Cyril
Lepizzera
Being a great and skillful
guitarist doesn't always imply that you are also a crafted composer or
that you can deliver instrumental music that is not boring and doesn't
aim to show off your abilities. My friend Cyril has managed to pass the
test and create an incredible, rich in flavours and sounds album. So, read
the interview below to find out more...
1. HELLO CYRIL! “ETERNITY” IS YOUR FIRST OFFICIAL
WORK. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT? IS THERE SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T SATISFY
YOU SO MUCH AND YOU’D LIKE TO CHANGE?
Hello Nikos, firstly thank you man! So, “Eternity”
is my first solo album, it’s true, but not my first official one. I have
made an album in 2002 with a friend, we were a guitar duo. But this new
release (Eternity) is my own album, I mean the songwriting, arrangements,
etc... So I would’t like to change anything, exept maybe the drums sound.
2. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO FINISH THE COMPOSITIONS
OF THE NEW ALBUM AND WHERE HAVE YOU RECORDED IT? ARE THE DRUMS AGAIN PROGRAMMED
OR PLAYED BY A MUSICIAN?
Well, I have made this album in 1 year and
half, it took up this time from the start to the end. About the recordings…
I recorded all the guitars & bass in my home studio (the flower studio),
and all drums were recorded at the ATS studio in Marseille, by a very good
friend of mine, great drummer as well!!
3. DID YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL GUEST MUSICIANS ON
YOUR ALBUM AND IF YES IN WHICH COMPOSITION?
Yes I did! My great friend Francesco Fareri’s
playing a great chorus on the second track called “Edge of the Dark”, from
3’ 13 mns to 3’ 59 mns .
4. ALL THE 7 COMPOSITIONS THAT YOU HAVE INCLUDED
IN YOUR DEBUT RELEASE ARE INSTRUMENTAL, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHICH
THE THEME OF EACH SONG IS. TO BE MORE SPECIFIC WHAT KIND OF THINGS INSPIRED
YOU TO COMPOSE THE MUSIC?
Hmm well... I’m inspired by life in the medieval
time you know, the lords, the knights etc... The life of this ancient people...
I’m inspired by my faith in god as well, it’s essential to me... Something
wrong on this earth, but I trust god.
5. ALL SONGS ARE VERY GOOD AND I AM CURIOUS TO
KNOW WHEN YOU WILL DECIDE TO RELEASE A HEAVY METAL ALBUM AND USE A SINGER.
IS IT POSSIBLE IN THE FUTURE TO ALSO WRITE LYRICS?
Oh yes of course man! I would like to release
an album with a singer, I will do it as soon as possible you know, not
the next one however, because I have 8 tracks already, instrumental, but
I have to look for a band to play with me, my music.
6. YOU HAVE A CO-OPERATION WITH BRENNUS. CAN YOU
TELL US WHAT KIND OF COOPERATION DO YOU HAVE AND HOW YOU DECIDED TO COLLABORATE
WITH THEM?
Well, it was in the end of 2001, when I prepared
my first album with Ritchie (Roncarolo), our duo name was “Heavy guitars”.
We have made a demo, with 4 tracks, at this time and begun to visit some
records companines. Alain Ricard (the owner of Brennus) said to us that
he was interesting to distributed our first album. He did it when this
release came out in november 2002, called “Structural Damage”. So
I stayed in this record company, it’s a nice distributor, and a really
nice team.
7. IF YOU HAD THE MONEY TO DO A VIDEO-CLIP, WHICH
SONG WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY? HOW DO YOU IMAGINE THE VIDEO-CLIP TO BE?
I don’t know... Maybe the track number 4 called
“The meaning of life”, the song begins with a medieval accoustic guitar...
The story would take place in a castle, with a knights army etc...
8. SINCE YOU ARE A GOOD GUITAR PLAYER, IMAGINE
THAT SOMEONE THAT DOESN’T WANT TO GET INTO MUSICAL THEORIES, ASKS YOU TO
TELL HIM AN EASY WAY TO PLAY GUITAR, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO HIM? IS THERE
ANY GUITAR TRICK THAT YOU ‘D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?
Yes hmm... I will say to him to take for example
2 arpegios & 2 scale positions and to play it all over the neck, very
slowly. The arpegios to learn the sweep technique, the scales to learn
the picking technique. To play also on his favourite artists records, a
nice school to learn how to play.
9. A BIG PART OF THE PROMOTION OF A NEW ALBUM
ARE THE LIVE SHOWS, SO WILL YOU DO ANY LIVE PERFORMANCE IN FRANCE? DO YOU
HAVE ANY PROPOSALS TO PLAY OUTSIDE YOUR COUNTRY?
Well, I will play in France when all my next
album tracks will be done, but I’m not really interested in playing here
actually... I had a lot of proposals last year you know, especially in
South America & Asia. Great places to play yes!! I’m going to Japan
for a guitar clinic next year as well, great experience!!
10. FROM YOUR THANKS LIST THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR
CD BOOKLET I DISCOVERED THAT YOU ALSO ARE A FATHER. IMAGINE THAT WHEN YOUR
DAUGHTER GROWS UP DECIDES TO WORK AS A MUSICIAN. WILL YOU SUPPORT HER?
WHAT KIND OF THINGS WOULD YOU TELL HER TO AVOID FROM THE MUSIC BUSINESS
THAT YOU DON’T LIKE AT ALL?
Yes of course! I will support her at 100 %
man! Because the most important thing is to take some pleasure in your
work, life is boring when you must work in a place you hate you know! But
at the same time, I will tell to her to be careful, because the music buisness
is cruel... But I will be there!!
11. LET’S SAY THAT YOU DECIDE TO RELEASE AN ALBUM
ON WHICH YOU WILL COVER YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS. WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND
WHY?
I think I will choose Joe Stump, he is one
of my favorite guitar players and a great friend as well, he is a nice
person, very nice person, and a gifted guitar player. I like his music
and guitar playing. Anyway, my favourite guitar player are: Malmsteen,
Stump, Macalpine, Michael Romeo and Fareri (Francesco).
12. THANK YOU CYRIL FOR YOUR TIME! GOOD LUCK WITH
YOUR NEW ALBUM WHICH IS VERY GOOD AND DESERVES TO MAKE IT! THE LAST LINES
BELONG TO YOU… ALSO LEAVE A MESSAGE TO THE READERS OF BEHIND THE VEIL WEBZINE.
Thank you man!! It was a pleasure for me!!
So I wish to all the readers of Behind The Veil to keep on Rock & Roll,
to have a good time listening to music and to keep the faith in their hearts!!
Take care & once again: MUSIC IS LIFE!!
Nick “William_Kidd”
Parastatidis
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