Fighting
Warriors
Fighting Warriors is an
interesting band that has managed to write a beautiful concept story and
make it even more beautiful with their music. Their sound is an amalgam
of different genres, but epic power/progressive metal is a quite accurate
description I'd say! So, read to find out more about them!
1. HELLO! THIS ONE IS A VERY TYPICAL BUT NEEDFUL
QUESTION SINCE YOU ARE A NEW BAND. GIVE US IN A FEW WORDS THE HISTORY OF
THE BAND SO FAR AND PRESENT THE CURRENT LINE - UP. DID YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCES
WITH OTHER BANDS BEFORE FIGHTING WARRIORS?
HELLO “WILLIAM KIDD”! FIRST OF ALL WE WANT
TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN US. FIGHTING WARRIORS IS A POWER METAL
BAND, FOUNDED IN CATANIA DURING 1999. IN 2001 THE BAND PRODUCED ITS FIRST
THREE-TRACK DEMO-CD, “FIGHTING WARRIORS” (WITH A DIFFERENT LINE-UP). MANY
TROUBLES HAD AFFECTED THE BAND DURING ITS LIFE WHICH HAD FORCED TO VARIOUS
CHANGES IN LINE-UP. THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS ARE C. DI MARTINO (LEAD VOCALS)
AND A. PLATANIA (BASS GUITARS). JUST IN THE 2004 L. GUERRERA 9KEYBOARDS),
D. MESSINA (GUITARS) AND S. ALBERTI (DRUMS) JOINED. IN 2004 THE BAND PRODUCED
A NEW DEMO-CD: “DEXTERA DEI”. FIGHTING WARRIORS HAVE PERFORMED MANY LIVE
CONCERTS IN SEVERAL CATANIA PUBS. AT THE MOMENT THE BAND IS WORKING ON
THE RELEASE OF A FULL-LENGTH ALBUM. EVERY ONE OF US HAD DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE
WITH OTHER BANDS: A. PLATANIA WAS A SINGER OF A BLACK METAL BAND,
L. GUERRERA PLAYED KEYBOARDS IN AN ’70S PROG ROCK BAND AND S. ALBERTI PLAYED
DRUMS IN A THRASH METAL BAND.
2. WHEN I FIRST LISTENED TO YOUR BAND NAME, I
THOUGHT THAT YOU WERE MUSICALLY CLOSE TO BANDS LIKE MANOWAR. HOWEVER YOUR
STYLE IS MORE MELODIC AND SOMETIMES PROGRESSIVE. HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR
SOUND TO PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER LISTENED TO YOU?
WE ARE USED TO DESCRIBE OUR SOUND AS “POWER
EPIC PROGRESSIVE METAL”, WITH BLACK METAL, THRASH METAL AND GOTHIC METAL
INFLUENCES.
3. OK, SINCE WE TALK ABOUT YOUR MUSIC AND AS WE
ALL KNOW THAT EVERY BAND AROUND THE WORLD HAS BEEN INFLUENCED BY OTHERS,
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHICH THE MUSICIANS AND BANDS THAT HAVE INFLUENCED
YOUR STYLE ARE.
F.W.: OUR SOUND IS INFLUENCED BY METAL
BANDS LIKE SYMPHONY X, DREAM THEATER, AFTER FOREVER, RHAPSODY AND EVERY
KIND OF SOUND THAT CAPTURES OUR INTREST.
C. DI MARTINO: I USE TO LISTEN TO METAL
BANDS LIKE NIGHTWISH, AFTER FOREVER AND LACUNA COIL, AND CRISTINA SCABBIA
IS THE SINGER WHICH I'M INSPIRED BY.
A. PLATANIA: I THINK I’M ONE OF THE BEST
FANS OF CRADLE OF FILTH, AND, OF COURSE, FOR THE BLACK VOCALS DANNY FILTH
IS MY "TEACHER", FROM MY POINT OF VIEW STEVE HARRIS IS THE BEST BASS PLAYER.
L. GUERRERA: MY INFLUENCES COME FROM THE
PROG ROCK AND METAL, FROM THE SEVENTIES’ TO PRESENT, I MEAN, BANDS LIKE
PFM, BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO, EMERSON LAKE & PALMER AND DREAM THEATER
ARE THE INSPIRATION FOR MY MUSIC. I LOVE MUSISCIANS LIKE JOHN LORD AND
KEVIN MOORE.
D.MESSINA: I THINK THAT THE BEST SIX STRING
PLAYER OF THE UNIVERSE IS ONLY ONE: JOHN PETRUCCI!!!
S.ALBERTI: I LISTEN TO EVERYTHING THAT IS
GOOD, FROM JAZZ TO BRUTAL DEATH. BUT THOSE WHO INFLUENCED MY DRUMMIN’ ARE
MIKE PORTNOY AND WINNIE PAUL.
4. DO YOU REMEMBER, WHICH WAS (WERE) THE ALBUM(S)
THAT AFTER LISTENING TO IT (THEM), YOU DECIDED TO FORM A BAND? …AND
NOW THAT YOU HAVE FORMED THE GROUP ARE ALL THE THINGS AS YOU IMAGINED THEM
OR NOT AND WHY?
IT’S DIFFICULT FOR US TO DECIDE WHICH ALBUM
OR WHICH BAND LED US TO LOVE THIS MUSIC, CAUSE EVERYONE OF US COMES FROM
DIFFERENT LISTENINGS. WE KNOW ONLY ONE THING... WHAT LED US PLAY IS THE
PASSION FOR OUR INSTRUMENTS AND HEAVY METAL.
5. YOU PLAY SYMPHONIC POWER METAL, A GENRE THAT
POWER METAL FANS ARE PREOCCUPIED MOST OF THE TIMES WITH CAUSE AFTER RHAPSODY’S
FIRST ALBUM MANY BANDS FROM YOUR COUNTRY APPEARED AND MOST OF THEM HAD
NOTHING TO OFFER. SO IN WHICH WAY FIGHTING WARRIORS DIFFER FROM MOST OF
THESE BANDS AND WHAT DO THEY HAVE TO OFFER TO THE POWER METAL FANS?
WE DON’T THINK THAT FIGHTING WARRIORS ARE
BETTER OR WORSE THAN OTHER ITALIAN POWER METAL BANDS. WHAT WE OFFER IS
JUST OUR MUSIC AND OUR IDEAS. WE PLAY WHAT WE LIKE, AND WHAT WE CAN DO
IS TO HOPE THAT SOMEONE WILL LIKE OUR MUSIC THE SAME WAY...
6. YOUR DEBUT’S TITLE IS CALLED “DEXTERA DAY”.
CAN YOU TELL US WHICH IS THE MEANING OF THESE WORDS AND HOW ARE THEY CONNECTED
WITH THE LYRICS?
"DEXTERA DEI" LITERALLY MEANS "THE RIGHT
HAND OF GOD" MEANING THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE. IN THE TEXTS "DEXTERA DEI"
IS THE NAME OF THE HOLY ORDER ISTITED TO BE GUARDIANS OF THE ENTRANCE OF
THE "LAND BESIDE".
7. I BELIEVE THAT ALL THE SONGS INCLUDED IN YOUR
DEMO NARRATE A CONCEPT STORY. CAN YOU TELL US IN A FEW WORDS THE PLOT OF
YOUR STORY? WILL YOU CONTINUE IT IN AN UPCOMING RELEASE OF YOURS?
DAMY: WITH L. GUERRERA WE PLANNED "THE
TALES OF IARUS". IT TALKS ABOUT THE KNIGHT IARUS AND HIS BATTLE VERSUS
DHARMAL, THE DEMON THAT KILLED IARUS’S SON YAMA. THE ETERNAL BATTLE OF
GOOD AND EVIL HAS NO END...YOU'LL KNOW ABOUT ALL THE STORY SOON...
8. THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE STORY IS IARUS. I
WOULD LIKE YOU TO MAKE US A SHORT PRESENTATION OF THE CHARACTER OF YOUR
STORY. DO YOU THINK THAT HE IS A HERO THAT THE LISTENER CAN IDENTIFY HIS
SELF IN HIM AND SYMPATHIZE WITH HIM?
IARUS IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE AGOR ARMY,
GUERIOT SON, THE MAN WHO DEFEATED DHARMAL. HISTORY TELLS THAT WHEN HE LOST
HIS SON HE FELL IN A GREAT DESPAIR, HE SUFFERED A LOT, BUT THEN HE REACTED.
I DIDN'T WANT TO UNDERLINE THE HEROIC CHARACTER OF THE PROTAGONIST BUT
HIS HUMAN CONDITION, WITH HIS POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SIDES.
9. IF YOU HAD A BIG LABEL BEHIND YOU, WOULD YOU
THINK OF COOPERATING WITH A CLASSIC ORCHESTRA OR NOT AND WHY?
WE NEVER THOUGHT OF A COOPERATION WITH
A CLASSIC ORCHESTRA, BUT WE DON’T THINK THAT THIS WOULD BE A BAD IDEA.
10. IMAGINE THAT YOU HAVE A BIG BUDGET TO DO A
VIDEO-CLIP. WHICH SONG OF YOURS WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO VISUALIZE AND HOW DO
YOU IMAGINE IT?
WE HAVE ALREADY SHOT A VIDEOCLIP, BUT IT'S
JUST WHAT CAME OUT OF A FEW HOURS PASSED IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER FOR FUN.
SO TO BE HONEST WE HAVE THE IDEA TO REALIZE IT, WHAT WE NEED IS THE BIG
BUDGET...
11. I BELIEVE THAT YOU READ FANTASY STORIES, SO
TELL ME WHICH ONE IS YOUR FAVORITE, EXCEPT FOR “LORD OF THE RINGS” OF COURSE…
DAMY: MY SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR TELLING
STORIES COMES FROM S. KINGS BOOKS AND ABOVE ALL FROM VIDEOGAMES (MY SECOND
PASSION AFTER THE MUSIC) ARE "KNIGHTS OF THE TEMPLE" OR "GOD OF WAR" AND
"WARCRAFT" LIMPIX TO MY FANTASTIC MIND...
12. WILL YOU DO ANY LIVE SHOWS? HOW DIFFICULT
OR EASY IS IT TO PERFORM LIVE ON STAGE?
OF COURSE! WE DO MANY LIVE SHOWS IN OUR
CITY. BUT IT’S VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND SOMEONE THAT LETS US PERFORM AND
PLAY OUR MUSIC, HERE IN SICILY. HOWEVER WE THINK THAT THE SICILIAN METAL
SCENE IS GOING TO BECOME GREAT THANKS TO BAND LIKE NOBLE SAVAGE, ORION
RIDER, THY MAJESTIE.
13. WHAT KIND OF REVIEWS HAVE YOU RECEIVED
SO FAR? IS THERE AN ELEMENT IN YOUR MUSIC THAT YOU THINK HAS PASSED UNNOTICED
FROM MOST OF THE REVIEWERS?
MOST OF THE REVIEWS, IN OUR GREAT SURPRISE,
ARE POSITIVE. OF COURSE OUR MUSIC IS PARTICULAR AND DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND.
HOWEVER THE REVIEWERS WERE ABLE TO DESCRIBE OUR SOUND IN ALL ITS ASPECTS.
14. NOW THAT YOU HAVE DONE YOUR DEMO AND YOU HAVE
LISTENED TO IT, CAN YOU TELL US WHICH YOU THINK ARE YOUR WEAK POINTS THAT
YOU WILL IMPROVE IN YOUR NEXT RELEASES?
MUSICALLY, WE HAVE TO GROW, AND ONLY THE
TIME WILL DECIDE WHAT WE’LL DO! OUR MUSIC, OUR PASSION....OUR FUTURE!
12. THANKS YOU FOR THE INTERVIEW AND GOOD LUCK
WITH YOUR DEMO! THE LAST WORDS BELONG TO YOU AND LEAVE A MESSAGE TO THE
READERS OF BEHIND THE VEIL WEBZINE…
WE WANT TO THANK YOU NIKOS FOR YOUR INTeREST,
AND THANKS TO EMANUELE GENTILE FROM EG-AGENCY CAUSE HIS WORK IS VERY IMPORTANT
FOR US. TO “THE VEIL WEBZINE” READERS, WE HOPE TO CAPTURE YOUR MINDS...THIS
IS WHAT WE ARE AND THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO BE!!!HAIL TO ALL!!!
Nick “William_Kidd” Parastatidis
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