1. How did you come up with the idea of creating Calvana? Why did you choose the name Calvana? And what does it refer to?
The band was born with the intention to playing Norwegian black metal. Calvana is the name of the mountain between Florence and Prato, the cities where we live. Several reasons led us to choose this name. The Calvana mountain has always historically been a land of shepherd men and there’re many stories of blood and kidnappings related to this place mainly thanks to the large amount of places to hide, like caves and dense vegetation.
2. Although the band was born in 2015, it is not until 2020 that you release “IɅ”, have you spent all this time working on the album? How has the composition and recording process of “IɅ” been?
Our first full length "IɅ" took about 3 years to be written and recorded, during this period the band had some line-up changes and some breaks for personal reasons. The recording session was around the end of 2018 and the period between the recording and the release (May 2020) has been necessary to define some details together with the label. During this whole period we continued to work on the new material.
The composition starts from a mystical improvisation and in this way we find the main riffs to build the structure of the song. Then we play it in loop to finish it and to add details.
3. It is surprising how balanced the final sound reached by “IɅ”, being your first album, how did you get this compact sound? What brands of instruments do you use to compose and record an album like “IɅ”?
We have performed a live recording in our rehearsal room with the same gear and room configuration and this allowed us to achieve the impact we wanted. About the gear, we use transistor amp, semi-acoustic guitar, sub-brand bass guitar of Fender precision, drum available in the rehearsal room and keyboard buyed in a flea market. The best instrument used to record "IɅ" it was the gong that you can hear in the song IIIɅ.
4. The powerful sound achieved in “IɅ” is striking. As musicians, is Calvana the first project you are part of or do you already have experiences in other groups?Calvana isn’t the first project we have had. Each member has around 20/25 years of experience and has spent it in several bands and playing different musical genres.
5. The sound of “IɅ” could be defined as a furious and violent black metal with death influences, with a strong component of the classic sound of the nineties and sounds that could remind bands like Marduk, how would you define the sound of “ IɅ ”? And what has influenced you when it comes to getting this sound?
We wanted the sound of "IɅ" remember 90's productions. Right from the start there was a search for that sound and it was well impressed thanks to a live recording in the “ambient” (intended as a familiar place where song writing and arrangement takes place) of our rehearsal room. No particular definition about our sound, it simply has to give a "cold" feeling. The biggest inspirations are bands like Burzum, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Immortal and tons of other black metal bands and not only.
6. Why did you decide to call the album “IɅ”? What do these symbols refer to?
The symbols used for the title and songs are Etruscan numbers, those that inspired the most famous Roman numbers. The Etruscans are our ancestors who inhabited the lands where we live.
7. The ten songs that “IɅ” contains, use a nomenclature similar to that of the album, with which the listener does not have much idea of where the lyrics go and others, what topics do you deal with in your texts? And why do you decide to talk about them?
The sequence in which the symbols are listed is referred to the writing period of each song that has been associated with an ancient code that we found inside an Etruscan tomb located just right on the Calvana mountain. No lyrics in our songs, it’s only phonetics that we use to make the mountains speak.
8. “IɅ” was recorded and mixed at Hill Valley Studio and mastered at Orange Recording Studio. Why did you decide to do the whole recording process with them?
They are our friends and we know the way they work, the records they have produced and their versatility. In our head we had clear the sound of "IɅ" so this it was the right solution for the production of the album.
9. Coito Negato was in charge of graphic design, why did you decide to work with him? What does the album cover refer to and what connection does it have with music?
Same approach for the graphics. We really like his works and his involvement in the development of an artwork. Explaining to him how we wanted to make the graphics and the cover, he immediately was able to transfer our ideas into a drawing. The cover is a simple and essential representation of the Calvana mountain which is our primary source of inspiration.
10. They come from Florence, region of Tuscany, all related to the Renaissance, how does a black metal band fit in such a different environment? What can you tell us about the black metal scene in your area?
Our history starts from the Etruscans, our ancestors who have much older origins than the Renaissance and Roman history. We have connection only with nature and the Calvana mountains.
11. How were your beginnings in music: first albums that you bought, first concerts that you attend? What happened in your lives supposed that you wanted to dedicate yourself to music?
When you hear a metal song for the first time and you realize that you will never be able to stop without it. The curiosity to discover new bands and new sounds follows. We started playing and approaching different musical genres since we were teenagers. We listen to different metal genres (black, death, grind, heavy ...) and also rock, noise, psychedelic bands and so on.
12. The album has been released on CD and digitally by Schattenkult Produktionen, how did you come up with the possibility of editing the album with them? Are you satisfied with the promotion and editing work done by Schattenkult Produktionen?
We have contacted the labels that most interested us and Schattenkult Produktionen is one of them. We are very satisfied of the final product under each aspects, in terms of music, artwork and final print.
13. What was the last album you bought? What album defines for you the essence of black metal? What album can't you stop listening to?
Last album bougth is “Balls to the wall” – Accept. The main inspiration for our music came from “De mysteriis dom sathanas” and “Transilvanian hunger”, about the inspiration in general, the album “Black Sabbath”
14. Once the Covid-19 is behind, are there possibilities of being able to power Calvana live? What future plans do you have for the band?
Calvana is a studio project, no concert are planned.
15. Thank you very much for taking the time to Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for the followers of Calvana this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.
Thank you for the interview and we want to thank all those who support us and who will want to do it in the future.
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IC Rex – Vedenjakaja (2LP) 19,99 €
The release offers an 8-page full-color 12"x12" booklet with lyrics and A3 poster.
Limited to 300 copies: 100 on blue vinyl, 200 on black vinyl [this entry].
