The enlightened SPELLBLAST tower

I interviewed Luca Arzuffi from SPELLBLAST, about the line-up of the band, the new album and the next plans for the band. Questions have been made before the revelations of the new record details.

01. Hi Luca! Lately, you spent a lot of time in the studio to record the forthcoming SPELLBLAST, did it happen well ?

Hi Krissy, yes, it was a very intense year for me and the other guys of the band but I must say that the result is great! It was a pleasure to work with my Band on such an ambitious project.

02. Did it happen well also for the two new members, Daniele Scavoni and Michele Olmi? Did they already have experience Studio recording in past ?

The two ''new entries'' didn't have much experience in studio in the past, but they've revealed good musicians, serious and professional.

03. We don’t know much about them by now; can you tell us more about Scavo, and Mikymetal ?

Miky was the first joining the band, I found him casually, I heard him doing some of his songs and I immediately invited him for an audition with the band. He proved soon strenght and efficacy. Xavier and I decided that he would have been the right man! Meanwhile our roads were taking different directions from John's ones, so Miky proposed his old friend Daniele Scavoni.  He came to an audition and ... boom! I immediately thought: “wow! this is the right voice for the sound of SPELLBLAST”.. so the new line up was born...

04. What's left on the making of the album? Mastering…. ?

Yes, we’ve just ended the mixing part, now the last step is mastering!

05. “Horns Of Silence” appeared like one good album when that was released, so is your second album “Battlecry” while it sounds rather different from each other, and maybe the second sounds more serious. How will sound your next album then ?

The next album will be very different from our previous. You will hear new influences and flavors of the West. The classic SPELLBLAST's sound hasn't disappeared but this time it will be surrounded by completely different atmospheres!

06. Can we know the title of the new album ?

The title is a number that often comes out in “The Dark Tower” saga: “NINETEEN”

07. I think the new album will be released in 2014, can you reveal us the release date ?

Yes, the new album will be released in the early 2014, and promotion allowing, we will try to release it by the end of January. The date is not precisely defined, not yet.

08. You were 17 when you founded the band, right ? Tell me, Luca, how has this project “SPELLBLAST” seen the daylight, exactly ?

Yes, I was 17.  We were a group of friends with a great desire to make good music, SPELLBLAST project was born almost casually... we met in a rehearsal room and we played for hours and hours.. We decided to produce our first demo and people liked it! Since that time we decided to try to make longer steps up to the birth of our first album called "Horns Of Silence".

09. How have you faced the problems with line-up over the years ?

Solving the problems! All are useful but no one essential .. SPELLBLAST passed through hard times, we also came close to split up, but now we're here again and we are stronger than before!

10. Is the new work, a concept album ?

The new album is a concept based on Stephen King's masterpiece Saga called “The Dark Tower”.

11. Will the album be in many editions ?

We haven‘t planned to release more than one edition by Now, as we are totally self-produced and releasing more editions means a lot of money more.. But, we'll see, if we have a wider distribution we can think about it!

12. Can you tell us what are the stories behind all the new songs ? 

We cannot tell what the new tracklist will be yet... ‘cause we’re still working on it! But all the new songs will be focused on Roland and his journey to the Dark Tower, from the desert hunt of the man in black to the Can-Ka-No-Rei

13. From 2008 until 2010, you were also part of FOLKSTONE that is one different band from yours. Can you tell us your experience with them? Did it bring you a lot musically and maybe more ?

Yes, I've had very good experiences on stage with them but it all ended there. I've never considered them friends and they are not people with whom I've something to share. That's a past time, now I want to dedicate all my time to my band.

14. Will some guests appear on the new album ?

This time we’ve no special guest on our album, pure SPELLBLAST sound 100%

15. What are your best and worse experiences, so far ?

These changes of line up are at the same time the best and worst experience that we’ve ever had. You know, being part of a metal band is almost like being in a family and when someone choose to leave it’s always sad but.. when other musicians comes with their experiences and positive thinking, that’s always an awesome thing!

16. Do you plan some gigs in your country, and worldwide ? 

We’re now working hard on the promotion of this album, surely there will be some gigs, but actually we don’t know where and when, stay tuned on www.spellblast.com for further informations!

17. The new album will be released under what label? And where could the people purchase it ?

This album, as the previous one, will not be released under a label; we’ve sent lot of promotional copies to both majors and independent labels but the actual situation of the market doesn't allow us to receive an interesting proposal. We’re therefore going to release NINETEEN all by ourselves!

18. Do you think to make some official videos to promote your new album ?

Of course, these days we are already working at a promotional video that will be released on the first half of December, our way to say Merry Xmas to our fans!

19. What do you want to add for the readers of this page ?

I’m sure that this album will kick some serious asses, it’s an evolution of the SPELLBLAST’s sound and I’m very proud of that. Keep on supporting us brothers, it’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock’n roll.. someone said!