If there was a degree in hard rock, then metal should be the 101 paper. Some of the best rock songs seem to come from musicians with metal orgins. SØNDAG, hailing from Piacenza, Italy reinforce this theory with their debut self titled EP. Having formed from the ashes of death metal band EDEMA, these guys know how produce down-tuned heavy music steeped in melody and ambient guitars. Giovanni Versari tops things off with the mastering – he did the same on the latest MUSE album. Here’s guitarist Marcello Lega to fill you on the rest of the story…
NZR: SØNDAG has come out with a bang with this debut EP, love your work! How proud are you of the result?
Marcello: Thanks! We are very proud of it. It was recorded and produced entirely by our singer and bass guitar player Riccardo Demarosi in our home town Piacenza and mastered by Giovanni Versari in Milan. Because of that, we had the chance to cure every single detail, leaving the sonorities of the EP raw and dirty. We love this first product and we hope the next ones could only be better!
NZR: So how did an Italian band end up with a Danish name?
Marcello: I’ve loveed Denmark since I was a kid. Their Culture, landscapes and language have always charmed me so I decided to pay tribute to them by naming our band with a Danish word that literally means “Sunday”.
NZR: I find it hard to pick a favourite track but I think it’s ‘Keychain’ for me with it’s layers of groove, melody and ambient guitar. It actually reminds me of SHIHAD ‘Stations’ a litle. I also really like the driving rhythm of ‘Lies’. Do you have a favourite?
Marcello: It’s hard to say.. personally I think it’s ‘Lies’ because of the unconventional structure of the song and its heavy riffing and melodies.
NZR: I see the songs were mastered by Giovanni Versari… as in the guy who did the MUSE ‘Drones’ album? How’d you come to work with him?
Marcello:: Yes Giovanni mastered ‘Drones’ and we decided to work with him because of his awesome mastering skills. We’re really happy with the mastering, he did a great job!
NZR: It’s great to hear a 8-string being used in rock music. MESHUGGAH will be proud I’m sure haha!. Were you aiming to get a really heavy low end sound in this music?
Marcello: Hahaha! Well, I’ve tried since the beginning of this band to give a singular characterisation to the band’s sound. One day I stepped into a music shop few meters from my house and looked at this 8-string beast, a few moments later it was mine! This personal interest in low end sounds combined with the will of making something different from 8-string guitars common use – like extreme metal, djent, etc – became the basic idea of SØNDAG.
NZR: Where do you draw inspiration for the lyrics of your music?
Marcello: We get inspired by everyday feelings, remembrances about the past and thoughts about an imaginary future. There is no logical thread that bounds the different lyrics since every song describe a different story and situation.
NZR: Did you track any other songs which didn’t make the EP?
Marcello: At the moment, no unfortunately. But we already have a 45 minutes live set which will become our next album as soon as we start to record it.
NZR: You guys have quite a diverse musical background. Riccardo has done thrash and progressive/acoustic music with WICKED MINDS, almost everyone in SØNDAG was in EDEMA playing death metal for quite a few years… what’s it like writing rock music together now, and do you find that having a metal music background contributes to writing more powerful rock music?
Marcello: I love music because it’s such a huge world. Our different Backgrounds allow us to be open minded when we compose stuff and this is a good thing. By the way, I’m certain that our heavy backgrounds will always return in different shapes.
NZR: Did the other SØNDAG members play in bands between when EDEMA stopped and SØNDAG was formed?
Marcello: Yes, Riccardo Lovotti played into WICKED MINDS sometimes and he still plays in VISCERA///. Riccardo Demarosi was the only one who hasn’t played in EDEMA, he has another band called SAYNO. I also played TRYPTAMIN until 2015, and Marco has just paused his musical activity.
NZR: With TRYPTAMIN you were doing heavy alternative rock music too. In this band you have a completely different line-up, so is SØNDAG something totally new or are you aiming to continue where TRYPTAMIN left off in a way?
Marcello: No, this project is totally different from TRYPTAMIN and aims to cover way more different sonorities.
NZR: What happened to your TRYPTAMIN and what are the other guys doing now?
Marcello: They all still play in different awesome projects.
NZR: What’s the plan from here, what do you hope to achieve with SØNDAG this year?
Marcello: We really hope to play as much as we can worldwide, because we believe music still shows it’s real nature live, not on social networks haha. Until the end of 2016 we want to record our first full length and meanwhile we will look to find a Label who will help us spread our new material. Thanks a lot Dave for your interview which I’ve enjoyed a lot, your commitment in the music scene really kicks ass. And for you all guys, we really hope you will enjoy our music.
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