2.Towards the end of 2020 you had released an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording? As for the type of sound it all happened very naturally. I recorded the drums in a studio adjacent to my rehearsal room. The sound engineer is a friend of mine who, among other things, knows well the nuances of black metal being the drummer of bands within the genre [Common Grave, Storm Frost, IT], so we immediately understood each other. The overall sound was then edited by Nicolò [Svarthund] who also recorded the guitars. He too is a great black metal fan, as well as a friend, a great guitarist and a technically prepared person, so it took very little to define the kind of general sound we had in mind: raw and "acoustic" in the right and old school way, but not too much, as we’re talking about super-fast music with different melodies.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music? The lyrics are about a child, a dog and a man who ultimately turns out to be the narrator. The roles of these three entities often interchange within the story. The child is my baby. I cannot accurately describe the meaning of all the allegories, as they were written straight away in about twenty minutes. In short, they talk about the sense of responsibility and the love debt that one has towards the others, and about how this, in the end, gives the measure of how much we really are alone in the world, and how much the sense of guilt guides our decisions.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ‘Dødehender'? Initially, it was supposed to be an unregistered project, done only on the computer, without "using the hands for the instruments", so, “dead hands”. Eventually, it was all recorded in the traditional way but the name sounded good and I kept it.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover? This is very simple. I wanted something very old school, not overly elaborate or conceptual, at least for the front cover. Analog photo with color disposable camera that portrays me and Sebastiano [Desperat] and logo on top. The logo was edited by Christophe Szpajdel, a guru in this field and he immediately understood what it should have expressed. The conceptual part of the album is graphically explored only inside and on the back cover through the 'Boy with a dog’ paint.
6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo? Actually, the band is made up of three elements: me, Sebastiano [Desperat], who was already a singer in two other bands in which we played together and in some other projects of mine that will come out during 2021, and Nicolò [Svarthund] with whom I recorded three other projects and arranged this album in the last two years. Since we don't play live, at least for now, I don't know whether I will expand to other collaborators.
7.The ep was also released threw a variety of many different labels, can you tell us a little bit more about the labels you worked with on the new ep? They are all independent and underground labels that I have collaborated with for several years for my releases, mostly with what was my main band [ZEIT, chaotic post hardcore, IT]. They are all friends, and some other stuff connected with other side-projects will come out thanks to some of them in the coming months. Callisto records is actually my label, even if I don't feel like calling it a real label: it's a bit of the moniker with which I will release projects that I recorded in 2020/21. Since the internet is the fastest channel to get this type of output, I opted for this solution instead of having a lot of accounts, social web pages etc. and wasting a lot of time keeping up with it I'll get all the albums out through Callisto's accounts.
8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal? I would say it has been unexpectedly good for something so underground. I didn't care what true black metal fans might think. I did what I felt as “black metal”, and I did it to say things for which black metal seemed to me to be the most suitable music. The vinyls were very few and therefore they obviously sold out immediately. A reissue, always in a very limited edition, - a very kvlt approach I want to repeat - is coming and there are several people writing to me to keep the copies aside. I am continuing to sell a lot of cds, which I did not expect. Then there are the streaming channels, which is so not trve for an average old man like me but which still helps to spread the music I made. A fine day to die Records offered to take care of the printing of the cassettes released at the end of February. The reviews so far praise the album. I would say everything is ok then. But even if it wasn't like that, no problem, it's a record that I like and that I made for myself, I know it sounds trivial but that's the way it is.
9.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects? Yes, Sebastiano played with me in some other projects: ZEIT, chaotic mathcore and Anbruch, fast core dark punk. He then recorded the voice for three other projects of mine that will be released within the year I hope: in April SEIN will be released, a record that is a bit of our tribute to the Gothenburg sound of the mid 90s. Then a crust d beat / heavy metal and an upcoming and short punk power violence project will follow. Nicolò has participated and played the guitar in all three of these last projects [except for SEIN in which he recorded only the bass and a guest-solo] and in many cases arranged the songs with me. In the next days, we will record a grind-core death metal album together with some other friends of the Venetian punk/metal scene.
10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future? Actually, I don't know. Nicolò and Sebastiano actually proposed it to me in the past months. I had a particular flow when I thought about this record and that was the thing I enjoyed while writing and recording it, and I wouldn't want to force anything for a possible next album. I'm sure that kind of inspiration will come back to me but I don't know when. I would not want to risk pulling out other riffs in a forced way, as it often happens when a band or a project embarks on a path. Identity, - because this is what a long-term band or project translates into - is often something that becomes a slavery subject to habits and expectations.
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? They are really many. I can tell you that, as far as black metal is concerned, surely Sargeist are among the things I have listened to the most along with Nargaroth, Darkthrone and the usual classics. It is true that I have played a lot of metal in recent years, and the Scandinavian sound, in particular the first Gothenburg sound, is what I grew up with and has influenced almost everything I have done even when I have played genres that do not seem to fit with those, like post hardcore, grind-core and crust.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? Thanks for the space and for the interesting questions, for those interested in listening to the record and the next releases can find it on callistorecords.bandcamp.com
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