Exclusive: Interview with Rome in Monochrome

Rome in Monochrome a rising successful name in the Italian Metal Scene. Fortunately, “Away from Light” album attracted the eyes of the Middle Eastern Metalheads, so I decided to interview those talented, nice guys!

By: Rana Atef (Originally Published on 27/7/2018 at 7:54 am)

Firstly, thank you guys for accepting our invitation for the interview, I want to start first with "Away from Light", What's the main concept of the album? 

Hello, Valerio (the vocalist) speaking. Well, there ain’tno real or main intentional concept in terms of a story or something that connects the songs.

 But certainly, there is a common mood, the lyrics I write are always about feeling small beneath the starry sky, or a beautiful landscape, about resignation or feeling your heart breaking because there’s no real purpose in human life, because we feel eternity inside but we are insignificant in the balance of a meaningless universe. 

There are a couple of songs about past and love, but the women that live in them are not real persons but archetypes: I start writing of someone and ended writing about someone else and so the songs have lost their initial purpose and went in a different direction. 

It happens, so you have to accept it and follow the song. Anyway, love is treated in a painful and hateful way, there’s no nostalgia, just bad feelings.

You have a really distinct musical sound, What are you main influences?

They are different in everyone of us. Basically thestructure of the songs and the lyrics/mood come from me, but everyone adds his touch, vibe, and ideas on the final structure and arrangements, so there are lots of different influences in our music. 

Surely Mogwai, My Dying Bride, Red House Painters and Slowdive could be used to describe us, but I find some Agalloch, Alcest, God Is An Astronaut, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Joy Division, Sigur Ros  and The Cure mood that could also define our sound. 

Everyone of us would give you a different answer, this is sure. 

There are a big number of great Atmospheric Black/Doom Metal bands from Italy, Why did you choose combining Doom Metal sounds in a Post Rock frame? 

Well, we didn’t consciously choose, it’s just us. We love atmosphere, and we are not metalheads in the end: maybe some of us, but we all love different kinds of music. 

This is the reason why we play with three guitars, this is a typical post rock line up: our guitars always move in different layers and create a sort of limbo…we like people to live inside our songs and move into them. We are into different music genres and simply play what we feel necessary to properly support the vibe of the lyrics, and viceversa. It’s mutual. 

I may be the first reviewer from the Middle East who contacted you and reviewed your album, because as I told you before Muhammed Saad (One of the oldest, and most prominent Egyptian Metalheads in Egypt) should be put on consideration, and you, and him contacted each other, and you are now a member in one of the biggest Middle Eastern Metal groups XD, What was your feedback? Could you describe those moments when you got in contact with African/Egyptian Metalheads? 

You ARE the first reviewer from Middle East, I am almost sure! How can I describe it, it’s cool. It’s really great to get in touch with people from foreign countries, there’s always something to learn and something you don’t know. I couldn’t imagine there was an “audience” for us there, but it’s great to discover.

It’s the universal power of Music, the best, easiest and deepest way to share feelings with someone. It’s great.

The Italian Metal Scene is one of the closest scenes to the Egyptian one alongside the Greek Metal Scene, there are mutual projects between Egypt, and Italy such as Astray, and Hateful Desolation, What do you think of the Italian Metal scene now, and Did you manage to have a clear image about the Metal scene in the Middle East?

Italian scene  in full of great bands: I am not a real metalhead (maybe I was when I was a teenager), I enjoy Music in its entirety or almost and Italy we play a lot of incredible music. 

Anyway, I must say that I have not a clear image of your scene, I only know Orphaned Land but it’s easy because they are active from 90s. So, I am always curious to know new music, in terms of genres or artists so I will ask you to help me to know better Middle East Scene.  

While I was preparing for our interview, Matteo Antonelli (One of the prominent Italian Metal reviewers, and a director of Italian Metal label) mentioned that you are a really good band, What was the feedback you receive from the Italian Metal scene regarding your "Away from Light"?

It was great: we supported great names, we will soon play at Agglutination Festival (one of the biggest Italian festivals), we had a lot of enthusiastic reviews and a lot of interviews, when we play live people knows our songs, there’s a lot of people that writes us to let us know how much they feel touched by our music… …it’s great, it’s the best reason to go on doing this until I have a spark of energy inside. Music it’s the best way to share feelings, as I said before: it’s one of the few real ways to connect people and feel as one. 

I want to move to the Metal concerts in Italy, you will perform in one of the prestigious Italian Metal Fests, Is there a certain criteria for selecting the participants?

Well, we won a contest, there were a lot great bands but we were the chosen ones. That’s all. 

In your point of view, what are the main hardships that face the Italian Metal scene?  

The insane and stupid habit to stop supporting bands when they reach a little bit of success. 

Every record is a “commercial” record because it’s made to be sold and, for a band like us, selling records it’s the only way to make another record. 

And, sadly, people prefer to attend shows of famous bands paying a lot of money and leave underground bands playing almost alone in the venues. This is the best  way to kill underground.    

Would you like to give us hint about your future plans? 

Sure. We are arranging the second album, I have a bunch of songs and lots of lyrics, and I heard some interesting stuff from the other guys to sing on. 

So we will take our time and give you a very ambitious, contaminated and depressive record. I love the songs: trust us. 

What are you listening to, while answering me and in the recent past? 

Love this question: Harmonia 76 “tracks and traces Grant Lee Buffalo “Mighty Joe Moon”, Phlebotomized “Immense intense suspense”, Brian Eno Music for installations”, A-ha “Summer solstice: , 

MTV unplugged”, Lali Puna “B-sides & remixes

 And “Host” by Paradise Lost .