Interview by Si Smith  

Regardless of Me have been flying the flag for Italian metal since 2007 and have received some great critical acclaim along the way. Latest offering "Pleasures and Fear" provides us with a bright album cover and a collection of songs that really play to the band's strengths: Nine slabs of metal with a definite progressive edge including a cover of Madonna's "Frozen"! Guitarist Emiliano Sicilia and vocalist Pamela Manzo spoke to us to explain further.

Firstly thank you for answering our questions, and welcome to the Femme Metal Webzine.

Emiliano: Hello everybody and thank u so much for this interview!

Emiliano, you started the Regardless of Me project back in 2007 after working on your own solo project - what was your original intention in creating the band? How did you go about finding band members to join you?

Emiliano: Well, my first solo album has been released in 2006, by Audioglobe Records, then I started Regardless Of Me project ‘cause I use to get bored everytime when I listen to my songs but this is not happenning with Regardless Of Me! I love my band and our music, first of all we’re a family, then a band. Enrico and Fulvio were friends of mine since so many years, and I met Pamela in 2006 during recording sessions of "Devotion Materialize".

Pamela, as main female frontwoman of the band you carry a lot of the visual focus for the casual observer. How do you feel having the focus on you? Is it a role you slip easily into? Is there anything about the role you play that you would change if you could?

Pamela: First of all, thank you for the interview. Yeah, honestly I feel a little bit shy, seeing all that eyes on me but when I sing, I forget everything and I focus all my attention and my heart in what I like to do most in life: singing and sharing emotions, this gives me the power to overcome this kind of difficulty. I would like to be seen not as the hot lady of the band but the front lady with a touching voice...this is my goal.

You promote yourselves as "melodic progressive death metal". What would you say a band needs to have in its sound if it is to label itself "progressive"? What elements in your own sound would you say are "progressive"?

Emiliano: Well I got to tell ya that I don’t want to repeat myself when I write new songs, this is the reason why I try to do everytime something cool, something fresh. We aren’t a gothic metal band, we’re much more. The most important thing is melody but as you can hear in our new album, you will discover so many different musical influences, our songs are not linear and pop, they’re driven by Progressive sound.

Your first album "The World Within" came out in 2009. Looking back now, how would you say it compares with the new album?

Emiliano: Well "The World Within" is a really melodic album, with trip hop influences taken from Massive Attack and Portishead (the most great English bands in that kind of music). I think "Pleasures and Fear" is so different from the first album, much more strong and metal, but you will hear the typical RoM’s sound listening to the chorus

I must say that the cover art for the new album is highly artistic and eye-catching! But how does the Hindu elephant deity Ganesh relate to the subject matter of "Pleasures and Fear"?

Pamela: Ganesh is the divinity of knowledge and of the inner balance. With this kind of cover we wanted to make people know that one of the important things in life is to win the battle inside ourselves: everyday life make us face problems, but if you don't succeed in finding a power inside you and in winning your interior problems, you'll never be able to solve the difficulties of everyday life that will inevitably appear in front of you, as part of life itself. Moreover Ganesh is able to distinguish between the evil and the good, so what we want to communicate with our songs and with this divinity is to focus our actions in something useful for our life, for our spirit and for the other people we cherish.

The album starts with the declaration, "Life is not my reality". What is the reality of life for Regardless of Me?

Emiliano :Yeah, this is the common thread that binds two RoM’s Albums. Life is an illusion, we’re just souls driven by the fate, driven by Nothing but we’re Regardless of Me, we don’t accept falsehood of media, we’re here just to tell you that you can discover the truth inside yourself and not elsewhere

The song "From a Darkened Sky" certainly contains many influences in its 12 minute length. Halfway though we suddenly encounter a noodly jazz interlude (that works very well in the context). Are there any jazz enthusiasts in the band or is this just by chance?

Emiliano: Well "From a Darkened Sky" is a song that represents the connection with my first album with the new, it’s a really strange song! About jazz I got to tell ya that we’re always willing to experiment and we especially love to mix different music styles. So many bands mix metal with jazz as Cynic, Atheist, Painted in Exile and many more. We all love to improve RoM’s sound combining jazz with metal…

For a listener "The Way You Are" is the closest to a straightforward song on the album with a catchy chorus - but for you what are the highlights of the album? Are there any particular songs that you are most proud of or enjoy to sing/play most?

Pamela: In this album I really enjoy singing "Made of Steel", because I really think that "my heart is made of steel", not because I'm insensitive (I really think not to be it) but for the fact that I feel like a tiger full of power when I sing, nothing can stop me! 

"Dispositions" is one of the songs that begins with a very strong guitar riff. Emiliano, are there any secrets to your guitar sound? Any items of kit you would not be without in your life as composer and guitarist?

Emiliano: Ahahhaha, well I have a Ultra Bass Guitar, with 10 strings, this is the reason why you hear this strange sound (really low and power). When I discovered bands as Meshuggah, After The Burial, The Contortionist I immediately decided to create a new guitar for me only. I love to play that kind of guitar ‘cause I have so many different choices when I write new riffs.

The song "Frozen" is one from a period of Madonna's music that is sometimes labelled her "gothic" period. It is a great cover from you guys. How on earth did you guys decide to cover this song?! Would you expect any criticism for choosing this track?

Pamela: "Frozen" is my favourite song by Madonna, it is fascinating and incredibly catchy in my opinion. We chose this track because it gets close to what we want to share with people: never lose time and energy with hate and coldness but commit to what can be useful for a better life and focus to the reality not to the imagination, to let yourself be seen by everyone.

At times it seems that there is a little industrial influence in your sound, somewhere in the guitar sound and the programming. Are you influenced at all by the industrial music scene?

Emiliano: Absolutely yes! I grew up with Massive Attack, Portishead, Ministry, White Zombie, Rob Zombie, Nine Inch Nails, Amduscia, And One, Apoptygma Berzerk and many more. I think Industrial elements could be something new in a metal context, but it’s really difficult to choose right sounds, you got to be careful to combine these elements with guitar, drums and bass

You played Bloodstock Open Air Festival in the UK last year - that looks like it was a lot of fun for you guys. How was that experience for you? Are you scheduled for any more festivals this year?

Emiliano: Well it’s been a really great experience for us and English people are soooo cool!!! This year we played in 2 other festivals in the UK. In Reading and in Birmingham @ Femme Metal Festival; it’s been really good stuff, ‘cause we love to play in UK, people are so interested in our music, in our sound, they don’t like commercial rock, so many people came in Birmingham after seeing us last year @ Bloodstock Open Air…! Great! I Think we will play in UK as much as we can.

It sounds from your Facebook page like you are all close friends as a band. This must help to harmonize the overall sound. As a serious music webzine of course we need to know - do you ever fall out with one another? What are the disagreements (if any) mostly about?

Emiliano: Yes, of course you hit the nail on the head! We’re so close to our fans all over the world through Facebook. We never fall out with them, ‘cause we’re so serious and we accept all criticism without problem. When somebody give us his opinion about RoM’s music we’re so interested in it, ‘cause everybody judges music differently.

Finally, have you any last comments for us about the band? Something you have been burning to say but we didn't ask?

Pamela: Well, what can I say more? Emiliano, Enrico and Fulvio are my body guards!!! I feel good with them in stage and I always have fun: their instruments melt with my voice in a perfect harmony and I hope this arrives to people and they enjoy our new album, that is kinda different but I think with the same energy. Are you curious? So check it out! ;) Cheers!

Latest Multimedia

Links

Emiliano Sicilia : MySpace

Pamela Manzo : MySpace

Regardless of Me : MySpace - Facebook

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