1-The kings of Italian technical death metal, the masters of classical music! Thanks once again FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE for taking a part of your time to talk to us and welcome to Metalitty webzine!
Wow, thanks for such an impressive presentation! Glad to be here ;)
2-As mentioned before, you're releasing your new album soon! Can you tell me more about it?
Since “Agony”, all our records have been ‘concept albums’ and “King” makes no exception.
The story is set inside an old court, where the King is the main character. He’s old and tired, but still carries on his shoulders all the integrity and devotion to old values he believes in..
He’s the only character with a strong positive vibe, surrounded by other figures (War Minister, Queen, Bishop etc) trying to affect his decisions for their advantage and often searching more power for their own, regardless of the suffering they’re going to create.
Each song is related to a specific character, so we built different atmospheres and soundscapes strongly related to their nature. For example “The Fool”, with its baroque, pyrotechnic vibe, was perfect for the Jester, while “Healing through war” recalls the violent, gloomy nature of the War Minister.
3-You mentioned before that the writing process was kinda different than the previous albums! Tell me more about it!
Well, this time we wanted a darker tone for the album and that leaves more room for the pure ‘Death Metal’ elements in our music. That’s why the songs are more guitar-driven, so to speak. In our previous albums we developed many ideas starting from orchestral parts, chord progressions or melodies. That’s because we wanted to explore the symphonic element in every aspect, treating guitars as a section within the orchestra. This time we tried a brand new approach, mostly using guitars as a starting point.
But our dense, complex orchestral arrangements are still there, playing a key role on several parts of the new songs.
4-What do the lyrics deal with?
This tale about an imaginary King’s court isn’t mere ‘historical fiction’, but it’s more archetypal I’d say. It’s out of time, it talks about human nature.
The main character represents the bravest, strongest part of ourselves, our devotion to solid values, integrity and truth, vital elements that we might have lost during our restless run towards the future. As I said, he’s the only positive figure on this story, so to speak. All the other characters in the court are depicting darker aspects of our own nature (like thirst of power, fear, egoism, vanity) that can lead us to the worst decisions in our life.
5-You're also making an orchestral version of the album! What a great idea! Did you focus this time more on the orchestral part than in the previous albums?
We’ve always focused a lot on the symphonic element of our music. Even this time, whereas most of the music was written using guitar riffs as a main guidance, the orchestral arrangements are carefully crafted and heavily layered. “King” features some of the best orchestral parts we’ve ever had! That’s why we thought about an orchestral release, and the guys at Nuclear Blast were absolutely enthusiastic about it. It’s the same album, but from a totally different perspective and I’m sure that even non-metal audiences will enjoy it.
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6-You just released the first single "The fool" and the surprise is : the amazing voice of Paolo is back again after a little absence in "Labyrinth"! Does it mean there will
be a variety in the vocals?
Absolutely! Paolo is an awesome singer and his performance on this album is insanely good. He adds much more variety and intensity to our vocal lines.
But Veronica, of course, is still present, since the operatic parts are somehow a trademark for us at this point.
We also had different vocal guests on the spoken parts, so all the different characters are portrayed in the best possible way. We like to be musicians and storytellers at the same time.
7-Talking about vocals, after "Labyrinth", Veronica started playing live with the band! What did she add to your performances?
Veronica is amazingly talented and skilled, that’s why we decided to involve her more and take her on tour with us. Also, her presence on stage is… priceless! Performing songs like “The Egoism” or “Epilogue” wouldn’t be the same without her. She’s also taking that ‘theatrical’ aspect of our live performance to a whole new level.
8-So, Fleshgod Apocalypse found their final structure and line up that commensurate your music kind or are you thinking about adding a new member , like a cellist or a violinist?
That’s a great idea! For now we’re not planning it but… who knows? We dream of performing live with a full symphonic orchestra, but maybe hiring single players, or a small string section, would be a small step in the right direction.
9-Are you planning on making a new video?
Yes, but it’s… top secret for now! ;)
10-You guys are so creative, that's actually why I'm a big fan! You never stop surprising people! So what can we expect from Fleshgod apocalypse in the next few years??
Thanks! We always try to get the best possible result off what we do, and that involves both the music itself and the concept behind it.
For sure we’ll keep working hard and touring a lot, improving our show and our skills as musicians. I’m sure our fans will never be disappointed!
11-Thank you! Anything else you'd like to add?
Thanks to you!
Last but not least, I’d suggest listening to “King” as a whole album, and not just as individual songs in random order. That’s the best way to experience it, even if the trend is much different nowadays.
Roufaïda Lamrabet
