Progressive metal band Mirrormaze took the chance to answer a few questions for Metal Shock Finland on release of their new album ‘Walkabout’.
1. Welcome to Metal Shock Finland, I’m Dylan Raine, who are you?
Nice to meet you Dylan, I’m Davide Penna the song writer of MirrorMaze.
2. Can you tell me about the origins of the music and how everything came together?
Samuele and I formed MirrorMaze in 2008.The main goal since the beginning was to write progressive metal mixed with alternative metal music.
In 2009, with demo material, we had to the search of high-profile musicians to complete the line-up.
During the year Fabio D’Amore (bass and backing vocalist for Fairyland, Serenity, Pathosray) joined the project as our new lead singer and bass player.
Recordings sessions started right after at Artesonika studios in early 2010. While the recordings our aim was to seek a very special guest to perfom on the record and Ray Alder from Fates Warning and Redemption was contacted to sing on the track “Deeper Signs”.
In our opinion the blending of our singer and Ray Alder creates a unique sound and give the song a deep and special musical meaning.
To end the recordings we called a session man, Matteo Maselli, to play drums for us.
The mix and mastering was given to the amazing Staffan Karlsson (Stevie Wonder, Nathan East, Earth Wind & Fire, The Roxette and Firewind) in his Landgren Studio 5.1 in Sweden. It’s some month later that we found the definitive line up with Fabio Nasuelli on drums and Juan Manuel Savoini on bass.
3. Who plays what in the band?
Fabio D’Amore is the singer and made lead and backing vocals on the entire album.
Davide Penna is me J I’m the lead and rhythm guitarist and the songwriter.
Samuele Lanfranchini, my dear friend and the founding member with me, play the keyboards and made all the arrangements.
Fabio Nasuelli is our drummer and Juan Manuel Savoini is our bassist.
They don’t play on our debut because they became part of MirrorMaze later then the mix and mastering process was done… but they will do it on the next! J
4. Where or who are your main influences?
The main influences of all of us are surely Dream Theater. We all love their music. To write these songs I was really influenced, although Dream theater are the main, by Alterbridge (that teach me how to mix prog structures with alternative refrain and make good riffing and vocal melodies), Symphony X, Fates Warning, Neal Morse solist projects, Evergrey, Pink Floyd, Nickelback and all legends of hard rock like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Whitesnake ecc. Samuele was inspired so much more by the really progressive band like: Yes, Rush, Planet X, Derek Sherinian solo albums, Transatlantic ecc. Fabio D’Amore, although he loves the same music we love, adds other influences that arrive from power/symphonic/trash metal like Angra, Nevermore, Kamelot, Masterplan, Firewind ecc.
5. Do you have any Tours or Gigs planned?
Unfortunately we have just two gig planned for the moment, the main is on 18th May (our release party); we will be the openers for one of the more important Italian power metal band: Labyrinth. There’s a guy who find us this kind of gigs but we are looking for a booking agency or a promoter that help us to play our music in other countries and make some tours.
6. What would you say is the most defining track on the album and why?
If I have to choose one… I think that Deeper Signs is the most, not only for the awesome performance of Ray Alder, but I think that everything in this song sounds perfect…the acoustic guitars in the central part, the arrangements of keys, the lyrics, the way of singing of Fabio that it’s simply phenomenal, the crescendo of pathos…everything sounds really good. Everytime I listen to it I get excited and I’m moved.
7. Can we have some links to your music, website, or videos?
The website: www.mirrormaze.eu
On facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MIRRORMAZE/120823204600495
On youtube: http://www.youtube.com/mirrormazeband
8. Is there anything you would like to share with the MSF readers that I have not yet asked?
We are looking for a promoter to make a little European tour because we know Finland and the north Europe has a great legacy in metal so we really want to come over there and play! J
If you could help us, we would appreciate it for a lifetime! J
9. Thank you very much for your time and this wonderfully created album.
Thank you too; we hope you liked the album.
Interview by Dylan Raine
To read MSFinland’s “Walkabout” -review, please go HERE.
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 