ThisAgeHated
ThisAgeHated

I was contacted by my close friend Roby, who informed me about his new musical project. It resulted in an interesting discussion; this is the full account of our email conversation.

1) Hi Roby!! Thank you in advance for agreeing to my proposal; a kind of online interview to talk about the five songs of your band. To break the ice, a brief introduction about you and the band; your previous projects, your musical background. I ask for a certain brevity because I know you quite well and some of you have played in many other local projects.

R: Hi Lorenzo. Thank you for the interview. The band consists of Dario Fanelli on guitar, Ivan Bionda on bass, Ale Dell’Aglio on drums, and me on vocals. As you mentioned, we are all veterans of the VCO's underground rock, metal, and hardcore scenes. Some of us have been involved in various bands since the 90s and 2000s (Quinto Livello, Distorted Violence, Grey Cube, Human Toilet, Stopgap, Greentrip, Lady Bastard, to name a few). Dario and I have wanted to create a musical project together for a long time. We always promised each other, and finally, in 2017, we made it happen. We immediately called Ivan, who accepted the proposal with enthusiasm. Finding a drummer was a bit more difficult, but Ale joined us a few months later.

Regarding our musical background, I can tell you that each of us listens to very different things. We certainly have many tastes in common, but there are always lively discussions and debates about our listening habits. Personally, I think it's a precious resource that then flows into our music, creating a sound that we find very interesting.

2) Coming to talk specifically about the work, available for now on SoundCloud and soon on streaming platforms and CD, I was struck by the cover image. You told me on the phone that it is the work of a local artist; how did the idea for the cover and also the name you chose for the band come about?

R: I'd like to answer you first about the band name: I have to confess it was a long labor. During every rehearsal, we spent the downtime brainstorming to find a name for this unfortunate band until one evening someone said, "we are really quite troubled!!" Another said, "but how do you say it in English: disegeited?" That's how ThisAgeHated was born. A fun thing, a sort of linguistic play which also has a more serious connotation, because this is definitely a difficult and, in some ways, hated era.

The cover, on the other hand, was born from the collaboration with a young and very talented Ossolan painter, Lorenzo Vecchietti, already known in the best artistic circles (look for him on Facebook and Instagram; contacts can be found in the EP presentation on SoundCloud and in the CD credits). A friend with whom I share part of my work with disabled kids. Simply, one day while chatting, I said to him, "Lorenzo, would you like to paint the ThisAgeHated?" and he replied, "Sure, let me hear your music." That's how the cover of the EP came about!

3) We’ve known each other for about thirty years, and I believe I'm not wrong in saying that the songs are all written by you; I'm not very familiar with English, so I'd also like you to talk about the lyrics, what they narrate. Finally, did you get help from a native English speaker in writing them?

R: The lyrics mainly explore the introspective side of human knowledge. I could say there’s a common thread that unites the lyrics of the five songs in our work: it's change. Change that inevitably affects everyone’s life. Sometimes it’s a real need that we all face. Sometimes the change is conscious and sought after, improving one's life. Other times, however, one unconsciously notices the change happening, creating transformations often with tragic outcomes.

"Bomb" essentially talks about loneliness. Loneliness that falls upon you, where you find yourself having burned bridges around you because of the way you relate to the world and people. "Desert Dawn" speaks of escape, from one's demons, one's ghosts. An escape that often leads nowhere if we haven't faced and defeated them first. "The Stranger" talks about our dark side, our “dark side” that unfortunately sometimes prevails with tragic outcomes. "Charon" is about the last journey we all must make sooner or later. "Change" simply addresses the need to change in the face of critical situations, human conditions that cannot change by themselves but only with our will.

At the end of writing the lyrics, I consulted with a friend with linguistic skills far superior to mine, who helped me slightly correct them.

4) I listened to the songs with extreme attention. As I mentioned, there are five songs with a total duration of about 17 minutes, so on average, it's a rather concise duration. You don't waste time with too many unnecessary musical introductions and start straight away with absolute power, as happens with the opener "Bomb." Lowered guitars, intense; a rampant, driving bass, incisive drums that hit hard!! A piece overflowing with rage that pleasantly reminded me of early Soundgarden. Your voice, at times torn, at times melodic (as with the remaining tracks) even reminded me in some more reflective passages of the great Chino Moreno of the Deftones. Can you, can you confirm these initial references of mine? And what can you add?

R: Look, I have to tell you that everyone we had listen to the EP expressed the most varied comparisons and similarities! Some told us we evoke a mix of Helmet, Alice in Chains, Deftones, early Tool, White Zombie. All bands we esteem and appreciate, and for some, we have a true love! So these comparisons give us great pleasure. The fact that everyone finds different things within our music only confirms the many influences that, through our listening and background, flow into our music. "Bomb" was our first song composed together. It's pure power. We are very attached to this track

5) We continue with "Desert Dawn," and here the references shift elsewhere. The word desert in the song title is not written by chance because it feels very Stoner, Kyuss and Unida foremost; but there's more. The stopped guitar is a clear nod to Helmet and the grandeur of Page Hamilton. Here, in my opinion, lies the greatest influence I sensed throughout the work: the Hardcore-Noise that was so lauded in our distant youth. Moving on to "Charon," another track of epic battle, introduced by a solid and rich bass sound. Intense minutes, with a Metal phrasing in the central part and a convulsive, noisy, disrupted ending by the six strings. Each track a different reference: all this to say that you are very hard to categorize. It's difficult to place you in a specific genre; so I'll try to define the genre you propose: GrooveHardcore(Post)NoiseStoner written without spaces!! Do you agree with me again?

R: I have to say you nailed it. As I mentioned before, Desert Dawn is about escape, an escape into the desert. I listen to a lot of stoner, and the names you mentioned are certainly foundational references for me! Another spot-on reference, in my opinion, is the one you made with Helmet and Page Hamilton, true gurus of alternative metal or post-hardcore, whatever you want to call it. Unfortunately, I’m not good with definitions, and often you simply can't and don't manage to define a certain type of music due to the numerous influences it contains. But I think that's the best part! Your definition is undoubtedly fitting and complete, but perhaps we prefer to say that it's powerful, direct, and honest alternative metal. C’est plus facile.

Regarding "Charon," I can tell you that the idea for the lyrics came from Ivan, our bassist. I just turned his idea into a song, finding the right words and meter for the music.

6) There were supposed to be five questions; but I want to ask one more. Do you plan to play in any venues in our areas to promote the work? If so, please kindly inform me because I would like to coordinate the audience movements below the stage!! The good old Pogo-Man Lorenzo is aged but still capable of teaching, with elbows high... Like the old times...

R: Ahahahaha, how can we forget the old days of wild pogo, which we often shared! We definitely plan to play live as soon as possible. Future dates are yet to be defined. So far, we have played only once, this summer at the Loggiapalooza in Trontano, organized by our friends of Loggia del Leopardo, who never give up! Unfortunately, as you well know, it's increasingly difficult to find venues and situations to perform in our area. But we are hopeful, looking forward with optimism.

Thus I concluded, or rather, we concluded. I believe it turned out to be an interesting interview; yesterday I posted the EP in the listenings. I recommend all debaserians to check it out.

Ad Maiora.