Illogo
Illogo is one of the strangest
and most peculiar bands I have come up to. One aspect of what I say is
the fact that they don't have an actual moniker, but they use a logo -
a face as their band name. The other aspect is their music, which consists
of different and even contrasting elements of the metal genre and not only...
A band ideal for those who experiment with their sound and want to find
something extreme and unique...
1. FIRST OF ALL INTRODUCE THE BAND TO THE
READERS AND POINT OUT YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS…
To tell the truth we have not achieved important
results at the present time; we have recorded three demos, which have gratified
us especially the last one named “isteresi”, that is really appreciated
among the magazines. Therefore, we are really surprised of this unexpected
success. Unfortunately, we did not have both the chance and the continuity
to be known and recognized as live band. Many changes of the line-up of
the band occurred and other extra tasks of the single components of the
band made it very difficult to cure and look after aspects of this job
that perhaps we already know and perceive important and necessary as well
for the completeness and the maturity of the band. At the present time,
we play a kind of music that we can barely define or insert in a gender
even if the roots of this music have risen up from metal.
The actual line-up is the follows:
Erik Fransson (vocals)
Sergio Occhipinti (guitars)
Emiliano Tidona (bass)
We don't have a drummer at the moment.
2. HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO COMPOSE THIS KIN OF
MUSIC? CAN YOU PLEASE DESCRIBE A TYPICAL COMPOSING PROCEDURE OF ILLOGO?
We do not have a standard procedure to compose
our songs; often we start from an improvisation just in the jam sessions,
otherwise we build up the song starting from a synth sound, guitar or from
digital basses. This process is really natural for us. Our difficulties
do not regard the execution or the combinations between the riff, but several
aspects of the arrangement as the choice of sounds and the research of
a satisfying mood to give a certain continuity to the demo because it contains
songs structurally very different one from the other.
3. YOUR SOUND IS A COMBINATION OF MANY METAL BRANCHES
FROM DEATH TO GRIND AND FROM BLACK TO NOISE AND I’D SWEAR THERE ARE SOME
JAZZY PARTS THROWN IN AS WELL! THE MAIN THING THAT CHARACTERIZES YOUR MUSIC
IS THAT THERE IS NOTHING CERTAIN TO CHARACTERIZE IT…IF YOU KNOW WHAT I
MEAN… PLEASE COMMENT ON THAT?
That's true, inside our songs there are modifications
of the usual rules that characterize various musical genres. We do not
care to give continuity and a unique directions to this project, but we
believe that certain recognizable parts come out of it. There are aspects
of our songs that are recognizable as typical as the violence and the attention
to the dark side of the things. Certainly, to have a complete picture of
what we play, the listener cannot limit his/her investigation to a song,
as indeed happens frequently to other bands. We may compare every work
session to a mechanism composed by different pieces in which every single
piece is unique and necessary for the function of the entire mechanism.
This may be appended as our "peculiarity".
4. AS I SAID ABOVE THE LACK OF CONTINUITY AND
OF AN ACTUAL BOND AMONG RIFFS, IDEAS AND PARTS IN YOUR MUSIC IS YOUR MOST
IMPORTANT INGREDIENT. WHY? WHAT DO YOU ACHIEVE WITH THIS KIND OF APPROACH
OF MUSIC? THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE AN ORIGINAL SOUND OR IS IT SOMETHING ELSE?
Of course our heterogenecy comes from our
influences. When we were young, we listened exclusively to metal, growing
up we discovered a lot of different and interesting kinds of music (classic,
electronic, noise, glitch, contemporary music, ambient and, why not, pop
music), we do not believe that we are original but we just put a personal
view in our music, and our personality comes out from the rework of what
we listen..
5. CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US A COUPLE OF THINGS FOR
EACH OF YOUR RELEASES TILL NOW? YOU HAVEN ALREADY RELEASED 4 DEMOS…
Our works are:
Decadenza 1998
Return To Anti-Modern ( R.A.M)2000
Cerebrale Scarlatta 2002
Isteresi 2004
For the first three demos we may say in general
that are death metal with various influences. The differences that we can
highlight are the following: on “DECADENZA” we used synths and keyboards
in a conventional way and the structures of the songs were not "clean",
on “R.A.M” instead we were able to refine the combinations between the
guitars, and we started to explore, in a concrete way, the chances offered
by the electronic elements in order to make it an important element equal
to the other used. Regarding “CEREBRALE SCARLATTA” we have to point out
the following: in that period we did not have a drummer and a guitar. Under
those circumstances we needed to modify our approach especially because
we opted for the use of a drum-machine that enablde us to play without
limitations. Besides, the songs were made based on combinations of guitar
and synth instead of combinations of two guitars. In this way the electronic
elements had a more important weight. This last one certainly is our more
complex job. We changed totally the guitar sound and we eliminated many
not useful elements. For us the entire result is a more balanced than the
other. With our last promo ISTERESI we tried to be less complex regarding
the songwriting and more rock in the general mood.
6. WHICH ARE THE MAIN SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
AMONG YOUR PREVIOUS DEMO AND THIS ONE? DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE PROGRESSED
AND EVOLVED AS SONGWRITERS? OF YES, IN WHICH PARTS?
During the recording sessions of our ISTERESI,
we had a drummer; the one who played the synths now plays the bass; the
riffs and the sounds of the guitar are totally different from the precedents
and the singer is occupied in the electronic elements. Everything changes
but nothing changed. We approach the song in the same manner. We think
that "Isteresi" is a step far and at the same time we are satisfied with
it because it's a step that has signed our confidence with instrument that
we have not used before. We are mature as musicians and we think we will
grow in the future not taking into account the results of single demos.
7. IF SOMEONE CAME ASKING YOU TO DESCRIBE HIM
“ISTERESI”, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL HIM?
We can advice him or her to listen to it and
try to come up with an idea of his/her own.
8.WHERE ARE YOUR LYRICS REFERRING TO? WHICH ARE
THE MAIN TOPICS THAT INTRIGUE YOU TO TALK ABOUT? CAN YOU TELL US SOME MORE
THINGS ABOUT THEM?
Our texts do not follow a logical pattern
intended as a necessary element, but those texts are written d'istinto
and with improvisation. Just after that process, sometimes, we think and
reflect to what do they mean, and how they can be interpreted taking into
account who is the listener and his /her feelings. We use both Italian
and English but we prefer the former because it's our mother tongue and
it has potential that English do not offer.
9.YOUR PREVIOUS MONIKER WAS “GRENDEL’S CAVE”.
WHY DID YOU CHANGE THAT? WAS THERE ANOTHER BAND WITH THIS NAME OR WAS IT
BECAUSE YOU SOUGHT AFTER SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL?
Simply it does not represent us anymore and
we do not have any kind of satisfaction from it.
10.…AND HERE COMES THE WEIRDEST AND MOST UNIQUE
PART… YOU DON’T HAVE A BAND NAME… BUT YOU
HAVE A
LOGO, A PICTURE INSTEAD… IN ORDER TO AVOID
THE WRONG PRONUNCIATION OF YOUR NAME… WHOSE IDEA WAS IT? HOW DID YOU COME
UP WITH IT?
After “DECADENZA”, we wanted to play in a
different way throughout the addition of bizarre electronic sounds and
a better mixture of the single parts. We had found a new drummer and finally
we had all the elements to produce something different from what we had
done before; at the same time our moniker was no longer efficient and it
did not match with the new songs. That's why we decided to change it, and
from that necessity was born the idea to adopt an image that cannot be
pronounced. A symbol able to give a hard impact and at the same time be
able to advice the listener that he was listening something not ordinary.
This symbol in a certain way can move the attention from the texts to the
music.
11.WHO IS THE CREATOR OF THE FACE THAT REPRESENTS
THIS BAND? ILLOGO COMES FROM THE ITALIAN WORDS IL LOGO, WHICH MEAN IN ENGLISH
THE LOGO, IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN. RIGHT? VERY CLEVER INDEED! HOWEVER DO YOU
THINK IT’S EASY TO BUILD UP A CAREER HAVING A SYMBOL AS YOUR NAME?
The creator of this image is Stefano Ricci,
an Italian illustrator from Bologna. We know this artist from other works
and we were fascinated by his capacity of drowning and we decided to contact
him and from his enormous talent the face with the burned mouth was born.
Some problems have risen from the fact that our name can't be pronounced.
That's why we decided to annex to this image a short nickname (ILLOGO)
to easily reach us. This term is how we call this image, of course we would
rather prefer to be supported by a label that can help us to amplify this
combinations of name-image, but now it is simply difficult.
12.DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS? CAN YOU
PERFORM YOUR MUSIC LIVE? HAVE YOU DONE ANY LIVE SHOWS?
Of course we have plans but we need a good
drummer to support us on stage for our last promo. It is not so easy to
find a drummer and that's why our lives are rare.
13. WHAT IS THE BEST AND WHAT THE WORST PART IN
YOUR
MUSIC? WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU NEED FURTHER
IMPROVEMENT?
As musicians we are always looking for improvements
and this is the base of all talks. The positive aspect can be found in
our capacity to be acquittance with complex structures and to be able to
mix different parts. The negative aspect is the lack of live experience.
14.IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT WOULD IT
BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
If it was an emotion it would be Regression;
if it was a paint it would be a kid with a burned mouth.
15.WHICH ARE THE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC
THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY?
We proceed limping and for inertia.
16.WHICH ARE SOME OF THE FAMOUS MUSICIANS YOU’D
LIKE THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN YOUR ALBUM? WHY?
We can't answer because there are too many
but we can tell that we are influenced by bands as: Uzeda, Neurosis, Meshuggah,
Fennez, Tool, Suffocation, Isis, Nasum, Godspeedyoublackemperor, Cannibal
Corpse, Ulan Bator, Pansonic, DHG, Laddio Bolocko, Thorns, Steve Coleman,
Einsturzende Neubauten, Information and many more.
17.THANK YOU! ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO MENTION?
Thank you very much Christine and your fanzine
Behind The Veil for the space you gave us!
Christine Parastatidou
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