time to breath and catch one’s breath.
Having stated their intention to release a song each Friday, I was unsure how much new music apart from the bonus track ‘A Fog, A Future Like Place Imagined’ would be on this release, but what is evident from further listens is how the album flows when it is played in full. There’s the dark, angular challenge of ‘Holter’ and the gargantuan delivery of the 12 minute ‘Faith’ which opens gently, before expanding into a cinematic soundscape which detours from place to place with some style.
Mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios and with artwork designed by the band, ‘Isolation’ is another album in a long list this year that demand time and investment. I need to spend longer with it to give it full credit. Yet, even on the first few listens, it is a captivating release that is likely to grow into a firm favourite, time allowing.
‘Quarantine’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING: 01. Quarantine 02. Ventilate 03. Onus 04. Holter 05. Languish 06. Rift 07. Faith 08. Respite 09. Memory 10. A Fog, A Future Like Place Imagined
LINE-UP: Nick Filth – Guitars Nathanial Parker Raymond – Bass
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Paul Hutchings and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Breaths – Though Life Has Turned Out Nothing Like I Imagined, It Is Far Better Than I Could Have Dreamt Trepanation Recordings Release Date: 21/01/22 Running Time: 36:24 Review by Dark Juan 9/10
It is miserable, cold and pouring with rain outside Dark Juan Terrace. Mrs Dark Juan is under a quilt on the sofa, making a round half dozen of what she is calling Paradoxical Bats. This is a woman who claims she is not a Goth, even though she has expertly carved out a niche in fabric art based upon the British belief that witches can transform into hares (also neatly dovetailing with the British were-animal being the were-hare) and is currently listening to a horror podcast whilst creating these beasts of the dark. Her Smellhounds are arrayed all around her, all gently snoring and farting, as per usual and I am banished to the other sofa because there is not enough room for my fat ass to fit on there as well. So, with my ‘pooter in my lap, I decided to attack my ever-growing list of things that need to be listened to and talked about…
I wish to make one thing clear, before I begin. I am a reviewer of music. This implies a certain criticality of viewpoint with regard to quality, ability, production and the like. This also means that if an album is poor, it is going to get a low score. I do not write for Ever-Metal.com to simply kiss the arses of musicians. Equally, if something is superb, expect me to froth excitedly in a most ungentlemanly fashion. I will attempt to be fair in my reviews and explain what is wrong with the record I am listening to, as much as I will laud to the highest heights. It is not for me to influence the marketing of a band, unless the record company and the band want to use my stuff in their blurb, which is always welcome, but I just might not get what other people are hearing. All the words I have written over the past few years (and there are many thousands of them now) are opinion pieces and I stand by my opinions. I do not feel that bands and record labels should expect anything less than honesty and not just expect smoke to be blown up the arse of someone because they have recorded some music. All art is subjective. And it’s my job to tell people about it.
Today’s thing that is here to be listened to and talked about is an album with an extraordinarily long title. “Though Life Has Turned Out Nothing Like I Imagined, It Is Far Better Than I Could Have Dreamt” is the second album by the irritatingly talented, multi-instrumentalist bastard (yes, this is jealousy talking because Dark Juan is something of a 20th rate musician) Jason Roberts of America, under the name of Breaths. This is a man who has a fine understanding of music, and is something of a genre-bending king. The record is a trip through the highs and lows of Jason’s life and there are some extremely personal moments that bleed emotion and pathos. The list of influences on Jason’s music is as diverse as it is eclectic – There are the grandiose soundscapes of Opeth and Soldat Hans, the primal power of the more polished practitioners of Black Metal à la Emperor. The emotive drone of Swans and the disassociated shoegaze of Kitchens Of Distinction. The punk edge of Killing Joke and the sweeping emotion of Deftones. This disparate (and some might say diametrically opposed) bunch of styles and influences combine to create a whole new beast, a chimeric interpolation of sounds and styles twining sinuously around each other – ‘The Wayward’ reminding this jaded hack of The Prize Fighter Inferno, before fuzzy, chunky bass leads into a howling Black Metal vocal replete with flayed emotions over-pinning a very Post-Metal riff that segues into a strange and intoxicating brew of Emo vocals and muscular Heavy Metal before fading on an overdriven note.
Opening track, ‘The Elders’, is a masterpiece in blackened drone – A heavy, slow grind depicting the pain of losing your older relatives and the wisdom they had. An unapologetic Black Metal scream leads to a clean vocal that sounds like the protagonist coming to terms with their loss, before returning to the raw pain, neatly encompassed by the lines:
“You were the ones I was closest to,
Yet I barely remember you.”
Syncopation and complicated rhythms and patterns abound. Jason Roberts is not so much a musician and vocalist as a dream-weaver, combining the rawest of emotional pain with dreamy, nostalgic memories. Concrete crushing heaviness gives way to grief driven soundscapes tinged with keyboards and electronics before expansive joy. ‘The Patriarch’ would not sound out of place on a Coheed And Cambria album until the last two minutes of the song. It’s all polished and smooth. Then it morphs and changes shape into a seriously pissed off killing machine that references Deathcore, Djent and the howling madness of Black Metal in the vocal. ‘The Tormented’ reminds me of Jaz Coleman singing in Pandemonium-era Killing Joke before that impassioned Black Metal vocal once again slams itself into the forefront of your attention, over a driving, almost industrial beat and heavy, pulverising guitar and a swirling keyboard line.
Jason is a fucking talented guitarist and bass player as well as an excellent singer in at least three different styles. The album’s production is just so, being rich and full as well as being Arcticly clean and pure. Every instrument can be clearly heard and easily distinguished at all times, even when the music is pure sonic attack. My only complaint is that the drums are obviously sequenced and electronic, but for all this they are very good indeed. This really is a nit-picking point, considering Jason does fucking EVERYTHING on this album and it would be extremely churlish of me to expect him to have mastered tub-thumping as well. The song arrangements are inventive and original and the musicianship and the vocals absolutely jaw-droppingly splendid. Clearly this is a one-man musical project that is welded to the heart of Jason Roberts. Rarely have I heard such an emotional rollercoaster of a record, one that is yet more proof that true heaviness can be achieved in other ways than sheer power.
There’s no need for this level of egregious talent. Bet the fucker is really good looking as well to make sure I hit new, exciting levels of self-loathing.
The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System awards Breaths 9/10 for an almost perfect album. A mark was deducted for the drum sound, and The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System hates itself for doing it to an album that would be a perfect late night on the motorway record.
‘The Patriarch’Official Video
TRACKLISTING: 01. The Elders 02. The Patriarch 03. The Tormented 04. The Empty 05. The Matriarch 06. The Wayward
LINE-UP: Jason Roberts – Vocals, guitar, bass, programming, engineering/production, mixing, mastering. Absolutely NO NEED.
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of ‘Dark Juan’ and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Seven Nines And Tens – Over Opiated In A Forest Of Whispering Speakers Williowtip Records Release Date: 07.01.22 Running Time: 36:24 Review by Dark Juan 8/10
Hello, my hordes of beautiful people, starfuckers and the wall-eyed, vain and insane. So, with considerable surprise, I find I have successfully navigated another lap of Sol without physical injury although I was never right in the head so I couldn’t possibly comment on my general state of mind. I assume it is what passes for normal in the headspace of Dark Juan, being as it is riven with black thoughts, crude sexual deviancy and a total disregard for any form of reality that doesn’t involve large calibre weaponry, and my good self operating it. Although I would settle for a trusty longsword and hew my way through my enemies with gay and carefree abandon. Slaughter always cheers me up…
I must apologise for the lack of amusing content from me lately. I had hit something of a barren patch in writing, and couldn’t muster up the enthusiasm to write anything for quite a while, but I appear to have got hold of myself and given myself a bloody good talking to. I do so love having dodgy mental health. Which leads me to exhort you all, if you are feeling low, depressed or suicidal, to contact people and talk to them about it. Samaritans are there for a non-judgemental reason. And if you’re a fella, then get hold of Andy’s Man Club or something, because, and let’s not put too fine a point on it, mental health issues are pernicious, sneaky motherfuckers and they play merry hell with you. Far better to access therapies and get them the fuck out of your system than try to struggle through them. It does not show weakness, and it does not mean you are weak, ladies, gentlemen and gentlepersons, to ask for help. Man is not an island. Neither is woman, although an island of women is an appealing thought…
Enough of my exhortations. This is a record review, and I am currently listening to Sevens Nines and Tens, with the wonderfully titled “Over Opiated in a Forest of Whispering Speakers”. This Canadian trio have not passed my dubious interest before and it is with anticipation and excitement I am listening. Especially considering that they themselves have claimed that they wish to release “…One of the finest metal albums of 2022”. Lofty intentions indeed, but let’s see whether they can back this up with the music, shall we?
Opening the album with ‘Popular Delusions’, the band cruise into the song with chiming guitar overlaying a classic rock riff and simple drumming, and all the fuzz and phaser a psychedelic loving acid freak could ever desire, before a soft, beguiling vocal dripping with honeyed harmonies reaches out to caress your avid lugholes, and the guitar and bass thicken up to a meaty, fuzzy tone not out of place on a seriously psychedelic stoner metal record. The middle eight changes tone and speed before the song comes crashing back into your attention and the whole thing is a dreamy, navel contemplating piece of post-everything. Until the last minute of the song where everything descends into fuzz soup and nothing is distinct apart from the vocal. I can hear Post-Hardcore, Post-Punk, Post-Metal, Post-Prog and Post-Rock, forming into a dreamlike Ambient Shoegaze that reminds this silly old fool of the likes of Porcupine Tree, a less heavy version of French bruisers Rostres, the early releases of Sugar, Soldat Hans, (several songs on this record remind me of “Schoener Zerbirst Part 1” and Quantum Pig). What does make Sevens Nines and Tens different is the singing. All three members of the bands sing on this album, and their harmonies are jaw-droppingly splendid and tighter than the multiplicious arses of an entire armada of ducks. ‘Midnight Marauders’ is a fine example of this, where the vocal overlays some incredible, Bob Mould-like guitar work in the heavier sections and flits ethereally over somber, slow acoustic passages. It is also the song that is the most post-everything on the album, if you know what I mean. It’s got some seriously chewy guitar, but retains a dreamlike quality. ‘Let’s Enjoy The Aimless Days While We Can’ is a schizoid switcher between Post-Hardcore and almost classical parts, with the distortion abruptly giving way to gentle echoing guitar and switching back again but with a wonderfully emotive guitar solo four minutes in that segues itself into a melody finely underpinning the vocals.
The record is not without issues, however. The production is absolutely fine until you have the band speed up slightly, in which case the richness of the sound descends into a thick gluey mess. And the snare sound is not unlike someone twatting a piece of plyboard with a hammer. The bass drum sound is massively epic though. ‘Edutainment’ suffers from this prodigious bottom end when the song accelerates and all you get through your cans is egregious subsonic thumping. However, I would contend that this is the heaviest song on the record and it adds a certain dynamic which the album lacks in parts. The sound of the record is almost TOO SAFE. There are times when it seems that Sevens Nines and Tens are teetering on the brink of absolutely letting rip and tearing your face off and then they dial it all back in a disgracefully prick-teasing fashion. I want massively tumescent violence as well as being beguiled. The vocals, as magnificent as they are, also have moments when it sounds simply like the lead singer has been multitracked, all three gentlemen having quite similar voices.
These are minor niggles though. The record as a full body of work is gloriously crafted, tightly written and very entertaining, even if there are parts where the band are too clever for their own good, and deliberately chop a growing (and extremely groovy) vibe off in favour of noodling. I do approve of the dreamlike, aching quality that pervades the whole album and I enjoyed the nods towards Classic Rock that peek through the clouds of perfumed psychedelia and post-insert-your-chosen-genre-here. In short, it’s a bloody good record (album closer ‘Sunshine’ throws some mental Jazz in there in the manner of French genre benders Baron Crâne, who you all know I think are utterly wonderful) that has some minor quality control issues. Sevens Nines and Tens stand on the brink of something incredibly special, but they need to take that last step.
The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System awards a stonking 8/10 for a record of supreme but flawed loveliness, that will be being played on long, lonely journeys through the night very often indeed.
TRACKLISTING: 01.Popular Delusions 02. Throwing Rocks At Mediocrity 03. Midnight Marauders 04. Let’s Enjoy The Aimless Days While We Can 05. Edutainment 06. Fight For Your Right To Partial Relevance 07. Sunshine
LINE-UP: David Cotton – Guitar/Vocals Maximillian Madrus – Bass Alexander Glassford – Drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of ‘Dark Juan’ and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Daxma – Unmarked Boxes Blues Funeral Recordings & Majestic Mountain Records Release Date: 19.11.21 Running Time: 57:21 Review by Rick Eaglestone 7/10
Directly inspired by the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi’s poem, Oakland’s Daxma return with their new album “Unmarked Boxes”, which explores difficult personal topics such as grief, depression, longing, and the process of overcoming.
Opening track ‘The Clouds Parted’ woefully weaves into elements of 90’s style My Dying Bride – it’s thirteen and a half minutes of bleak yet undeniably beautiful soundscapes, with varying directional changes. I particularly love the slow build up into the heavier parts and back again. When tracks are done this well you really do not notice the length of them. This is followed by the shorter instrumental ‘And the Earth Swallowed Our Shadows’.
My highlight track ‘Hiraeth’ is up next, and yet again it is another thirteen-and-a-half-minute track. It’s heavier than the opener, and the guitar parts blend fantastically well. I also love the dual vocal parts. This, much like the previous tracks, is followed by another instrumental track ‘Saudade’.
Given the subject matter ‘Anything You Lose’ is emotionally charged in the right places, the heavier parts are subtle, and when the dual vocals take hold it really encapsulates the overall mood and feel of the album.
Lastly ‘Comes Back in Another Form’ has a minimalistic vocal presence which is only really highlighted in the middle of the track, as between those parts, building drum patterns and bleak soundscapes take over.
Daxma comment, “As a band, we have been working on this material for some time, only recently feeling like we’ve undergone the musical and spiritual growth necessary to achieve our vision and put this album out into the world.”
Overall, the orchestration, guitar tones, and melodies are wonderful, for me I would have liked to have more of the above, with the dual vocal, and slightly fewer instrumental pieces.
TRACKLISTING: 01. The Clouds Parted 02. And the Earth Swallowed our Shadows 03. Hiraeth 04. Saudade 05. Anything You Loose 06. Comes Back in Another Form
LINE-UP: Isaac R. – Guitars, Vocals, Bass Jessica T. – Violin, Vocals, Guitar, Piano Forrest H. – Guitar, Bass Thomas I. – Drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rick Eaglestone and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
healthyliving – until/below EP Self-Released Release Date: 25/06/2021 Running Time: 07:34 Review by Steven Hooke 8/10
It’s staggering how many post-rock, shoegaze, gloom-adjacent bands have broken through over the past few years. Maybe it’s got something to do with economic and near-societal collapse, the waves of finding out our childhood heroes are nonces and wrong uns, a globally-mishandled pandemic, or a sharp decline in human compassion in lieu of greed and selfishness. But who knows? I just review music on the internet.
Today’s offering of void-core comes in the form of cross-Europe trio healthyliving with their debut release consisting of two songs ‘until’ and ‘below’. The band consists of Madrid-born singer Amaya López-C, who also operates an experimental folk/jazz project called Maud The Moth, plucker of strings Scott McLean from Scotland who also performs with post-rock-turned-drone metal act Falloch and German stoner rock outfit Lasse Reinstroem, and Stefan Pötzsch, a German session drummer who has also worked with Lasse Reinstroem, as well as Luc Stargazer and Boozoo Bajou. The band have offered a little taste of their musical output as they work towards their debut album, currently expected sometime in 2022.
‘until’ feels like the stronger of the two tracks, a deep, bass-heavy shoegaze stomper with tinges of psychedelia and stoner rock. López-C’s voice floats over its depressing surroundings in a similar vibe to Oathbreaker’s Caro Tanghe during the quiet moments of ‘Needles In Your Skin’ and ‘Stay Here/Accroche-Moi’, creating an ethereal hold on the listener, with subtle discordancy broken up by proper gurn-face choruses.
‘below’ is a more subdued track, a gentle, rolling guitar line once again swimming along the current of those hypnotising vocals. This almost, idyllic setting created in the first half of the song makes the droning guitars of the second half feel all the more terrifying. A sudden progression of musical anxiety as a muddy guitar sound evolves into softly-backed vocals in a style similar to Myrkur’s folk outings, estranged harmonics, and a cold, imposing drum beat.
healthyliving are certainly worth your attention. Shoegaze that knows how to be heavy without treading on drone and doom’s toes, and tell a bigger story with a minimalist output. Stefan and Scott deserve full credit for such, with McLean worthy of another mention owing to his production handling of Amaya’s vocals. A soft and delicate delivery is turned into anguish and uncertainty, which could prove to have some amazing potential. BBC Introducing and Roadburn certainly seem to think so.
‘until’ (Official Video)
TRACKLISTING: 01. until 02. below
LINE-UP: Amaya López-C – Vocals Scott McLean – Guitars, Bass Stefan Pötzsch – Drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Steven Hooke and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview, with Genoa, Italy based Heavy Post-Rock trio, Ikitan. Huge thanks to all of them 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?
Hi folks, we’re the IKITAN, an instrumental trio from Genoa (Italy), and we play a genre that can be defined as heavy post-rock.
The band was born in September 2019. We incorporate a lot of different influences in our music and we love to jam, that’s how our music sees the light.
IKITAN is Luca Nash Nasciuti (guitars), Frik Et (bass) and Enrico Meloni (drums and cowbell).
Luca and Frik Et have been friends for over 15 years. They met Enrico, who was looking for a new band, thanks to an adv on a local Facebook group for musicians. This happened at the end of September 2019.
Fun fact: we all played at a local venue in Genoa in 2010 on the same night but of course in two different bands! Luca and Frik Et were in the same band already back then. Enrico still has the cd their band was selling on that night.
How did you come up with your band name?
Luca came across “IKITAN” by randomly surfing on the Internet, and he found it, from an uncertified source, as “The God of the sound coming from the stones”. He just fell in love with that name and it has been an inspiration for a while.
As we put together the trio, “IKITAN” sounded just perfect for the band.
The fact that it is from an uncertified source, and we then found out once and for all that this meaning of IKITAN doesn’t exist, well it doesn’t really matter anymore. IKITAN is the God of the sound of the stones, period.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We all live in Genoa, one of the largest cities in Italy, located on the North-West coast, and a major European harbour. Luca and Frik Et are from Genoa itself, and Enrico is from Sardinia.
Genoa has been and still is one of the Italian capitals of prog music, bands who were born in the 70’s such as New Trolls, Nuova Idea, Delirium, Latte e Miele are from here. Not to mention the “Genoese songwriters” scene, with mind blowing artists such as De Andrè, Gino Paoli and Luigi Tenco who were huge in the 70’s, and so on.
With regards to the metal and rock scene, Genoa gave birth to bands like Necrodeath, Sadist and Malombra (to name but few) in the most extreme sector, and Isaak, Gandhi’s Gunn, Meganoidi, La Maschera di Cera, Il Segno del Comando, La Coscienza di Zeno, for what concerns prog and rock “at large”.
We won’t go too deep on the very lively pop and indie scene but surely there’s a lot to check out there too.
Talking a bit more about the present, Genoa boasts a huge variety of bands and genres, from hip hop to rock, metal, prog, reggae, songwriters, stoner rock and everything in between. Some of the bands we just mentioned are still active and they’re a pleasure to watch live.
The city, despite being one of the most populated in Italy, is quite small when it comes to the local scene (which city is not like this, after all?), and in one way or another, we all know each other either by name or personally.
A few music shops and music labels exist and resist, providing invaluable support to emergent bands and famous ones by organising festivals and concerts, and offering showcase opportunities. We shall mention at least two of them: Flamingo and Black Widow.
Music clubs have been suffering massively in Genoa even before the current pandemic, with just a handful of venues surviving. Such a shame for a city that truly was and still is very vibrant in terms of ideas and bands.
Let’s see what will happen once this whole situation is over; we can’t wait to hit the stage as we released our debut just in the middle of this situation and have never played live. Weird times we live in!
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our latest release is “Twenty-Twenty Live at Forte Geremia”, our first live video where we play our debut EP “Twenty-Twenty” for the first time.
It all started very low-profile: after releasing our debut “Twenty-Twenty” on November 20th, 2020, and being still unable to play live, we thought let’s do something and show the band is active. So, the initial plan was to do a live on Facebook or Instagram from our studio and just play chunks of the whole song. Just for the sake of doing something, really, getting ready for a concert, and showing another side of the band’s life. And most importantly – show the band playing live.
Then as it always happens one thing leads to the other, one of us has a crazy idea and the other two add fuel to the fire…It was the end of January when we started envisioning this project…So the first major change was that we decided to play the whole thing, and not just parts of it anymore, in an outdoor setting, and make it our first live concert.
Being winter, one of the coolest things would have been to do so in the snow (luckily and with hindsight, this didn’t happen)! We’re fans of the whole desert rock scene, so generator parties and the likes have had an impact, even visually, on us. The idea was, on one hand, to tribute that concept, and on the other hand, to play the whole song, as we never did before, showing the band in an amazing setting in the wild. Also, we saw the video Yawning Man did (Live at the Giant Rock) and it was an inspiration too, of course.
On top of that, Genoa, our city, is perfectly placed between sea and mountains. The city itself is kind of between two of the major mountain chains in Italy (Alps and Apennines), so when you talk about nature and the wild…it’s the mountain that you’re thinking about. And so, we did: the video was shot on top of an old fort (there’s dozens in the mountains behind the cities here in Liguria: not surprisingly, they were used to control the sea from enemies) and, even though it was not shot on the exact point of the fort we wanted as it was too windy, we’re extremely pleased with the end result.
Forte Geremia is officially the first live concert of IKITAN, a live concert which speaks of its times: there’s no audience and it’s only available on the Internet.
Live at Forte Geremia is based on “Twenty-Twenty”, which is our debut EP made of a 20-minute-20-second song, published on 20 November 2020.
The EP has been entirely self-produced, we started working on it a bit more seriously in the Spring of 2020, when we had enough material to put together three different songs. These were somehow linked among them and at one point we thought “why don’t we just release it as one only song and debut with a one-track EP”? Eventually, the song lasts 20 minutes and 20 seconds which is a bit of a coincidence…or is it not?
It’s a seamless trip where we touch upon the many influences that give life to our music and vision: post-rock, prog rock and heavy metal are the three main ingredients of our offering and we blend them together as much as we can to keep our music fresh and interesting.
The music was born by jamming, it’s that simple. When we enter the rehearsal room, none of us offers complete songs or definitive ideas to the other guys. We always let the music guide us and improvisation plays a key role too. It’s a totally free approach to music and we’re having a lot of fun.
We’re also very happy about the artwork of the album, which sees IKITAN, the god of the sound of the stones, smashing some rocks above his head. It was curated by Luca Marcenaro and we can’t thank him enough!
The album was recorded at Greenfog Studio, owned by Mattia Cominotto, one of the most important studios in Italy when it comes to rock and alternative music. We’re happy that we had the chance to work with Mattia.
To give the album and artwork justice, as mentioned, we released the EP in digipack and with a poster. Check it out on Bandcamp.
‘Twenty-Twenty Live At Forte Geremia’ (Official Video)
Who have been your greatest influences?
Yawning Man, Tool, and Deftones if we were to pick just a few bands that really have all of us in agreement.
Usually, we start jamming as we plug the instruments and we always record everything so that we can go back to listen to it. We build our stuff from scratch so the inspiration comes from what happened during the day, the feeling in that moment or even if one of us ran out of fuel in the car on a rainy day.
The cool thing is that we learned to listen carefully to what each of us has to communicate when we play. In this way, we manage to sound consistent when we play together.
Talking about influences and “who” inspires us, the answer would be way too long if we were to describe what each one of us likes the most. So, let’s say that, as a band, our biggest influence is probably Tool.
The very first time we met, we started talking about Tool straight away, finding a common ground when describing how we felt when immersing ourselves in the world of the American band. Sounds pretentious but we knew something special was bound to happen from the first moment we started this conversation. Something suddenly clicked.
Also, we discovered we all were in Florence to see them in the Summer of 2019 (but we didn’t know each other). It was indeed a gig none of us will forget easily.
What first got you into music?
Frik Et: I received a guitar as a Christmas gift when I was 11 years old. Once I started…I realised I just couldn’t stop playing! But then I found out about another similar instrument: bass guitar. It was more introvert, yet as important and “cool” as the guitar. So, here’s how I switched to bass: it was a more fascinating, dark and mysterious “thing”.
Luca: I was 8 and one day my mom asked me if I wanted to start playing the guitar, I guess flute was not for me…So I started playing classical guitar and the step to the electric one has been very easy after hearing the music of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, AC/DC and so on. From then, after a few experiences with bands, I met Frik Et and we started playing our music, zero cover from the very beginning and so we built up our way to realize our ideas.
Enrico: I’ve been wanting to play the drums since I was probably 6 or 7. My parents wouldn’t let me have the kit nor anything close to that (there was a drum kit I saw at a toy shop that it got brighter the more you beat on it… I still dream about it today!) until I insisted so much and eventually (and randomly) started getting into rock and heavy metal when I was 10-11 years old. Then there was no turning back: I started listening to Dream Theater, Aerosmith and Iron Maiden thanks to my elder cousin and I knew that would have been my passion for the rest of my life.
To calm me down, at one point they even tried to enrol me to a clarinet course within the local brass band, so I did study all the music theory (which obviously was forgotten a few days after finishing the course) but I just wanted to play the drums! So, it took me a while but I got there in the end.
Funnily enough, my sister and dad both play the guitar, and my mom loves singing, so music has always been around at my place. I guess that’s why I had the impulse from a very young age.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
We’re good friends of London-based heavy rock and stoner band Gramma Vedetta, so one of the plans (currently a dream) before the pandemic hit was to convince them to do a few gigs supporting them in London. So, we’d love to do that once this is over. Hope you guys are reading this! Ha!
A big shout out to Kurt Russhell and Isaak, both from our city. We’d love to play with them too as soon as possible!
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Woodstock 1969! Who wouldn’t like to be there? Alternatively, Pinkpop 2001.
Talking about the future/a dream…we’d be content with a Lollapalooza I guess! Or an Ozzfest or a Download.
Or something more local, and more desert-like…DunaJam in Sardinia.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Play it loud, and as Lemmy used to say: “if it’s too loud, you’re too old”.
WE LOVE YOU! <3 Take care and stay safe. We can’t wait to meet you all and do a lot of concerts once this whole situation is over.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Chris Cornell.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Like: Creativity and the ability to freely express ourselves without having to follow any given directions.
Dislike: The admin side of things and not being able to play live, but the first is part of the game, and for the second we’ll just have to wait.
So, for now all is great, we’re having a lot of fun and after many years of purposeless projects we feel we’re doing something we really like.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
We’d love to see a change in mentality and for people to start caring more about the music itself than about “the world” around it aka music business.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Luca: Led Zeppelin – “II”
Frik Et: Deftones – “White Pony”
Enrico: Iron Maiden – “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son”
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Anything as long as there’s good music inside. We believe all the things have to evolve and so does the way music is enjoyed. Sure, there’s plenty of controversy here, let’s just say we’re fine with whatever can help us reach people. We’re big consumers of both digital and physical music, so it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day.
From a technical standpoint, the audio quality is way better on cd and on a digital format, but the emotional factor plays a key role when it comes to cassettes and most importantly on vinyl.
One thing that’s always important is to go out, check out your local bands and support them by buying CD’s and merch.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
It can be only…Live at Forte Geremia! 😊
We actually also played in an empty theatre in May 2021, we took part in a contest and it was an awesome experience!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
This should be the opposite: We’re full time “regular” workers, and we’d love to be full time musicians instead!
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
None of our relatives for sure! Jim Carrey, Maynard James Keenan, Robert Fripp, Jennifer Lawrence and Keith Moon.
What’s next for the band?
We’re already preparing the songs for our full-length and getting ready for more gigs as the situation looks a little easier now.
We’ve been jamming on so many cool ideas, some of them just couldn’t fit into “Twenty-Twenty” once we decided on the one-song debut format so it’s time to get them out and see what comes out of them.
We also recently moved to a new studio and rehearsal room. This is a huge improvement: Luca is also a sound engineer and does production for bands, so basically we’re occupying his studio!
Finally, we’re in a place we (and he) can call home and where we can give life to our jams stress-free and with no time limitations.
Last but not least, not having to travel for work and/or travel for leisure means we have plenty of time to meet in the studio, and we’re seeing at least one good thing about this pandemic shit: we’re playing way more than we’ve ever played in our lives!
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
You can find our album for purchase on Bandcamp. On the more social media side of things, we’ve been active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter since the release of the CD, and you can find our music on YouTube and Spotify too. www.linktr.ee/ikitan
Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Excellent biscuits…but have you tried Gocciole?! 😛
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thanks for the opportunity to talk about IKITAN. We’re a young independent band and we’ve been managing all aspects of our music and promotion on our own. Being able to reach a big audience such as Ever Metal’s one is surely very encouraging.
If you like brave debut albums and you’re not afraid of a fully instrumental approach, “Twenty-Twenty” is for you.
Check us out and thanks for reading!
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