Tesla Shamans

EMQ’s with TESLA SHAMANS

Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Novara, Italy based Hard ‘n’ Heavy Rock band, Tesla Shamans. Huge thanks to 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?

TOM: Tesla Shamans is a Hard ‘n’ Heavy Rock band formed in early 2018. We play 80’s/90’s Hard Rock contaminated by Blues influences and heavy riffs beaten with Synths. After two years of composition, live gigs and a series of unfortunate events we have finally released our debut album some days ago!

How did you come up with your band name?

STEVE CROW: First of all, we wanted the word shamans in the name because it represents the spiritual natural side of the band, the way we look at the World, the breaking of the modern society’s illusions. Later we added Tesla. Tesla is probably the real modern shaman for his study. So, we have the ancient and the new united, the natural side is carried forward.

What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?

BELLIX: We are from North-West Italy (Piemonte region) where the Metal/Rock scene is still present, because luckily there are many clubs and people (musicians, staff, organizers…) that invest money, time and energy to organize concerts and festivals like a family everywhere and whenever possible!

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

“Electric Storm”, our debut album that was released on May 17th, 2021.

‘Shamans’ (Official Video)

‘Your Shit’ (Audio)

Who have been your greatest influences?

STEVE CROW: Definitely 60’s/70’s rock, but also power-progressive metal. I think that 60’s/70’s rock has got the perfect freedom of expression. It has been the first real possibility of having no boundaries in composition. Less business, more music experiments. Power metal instead satisfies my craving for energy. It gives me strength. I love its harmonies and its choruses; they fill my heart.

TOM: It could be an extremely long list 😉 At the top of it, definitely, are Santa Cruz for the amazing guitar riffs: I discovered them in late 2016 from a couple of friends and I was immediately fascinated. Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators for the incredible energy that they put in their albums, and they’re damned awesome on stage! I’m one of the few fans who appreciate Slash the most in his recent albums rather than with Guns, and I love Myles Kennedy as one of the best humans in the world. And Soundgarden for all. They have always been my favourite band from the guitar riffs to the amazing rhythm section, the greatest ideas, the lyrics, and the voice of Chris Cornell that will forever remain in my heart. R.I.P.

BELLIX: I listen to different musical genres, but I like Djent and Metal-Math Core very much, in particular bands like Periphery, Animals as Leaders, Tesseract, Bring Me The Horizon, Gojira, Protest the Hero, Meshuggah and many more. I take inspiration from the drumming of different artists, but above all from those who excite me playing live, how they involve people, I think conveying something to someone who’s watching you from under the stage is the key to everything.

What first got you into music?

STEVE CROW: I wanted to totally express myself, music it’s the best way to communicate feelings, thoughts, hopes, pains…Music can create invisible wires and a suspension from the fear of death.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?

TOM: I’d like to collaborate with Joonas Parkkonen for the production of our next album and with the amazing Samy Elbanna from Lost Society as one of the best musician/singer I’ve ever listened to.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

BELLIX: HellFest in France for two reasons: first because it would be an honour to share the stage with the big bands playing there. The second is because years ago I received a request from HellFest’s organizers regarding playing there with my ex band. We lost the opportunity due to misunderstandings in the band, so I would like to have this opportunity again!

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

TOM: Unfortunately, still nothing but hey…let’s take our time 😉.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

STEVE CROW: We’ll create the strongest tribe of all time. We’ll create new myths.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

TOM: It’s a really hard choice but maybe I’d choose Dio for his huge love of Rock’n’Roll music and how he scored an entire generation with his passion.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

STEVE CROW: Music is the best way of communication; this is the best part. I love the stage; I love the energy. I hate the difficulty of making it a job.

BELLIX: I like adrenaline on stage, every fill behind my drums when I compose and every new friendship and collaboration with other bands! I hate the metronome beats in my ears, but Icouldn’t quit using it!

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

STEVE CROW: The difficulty of getting noticed without having money.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

STEVE CROW: Symphony X – “The Divine Wings Of Tragedy”. In this album we can find an atmosphere that I really love; it makes me think about the birth and the evolution of mankind. The man with his sins, his hopes and his destiny. There is a majestic theatricality and the voice of Russell Allen is one of the best in the world for me.

TOM: Soundgarden – “Superunknown”. I think it was the very first album that I entirely listened to, and when I got to the end, I had no words. “Superunknown” is definitely THE Masterpiece for anyone who loves Grunge and I believe that it was the first album that inspired me to become something more than a good “musician”. “Words you say you never seem to live up to the ones inside your head”.

BELLIX: Undoubtedly worthy of note “That’s The Spirit” by Bring Me The Horizon. I think they are one of the most innovative bands of the genre, that album contains a perfect combination of well-structured rhythms, melodies, electronic always present, but never superfluous and so much expressiveness and emotionality. At least for me!

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

TOM: Downloads for convenience, CD’s for the best quality playing, Vinyls as a collector.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

STEVE CROW: As opener for Dead Daisies. A great stage, a huge energy, good drinks.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

TOM: A producer/sound engineer. Unfortunately, I approached the world of music production too late to start a course of study about, but if I had the possibility to go back 10 years, I would probably spend all of my time working with other artists, maybe in a great studio like Finnvox. It would be an amazing adventure, trying to always give the best in the new challenges!

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

BELLIX: Will Smith for the charisma and the great respect I have for him as a person. Michael Jackson because I want to learn the moonwalk from him, drunk hahaha. Shakira and Alissa White Gluz because even the eye wants his part, Dave Grohl because he is a 360-degree artist who has marked an era and after so many years I still have not stopped listening to his songs!

What’s next for the band?

BELLIX: The next step is to expand our fanbase, promote “Electric Storm” the best way possible and play, play and play shows while working on the next album.

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

TOM: We especially Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for our breaking news.
www.instagram.com/teslashamans
www.facebook.com/TeslaShamans
twitter.com/ShamansTesla

Spotify or Deezer for people to listen to our songs.
www.open.spotify.com/artist/3OthpaKh8ISoxRTVGWVe14
www.deezer.com/search/tesla%20shamans

And last but not least Bandcamp as the official merch store!
www.teslashamans.bandcamp.com

Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?

TOM: As a Pastry Chef I can confidently say that Jaffa cakes are…neither! 😊

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

STEVE CROW: Trust in us and follow the Shamans’ way.

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Tesla Shamans – Electric Storm
Self-Released
Release Date: 17/05/2021
Running Time: 46:18
Review by Simon Black
9/10

Every once in a while, you just need a bit of Rock’n’Roll in your life.

My normal diet of Italian Metal acts for review tends strongly towards the Power and Symphonic end of the spectrum, so when something different is sent over for my delectation and delight, it’s always a pleasure. Italy would seem to be having a bit of a Rock’n’Roll renaissance at the moment, if the recent Eurovision win for Måneskin is anything to go by (the infamous did he/didn’t he snorting of broken glass clip online only fuels the fire). So, enter the Tesla Shamans, who are about as traditional Rock’n’Roll as it’s possible to get whilst still sounding relevant, which they absolutely are but who also somehow manage to fuse Symphonic, Blues and Progressive elements seamlessly into the same set of songs.

No, I didn’t quite believe it at first either, but the ears don’t lie.

The band have been around since 2018 and this is their debut, although they’ve shared the stage with some notable names and clearly have something of a following in their native Italy. Whilst this is pure Rock’n’Roll in terms of vibe and attitude, there’s a hell of a lot more going on, whilst not losing track of that essential core. Although the traditional three and half minute energy style of tracks come thick and fast at the beginning of this album, there’s also plenty of more measured, slower and subtle pieces because, let’s face it, a seven minute ballad is not normal for these sorts of bands. It’s called ‘A Way’ and is an absolutely spot on piece of song-writing, with a lengthy and epic quality that builds beautifully. They also mix it up a bit throughout, with ‘The Lady In Black’ standing out in particular as a surprisingly technical piece of music, full of time changes, symphonic keyboard/synth interplay and instrumental breaks whilst still sounding thoroughly R’n’R. Then there’s the instrumental break in ‘Prayer’ which sounds positively Progressive. No, I can’t believe I am writing the words ‘Progressive’ and ‘Rock’n’Roll’ to describe the same band either. It’s quite disconcerting – in a fantastically brilliant way.

The production pulls exactly the same trick spectacularly well too. It retains the richness of sound that the more Symphonic or Progressive genre bands utilise, without losing the rawness and edgy energy of the Rock’n’Roll side. It also has the juxtaposition of one of the most down and dirty guitar sounds, from Paul Gun, that I’ve heard in a while. Combine that with Steve Crows’ gutsy, raw and energetic vocal delivery simultaneously counterpunching with the crisp rhythm delivery, rich synth elements and fat sound all bizarrely mixed together. It’s the kind of musical potpourri that should not work, but absolutely does.

I guess this is what happens when you have really skilful and well trained musicians expressing their love for Rock’n’Roll. The fusions between the two styles works well and is uniquely Italian, since its almost certainly going to cross over into the highly popular and successful dominant Power/Symphonic market in that country. The uniqueness of the sound also means that this is likely to extend way beyond their homeland if they can get out there quickly enough, and I really hope they do. You know what to do…

‘Shamans’ (Official Video)

TRACKLISTING:
01. Your Shit
02. Believe
03. Wasted
04. Down On The Road
05. A Way
06. The Lady In Black
07. Prayer
08. Fire
09. Shamans
10. The Lie Of The Mind

LINE-UP:
Steve Crow – Vocals
Paul Gun – Guitars
Tom – Bass
Bellix – Drums

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Simon Black 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.