Hi Andy and thanks very much for this interview. I'm not going to ask you about the history of the band, but I'm really curious to know how come a band like Martiria, which exists since 1987, released its first work just in 2004? You also don't mention any demos in your discography on your website, are there any?

Hi, Alekos, and thanks to you and to Metal perlspective for the space you are giving to us. The fact is that, in these years, Martiria alternated periods of great activity and periods of total inactivity. Mainly the two most important periods are: the beginning (around 1987) and the actual... return, with the publication of the first album (2004).
In the middle there is almost nothing, in fact the group disbanded and all the original members worked in other projects, including the Dunwich (do you know this band?). Martiria's rebirth was an act of nostalgia in the regarding of what it was my first real metal band. Indeed, this rebirth brought a change of direction. Now the band plays a sort of epic-metal, while at the beginning we used to follow the sound of bands like Candlemass or Black Sabbath. In those times we recorded two demos that are not mentioned on our website because I consider them to belong to a completely different era.
I would like Martiria to be considered a new band, since the situation now is completely different! At the beginning there were four boys full of hopes and energy playing into an underground garage, now there are four old friends, full of experience, joining their competence in the name of a passion for this music that's still as lively as the first day!!

Can you give us some more details about the recordings of the "Eternal Soul". How long have you been working on this? Why did you decided to take the responsibility of the production? I read on your booklet that it was recorded in several studios and I am wondering why? Is it because many parts were recorded in the past?

Thanks for this question. Alekos, so I will be able to clarify some aspects and backgrounds of this album. Let's start saying that the project "The Eternal Soul" was born in May 2003, when Maurizio, Derek and I started to work on some demo songs to present to labels. All the work – composing of the pieces, recording and mixing – was done between May 2003 and January 2004. I got the responsibility of the production, because the labels we started to work with were trying to impose us "their" type of music, so we decided to find someone that would let us completely free to work and to create our music. So we found Brazilian Hellion. I would have gladly avoided assuming this responsibility but I must say that the results have confirmed it was the right thing to do! Yes, the album was recorded in different studios, for several reasons. First of all because Rick Anderson (our singer, ex member of the Warlord) lives in the USA, and since our budget didn't allow us to invite him to work here in Italy, his parts have been made in the USA and the chorus in different studios according to the singer's availability. Again, the drums have been recorded in Maurizio's studio and for the mixing… well… for several reasons we had to mix in a very bad studio in Rome (and don't ask me more!). Luckily, at the end, we found the great Legend Studio of Mauro Matteucci that during the mastering process practically made a miracle and gave to the whole album a very good quality level.

So what is the reaction of the fans and media so far?

Pretty good, when we started to record we would have never thought to awake such a media interest. Very good also the interaction with the critics, that in the majority of the cases have appreciated our work, and absolutely good with the fan that really enjoyed our music!

When did your cooperation with Hellion started? Did you have any contact with other labels before? Are you satisfied from them so far?

We started to work with Hellion more or less in November 2003. In the same period we contacted Rick Anderson as singer. Yeah, we had contacts with other labels, but Hellion was the only one that let us completely free to create what we wanted without commercial pressures.Till now, we're happy about their work, even if we were expecting something more for what it concerns the distribution. But we are still working about this point.

It must be very difficult to continue with a band for almost 14 years, especially when you haven't released anything in the middle. What gave you the strength to carry on?

As I said before, Alekos, Martiria project was "hibernated" for several years, but personally I have a great passion for this type of music, and now I really want people to listen to the music I had closed into my mind for so many years. Now that I have realized this dream, I know I have just started! Be careful, I have so many songs in mind, that we'll need at least 10 albums before finishing with them… and at that point, I will start with new ideas! ... eh eh eh!!

What do you expect from your first album and which standards do you set for the sales?

Well… I don't know what to answer, all what is happening is great as it is, we don't have particular expectations for this album, the important thing is being able to come out and be known by as many people as possible. And we are going to keep working on it.

So what inspires you to write an album? I believe you are the "leader" of Martiria, right?

Many things, and none in particular. … I left my head go, and my hands to follow it, all what you can find in "The Eternal Soul" is part of my perception of music, incredibly enriched and integrated by the sensitivity and great performances of Maurizio, Derek and Rick, whose contribute to the whole album was determinant, as much as by the work of Marco Capelli (writer and poet) who wrote all the lyrics of the album. My idea was, anyway, to create a sound that could bring back in time, a magic sound capable to merge all the musical influences that I've absorbed during my life: metal, folk and opera.

You are delivering old-fashioned heavy, or epic if you like, metal and to my opinion this is a high risk you are taking, because in my opinion it's a genre close to its saturation point, if it hasn't reached it already. The risk is that many editors will accuse you for lack of personal sound. Do you agree with that or do you think that there is room left for more bands to come?

It's a problem I have never thought about. I have created an album made only by my emotions and my way to intend music. I don't care, neither I will, if this has a place in the market or not. I am not anymore a young boy hoping to get success and easy money, today I have a different vision of music. The Martiria went back together just to play, and we will keep going on playing what we like to play just following one road: the passion!!

Will Martiria continue to play like this in the future or will you experiment with your sound?

All can change, we are already working on eleven new pieces and some of them are pretty different from the ones of the previous album. But there are still epic, acoustic, and lyric moments and, in addiction, some parts that we could define doom oriented, heavier but very epic! I cannot tell you more about this, but for the fact that we are in contact also with a Greek label for the production of our next work! Who knows...?

As far as I can tell you must be a die-hard fan of groups like Warlord, Manowar, Iron Maiden and generally of heavy metal as it used to be in the 80's. Are these your influences, too? For the modern metal scene which groups do you pick out?

Surely these are the bands that more influenced my music. I could add Candlemass and Black Sabbath too. I don't follow too much the recent groups, but for the Italian ones – in example the Doomsword or Avantasia and Pain of Salvation, recent projects that captured my attention.

The last few years more and more old bands such as Warlord, Omen, Manilla Road etc have been reunited or reactivated and I believe you are a fan of these bands, so I'd like to ask your opinion about that. Do you think it's something true or there's more in that than meets the eye?

Good question. As you'd have understood, I am not a person who likes to look behind, I try to look at things for what they can give to me, so I think that all these reunions have brought something… maybe sometimes they just contributed to sign the true end of a band! But I would exclude the Warlord from this, because with their 2002 release I think they have really added something to the evergreen metal paradise (with the only exception of Cans, that in my opinion is too "modern" for that magic music!).

Since you're are an old "member" of the Italian metal scene I'd like to ask you about its amazing evolution and what has contributed most to it? Why was Martiria left back?

Well, in these years I made different experiences. I started as metal guitarist in the '80s, dreaming of fame and success, then I enjoyed the pleasure of recording albums with the Dunwich, and, working restlessly with several cover bands, I had hundreds of occasions to learn and to play live, as much in small locals in Rome as in great events or festivals. In the meanwhile, I got married and now I have two marvellous children, honestly I have abandoned the dream to be a rock star and I have started to work only on what I feel inside. This nostalgia, this coming back to the origins, was one of the reasons of the Martiria rebirth. And this is why I asked Maurizio and Derek to follow me, because these are the musicians with whom I have shared the most part of the experiences of these years. And let me say thank you also to Dario Daneluz, friend and singer, who helped us to produce the two demo-songs that allowed us to conclude the agreement with Hellion before the arrival of Rick.

The vast majority of the mainstream Italian outfits are delivering Heavy and Power metal (thank God!!!). Does this reflect on the metal fans there, too? Do you think of your country the haven of heavy metal?

I think the Italian metal scene has been influenced by the wave of Classic and Power metal, so now the bands feel the need to express their characteristics through these genders. As well, the fans breathe and like this type of sonority, but we can't forget that in Italy (as in other countries), there are many groups forming a very complex and differentiated world. For what it concerns me, I am happy that this music is still listened and appreciated!

Have you played live all these years or do you plan to this year, for the promotion of "The Eternal Soul"?

No, we didn't. Martiria have been recently invited to participate to some metal-fest, and we are valuating the possibility. The main problem is that we live very far away from our singer, so all the movements have to be carefully planned. As the most part of the people, we have a job and a family, therefore the problem is to find a period that's suitable for everyone. Anyway we are working on it!

What is your dream for Martiria? What should we expect from you in the future?

A long discography life, and surely we will do our best to be able to play what we feel as long as possible. But future… future is tomorrow and we are already working on it, we are already working on eleven new pieces that, we are sure, will be appreciated by all those who liked "The Eternal Soul" (and hopefully by many more that still don't know us!), now we are planning the recording, since we would like to come out with the new album next spring.

Andy thanks for this interview. I wish you all the best. Anything you'd like to add?

Okay Alekos, we just want to say thanks to all our fans, and in particular to the Greek Metallers, hoping to have soon a chance to come to your land, so charming and so full of history, to play live! Hail!!!