KLIMT 1918 – Interview with MARCO (vocals/guitars) & ALESSANDRO (guitars)

Hi. Thanks for agreeing to answer some questions for Metal Centre. Firstly could you please say who will be answering the questions?

MARCO (vocals/guitars) & ALESSANDRO (guitars)

Your CD is a very impressive piece of work. How would you categorise the style of music you play?

(A) Mhh…maybe gothic-wave metal? Don’t know, I don’t like to categorise music with complicate words!

Please tell us about your previous releases if any and if the band has made a significant change in style from one release to the next.

(A) “Undressed Momento” is our debut album; it was officially released on may 21th 2003. Before that we just released a promo-cd called “Secession Makes Post-modern Music” out in 2001. With this promo we got the deal with My Kingdom Music. There is no particular change in style between these releases, just more experience and more personality on the songwriting put on the album.

If it wasn’t for a review I read of your album in the United Kingdom, I would never have heard of you or your latest album. How important is advertising and promotion for you?

(A) Very important! We have this label, My Kingdom Music(http://www.mykingdommusic.net/) that just supports our music at maximum of the forces, even if it still is an underground label. But the promotion seems to be excellent until now! Different about distribution: many people have difficulty finding our cd. You know, that’s a problem for an underground band as Klimt1918, but I hope that MKM improves the distribution in the future. We trust in it.

For me, the production on “Undressed Momento” is perfect. Every instrument has its own place and the vocals are sublime. How long did it take you to find the sound you were looking for? Who were the other people involved in the recording process?

(M) There were not too many difficulties. When we entered in studio, we knew well what kind of sound we were looking for: so we didn’t waste any time for experimentation. However the help from Giuseppe Orlando and Massimiliano Pagliuso from Novembre was fundamental: They advised us about the best sounds to enrich our songs.

I hear a Katatonia influence in your music, mainly the guitars. Which other bands/ artists are you influenced by?

(A) Well, we listen to a lot of music. I can mention Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, Police, Duran Duran, The Smiths, the album Joshua Tree from U2, Radiohead, R.E.M., Luigi Tenco, Gino Paoli, post-electros,’80 synth-pop, Darkthrone, Emperor, Cure, Katatonia, Opeth, Anathema, Novembre, Beyond Dawn, The Beatles, future-pop/EBM stuff…too much to be reminded!!

On the song “ we don’t need no music”, you sing part of it in Italian. Personally, I think this sounds very beautiful. In the future, would you ever consider singing whole songs or even albums in your native tongue?

(A) Yes, we have just written a new song called “Sleepwalk in Rome” where there will be some italian phrases. I don’t think we’ll compose a whole album with Italian lyrics, you know it’s important to be understood by international listeners!

As a band, what albums are you currently listening to? Are there any bands that you can recommend?

(A) Actually we listen to various and different stuff…Paolo (the drummer) is more into new metal / crossover bands(A Perfect Circle, Tool, 30 Seconds to Mars etc), Davide (the bass player) prefers to listen to jazz-bossa nova stuff…you know, very particular listenings. I’m actually a lot into electro-ebm stuff (Vnv Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, Assemblage 23, Neuroticfish, Hocico and so on) but I also love the last releases from Placebo, Muse, Dredg, Zeromancer, Dido, Calexico, Lene Marlin and Katatonia.

(M) Actually I listen to a lot of post-rock (Godspeed you black emperor!, A Silver Mt Zion, Porcelain, Explosions in the sky, Mogwai), “El Cielo” from Dredg, Gravity and the last fantastic album from Anekdoten.

Is there any place for acoustic guitars in your songs?

(A) In “Undressed Momento” we just recorded few acoustic parts on two songs. We are intending to put a lot more on the new album.

The vocal style on the album has been compared to that of Sting. Do you agree with this or do you consider it to be closer to someone else?

(M)I have no particular singer of reference. Many people compared my vocal style to Sting. This thing made me happy, considering how important Police are for our sound.

The final song on the album is a lot heavier than the others. Do you see yourself going more in this direction or sticking with the mellower songs?

(A) I think the new songs are going more on a mellower but particular style: the heavy parts are still present, but they’ll be conceived in a different way. Just try to imagine U2 with heavy-distorted guitars and double-bass drumming… very particular stuff you know! I like the new songs a lot.

Have you played any live dates up to now? If so, how do the songs come across in a live situation?

(A) Yes, we played some gigs around Italy. We are organising a little italian tour with Edenshade for the next months. I like a lot our songs in a live situation! We also like to play a cover from Brian Eno, “By this River”, totally re-arranged with our style! If anyone is interested in organising some gigs with us, just get in contact.

Do you have any interesting or funny stories to tell about your life in the band?

(M) The most funny thing in my mind was the period of total stress when me and Alessandro worked on the preproduction at his home in Anzio, near the seaside. You can imagine the scene: at the horizon people enjoying sun and playing at the sea, instead of us playing with our guitars in front of a computer, closed in a room trying to find the right arrangement for the songs. At the end of the day we had the same complexion of two employers who have just left their office!

Please tell us about your future plans.

(A) We are working on new material for the next album; probably we’ll record it next autumn. We’ll play more concerts if possible and hope to have a lot of fun with our music and our fans! Just that… please visit our official site (www.klimt1918.com) for upcoming info.

Are there any questions that you are sick of hearing or any questions that you don’t like answering?

(A) Yes! A question like…” Where does your band name come from?” ..ahah too many times I had to answer! Thanks for not asking me that.

Any final message for people reading this interview?

(A) Thanks to you for this funny & interesting interview! Just enjoy our emotional and uncomfortable rock music!!!! Try to buy our album from your local distros or directly from our label.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions. For anybody who is lucky enough to pick up a copy of this album, they will know how special it is.

Thanks for your support James, we appreciate a lot !