Interview for "Roadie Crew"
magazine (Brazil)
(n° 38, March 2002)
by Michela Solbiati
White Skull are back with a new album called “The Dark Age”, a concept about the Inquisition, the first one with the new singer, Gustavo, who replaced Federica last spring. The Cd will be out in two different versions, one singed in english and the other one (“La Era Oscura”) singed in spanish.
Tony: Well, it’s
not a secret... Federica left the band because of personal problems, she reveals
this will times ago, but for a reason or another she never took a concrete
decision... The last time she told us “I record “Public glory...” and
I’ll left the band”, in fact if you read her special thanx on Public Glory
she wish us a brilliant future: I think this is a thing made by a person who’s
leaving the band...
But we are still friend,
also one week ago we meet, for who’s asking what she’s doing, for now
she’s doing nothing...
Tony: you know, when Federica left White Skull, I immediatly expect the worst, but then we pluck up courage and by internet and with some rights phone calls I can contact a reasonable number of singers… I knew what I was looking for, I give them the material and then they were called in the rehearshal room. Someone came with some pretention, others (like Gus) with the wish to play… this is important, the voice has to came from the heart. With Gus it seems that we played together from long time, and I liked this thing…
Gus: When Tony phoned
me to tell me if I would sing something with White Skull I accepted immediately.
Before going to the reharshal room I told them my story, the band I played with,
in Argentina and in Italy. I told them that singing is a passion for me, not a
work. I don’t think that I can live with music, the only thing I ask is to
have charges payed! Tony was happy for what I said, because many other singers
asked first about the money.
In the rehearshal room,
after the first song, it seems that we were playing together from years. After
few days Tony calls me to tell me that I were in White Skull!
Tony: First of all I
have to say that I’m very tied up to the Middle Age and all positive and
negative things. Reading some books I was impressed by the Inquisition period, a
dark age under all the points of view, people frightened, the Church mad who
executes people only to enforce its dogma.
A very long period, that
starded, not officially, before the XI century and ended, officially, in 1908…
it has his top between 1300 and 1600. I can’t “digest” this thoughts of
the Church and I decided to tell something about this age, but above all to tell
how false and cruel was the Church at that time. Many people heard about the
Inquisition (I was one of them) but when I were into the story I discovered
horrors that I never thought anyone could make, especially if made in the name
of God. To conclude, there still is an office dedicated to the Inquisition, at
the Vaticano, and it’s directed by a person very close to the Pope. Something
told me that he will call me…
Tony: Iron Maiden, Saxon, Scorpions, Anthrax and many others, it will be a long list…
Gus: Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest. In general, all the bands of the 80’s. In those years metal was not a trend, like for someone today, it was made with heart.
Tony: I had the idea to try to sing in Spanish, since we have an Argentinian singer. I thoughts that it wasn’t a difficult thing, but i had some doubts about the result of that language with an aggressive voice. So we decided to sing only a couple of songs to be released as bonus tracks. During a meeting in Colonia with our manager and the record company I told them about this idea and they approved it. Then, Chris called me to tell us to take some more days on the studio for make all the CD in spanish. So we did it, now I hope to have an useful market, also because it sounds very good…
Gus: It started like a joke. When Tony came back to the meeting with our manager he told us that they approved our idea, and then came the order to make all the CD in spanish, it was a very hard work to translate and readapt all the lyrics to Spanish, … it wasn’t a joke… but at the end we made it and with an excellent result!!
Gus: for now nothing is definite, but we think that we can be the support band for Udo. The idea is to make at least 20 live dates in Germany with a big band.
Tony: nothing is definite, but we are working on may sides…
Gus: Federica had a very personal style of singing, I’m not a perfectionist, in a live show many singers maybe are troubled to sing well that to involve the crowd. I’d like to do both the things, but I prefere that people enjoys the show, sings all the chorus and came back home happy!
Gus, what do you think
about singing something that it’s written by others?
Gus: The lyrics I prefere are the ones telling about real life, but almost all power metal bands have lyrics telling about history, vikings, like Kaiser, the band I had 15 years ago in Argentina…White Skull lyrics instead develop an historic theme more deeply, and this is very interesting.
Do you never think about
to make a record only for money?
Tony: Into metal?? I had to play Hip Hop to be rich!! I play metal because I like it and I feel it in my heart, but I think it’s impossibile to became very rich with this kind of music, whatever in our records we even try to do the best, because we believe in this music.
Gus: Never with White Skull! We don’t think about these things! Using a modern sound, this is a thing that we have to do, because you had to follow the times, but not changing genre. Sometimes you can ask yourself what will be the next trend, but at the end is better to play what you like.
A message for Brazilian
fans:
Tony: wait for us, we’re coming… then you will be able to kick us out of your wonderful country??
Gus: beware to false metal people, metal is something that flows in your veins!
5 best albums according to Gus
Iron Maiden - Live after death
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Deep Purple - Made in Japan
Black Sabbath - Tyr
Whitesnake - 1987