1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
- We're currently planning some gigs for the next season, been a
bit late with the album release and had to do some fixings here and there, but
we’re always on the run!
2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the
musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ
from the stuff you have released in the past?
- Vanity Unfair sounds so
various but yet more homogeneous than the past
releases. We tried to address all
our main influences and
mix them while keeping a certain
imprint. I mean, the album
contains a lot of different songs but you can always tell it’s us, and we are
totally satisfied with this! Stefano Morabito in his
16th Cellar Studios had its great
part in this: he reached the goal of melting our sound in the right
way so to keep all the variety and colors of it in the
right way. A great work, we couldn’t expect any better!
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band
explores with the newer music?
- The main theme, as you can
guess from the title, is vanity in all its
forms and facets. It is not a concept album in the strict sense of the term but
there is a thread running through the lyrics and the themes I wanted to
deal with.
All that is ephemeral seems to be
so important now, and that worries me. Many people have lost sight of important
values, getting lost in a sea of useless things; the use of social networks, for
example, you can watch people who create a virtual reality of their
lives, able to relate to other human beings only with a
keyboard.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name
'Nerodia'?
- Nerodia is a water snake,
not poisonous, but insidious as all species of snakes. I like this concept, even
that which does not seem to be lethal, it could be. Be
careful...
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the
years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
- Surely we remember with
pleasure the show with Rotting Christ, Destruction, Master and Aura Noir, bands that we
appreciate very much, as well as very nice guys, and some of them became friends
of us. I personally have spent a couple of days with Mr. Paul Speckmann and I
must say it's a wonderful person. On stage we are very
direct and brutal, I mean: we just plug in and run over everything like a tank:
no compromise!
6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
- We're working on that with our label, we could definitely give
you some news about it very soon.
7.The new album was released on 'Revalve Records', are you happy
with the support that they have given you so far?
- Of course we are. Revalve Records
is a great label, made up of serious people that are in
the metal scene since decades,
and they're doing an excellent job. We are fully
satisfied about our partnership with them.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by
fans of black and thrash metal?
- Feedbacks on the album are positive, as far as reviews are being released.
Thrash metal is still alive! Despite this genre has undergone many changes over the years, the guys
out there still appreciate this kind of music. Black
Metal as well has lots fans around, and lots of them seem to love the way we mix these two main
influences in the Nerodia sound.
9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical
projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
- Our drummer David is fully busy with his main band and epic
pioneers Stormlord (and his 100s musical projects - he’s one of the best
drummers around, everyone keeps asking for him), Marco is busy in writing the
new doomish and gloomish Doomraiser stuff, and Ivan is playing around with his
Ira del Baccano, a very nice instrumental project.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the
future?
- Musically we can’t really tell: we just released an album that
is so various we could literally get any stream of it and let it go. I can say
we’re really enthusiast of some rock’n’roll/punk attitude that came out from the
it, though.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an
influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
- Needless to say, black
and thrash metal have been a main influence for this band. Mainly central and
north European 80’s and 90’s acts, as it’s so evident from our music, but we
also borrowed a lot of rawness from the punk and rock’n’roll scene (did anybody
say Pussywitch 666?). Seriously, I listen a lot of music, not only Heavy Metal of course, so my
influences mainly range from Hard Rock and Blues, to Black Metal and Thrash
Metal. I am currently listening to the old masterpieces
of the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynryd.
12.How would you describe your views on Satanism or Occultism?
- It 'a complex question.
Currently I am not very interested in the practice of the occult sciences or,
more specifically, of Satanism. I just think that they
are subjects too abused and used very lightly. I think they are a vehicle to
find themselves, and this is good, but too often lead to negative outlooks of
the world.
13.What are some of your non musical interests?
- Everyone of us has it’s own activities and interests, besides
regular daytime work. Some are guitar and photoshop freaks, some have a crush on
birds of prey, I personally like to spend my time with my wife and my family. I
love traveling and discovering new worlds, new cultures. A few months ago, we
went to Japan and we were excited about the experiences we had. Without going so
far, we also love discovering new places near our city; luckily, Italy provides
a lot from this point of view.
14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have
any final words or thoughts?
- We'd like to thank you
for the space you have given to us and greet all your readers, which we hope to meet somewhere on tour.
Always listen to good music!