Pentesilea Road on Rock Attitude

Pentesilea Road had a little chat with Rock Attitude. Read everything the Italian band told us via Vito Mainola.

Hi Vito, In your own words, how would you describe Pentesilea Road?

– Hi All, I hope you doing very well! Well, from musical perspective the album is a mix of different styles: you can find some rock, classic heavy metal, some post metal, even jazz, but it’s mostly progressive. The idea behind it was about creating a distinctive blend of different styles, that could also play “instinctive” and yet melodic. The philosophy behind the lyrics is also a central point of this album.

Pentesilea Road is an act of dissidence and protest against the new world has been imposed on us. Globalization, surveillance capitalism, ruthless erosion of what were the most basic elements of the life we were used to know, are constantly being de facto imposed. PR is an invitation to never give up in thinking and keep fighting the intimidatory power of politically correct. The whole album is loosely, metaphorically autobiographic and I’m truly convinced the lyrics are not secondary to the music itself: its full enjoyment requires taking some time to read the lines. And between them. I hope we did achieve the target, without forgetting that we are doing, most and foremost, music…

How did you start the band?

– This has been for many years my solo project. I started this in the UK, in 2014, and for a few years I have been publishing some demos fully recorded by myself. It’s been only in 2020 since I went to look for some session musicians to record and publish the debut album, this year.

Who were you musical influences to start with the band?

– I have been listening metal for over 3 decades and enjoyed hundreds of bands: I think very many of those have left something in terms of influences, whether in a conscious or unconscious manner. However, if I have to name the main ones, I’d say Fates Warning, Queensryche, Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Savatage, Riverside, PFM, Russian Circles, Pain of Salvation…so many!

What is your aim with Pentesilea Road?

– For the moment I am, with the newly joined bandmates, Afonso and Ezio, to focus on the next album. We are writing down some new music and this time we will try to look for a label support. Hopefully in the future we will bring the band on stage, when the times will be better to get back to live performances.

Your singing style is very accessible! Is this conscious or unconscious?

– When writing the vocals lines, I always look for the melody first. There are many ways, of course, of delivering the concept you want to express: it might be spoken, growled, cadenced. In our case it’s through melody. We always try not to leave music behindand I think that’s the way it works better for this band.

In your new single "Shades Of The Night" with Ray Alder, the style is even more catchier than before. What do you think and do you plan another full album in the near future?

– Actually, Shades of The Night is an old song: originally it was published on a demo of my previous band (Circle of Believers) and it was a kind of a speed metal song. I am much more comfortable with this version though: I think it does have the right balance between melody and power. It’s a rather simple and overused chords progression, but it does work brilliantly, with all the arrangement work than can be heard in background on the guitar side (there are at least 4 guitar lines in the song). And, of course, Ray’s interpretation is fully remarkable!

Are you going to change your musical style on the future recordings?

– I don’t know yet, I don’t conceive music as a sort of project. Is rather a piece of art that requires improvisation, feelings, instinct and heart. I am an instinctive composer, so I let the feelings to speak for me through music, but I do think it will be quite similar to the debut album. For the new one, though, it will be 3 of us getting on the arrangements. It will be interesting for sure!

Your melodies are really catchy! How do you work the composition?

– In general, I just jump in front of the mic when I either got the full base or the chord progression; in some other cases I have a melody matching an acoustic or piano base, and I build the rest of the song on top of it. I don’t really have a rigid way of progressing with composition, I like it as much instinctive as it can be. With my personal experience, I can say the best compositions are done this way…

What about live performances? Do you enjoy being on stage?

– Yes of course! The other guys are and have been often on the stage with their former bands, especially Alfonso who has been touring internationally with Temperance. I’d be more than happy to walk the stage again and with PR for the first time! I do love the contact with audience, getting on and down the stage, performing, having a chat around…it would be great to get back to normal life indeed!

Is this hard to keep the band flowing along with your personal life?

– Not easy, for sure. I am quite busy with my job and my family. This year, though, working form home have given me more flexibility and the possibility of saving the travel time to office location…that helped a lot. It is possible to reconcile both things, though: it will just require some proper planning and cutting wasted time. I have chosen, for example, to get rid of any TV in my house: not having had a TV for over 10 years it saved me loads of time, I have been mostly using to read or make music, anything creative rather than being a passive consumer of mass-media junk. I always encourage people to do the same, I am sure life will get brighter after

Have you something else to say to end this interview?

– Thanks a lot for hosting us on your portal, really appreciated and I hope we’ll speak again soon!

Thank you very much! Congrats for your work!

https://www.facebook.com/pentesilearoad
https://pentesilearoad.bandcamp.com/album/pentesilea-road-2
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKeoz8TsveQC6MOzQPysoKA
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2dfuaABjoufPDGwPHAp090?si=WrdQZTXzSVCAKXihhtdeGQ