GAME OVER INTERVIEW

1-Hellframes is your fourth album. Many young bands inspired by an old-school sound, starting around the same time as you, have imploded or ended up making questionable choices with their sound. You, however, seem cohesive and unwilling to back down. How have you kept this band together so far?

Ziro: Hi guys and thanks a lot for the space you’re giving us, it's a pleasure to do this interview. I think I speak on behalf of the whole band when I say that the only way to move forward is to have passion for what you do, have a common goal, and be consistent (things we ourselves didn’t always adhere to in the past). This reflects on everything: from the sound, to live activity, to relationships with collaborators, and everything else that surrounds it

2- This album, while firmly anchored in Thrash metal stylistics, still seems to find solutions that don't collapse in on themselves but contribute to the dynamism of the full length, such as the inserts curated by TV Crimes (who has already collaborated with Fulci). Was this a calculated turn or something that exploded by chance?

Ziro: With this record, we worked a lot on the songs and what we wanted to achieve from the album as a whole. We didn’t write impulsively as we did in the past, but we focused a lot on the structure of the songs and their final delivery. This is due to the maturation that comes over time when writing songs, the influences of a certain period, and definitely choices made beforehand. We wanted a record that was "dark," that was Thrash but also had our stamp. The collaboration with Dome from TV Crimes and Fulci almost happened by chance when we met him in a club in Milan. Jokingly, I threw out the idea of him doing a feature on our latest record, and he immediately got excited and jumped on board.

 

3 - We can’t stand two things about the 'revival' Thrash that has lasted since the early 2000s: bands without singalongs (which isn't your case) and all those supposed experts who reject the punk/hardcore influences on the genre. Where do you stand? Steel purists or happy if there are some mohawks in the pit?

Ziro: Absolutely the latter. Our genre is punk but played by metalheads. It’s the foundation of Thrash history. Without punk, it wouldn’t exist, just as it wouldn’t without Heavy Metal. Dividing different facets of what, for me and us, is a single large underground scene makes no sense. One can appreciate or dislike a genre, but I believe that contamination is essential to avoid stagnation and always bring out new and fresh proposals, as long as they are of quality. We are also attendees of both metal and punk or hardcore concerts. For us, barriers do not exist.

4 - You were recently part of an evening organized by STEEL ATTACK, a collective from Cagliari that is bringing back the old school sound to the city. How did you find it?

Ziro: Great, we were treated like gods, and the evening was really fun. The kids who came to see the concert were super pumped, and we were surprised to hear that it had been a long time since they had seen such a mosh at a metal concert. This makes us very happy. We hope it won't be years before we return!

5 -List 5 (or more) albums that shaped you and give us a brief description of each.

Ziro: This is always a tough question… I can definitely tell you one, which is “Ride The Lightning” by Metallica because, for me, it is the perfect Thrash Metal album: it contains melody and aggression, and none of the songs ever tire me when I listen to them. Others would be Van Halen's first album, for the way of playing the guitar that greatly influenced me. Slayer’s “South Of Heaven” for the ability to be heavy without going 200 mph. “Age Of Quarrel” by Cro-Mags, which, even if it wasn’t the first hardcore band I listened to, made me realize that metal and hardcore punk can coexist peacefully and add violence to the former.

6 - Notoriously, being an Italian band has never favored anyone (at least until a few Eurovision contests ago). Get some stuff off your chest and let us know what’s wrong, even though we see your project is very well received.

Ziro: A lot of things are wrong; it would take a social analysis of what is happening in Italy to understand why it is so difficult for an Italian band to emerge compared to an English, German, Belgian, or, obviously, American band. However, I would look at the glass half full. Today, there are many more Italian bands that are making a name for themselves abroad, which, in my opinion, is a sign of a better situation than 10 years ago. Fleshgod Apocalypse, Fulci, Messa, Hideous Divinity, Frozen Crown, and I’m sure I’m forgetting many others. Some you may like or not, but they are making a difference.

7 - The visual aspect of a band does not leave us indifferent, and we noticed the beautiful artwork by Mario Lopez, as well as the video 'Path of Pain' being heavily inspired by the latex horror that infested the 80s and 90s. Do your lyrics also draw from this inspiration? Tell us a bit about it all.

Ziro: Certainly. Music is only part of what a band is. Without taking care of the aesthetic part, a band is only halfway realized. The visual part complements the sound, both in terms of artwork and complete coordinated image (from the look on stage to merchandise, gadgets, photos, videos, etc.). Everything must reflect the essence of the band.

8 - And speaking of drawings and graphics, we know that your axeman Ziro does some pretty cool work. If he wants to talk about what he does, this is the time (as well as if you want to promote side projects, bands of friends/cousins, or other activities).

Ziro: Thanks a lot for the compliments! Yes, I do artwork and illustration for bands, and design in general. Many of the artworks and merchandise designs for Game Over, as well as for my other bands, are done by me. Just like most of the graphics we create for our channels and band-related communication. As for the merchandise printing, Sanso takes care of it, as he now manages this aspect of our merchandising with his screen printing business, Split Image.

9 - The name Game Over takes us back to the gaming world. Are you fans of what adults call 'electronic games'... If you were inside a nice arcade cabinet from the 80s/90s, what type of Arcade game would you be?

Ziro: Good question! I like games that are a bit retro but not too old. I'm more attached to those from the late '90s and early 2000s, particularly various fighting games. So I’d say definitely a Tekken, with Yoshimitsu always being my favorite. Although I’ve always been terrible at it.

10  - The torture is over, you are free (for now...even though you don’t have the second Motorhead cover). Free space.

Ziro: Thanks a lot for the space you gave us! To those reading, check out our new album “Hellframes” released a few months ago, and see you at one of the next concerts, on or off the stage

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