.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
First of all, thanks for the interview!
Xanathar is a one-man Black Metal/Dungeon synth band from Italy born during the mess of 2020.
I’ve always had different musical projects in my mind during the last years, I've recorded a lot in quite different genres but without releasing anything.
2020 was a really tough year and I was really in need of creating something fun, so I've worked hard to finish this EP.
2.So far you have released an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
My aim is to combine my passion for the classic metal of the 80s with raw black metal.
On this EP you’ll find melodic vocals and doomy riffs blended with tons of screams and blast beats!
This project for me is pure fun, I've tried to mix everything I love in music and I hope that the listener could experience the same!
3.Your lyrics are a tribute to the 'Heroes Of Darkmoon', can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this game?
I’m old enough to have grown up playing PC games in the 90s so, when I was thinking of some subject suitable for the epic atmospheres of the project I immediately came up with one of my favorite games of all time, "Eye of the Beholder II"!
I know it's a bit niche but for me it means a lot!
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Xanathar'?
Xanathar is the name of a Beholder, also the final boss on the first E.O.B. game, I was sure that was already taken because it sounds badass, when I found that there were no bands with that name, I immediately took it!
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
For the logo and artwork I have chosen professionals, I think that it’s an essential part of the project and should not be overlooked.
The logo is from Russia by the excellent "Kod's Metal Logo" ( https://www.instagram.com/metallogos/ ), he did a great job capturing the heart of the project.
For the artwork I commissioned from a super talented local artist, I've asked something that could suit the atmospheres of the song "Descending into the darkness" and I was not disappointed!
6.Are there any plans for any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?
I’m quite sure that Xanathar will remain a studio project, but if in the future I’ll find some musicians who knows!
7.So far very little is known about the band, are you planning on expanding your presence or do you prefer to keep a lower profile?
I’ll try to release as much as possible on Bandcamp, I 've tons of ideas and I hope to create something interesting in the future, shaping a more personal style.
If those ideas will draw the interest of labels and listeners will be great!
8.The ep was released on 'Spirit Coffin Publishing', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
I’m very happy to have met Josh from Spirit Coffin, he's a very professional person with a great experience in music.
His site grizzlybutts.com is an essential resource for any music lover!
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
I’ve made little promotion so far, as you can see in this interview, I'm not really a talker!!!
I just post my music in Bandcamp and Instagram but I’m extremely happy about the reaction I received, I've met a lot of skilled musicians and interesting people, for me it is more than enough!
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