What was the beginning pint for your music career? How did it all start?
Total Recall was born in 2019. The founding members Luca (Pigo) (K-Aagain, Samaritan, Embrace Destruction), Stef (K-Again, Traces of You, Die Trying) and Danny (Embrace Destruction) were already veterans in the Hardcore/Metalcore scene and decided to start to write music together after their common friend and brother Massy passed away after a long fight with his disease. Massy toured with Pigo and Stef for more than 20 years and he wanted the 2 old friends to come back together in a band as they played in different bands for many years. Stef and Pigo recruited the drummer Danny who played in Embrace Destruction (the last band of Pigo and Massy) and decided to form a band with members who played or toured with Massy. After Pigo decided not be a singer anymore and to take Massy’s bass guitar to keep his legacy alive, with Stef at guitars and Danny at the drums, the line up started to write music without following any particular influence, with the only purpose to write songs that could reflect the style of music they played with Massy throughout the last 20 plus years. After a few months Andy was added as singer. Andy toured with Massy when he was in Rise Above Dead and his friendship with him went back some 15 plus years, and Stefano (Bleed) as guitarrist who also was in Rise Above Dead.
Was there any bumps on the road? What kind of challenges did you have to deal with?
Even though we are on the map since only 3 years we already needed to face a few challenges.
After we formed the band in 2019 we made a plan which involved the music and the management and booking part of the business. After the pandemic stroke in 2020 we needed to review basically everything we have planned. We needed to change the release date of the album, delaying up till July 2021 an album that was ready in January 2020, we needed to change completely the communication approach and find a PR Agency able to create a bit of interest for a band that basically never went public. We needed also to change the booking approach and try to find little spots here and there in a completely saturated situation in late 2021 and 2022.
This is still going on right now, and we think that we will need to adjust the plans up till at least 2024.
What was the most fulfilling and satisfying moment so far?
We would say to be able to release our first Full Length Always Together (https://open.spotify.com/album/3ueIOuLueAszSENTqjJE8s ) signing with the Australian label 1054 Records. This gave us the opportunity to put the music we wrote for our missing friend Massy on the map.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
We could say that is blend of Low Tuned Metallic Hardcore with Post Hardcore influences and some old Numetal vibes. You will find also a touch of Death and Blackmetal in it like 2 olives in a Martini.
What is your creative process like?
Musically speaking the songwriting is a common effort and the 5 of us contribute to the songs pretty much equally. Lyrically speaking Andy (vocals) and Pigo (Bass) do most of the work. Our lyrics speak about the innerself. They are deeply personal. In every release we also write a lyric that speak about our missing friend.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
We would enforce the infrastructure. At the moment the industry is more focused on the image then on the product. They focus on numbers (views, streams and so on) not on actual substance.
Back in the days you were earning your fans one at the time trying to go on stage as much as you could and everywhere you could, you could book non mainstream full tours and so on.
This was also a good way to distinguish true bands from figurines, only if you had something more than others you were able to succeed.
But this was possible cause there where way more venues doing live music, music magazines, radios and even underground tv channels and actually people were used to go to shows, not to pay tickets to see a live streaming concert from home.
Back in the days Guitar Hero was a videogame you know……
If you were asked to give a piece of advice to upcoming bands, what would that be?
Play what you like. Don’t focus on create something that can be liked, just like it first yourself. Be true to yourself and give 100% every time you are in the studio or on a stage. There is no money in this music so don’t waste your time in becoming a product, invest your time in your skills and write the best songs you can.
What has been the best performance of your career so far?
We are active since 3 years only and 2 of them were heavily influenced by the pandemic, this gave us really little room to have memorable performances.
If we review the shows we played from late 2021 till now the best performance was in France during the Perseverance and Alliance Tour in May 2022.
If you didn’t become a musician, what would you be doing now?
Some of us would enjoy more the pub for sure, some would watch Horror or 80’s movies way more probably starting a podcast or whatever, some would play Basketball and try to become a coach, some would ride a bike, all of us would enjoy to spend as much time as possible with families and friends. Simple stuff.
What is new with the band at the moment? What are you currently working on and would like to share with the world?
We are completing the live effort to support the release of our first Full Length Always Together (https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CEQfQQ6l9oOaEJpuaa3co ) out pretty much everywhere via the Australian 1054 Records. After a series of club shows in Italy and a package Tour in France we will do a short tour in UK this early November (3-4-5) with No Second Chance and we will embark in small European Run in Italy, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium in early December (2-7-8-9-10). In the meanwhile since a couple of months we are recording some preproductions. The new songs are surely more dark and heavy than the previous ones but at the same time they keep the same attitude. It’s a natural evolution of the 5 of us nowworking together since 3 years. This new songs are reflecting our common influences in a more natural way. According to what our feelings will be about the pre prods we will decide if we will hit the studio for a Full Length or for an EP, but for sure in early 2023 we will release new music.
