Vor einigen Tagen hatten wir die Möglichkeit Lory und John von Of the Sun and the Moon zu interviewen. Die italienische Band besticht durch leidenschaftlichen Metal Rock und hat nach Jahren der Abwesenheit mit "Everlasting War" eine neue Single released. Es sollte ursprünglich ein langsamer Bluesrock werden, nur Gitarre und Gesang. Nach den ersten Proben änderte man aber die Richtung hin zum Metal/Rock. Der Track, dessen Texte das Leben mit einem ewigen Schlachtfeld vergleicht, ist musikalisch mit einer Mischung aus 80er Jahre Riffs, ein wenig Alternative Rock und mit einem Hauch Indie Electronica versehen. So we have to say Achtung: Here comes Metal, here comes passion and here comes "Of the Sun and the Moon". Thanks to Lory and John and keep on rockin'.
Of the Sun and the Moon
Of the Sun and the Moon is an italian metal rock band, from Mortara (Pavia), born in 2010, and it’s composed of Lory De Lorean - vocals, and John Lorena - guitars, bass, keyboards, programming, songwriter and producer. The debut single, entirely instrumental, released on June 2013, is titled 'Daughter of the Desert'. In that period, several ideas bloomed regarding new original songs ('Everlasting Warrior' and 'Oblivion'), and some demos were recorded. Lory and John, however, also had other plans and programs, always concerning music, and these ended up occupying all the time available. Well, after seven years of recording silence, during which Lory De Lorean also started a satisfying pop, funky, rap, dance 'solo' project (it still carries on, 'Note di Notte' - Jan 2020, 'Senza Lacrime' ft. Bomber MC - Nov 2020), at the end of 2020, Of the Sun and the Moon decided to re-join all the forces, directing’em towards the creation and recording of brand new material. The first track considered, revised and corrected was 'Everlasting Warrior' which became 'Everlasting War'.
It took four months (Dec 2020/Apr 2021) of hard work to complete 'Everlasting War', released on 02 April 2021. It was originally intended to be a slow blues rock, minimal, only guitar and vocals, but, after a few rehearsals, it was immediately understood that the direction would be completely different. The track, whose lyrics compare life to an eternal battlefield, is a 'hybrid', rich in epic atmospheres, dramatic vibes, melodies, as well as in biting grit and energy; in terms of sounds, it’s a mix of '80s riffs and guitars, electronica and indie and alternative stuff.
To create an even more evident contrast, especially on a vocal level, Of the Sun and the Moon strongly wanted the collaboration, as 'special guest vocals', with the US singer/songwriter Frankie McCabe.
Could this be a new beginning? Lory and John will soon start dealing with the next two original singles that already have a title, 'Sad the Rain' and 'Oblivion'.
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The Interview
Who inspired you to make music?
John: That I remember ... I’ve always listened to music of all genres thx to my parents and my relatives ... but the desire to play and create music took possession of me when I was a teenager, and when I bought my first record, in 1979 ... 'Dynasty' by KISS ... I fell in love with the sound of the distorted electric guitar of Ace Frehley ... then, over the years, the desire to play tracks of my idols and to write my own songs has increased exponentially, listening to the dark side of Black Sabbath, the stories of Iron Maiden, the epic dimension of Saxon, the sound wall of Metallica, the genius of Queen and Pink Floyd, the modern blues of ZZ Top ... today, I really like the melodies of Kamelot, the originality of Rammstein and the power of Arch Enemy .. my influences come from many metal and non-metal bands .. I like to store and experiment ...
Lory: Unlike John, I’ve listened, since childhood, to music of all genres on the radio stations, identifying myself, at the beginning, more in the songs than in the singers ... this trend changed when I was a teenager, and I started to focus my attention to the vocal and performing qualities of the artists … I began to love the clean voices of Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston ... but also to be attracted to the wildest and strongest ones (like is mine), as Tina Turner, Pat Benatar, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Tyler, Ann Wilson from Heart, Sheryl Crow, Chrissie Hynde … in Italy, Loredana Berté and Gianna Nannini ... in metal, Lita Ford, Doro Pesch, Amy Lee, Tarja Turunen and Simone Simons ... today, I like kinda artists as Anastacia and Lady Gaga ... but, of course, I also had male icons as Freddy Mercury, Michael Jackson, George Michael and Michael Bolton ... they sparked me off, definitely … following their careers and their successes I started singing, always and everywhere ... dreaming of being on stage one day, performing my own stuff ... I evaluate the skill of a singer, first of all, from the emotions she or he gives me with the voice ...
What is your creative process like?
John: It’s absolutely a consequence of the inspiration that can arise at any time and place … from movies, books, memories or experiences as in the case of 'Everlasting War'. Lyrics and music come out almost simultaneously, acquiring vibes and atmospheres deriving from the moods of the moment. The first step is rehearsing vocals on a rough outline of the structure of the track then creating the vocal melody and metrics. Our tunes are a continuous ‘work in progress’, you know where they start but you don't know where they will end. Lory and I consult, discuss, remove, add ... I write lyrics like a short story and Lory transforms it into verses and stanzas ... all this in pre-production. Then comes the time for recording and post-production, arrangements and FX … it's fun and stressful too ... 'Everlasting War' took four months of work and the song, that was originally supposed to be a ballad, has been completely revolutionized ...
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
John: Well, actually, in 'Everlasting War' we’ve an interesting and impressive collaboration that we, really, wanted. We’re talking about the talented indie/alternative singer and songwriter Frankie McCabe, from the US, that Lory met on the music platform Reverbnation. With her was born a beautiful relationship of friendship and mutual esteem, so, when we asked her to appear as ‘special guest vocalist’, there were no problems. We gave her full freedom on the vocal melody ... I, myself, made a rhythmic and musical blank canvas on her, so that she could give vent to all her talent. It was fun and exciting, it was a privilege for us to work with her. The result was an amazing vocal contrast ... definitely, I had two exceptional vocalists with me ... she recorded her vocals in California ... if we're talking about dreams, well ... I'd like to collaborate with film makers and create soundtracks for horror movies ...
Lory: It was wonderful and exciting to work with Frankie ... apart from the musical discourse, I'm absolutely happy because she’s a fantastic girl and I consider her a true friend ... well, I’d like to collaborate with the italian artist Loredana Berté ... international? Dreams, dreams and more dreams ... duets with Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Tina Turner ... with rock vocalists as Lita Ford, Doro Pesch … or with singers as Simone Simons from Epica, Tarja Turunen (ex Nightwish), Amy Lee from Evanescence, Ann Wilson from Heart ... anyway, as regards my ‘solo project’, I had the pleasure and the opportunity to collaborate with a very cool south american rapper, from Peru, Bomber MC, for the song 'Senza Lacrime' ...
What is the most useless talent you have?
Lory: I know how to play cards very well ... especially at Scala 40 and Rummy ... I always win and nobody wants to play with me anymore ...
John: I remember the plots of almost all the horror movies seen ... and they’re many ... more useless than this ...
What is the most useful talent you have?
Lory: I don't like to talk much about my possible strengths or talents ... I focus, above all, on my defects to correct’em ... however, people close to me and trustworthy, say that when I sing, I have an innate ability to adapt my vocal performances to any musical genre by shaping my voice, which is naturally strong, wild and biting, to the various sounds, vibes, atmospheres that a song can have ... in my solo project, infact, I’ve original pop, funky, rap tracks ... when I sing covers, I sing dance or italian melodic stuff ... but, when I’m the Of the Sun and the Moon lead vocalist … there’s only rock !!! ... definitely ... I sing with all my heart and with all my soul … always …
John: If being fussy and overly meticulous can be considered a talent ... well, it may be this ... I’m, perhaps, too precise when I work on a tune ... from the pre-production phase to the mastering, passing through the recordings .. . the sounds must be what I’ve in mind as well as the atmospheres, the grooves, the vibes ... if this doesn’t happen … no further progress is made … same for arrangements, the pronunciation and spelling of the single words of the lyrics, the diction, the interpretation ... in the end everything has to blend together ... every instrument or effect has to be heard, but no one has to overpower the other .. the post-production of 'Everlasting War' lasted a month and, maybe, that's the reason seven years have passed since our previous single …
If you could change anything in the past, what would it be?
Lory: Both, as the music concerns and in everyday life, I’d no longer trust certain people who’ve taken advantage of my goodness and predisposition to take care, who’ve betrayed my friendship, have behaved like cowards, talking badly and behind the back, criticizing in a way never objective and constructive, but just for the sake of putting yourself in a bad light ... I’d try to be stronger of character and I’d, sometimes, learn to say ‘no’ ... I’d also learn to play an instrument ... guitar or piano ... but it’s never too late …
John: … I totally agree with the first part of Lory's answer ... I’d try not to waste time forming useless bands composed of empty people and without motivations or desire to create something ... only words and kinda posers!!! … and I’d try to focus more on my expectations and projects ...
How do you feel the Internet (especially Social Media platforms) has impacted the music business?
John: In an era where majors and medium-high labels are barely getting by and it’s not known what direction they’re taking, neglecting, once more, artists and musicians of excellent level ... in a period where radio stations think even more, compared to the past, only to its target favoring the commerciality of the moment, and where teenagers and their parents are willing to sell their soul to be able to become part of the cast of a talent TV show, not thinking that all this, for most, will be ephemeral ... well, the network, social media and music platforms become, and will become, increasingly, essential for artists, independent and underground musicians and bands ... you want to make yourself known?, you want your musical gems will be listened to?, you want to perform live? do it yourself!! or at least, with the help of people like you, Wolf, and all those who’re doing an absolutely cool job for everybody of us, indie and underground, with blogs, music platforms, internet radio and TV and much more …
Lory: ... but … of course, to take off, in addition to talent, you also need the usual dose of luck ...
What’s next for you?
John: Now we’re promoting ‘Everlasting War’ everywhere and in every possible way ... it’s a very important track for us, which marked our return after seven years of silence … during that time, however, we’ve dealt with other stuff related to music. .. during this period Lory, also, started her solo project ...
Lory: … we’re thinking of doing a short ‘video docu-story’ about us and the making of 'Everlasting War' ... and, also, it’d be time for the shooting of the official video-clip of the track ... we’re also starting to develop ideas on the next two songs that, already, have a title, 'Sad the Rain', will be a ballad, and 'Oblivion', of which a demo was recorded a few years ago … it will be revised and corrected to become our next killer song ...
What do you know about Austria?
Lory: I know that Austria’s a wonderful country where they say, life’s absolutely amazing, with spectacular cities and landscapes, lots of nature, a great culture and, definitely, very hospitable people ... musically … at least once in our life we’ve all listened to some masterpiece of the great composers of the past, such as Strauss, Mozart, Wagner, Schubert ... in the 80’s I loved Falco, his intelligence and songwriting originality ... more recent stuff … hmm, not bad Conchita Wurst ...
John: … about metal, well … I like Visions of Atlantis and Edenbridge, definitely ... and then, we know, very well, that you have a very strong ski team ... furthermore Wien’s fantastic ... we’ve to visit it sooner or later ...
What's the story behind the Artist name?
John: The name of the band was born, first of all, from the charm and attraction that ancient Egypt, its culture, its traditions, customs and beliefs, have, always, had on me. Our debut single 'Daughter of the Desert' absolutely bears witness to this, with all its oriental and mysterious sounds, vibes and influences. The symbolism of the Sun and the Moon, this meaning as contrasting as the sounds can be, often, within the same composition, the ‘cat goddess’ Bast and the ‘lioness goddess’ Sekhmet (I love felines), the wonder of eclipses, to be solar, sunny, happy as Lory, moody, temperamental and lunatic like me ... well, they did the rest ...
Lory: … I'd like the album title to be 'Under the influence Of the Sun and the Moon', like the tides ... definitely …
