A debut is a very important release for every band. Especially when a band proclaims that’s here to stay and offer us great music moments with their songs. Karnya is a newcomer from Italy that’s wonderfully blending the prog rock music of the 70s with hard rock, metal and progressive elements of our time. Lyricism, rockin’ attitude and splendid song arrangements, all in one! We had a chat with the keyboardist, Dario Di Pasquale, so as to learn what this band aims for the future and not only… Hence have a look below…
Hey Dario… Debut album and you truly hit right on the spot! We’ve put it in Grande Rock’s “Gem” category! Hurrah!
D: Well… WOW! We are happy to know that we appreciate our music so much! Thank you very much it is an honor!
Since Karnya is a newcomer, do give us a few details of the band’s background. How it all started and so on.
D: Karnya were born from the ashes of the band Zen. During the last years the band was twisted upside down and I was the “sole survivor”. It seemed logical with a brand new line-up and image to change the name. Chronologically speaking Enrico Sandri was the first to succeed followed by Riccardo Nardocci. The newest member is Luca Ciccotti who joined the band last year.
When all the members with the different musical backgrounds came together, what was the first thought of the music you were going to compose/play?
D: The one thing that has marked us from the very beginning is that we compose in a very spontaneous and instinctive way. When someone has an idea we follow him trying to bring each his own contribution to develop it at the best. We had great chemistry from the beginning and our ideas fit to perfection.
How hard was it to blend all those different music genres?
D: Frankly, we do not think much in terms of “genres”. We seek more than anything else to maintain a balance between melody, power and technique.
I know that a band like Karnya must be under the “prog rock/metal” label, but what’s your viewpoint on that? What else would you add next to prog rock/metal?
D: As I said before we do not think much in terms of labels. Certainly, we would like to be able to renew and refresh a bit the typical sound of prog metal joining the historical canons that have made this kind of music so popular with today’s sounds creating our own distinctive sound. (i.n.: That’s exactly what I like about Karnya…)
When did the recordings for the debut start and what did you have in mind for this album? Was it something specific that you wanted to achieve?
D: The recordings have been developed over the past 4-5 years. We have frequently been slow due to various factors, both musical and personal, until during the last two years, we have returned to have a good balance so we could work hard and complete the album. The idea behind all this was to compose a fresh appealing and powerful music, maintaining the melodic part as dominant trying to reach also ears less familiar to metal music.
How did you come up with the title “Coverin’ Things”?
D: The themes of the album cover almost all life experiences in particular difficult times. The “Coverin’ Thoughts” mentioned in the title are just referring to the thoughts, the emotions we feel in those particular occasions and that we try to hide, to cover with other thoughts to avoid suffering.
What does the gloomy and odd cover artwork declare?
D: The artwork is to represent just this series of emotions covered and hidden within us. The wound on the chest of the angel tells us that sooner or later all these thoughts will make their way through us and come out into the open.
I read that this is a concept album right? Which are those things that it deals with?
D: The album is a concept from the point of view of contents. It is not a single story, the common thread that unites all the songs is the human mind, its emotions and fears. Lyrics are very introspective, a transcript in music and words of specific events that have happened to us and that in one way or another we had to face.
It’s a journey inside the mind, his fears and his darker side. Lyrics are very important to us because we want to communicate something with those words that can resonate and excite the listener.
Please break the concept into each one of the song…
D: “Mechanical Mixtures”: The intro… A mechanical mixture is a mixture with different parts that you can see. The term well represents all our different influences mixed together to make our songs that you can clearly hear.
“Flooding Blood”: A song about rage that boils our blood to overflowing.
“Coverin’ Thoughts”: The main theme of the album, difficulty to face the difficult moments of life trying to hide our emotions.
“Wait4more”: It’s about how we need to react and get back in the game and deal with the changes that life places before us.
“Fallen Angel”: It is inspired by the Wim Wender’s movie “Der Himmel über Berlin”. The song is about an angel who gives up immortality for the love of a woman.
“Stronger”: The song is an invitation to react to the adversity and become stronger every day in order to face the challenges of life.
“Where the Silence Remains...”: The lyrics talk about the trust in others and in ourselves. How we can recover the strength within ourselves when all that remains is the silence around us?
“Sliver”: Is a story of a relationship gone bad. It says that we must learn from our mistakes, take back our lives and start again.
“Hariel”: Hariel is a Guardian Angel the lyrics are about is power to help men thorough adversities…
“Ego’s End”: It speaks about a man who became suddenly deaf, blind and dumb. The only thing he hears is a violin sound.
“A Paraphreniac Menticide”: It’s the story of a serial Killer. I don’t want to spoiler. Read it on your own!
“Still Alive (?)”: There is life after death? The song is about this thoughts after a car crash.
Tell us a few things about the guest appearances on the album by Francesca Naccarelli (vocals), Claudio Nigris (orchestrations), Chiara Ludovisi (violin) and Luca Urbinati (drums).
D: Chiara Ludovisi is a young talented violinist of our area. We were searching for someone to play violin on “Sliver” and a friend of mine advised us Chiara. She did a great performance and her sound really make the difference in the song!
Francesca Naccarelli and Cludio Nigris are our friends of the band Dunwich. We really liked their work so we asked them to join in and help us. You can hear Francesca in “Mechanical Mixtures”, “Hariel” and at the end of “A Paraphreniac Menticide”. Claudio instead orchestrated the first movement of “A Paraphreniac Menticide”. They did a fabulous job and we are very grateful.
Luca Urbinati is the former drummer of Zen. He played and recorded all the drum parts (except “Wait4More”). He was unable to continue the project with us, but he helped us as long as he could.
Were you to pinpoint a single song that signifies the whole album, which one would it be and why? (I have chosen “A Paraphreniac Menticide”).
D: I agree with you to believe that “APM” is the song most comprehensive and complex and that may be the sum of everything we do. However, the length is not likely to be a single then I choose “Wait4more”. It has all the elements that characterize us like melody power and technique and a very catchy chorus…
Are you aware of the fact that due to the album’s complexity & musical diversity it may not appeal to people who will not give it time and dedication on each listen? This is the period when everything must be done fast and in a hurry… albums like “Coverin’ Thoughts” will give a hard time to all those occasional listeners. What do you think?
D: Unfortunately (from my point of view) this is the time of the fast and now. It has lost the pleasure of tasting things slowly & enjoy every detail. Karnya will continue on its road hoping to encourage listeners to a more careful and reasoned listening. (i.n.: Great, I just hope the listeners will give it time and they will be rewarded after a while…)
You’ve worked with Giuseppe Orlando (Novembre, Valkiria, etc.) for the album’s mixing and with Jens Bogren (James LaBrie, Opeth, Katatonia) for the mastering. Your work has paid off. The outcome is excellent. Are you totally satisfied?
D: Absolutely yes for both cases. Regarding the mix, Giuseppe has performed an outstanding job. It’s a guy with extensive experience in the sphere of metal albums and was able to give the best possible shape to our album. For mastering, we chose the FS after hearing their sample. They gave us exactly the kind of warm powerful and detailed sound we were looking for. We hope to collaborate again with all of them in the near future!
Should we wait for any video to come out any soon?
D: Yes. We are planning to shoot a video for “Wait4more”.
D: Well… WOW! We are happy to know that we appreciate our music so much! Thank you very much it is an honor!
Since Karnya is a newcomer, do give us a few details of the band’s background. How it all started and so on.
D: Karnya were born from the ashes of the band Zen. During the last years the band was twisted upside down and I was the “sole survivor”. It seemed logical with a brand new line-up and image to change the name. Chronologically speaking Enrico Sandri was the first to succeed followed by Riccardo Nardocci. The newest member is Luca Ciccotti who joined the band last year.
When all the members with the different musical backgrounds came together, what was the first thought of the music you were going to compose/play?
D: The one thing that has marked us from the very beginning is that we compose in a very spontaneous and instinctive way. When someone has an idea we follow him trying to bring each his own contribution to develop it at the best. We had great chemistry from the beginning and our ideas fit to perfection.
How hard was it to blend all those different music genres?
D: Frankly, we do not think much in terms of “genres”. We seek more than anything else to maintain a balance between melody, power and technique.
I know that a band like Karnya must be under the “prog rock/metal” label, but what’s your viewpoint on that? What else would you add next to prog rock/metal?
D: As I said before we do not think much in terms of labels. Certainly, we would like to be able to renew and refresh a bit the typical sound of prog metal joining the historical canons that have made this kind of music so popular with today’s sounds creating our own distinctive sound. (i.n.: That’s exactly what I like about Karnya…)
When did the recordings for the debut start and what did you have in mind for this album? Was it something specific that you wanted to achieve?
D: The recordings have been developed over the past 4-5 years. We have frequently been slow due to various factors, both musical and personal, until during the last two years, we have returned to have a good balance so we could work hard and complete the album. The idea behind all this was to compose a fresh appealing and powerful music, maintaining the melodic part as dominant trying to reach also ears less familiar to metal music.
How did you come up with the title “Coverin’ Things”?
D: The themes of the album cover almost all life experiences in particular difficult times. The “Coverin’ Thoughts” mentioned in the title are just referring to the thoughts, the emotions we feel in those particular occasions and that we try to hide, to cover with other thoughts to avoid suffering.
What does the gloomy and odd cover artwork declare?
D: The artwork is to represent just this series of emotions covered and hidden within us. The wound on the chest of the angel tells us that sooner or later all these thoughts will make their way through us and come out into the open.
I read that this is a concept album right? Which are those things that it deals with?
D: The album is a concept from the point of view of contents. It is not a single story, the common thread that unites all the songs is the human mind, its emotions and fears. Lyrics are very introspective, a transcript in music and words of specific events that have happened to us and that in one way or another we had to face.
It’s a journey inside the mind, his fears and his darker side. Lyrics are very important to us because we want to communicate something with those words that can resonate and excite the listener.
Please break the concept into each one of the song…
D: “Mechanical Mixtures”: The intro… A mechanical mixture is a mixture with different parts that you can see. The term well represents all our different influences mixed together to make our songs that you can clearly hear.
“Flooding Blood”: A song about rage that boils our blood to overflowing.
“Coverin’ Thoughts”: The main theme of the album, difficulty to face the difficult moments of life trying to hide our emotions.
“Wait4more”: It’s about how we need to react and get back in the game and deal with the changes that life places before us.
“Fallen Angel”: It is inspired by the Wim Wender’s movie “Der Himmel über Berlin”. The song is about an angel who gives up immortality for the love of a woman.
“Stronger”: The song is an invitation to react to the adversity and become stronger every day in order to face the challenges of life.
“Where the Silence Remains...”: The lyrics talk about the trust in others and in ourselves. How we can recover the strength within ourselves when all that remains is the silence around us?
“Sliver”: Is a story of a relationship gone bad. It says that we must learn from our mistakes, take back our lives and start again.
“Hariel”: Hariel is a Guardian Angel the lyrics are about is power to help men thorough adversities…
“Ego’s End”: It speaks about a man who became suddenly deaf, blind and dumb. The only thing he hears is a violin sound.
“A Paraphreniac Menticide”: It’s the story of a serial Killer. I don’t want to spoiler. Read it on your own!
“Still Alive (?)”: There is life after death? The song is about this thoughts after a car crash.
Tell us a few things about the guest appearances on the album by Francesca Naccarelli (vocals), Claudio Nigris (orchestrations), Chiara Ludovisi (violin) and Luca Urbinati (drums).
D: Chiara Ludovisi is a young talented violinist of our area. We were searching for someone to play violin on “Sliver” and a friend of mine advised us Chiara. She did a great performance and her sound really make the difference in the song!
Francesca Naccarelli and Cludio Nigris are our friends of the band Dunwich. We really liked their work so we asked them to join in and help us. You can hear Francesca in “Mechanical Mixtures”, “Hariel” and at the end of “A Paraphreniac Menticide”. Claudio instead orchestrated the first movement of “A Paraphreniac Menticide”. They did a fabulous job and we are very grateful.
Luca Urbinati is the former drummer of Zen. He played and recorded all the drum parts (except “Wait4More”). He was unable to continue the project with us, but he helped us as long as he could.
Were you to pinpoint a single song that signifies the whole album, which one would it be and why? (I have chosen “A Paraphreniac Menticide”).
D: I agree with you to believe that “APM” is the song most comprehensive and complex and that may be the sum of everything we do. However, the length is not likely to be a single then I choose “Wait4more”. It has all the elements that characterize us like melody power and technique and a very catchy chorus…
Are you aware of the fact that due to the album’s complexity & musical diversity it may not appeal to people who will not give it time and dedication on each listen? This is the period when everything must be done fast and in a hurry… albums like “Coverin’ Thoughts” will give a hard time to all those occasional listeners. What do you think?
D: Unfortunately (from my point of view) this is the time of the fast and now. It has lost the pleasure of tasting things slowly & enjoy every detail. Karnya will continue on its road hoping to encourage listeners to a more careful and reasoned listening. (i.n.: Great, I just hope the listeners will give it time and they will be rewarded after a while…)
You’ve worked with Giuseppe Orlando (Novembre, Valkiria, etc.) for the album’s mixing and with Jens Bogren (James LaBrie, Opeth, Katatonia) for the mastering. Your work has paid off. The outcome is excellent. Are you totally satisfied?
D: Absolutely yes for both cases. Regarding the mix, Giuseppe has performed an outstanding job. It’s a guy with extensive experience in the sphere of metal albums and was able to give the best possible shape to our album. For mastering, we chose the FS after hearing their sample. They gave us exactly the kind of warm powerful and detailed sound we were looking for. We hope to collaborate again with all of them in the near future!
Should we wait for any video to come out any soon?
D: Yes. We are planning to shoot a video for “Wait4more”.
You have already given your first live shows for 2013. What’s next? Any new dates or plans?
D: March 2nd we officially presented our album in a concert in Rome at Orion. We love playing live and want to play as much as possible to promote our music to as many people as possible.
I’ve written: “…Karnya enters the prog rock/metal scene with confidence and supremacy...”. What’s your say?
D: Surely say “Thank you”! It’s a great joy for us to hear that our music was appreciated after so much work. We have worked very hard to release this album and every person who appreciates it gives us one more reason to keep going and get better and better.
What’s going on with the Italian rock/metal scene lately? It seems like it’s blooming for a second time or what! So many bands are coming from Italy, playing all kinds of rock & metal music.
D: Italy has historically been very active in terms of music. I think it’s mainly about the current technologies that give everyone the possibility to record and to be heard in a more simple and easy way. All this creativity has always been here, the difference is that now it may be widespread as it deserves!
Are you afraid that in some point everyone will listen to music through their iPod or in Youtube, Spotify etc. and there will be no other way than to bring down the sound quality and record in your laptops? How can these “new technologies” help music instead of hurting it all the way?
D: This goes back to the previous question. The great thing about technology is that it gives the chance to everyone to be able to record, play, etc. Otherwise it runs the risk of depersonalizing and flatten the overall quality. I think, however, that the most important thing is that music is spreading as much as possible but I strongly hope that we’ll never lose the pleasure to listen to and “live” music as it deserves.
It’s time for our weird questions! Why did you name the band Karnya?
D: Eheh. When we were looking for a brand new name we came across an article about some populations of New Zealand with a philosophy of life called Karnia. They live keeping all the energy to use them in a specific and important moment of life and give your best. We really liked the concept and we thought it could be applied to the music: preserve more energy as possible to devote it to our music. So we took that name by replacing the “I” with a “Y” to make it cool…
Which is the record you wish you had written and why??
D: Mmmh this is hard to answer…let’s see:
Queensrÿche - “Operation: Mindcrime”: QR are my favorite band ever and I think that “OMC” is a milestone for metal and metal-prog. Every song is perfect and their performances are outstanding.
Pink Floyd - “Wish You Were Here”: My fav PF album. It gives me chills every time I listen to it. This album to me has the most beautiful melodies in rock history…
Beatles & Led Zep : Everything! Because without them there would be nothing!
Name 3 top prog rock/metal releases that influenced the whole genre…
D: The first (even if perhaps obvious) that comes to my mind is Dream Theater’s “Images and Words” even if it is influenced by many groups of the past, it has re-established the canons of the genre and has become a point of reference for all. Then Genesis (everything from the Gabriel era) and Yes (70’s productions) above all... sorry but impossible to pick only 3 for me…
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music evolution, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
D: Mmmh other tough question… Probably I would choose an album by Pink Floyd, “Dark Side of the Moon” or “Wish You Were Here”.
Now that the “old” Pope relinquished his position, do you believe in the prophecy that says there will be one more Pope and then the end of days is coming?
D: I believe that the end of the world began when the man appeared. We can all see what you could do to our poor earth since we exist. If we do not work to change things soon the situation will be unrecoverable.
Football, Basketball, Sex, Music or Philosophy? Which one do you prefer the most?
D: As far as I’m tempted to say sex (ahah
) I can easily answer “music”. Without my music I would not have a reason to exist. Music is the only way I have to be able to really express myself.
Dark hair or blonde? For wife or girlfriend?
D: Dark Hair and I hope to find soon the right woman that could become my wife!
Groupies or Band whores? What’s your choice & why?
D: Groupies ‘cause whores always bring problems to the musicians.
Why is rock/metal (any kind) music better than sex… if it is so…
D: It is…it is because you can have it when and where ever you want to. And most of all it never leaves you alone! It could be always in your mind and hearth! (i.n.: Ohh you have spoken wisely dude…)
You have the opportunity to have sex with the porn-star/movie celebrity of your choice. Who would it be & why?
D: Interesting question… heheh too many to mention! Porn-star probably Belladonna (cause is sooooo nasty!). Movie celebrity Angelina Jolie or Charlize Theron…I think it is useless to tell you why! Ahahah...
Imagine that your girlfriend/wife is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
D: I think I would stop her existence on this earth… (i.n.: watch out ladies… hehehe…)
I think we’re over Dario. Close this interview in your own way… Take care…
D: First of all thank you Thanos for this interview. It was very fun and enjoyable to answer your questions. Thank you for giving us this space on your beautiful site and for supporting our music. We invite all your readers to listen to our album, buy it, if they like it, and support us in the future.
D: March 2nd we officially presented our album in a concert in Rome at Orion. We love playing live and want to play as much as possible to promote our music to as many people as possible.
I’ve written: “…Karnya enters the prog rock/metal scene with confidence and supremacy...”. What’s your say?
D: Surely say “Thank you”! It’s a great joy for us to hear that our music was appreciated after so much work. We have worked very hard to release this album and every person who appreciates it gives us one more reason to keep going and get better and better.
What’s going on with the Italian rock/metal scene lately? It seems like it’s blooming for a second time or what! So many bands are coming from Italy, playing all kinds of rock & metal music.
D: Italy has historically been very active in terms of music. I think it’s mainly about the current technologies that give everyone the possibility to record and to be heard in a more simple and easy way. All this creativity has always been here, the difference is that now it may be widespread as it deserves!
Are you afraid that in some point everyone will listen to music through their iPod or in Youtube, Spotify etc. and there will be no other way than to bring down the sound quality and record in your laptops? How can these “new technologies” help music instead of hurting it all the way?
D: This goes back to the previous question. The great thing about technology is that it gives the chance to everyone to be able to record, play, etc. Otherwise it runs the risk of depersonalizing and flatten the overall quality. I think, however, that the most important thing is that music is spreading as much as possible but I strongly hope that we’ll never lose the pleasure to listen to and “live” music as it deserves.
It’s time for our weird questions! Why did you name the band Karnya?
D: Eheh. When we were looking for a brand new name we came across an article about some populations of New Zealand with a philosophy of life called Karnia. They live keeping all the energy to use them in a specific and important moment of life and give your best. We really liked the concept and we thought it could be applied to the music: preserve more energy as possible to devote it to our music. So we took that name by replacing the “I” with a “Y” to make it cool…
Which is the record you wish you had written and why??
D: Mmmh this is hard to answer…let’s see:
Queensrÿche - “Operation: Mindcrime”: QR are my favorite band ever and I think that “OMC” is a milestone for metal and metal-prog. Every song is perfect and their performances are outstanding.
Pink Floyd - “Wish You Were Here”: My fav PF album. It gives me chills every time I listen to it. This album to me has the most beautiful melodies in rock history…
Beatles & Led Zep : Everything! Because without them there would be nothing!
Name 3 top prog rock/metal releases that influenced the whole genre…
D: The first (even if perhaps obvious) that comes to my mind is Dream Theater’s “Images and Words” even if it is influenced by many groups of the past, it has re-established the canons of the genre and has become a point of reference for all. Then Genesis (everything from the Gabriel era) and Yes (70’s productions) above all... sorry but impossible to pick only 3 for me…
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music evolution, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
D: Mmmh other tough question… Probably I would choose an album by Pink Floyd, “Dark Side of the Moon” or “Wish You Were Here”.
Now that the “old” Pope relinquished his position, do you believe in the prophecy that says there will be one more Pope and then the end of days is coming?
D: I believe that the end of the world began when the man appeared. We can all see what you could do to our poor earth since we exist. If we do not work to change things soon the situation will be unrecoverable.
Football, Basketball, Sex, Music or Philosophy? Which one do you prefer the most?
D: As far as I’m tempted to say sex (ahah
) I can easily answer “music”. Without my music I would not have a reason to exist. Music is the only way I have to be able to really express myself.Dark hair or blonde? For wife or girlfriend?
D: Dark Hair and I hope to find soon the right woman that could become my wife!
Groupies or Band whores? What’s your choice & why?
D: Groupies ‘cause whores always bring problems to the musicians.
Why is rock/metal (any kind) music better than sex… if it is so…
D: It is…it is because you can have it when and where ever you want to. And most of all it never leaves you alone! It could be always in your mind and hearth! (i.n.: Ohh you have spoken wisely dude…)
You have the opportunity to have sex with the porn-star/movie celebrity of your choice. Who would it be & why?
D: Interesting question… heheh too many to mention!
Porn-star probably Belladonna (cause is sooooo nasty!). Movie celebrity Angelina Jolie or Charlize Theron…I think it is useless to tell you why! Ahahah...Imagine that your girlfriend/wife is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
D: I think I would stop her existence on this earth… (i.n.: watch out ladies… hehehe…)
I think we’re over Dario. Close this interview in your own way… Take care…
D: First of all thank you Thanos for this interview. It was very fun and enjoyable to answer your questions. Thank you for giving us this space on your beautiful site and for supporting our music. We invite all your readers to listen to our album, buy it, if they like it, and support us in the future.