Evilness (Italy)

 

T: How did the idea of forming Evilness? Why a name as practical as Evilness? What is the current line-up?

Count Hartmannus: The idea of forming Evilness started in late 2009, when me and the other members, that still played songs for fun, with better stuff for the activity decided to make a band. We chose to play an Heavy/Black Metal, that represented at best our musical tastes. After we chose the name Evilness because it was direct, simple, and according to some of our themes. We still have the first original line up, with Engraved: Voice - Bass - Guitar, Count Hartmannus: Guitar, Ares: Drums - Lyrics.

T: Does your style define it as a Heavy, Black Metal. What bands will serve as inspiration in creating this style?

Engraved: We can say that bands with a sound similar to ours are for example new Darkthrone or I of Abbath from Immortal, the latest Satyricon albums and that bands who define their genre as Black ‘n’ Roll, but we didn’t inspired directly to them to create our sound. We had the idea of a 100% personal and original sound, and we  tried it by approaching both Heavy and Black Metal elements, not mixing it as often that bands use to do. When we started to play instruments and, few time after, to compose our first songs, me and the lead guitarist Count Hartmannus still had a good background respectively on Black and classic Heavy Metal and on these bases we decided to make our own sound. In fact on this first demo you can easily hear a typical Heavy Metal riff played in an old school Black Metal style.

T: How do they work the songs on the music and lyrics? His lyrics are about Nightmares, Evil, Darkness… What they read or listen to create them?

Ares: In two songs (In This Silence and Winter) we have structured first the text and after the music, by taking inspiration from the lyrics. For the other songs instead we followed the method to compose first the instrumental lines and after to work on the text for convenience. To compose the lyrics I’ve been inspired more by listening than reading, for example I was inspired on In This Silence lyrics by listening to the song of Sonata Arctica “The Misery”.

T: Can you tell us more about these two songs on the CD. "Evilness"? Nocturnal Cry and Winter.

Ares: Let’s start from Nocturnal Cry: in this song we’ve composed first the instrumental lines and after I wrote the text, with Engraved. The theme is based on dark atmospheres related to various typical torments of human being, such as pains, oppressions, forbidden loves, various difficulties of life and resignation to death. But at the end these torments can be defeated by fortitude and by the strong wish to escape from this “nocturnal cry” and all those sufferings that often torment the life. Talking about Winter, I composed first the lyrics and after, using these as inspiration, Engraved composed the guitars and bass lines. As result, it has been a song partly melodic and partly cold and raw in a typical old school Black Metal style. In the lyrics I wrote a sort of hymn to the winter emphasizing its elements and their power to subdue and extinguish all human feelings. I wanted to give in particular a real personification of winter, in order to express his mighty presence at best! At the end, most of our songs have the emotions of human being as background, through nightmares and darkness.

T: Currently have a Demo CD "Evilness" self-produced. Does it is difficult to find a label that launched his CD? How has it gone with the distribution?

Count Hartmannus: About the label, we considered appropriate to choose self-production and self-distribution since it has been our first work. It was the best way to take our first steps in the musical field and in the underground scene. In fact, the demo has been deliberately recorded and produced in a not professional way and released in only 30 copies as promotional stuff for free. At the beginning we thought to release it online and for free sharing, but after some unexpected requests we opted for a limited number of physical copies and only for promotional purpose.

T: How about the opinion of the Italian black metal scene, magazines and radio stations about your music?

Engraved: Sincerely, today in Italy there is not a good support for the scene and this idea is also shared among people of other bands, that we know and can confirm that are really serious and very good people, but I don’t want to go out of question. We have very good bands in Italy, but we should support more each other, not envy or snob (and unfortunately, sometimes it happens)! In the few zines that we contacted, or contacted us, sometimes we saw it and personally I haven’t been satisfied by some of their treatments. Generally speaking we have had both positive and negative ratings about our music, a lot of people don’t understand or accept our Heavy/Black Metal style, maybe because are too bounded to the classical Black Metal stereotypes, but this not important for us, because on this side we have only to follow our way! I know that this is our first demo and so it could have some imperfections and defects, but for this reason we need a right support and comprehension in order to do always our best. We have easily saw that our sound has been often very appreciated by people or bands abroad and snubbed or also ignored by some ones in Italy. So, thank you very much TchorT, we are honored to be in your legion!

T: You currently are working on creating new songs? Any advance? When will it be ready? Do you already have label for next album?

Count Hartmannus: At the moment, after the distribution and promotion of our first demo “Evilness”, we are preparing to take the songs from this demo to some live shows and, at the same time, we are working on composing new songs that will be on the next demo, maybe completely self-produced too. As advance about this, we can say that the recording quality will be significantly improved, thanks to new recording instruments, but also the new songs will be more mature in their sound and composition than the older ones.

T: Does the band is playing at concerts? With that bands? Do you remember any anecdote in particular?

Ares: Now, as said before by C. Hartmannus, we are still preparing to some live shows, so we can’t say so much about this yet. We hope to activate us soon, to do our best on stage and even to share some videos online.

T: What are the top 10 favorite bands and 10 favorite albums ever hear?

Engraved: Maybe a top 10 bands/albums for each one could be too difficult to be organized, we like a lot of bands of various genres, but few ones we really love, in particular for me. So we prefer to list a general top 10 for us all (they are not in a preferential order):

Judas Priest – British Steel

Ronnie James Dio – Holy Diver

Quiet Riot – Metal Health

Sonata Arctica – Reckoning Night

In Flames – Come Clarity

Emperor – In The Nightside Eclipse

Immortal – Battles In The North

Satyricon – The Shadowthrone

Dimmu Borgir – For All Tid

Mayhem – De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

T: Engraved thanks for this interview, Are some words for the readers of The Legion Of TchorT Zine.? Where can we get the Demo CD. "Evilness"?

Evilness: Thank you very much TchorT for the interview and supporting Evilness, and thanks to all the readers of the zine from Evilness! Honored to have joined your legion! Even if our first demo CD “Evilness” is sold out now, we remember you: those was only 30 copies for promotional purpose, so, as promised at the beginning, the demo is on free sharing on our official Facebook page, at this link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Evilness/149062178457563

Here you can listen and download all the songs! You can find us also on Myspace, Youtube, Reverbnation and Encyclopaedia Metallum at the following links:

http://www.myspace.com/evilnessblack

https://www.youtube.com/user/QuintessenceOfEvil

http://www.reverbnation.com/main/search?q=evilness#!/evilness

http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Evilness/3540342346

Thanks for your support and hails to all our supporter bands and friends, in particular our brothers Night Frost, Solitude Project, Northern Tod, Lacrimae Charontis and more! Special Thanks to all the readers and the great Legion Of TchorT! Hails from Evilness!