Interview: Noturnall - "Stand Up and Make the Difference!"

Formed by experienced musicians in the Brazilian Metal scene, the Noturnall, instead the short existence already has an album, 5 video clips and a DVD (with special guest Russel Allen, who also participates the album), reaching record in pre-sales of their debut, and continues working hard to expand the band's name, betting on that experiment and quality musicians, the band formed by the basis of the final formation of the group Shaman, added one of the best drummers of our time, Aquiles Priester (former Angra, Hangar, Primal Fear), and  with heavy and powerfull Metal sound,  free to create. Check out an interview with vocalist Thiago Bianchi and know more about Noturnall!

RtM: Before speaking of Noturnall is good to remember that you, Fernando Quesada, Léo Mancini and Ricardo  Confessori in about 7 years of partnership, released three albums and a DVD with Shaman, and now you three, and Aquiles Prister on drums, released the first Noturnall's album. With the experience acquired through these years in music, what factors do you think are essential for a band to differentiate from other bands on the scene, to consolidate and have a longevity?

Thiago Bianchi: Actually it does not come as much of the Shaman, but a lifetime connected to music. I am the son of singer and drummer, and I'm in the music business since I can remember. And music for us is nothing more and nothing less than you really are, not try to be someone else, or do not try to please this or that person, or to try to sell our music for money ... I understand that my career has been extremely satisfying for me, because what matters most in life is you to be happy, and just because I never tried to sell me and please others more than me.

"Really, I like to make music, and that, first of all, is what matters, is making music for what comes inside you, not for what you want people enxergassem you in a way."

RtM: Speaking now in Noturnall, the band's sound has lots of aggressiveness, following a different line that you made in Shaman, which despite sounding heavy too, incorporates and invests more in the melodic parts. Bet on different things give you a sense of freedom?

TB: All the bands I've done in my life, and I say once again: "I've never done music for the Others". I always made music for me, but not selfishly, but simply putting myself first, from the point of view of whether I would be happy doing that. The Karma was my first professional band, so to speak, and was the band that actually taught me that music is this.

And the Shaman was a consequence, because I had to adapt myself in a different reality, it was the reality of a band that already existed and which had already been successful. And I simply followed the steps of a person who had already obtained this success in this way: the guy has come a way, found a way, and I came at first following this path and then finding my own way, as things have to be in the natural world, which is taking its first steps! Spread your wings and fly!.

RtM: The Shaman was an important part, then, because he already had a name and a concept virtually consolidated, and that put them a great responsibility ...

TB: In our case we felt that the Shaman made us have an identity as band, from the point of view of four individuals who met at a different reality, which was to a certain type of music to someone who we expected, and the Fernando Quesada, Leo Mancini, Fabrizio Di Sarno and I, and Juninho Carelli a little later. And Noturnall was ultimately a kind of "nirvana", which is not the band, but when you reach its peak within Buddhism. And we understand that the Noturnall entered its musical apex of freedom, because we should not have anything to anyone, did not want to please anyone and did not want to have any ties, just wanted to make music for those who had to hear music the way we like to do.

The Noturnall is the ultimate experience of freedom in the sound, and so it has worked because people understand that it is something honest and made from the heart, and not to please someone or sell to who you are.

RtM: There was happening before, and the Noturnall, following "the voice of the heart", as you said, things started to happen?

TB: The Noturnall is the band's biggest selling album this year and the band did more shows this year. We made a CD and DVD, five video clips, a privileged tour and we will finish the year with a European tour. This with a band only a year old. This for me is much more than a victory, it is a satisfaction and a pleasure that has no size. And of course, people want me to say, "Oh, is shut up for those who criticized you in the past?"

Understand how you want, because that's not what drives me, what drives me is to be happy. And if happiness bother others is no longer part of me keep telling if this is right or wrong, I just know I'm happy, my teammates are happy.

And it is a band that I can share happiness, make money and this one life to my family. I'm totally full musically at that time.

RtM: And talk about the sensation of have Aquiles Priester, one of the greatest drummers of Metal scene beside you on Noturnall?

TB: Aquiles was the perfect marriage of a group that already had a good mixed uniqueness, which joined a guy who, in my view, has always been a great genius of Heavy Metal drum.

Not that I'm going to comment now sounds like a criticism, but the plain and simple point of view, I always saw the Aquiles as a loner in all bands he appeared. Sometimes I notice that you hear him playing a few times you see the musicians are in the same world as him, and that's something I always wanted to try to change the Aquiles because he is a guy I had never done music together, besides being one of the drummers I admire most.

And I thought, if I ever play with Aquiles someday, I would try to bring it a little more into my life and try to enter a little more in his world, rather than let it guide the world that he had in mind, And honestly, I think the Aquiles is a guy who was born to play in Noturnall, though it may be a trivial thing to talk or even arrogant, but it's how I feel. I hope people understand this in a more pure as possible, because I'm being honest extramente under the musical point of view.

Make a sound with the Aquiles today, and hear what he delivers in Noturnall, to me is his apex as drummer. You hear the guy playing and all that he is doing makes sense, but at the same time he did not steal the scene.

RtM: The album was a record in the pre-sale, and also sales in the first weeks.

TB: Speaking of numbers, yes, it was the largest pre-sales record in Die Hard (one of the biggest brazilian Heavy Metal stores). Was record of sales in one day! The album "Noturnall" was the biggest selling album in the store on a day of all the titles, and there was a queue of fans to buy the disk, which is something similar to the "Black Album", seen in the documentary "A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica", scenes that only happened in the 90s and in the early days. And this happened in full year 2014, of people taking the CD in hand, celebrating and having a queue at the door. I can not explain why it happened, because it was not so with the Shaman, with Hangar and with Angra at the time that the Aquiles was in the band.

RtM: And and you also recorded a live DVD, wich also come with great results!
TB: Our greatest asset is our audience! It's what made us get here the way we came, so many views of videos, many records sold ... This is useless as when you see our DVD, see that receptivity and see people singing our songs. And that is to say that, on the DVD, you see people singing loudly that even in moments, could not hear my voice and the voice of the crowd completely cover up my microphone, and a record that had been launched there, amazingly enough, about a month and a half. And people knew all the lyrics to all the songs, palm beat the parts that were clapping. It was a middle thing Iron Maiden, a disc that was out for less than 2 months. And to me that was one of the most important moments of my career, and that thanks to the cosmos is properly documented on the DVD. I hope you watch and enjoy.

RTM: you wanted to talk about the participation of vocalist Russell Allen on the track "Nocturnall Human Side" and the approach that you have with him.

TB: At some point during our tours the world with the Shaman, we met a few times playing along with Symphony X. And we sometimes took hours watching their show and they watching our show. In the last show, which if I remember was at the Masters Of Rock, I left and was Russell Allen watching our show sitting in the chair. And then I come that change of pleaseantries, "Damn, you're the man!"; "Really, so let's make a sound together?"; "Of course! Just call me!" Ai after he did his show, we watched as always, because the guy is a dragon that came from the center of the earth, with that voice like a volcano.

After the show, we got drunk and we scored a lot of things, with a good bar conversation. And after a few days I got in touch with him and he really was a good guy and reached out to us because he is a bigger guy, not only in stature, but one of the most important names in Heavy Metal world. He reached out to us and said, "You deserve all the strength of the world and I'll help to whatever you need." We write the "Noturnall Human Side" together, he agreed, and he made your parts of it. And then we talk, "Man, we have to record a video of this song?"; "Come on! Come here we will do it.", and we went to USA to record the video.

RtM: And this friendship followed with Russel Allen's also participating in the DVD, right?

TB: We spent a month together and every day drinking coffee, which went for coffee drunk in the morning talking about everything. And then fell apart and simply become brothers! All talked us almost weekly until I come to the DVD idea and said, ".? Dude, let's make a DVD Let's enjoy that you are here in Sao Paulo and make a contribution" And he said "yes!And that in jest, I would be pissed if you did not call me". And in the DVD he is just in ecstasy!

And he (Russell Allen) was a show piece! It was one of the greatest moments of the show! And if he had not done the DVD that night, I would never sleep in peace, because that was the great moment of my career.

RtM: And the choice to do the version of the music "Woman in Chains" (Tears for Fears)?

TB: The goal was to do something in honor of my mother, so she went, when I fought against cancer. So this tribute ended up to Mother's Day, with the song "Woman In Chains", which is a very important song for me and her, because it is a band that we like a lot. And also the issue that is a song made for woman, who even heard criticism at the time like, "Look at that stupid They barely know that this song is made the guy who beat his wife." I think, really, people are kind of naive thinking that we do not do any research when we do something.

And sure we not only know and is one of the reasons we chose this song because, as a person hurt such a pure creature as a woman? The woman, in its purest state, is the mother condition. So we decided to make a clip in honor of mothers, where I could honor my mother and to give that gift to her and pro band staff give this gift to their mothers. And who watch the clip (from "Woman in Chains"), rarely remain indifferent because it is a moment of pure love and emotion, which is quite evident in the video.

RtM: Many musicians and people in the business are of the opinion that music today is more treated as a commodity than art, and all times are launched thousands of disposable products. How do you see the music scene today and giving to expect in the future? It's hard work, study, invest and not live his art while many "hits" manufactured and dubious musical styles infest the market. We miss 70 and 80 in this respect (laughs).

TB: That reminds a little of what we said in the beginning of the interview, on the issue of Heavy Metal scene. I really, until once again I say, he who alerted me to this was the Quesada. Was the first person who spoke and opened my eyes to this and I agree with him today. I'll never complain about it because people want what they want to have. If you think you're missing something, you to lift your butt off the chair and do something to improve it. The current music, rather it is the worst phase since I was born. I do not remember a stage musical as lackluster, poor and ridiculous as this that we are now living. And that, to me, is a fact.

The last great rock band that existed was the Audioslave, by 2001, if not mistaken. And we, we are in 2014, which appeared after there joys that gave a little bigger? No one knows the names of the guitarists, bassists, drummers and singers of the bands, because if they are not masked, they really do not know where they are bands, because it has so many bands that can not be united and call it your own home .

RtM: Do you believe you can reach a level that few Brazilian bands managed, Angra and Sepultura are the great exponents, and have an opportunity to recognize and tours abroad, participation in major festivals and worldwide distribution contracts?

TB: That's a matter of the way, I think this does not have to be what you want, because it has to happen. I think this is something that is on your agenda. If you are doing a business and is working, and if the source is your heart and your desire to make music is because you like and if you are happy doing that, the rest is a pure and simple river running into the sea, that once again I tell you that. You will do things and things are happening to you, for example: fans, shows, contracts, you will fortify your band and you will have ideas. What you can not stop is because, for example, Noturnall in a year made disk, DVD, LP, 5 clips, extensive tour, European tour, set records, gave interviews to major media as the Globe TV, and major brazilian web sites.

I even use the words in the movie actor Michael Douglas, Wall Street, where he says that greed is a good thing, since she does not corrupt you. Greed to grow in this career must exist, because you have to put food on the plate of your child, your wife, you have to have a decent life and achieve happiness. And money, yes, brings happiness. They can say no and it is, but money helps you have a sweet smile and more life.

RtM: Well, thank you very much for the interview, we wish the Noturnall has many achievements and represents very well the Brazilian Metal! Is the space for your message to fans, not only in Brazil, as this interview is also available in English!

TB: My message I've left throughout the interview! So the most important is to finish by saying this: please, and listen before crossing the street, because even if the street is one-way, may be coming a bicycle across and you get hit anyway (laughs).

Interview: Gabriel Arruda/Carlos Garcia


Noturnall is:
Thiago Bianchi: Vocals
Léo Mancini: Guitars
Fernando Quesada: Bass
Aquiles Priester: Drums
Junior Carelli: Keyboards

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