Chad Bowar: What was the band's mindset as you went into the songwriting process for Dark Adrenaline?
Andrea Ferro: We were in a bit of a negative spot, as we had some little problems in our personal lives. Some of the band members went through some negative moments; nothing particularly crazy, but altogether it was a bit of a negative mood. We decided to use the negativity and turn it into a more powerful outcome for the music and the lyrics. That's why we called it Dark Adrenaline. We had darker elements as inspiration. Darkness can be a very good place for inspiration, just not a good place for a person. A lot of creativity has come out of darkness, sometimes more than happiness. You see things through different eyes, which can be good for creativity.
You worked with producer Don Gilmore again. Was it more comfortable this time since everybody knew each other?
Yes, totally. He's a really cool guy. He knows when it's time to chill out when you're stuck somewhere in the recording process. He also knows when it's time to focus and get right to work and be professional. We're also very good friends. This time around we knew we could work very well with him because we learned on the previous album what we really needed. We did decide to have someone else mix the album, because he's a rock-oriented guy, and this album is more powerful and needed a more metal kind of mix. So we decided to mix it with some friends here in Italy.
Last time the whole album was recorded in the U.S. This time, he came to Italy for part of the recordings. How did that impact things?
It was cool, because all the music was recorded in our hometown of Milan in a nice vintage studio. It was great for the musicians, because they could go home and relax and feel more comfortable. We also saved money by doing it that way. Cristina and I recorded the vocals in Los Angeles at Don's studio. That works for Cristina and I, because we like to be isolated and free from the distractions of home. We want total immersion when writing the lyrics, so we would rather be somewhere else.
How do you and Cristina go about writing and collaborating on your lyrics?
We collaborate, but there are ideas that originate from one or the other. We talk about things we experience and see around us and know about. We don't like to write about stuff that we're not very familiar with. Sometimes it starts with a personal topic, and we analyze it and write in a way that everybody can relate to. We like to work together. We also have Don help us with the English, saying it in the way that an English speaker would, instead of us just guessing.
Your last album was very pop-rock oriented, and as you mentioned earlier, this one is more metal. Is that something you planned going in, to make it harder edged?
When we started, we wanted to have more heavy material. That is what we were missing from the previous album. With that album, we experimented with different sounds, and some stuff really worked out well and we were delighted with it. Other stuff was missing, like the heavy stuff, especially the power of some of the songs in the live shows. So we wanted a little heavier and darker vibe on some of the atmospheres of the songs and lyrics.
You've done some cover songs in the past, and this time decided to do R.E.M.'s “Losing My Religion.” How did you decide on that one?
We have fun changing songs into our style. We like them to almost sound like one of our songs. It also helps when we play live in different places. We play a lot of big festivals, and it's cool to have a song like that because everybody's not familiar with your material, and they will know a famous song and can get into the show and sing along. We already had “Losing My Religion” in mind a few years ago when we ended up doing “Enjoy The Silence” on Karmacode. We decided to do it at another time. This time, its lyrics really fit in well with the rest of the album and decided to try it. I think the result is interesting, because it's quite different. It's slower and darker.
There are several different editions of Dark Adrenaline that are available, some that include a DVD. What's on that DVD?
The DVD is made up of six clips, one from each band member, that are an explanation of the Dark Adrenaline theme. You see the vials of black liquid that are also on the album cover. You see Cristina being injected with the liquid, which is the dark adrenaline, and then start to have visions that are inspired by classic horror movies and other things that inspired our band. It alternates between horror and comedy. It's something different instead of the usual live DVD or studio documentary that we've done in the past. We used a professional director, and it came out pretty cool.
You did a video for “Trip The Darkness.” Are video shoots something you enjoy doing, or a necessary evil?
I enjoy it when I see it done. It's not very fun to shoot it, because you repeat everything a million times. It's all done in one day, and really intense. I really like this one because it's simple, shot in black and white, but it looks really good.
You're coming to North America this spring as part of Gigantour. What goes into deciding whether you're going to be part of a package tour as opposed to doing your own headlining tour?
Usually we start a tour cycle, especially in North America, doing a support tour. It's easier for us to get to play in front of a lot of people on a tour that gets a lot of media attention. It lets us do more promotion, radio shows, acoustic things, meet and greets, etc. It's good to start that way, play a few songs from the new album along with classic songs, and promote the album. I'm sure we'll be back later on in the year to do a headlining tour once the record has been out for a few months.
Dave Mustaine is pretty involved selecting the bands on Gigantour. Do you think his collaboration with Cristina a few years ago on “A Tout Le Monde” helped you guys get on the bill?
Yes, and also the fact that we also were on Gigantour in Australia a few years ago. We know each other and worked really well together. We had a great relationship with him and all the guys in Megadeth. I think this one will be good. It's a very diverse lineup. It feels great to have a relationship with somebody like Dave Mustaine who is such an important part of the history of rock and metal.
You've spent a lot of time in the U.S. touring and recording. What's your favorite part of visiting here?
I always have a good time. We have a lot of friends, and touring there is very comfortable because of the big tour buses and 24 hour places. We always feel at home when we're in America. We split our time between Europe and America. Cristina spends a lot of time there because of her boyfriend, and our guitar player is married to a girl from Minnesota. We're European of course, but feel very well-received in America.
When you're on the road and have some down time, what do you like to do?
On the show day, I do a little exercise, play video games or watch a movie. If we have time and are in a city we like to go for a walk and look around. We don't like to just stay at the venue all day sitting on the bus.
In addition to the band's Facebook page, you have your own personal one. Have you found that a good way to communicate with fans?
Yes. It's almost a job keeping up with updating Facebook and Twitter. But it's cool because you can get in touch with people. There are so many bands and so many distractions that it's important to keep that relationship with the fans. I like to keep in touch with people.
