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By Paul Autry
White Skull's latest release, "Public Glory, Secret Agony," is a true
masterpiece in the world of heavy metal. It's one of the most powerful
albums that you'll ever hope to hear. Shortly after I recieved this album,
I was offered an interview with the band, which I gladly accepted.
In what could be described as a "true rock 'n' roll style" interview where
no sense makes sense, there was a bit of a problem...the language barrier.
As I spoke with guitarist Nick Savio, we had a hard time understanding each
other. It was something that I'm sure we were both unprepared for. But, we
did manage to connect the dots on a few key questions and now, here, before
your very eyes, is a little bit of information on one of the most explosive
bands to ever emerge from the Italian music scene...White Skull!
PAUL AUTRY:
To get things started, can you tell us a little about the band
and how it was formed?
NICK SAVIO:
The band was formed in 1990 and, actually, two elements have
changed. I'm Nick, the lead guitar player, and I've been with the band
since 1997 and the drummer, Alex Mantiero, has been in the band since 1995.
Frederica De Boni (vocals), Tony Fonto (guitar) and Fabio Pozzato (bass)
are the ones who formed the band.
PAUL AUTRY:
How has the musical style of White Skull changed since the
first album?
NICK SAVIO:
I think the first album, "I Won't Burn Alone," was more like
American hard rock. It has more influences from the 80's hard rock. And the
new album, especially from "Tales From The North," was more heavy metal,
more modern. It was a normal evolution.
PAUL AUTRY:
Are the first few White Skull albums still available?
PAUL AUTRY:
Your new album, "Public Glory, Secret Agony," was the first
time that I've ever heard the music of White Skull and I have to say, I was
really impressed. Can you tell us a little about the concept of the album?
NICK SAVIO:
Yes...the concept of the album...the album is a concept about
Roman history. Because, with "Tales From The North" we talk about vikings
from the north of Europe. But, many magazines and journalists asked us,
"Hey, you're Italian...why are you talking about vikings?" For Frederica,
who wrote the lyrics, was very interested. So, this time, we speak about
our history. Especially the period which connected the Roman Empire and the
Egyptian. The concept talks about Ceaser and his public success, military
success of the Roman Empire and the difficult story in his private life,
like the story with Cleopatra. These are the main ideas.
PAUL AUTRY:
How did you hook up with Nuclear Blast?
NICK SAVIO:
Originally, two years ago, we knew Chris from Grave Digger. He
wanted to sing on our album, "Tales From The North." So, he sang some
parts. He took some promo CD's and found Nuclear Blast.
PAUL AUTRY:
Will you tour America to promote "Public Glory, Secret Agony?"
NICK SAVIO:
Maybe...I hope. It depends on how many CD's we can sell. I
discussed with Chris last month about a tour in Europe about in February, I
believe. It all depends. With "Tales From The North," we sold 7,000 copies
in the United States, this was very good for an Italian band.
PAUL AUTRY:
What's the music scene like in your area?
NICK SAVIO:
It's a shit scene here, okay. Because, here, we only have disco
or Italian music. That's all we have. We have many fans from Germany,
France...but, Italy, for us, is not a good place.
PAUL AUTRY:
What are some of the band influences?
NICK SAVIO:
Me, I was influenced by bands from the 70's and 80's. I'm only
24 years old, but, I was interested in bands like Deep Purple, Lynch Mob. I
like guitar players that combine feeling and technical ability. I was
influenced by hard rock, like AC/DC and Judas Priest. The other guys in the
band also. Frederica was very influenced by W.A.S.P. and Blackie Lawless,
Twisted Sister. There's five people in the band and we have five different
influences and you can find this in our music.
PAUL AUTRY:
Do you enjoy playing live?
NICK SAVIO:
For me, a real musician must play live. My life is on the
stage. It's important to record a CD, sell a lot of copies. But, if I'm not
playing a concert, I'm dead, okay. When I was on tour, it was
incedible...it's my life.
PAUL AUTRY:
Final comments?
NICK SAVIO:
Thanks to all our fans in the United States...I hope to play in
the United States as soon as possible. But, we need the help of our
American fans. So, thank you again. Stay heavy...we hope to see you soon!
http://users.iol.it/white_skull
Copyright 2000, BallBuster, The Official Int'l Underground Hard Music Report |
NICK SAVIO:
Yes, they are available. But, for the first three albums, we
were on another label, an Italian label called Underground Symphony. You
can contact us through our web page for more information.
