Alessandro Cossu & Onofrio Falanga, guitarist for Italy’s Progressive Metal band Ashent. Interview October 30, 2012
Ashent Interview
1. Could you tell me about the recording and writing process for the new Ashent album Inheritance?
Alessandro: the album has been recorded, mixed and mastered, like the previous two, at New Sin Studios by Luigi Stefanini. To say the truth, we did manage as much recording as we could at our homes: keyboards, bass, backing vocals. For the guitars we used the re-amping process. That’s of course in order to cut down the expenses… cause we all know how much it costs to record an album! We entered the studio at the beginning of last year, after a long period in which we took care of the composition. By the time I joined the band, right after the release of Deconstructive in 2009, there were already some basic ideas of what after became Inheritance. Since we all live in different cities we made extensive use of internet and e-mails to share our ideas with the others and building up the songs.
Onofrio: I started to compose the new material during the first months of 2009. But the main process has been completed between 2010 and 2011. The first song to be completed has been “Shipwrecked affair” and the last one, “Eve”. As usual, generally I focus on the structure, on the harmony’s sequences and on the first arrangements, including some rough vocals, trying to translate a particular feeling in music. Then I submit the new material to the opinion of every band mates sending a defined structure of the song and some suggestions in order to complete the arrangements of every instrument.
Regarding vocal lines, Titta (the singer) showed his great talent doing the main work, helped by me in some particular songs and passages. Surely, the third album is a very important and tricky passage in a band’s life, so we took all the necessary time in order to create something really special that could translate in music all our energies spent like musicians, performers, producers and songwriters.
2. What would be some of the influences for this latest Ashent album?
Onofrio: Surely we’re fascinated by the most eclectic artists. I could mention the names of hundreds of bands, but in any case we’ve never considered a particular band as a model to follow. Perhaps, it is our greatest strength: a large and solid back-ground as music listeners, that it’s not limited inside the shortages of one genre. Definitely we all love the prog-metal and prog-rock, but we are also almost all extreme music’s lovers. Each of us is influenced by different bands and making a list would be impossible.
Alessandro: influences had been many and various. I think we could say that everyone of us has a different musical background and musical approach, which is the good thing about Ashent. That leads to recognize in every song influences coming from the most diverse genres. From vocal harmonizations reminding of Queen to “jazzy” harmonic progressions, from saxophone parts to atmospheric interludes in the trail of Cynic. In my solos I personally wanted not to follow the usual “metal vocabulary” but keep a rock-fusion approach to the guitar, which is also what I usually
play outside the band.
3. Where did the name for the album come from?
Onofrio: The title certainly has a meaning related to the lyrics, strongly autobiographical, where we explore the theme of man’s inner conflict that leads to the age of maturity. Basically it summarizes a kind of self-analysis in which we reconstruct the path that led us to be what we are now. The word “Inheritance” is also closely related to the feeling of
liberation that all of us in the band felt, when we finished the album production. In fact, on a strictly musical level, the album is the result of all our life experiences and musical influences, a sort of inevitable consequence, a latest snapshot of what Ashent are now.
Alessandro: right now I’m just endorsing myself.
Onofrio: and our passion for music.
5. Without Social Media could bands today manage to survive?
Alessandro: social networks have nowadays become something that a band cannot avoid. Every band of the globe has its own personal page, that means that if you decide not to have yours you’ll be potentially less visible than the other bands. Especially if you consider that social networks are not just used to get in touch or being up to date with the latest news from other people, but for a band it is probably also the most effective way of having its music heard. This tools have changed completely the habits of people. If someone wants to know more about a band’s music, he’d go and visit their facebook page or youtube channel, if the band doesn’t have it, I’m not so sure this people would be willing to find another way of listening to their music. People nowadays demand to have everything right away. So, no, I don’t think a band could survive without some sort of presence in social media. Anyway, it’s very tough even if you do.
6. What’s your vision of the internet for musicians in the future?
Alessandro: like I just said, internet is a necessity for any band. Also because you can hook up and start musical collaborations with people around the world or have a band with members from all different places of Italy (like us).
7. What could we find interesting in your Music collection today?
Onofrio: Some names could be Ashram, Frost*, Oceansize, Between the buried and me, Gardenwall, Devin Townsend, Katatonia, Novembre, Obscura,Pathosray….
8. Any tours lined up in the near future for Ashent?
Alessandro: Maybe… Don’t want to say anything before it’s all settled. But we are working on it.
Onofrio: we’re organizing something interesting for the first half of 2013! Stay tuned guys!
9. What other projects could we be seeing from you in the near future?
Alessandro: for the band the most important thing right now is making live shows and promote the new album.Hopefully I will also start working on new songs for my instrumental project.
Onofrio: we’ll play more gigs possible, trying to cross for the first time the Italian borders. We also made a videoclip of one of the songs, called “Magnification of a daydream” and during the next months we’ll work in order to shoot another chapter taken from Inheritance. Moreover we’re working on some interesting reissues of the past band catalogue and, of course, new music is already taking shape I’m also recording as second singer for a new Italian female vocal metal project, called Kairesis, created with the Ashent former guitar player Cristiano Bergamo and the brilliant singer Giulia Rubino.
10. Where do you see Music in 100 years from now?
Onofrio: probably, there will be something revolutionary, a sort of a new art that will include, like a summary, visionary and sound experiences bound together. I really don’t know…but who cares. I hope that music will be always a translation of the miracle called human life experience.
Alessandro: I’m just hoping that in 100 years there will still be someone playing music with real instruments and not just with a computer.
11. Any words for musicians starting out?
Onofrio: remember these 2 words: passion and perseverance. Forget: money and competition.
Alessandro: You need to be very patient because there’s not enough consideration for those who make music, or at least that’s what I see most of the time. But if you do it with passion and sacrifice you’ll be eventually rewarded. Like Journey says: “don’t stop believing”.