‘The Fobidden
City’ will be relased on the Lion Music label on September 11th, what kind of
expectations do you have for it?
Daniele
Liverani
– Well, we have great expectation for this album, since we believe that it’s
really a good progressive metal effort.
Our expectations are of course trying to reach as
many fans as possible and finally to have the chance of going on stage
performing for them live, which is the final and most enjoyable step of the
whole musical process involved in creating a new album.
If you had to chose one song you feel represents Twinspirits,
which song would you choose and why? Personally I would pick ‘The Forbidden
City’, a song I feel captures the essence of the band pretty well.
Daniele
Liverani
– Yeah! You’re probably right, I’d choose the title track too. That song is very
representative of the band sound, it contains almost all the aspect and elements
of our style, including the melodies, the warm moments, the very strong moments,
some more straight music and some more progressive structured music, and of
course it’s also the song that introduces the main concept of the whole album.
Where do you see the main difference between this album and your
Twinspirits debut album ‘The Music That Will Heal the World” from 2007’? I think
everything has taken a step ahead and the material is much more mature…
Daniele
Liverani
– Well, thanks for your positive opinion, and yes I think that actually the band
has made a further step ahead in terms of maturity, style and also the songs are
in some ways very appropriate for each of the musicians involved in this band.
As it was for the first album, I took care also this time of the writing of
music and lyrics, but I can feel that every band members has added more personal
arrangements and colours to the songs, and this can be heard instinctively when
you hear the album in my opinion.
I feel there are four songs that stand above the rest; “The
Forbidden City”, “BTR”, “Hide the Feeling” and “I Am Free”, but I guess you see
it otherwise and view the whole thing as one big piece…?
Daniele
Liverani
– The Forbidden City has born as a concept album, but still keeps a good song
structure in each of the 10 moments you can find in the cd.
The songs you’ve nominated are probably the most easy to get in, but the whole
picture of the album can be enjoyed only if you really listen all the songs from
the beginning to the end and follow the lyrics describing the evolution of the
concept.
So I tend to see the album as a unit, but I also can see that each song can be
enjoyed also as a single moment, and the can work very well as a stand along
song.
Personally I think also “My Future” is a lucky moment, it’s something new for
me, I hear a new kind of song writing that I never experimented and it’s very
refreshing for me to listen to that song.
How did you come up with the title for the album – does that song
represents the essence of the album for you?
Daniele
Liverani
– Well, the album is a psychological concept, which runs through the process of
describing a typical relationship between an oppressor character and his
oppressed character.
You can follow the path of the 2 characters going through different moment of
the relation development, from the beginning to the end, where the oppression is
solved. It’s basically a concept story that describes this kind of relationship
with optimism, ending in a positive way.
The Forbidden City is a metaphoric image that describers very well the state of
mind of an oppressed person. A sort of place where you can’t get out from, very
safe but also very boring, closed, depressive.
That’s why I decided to use this image to describe and introduce the concept of
the whole album…
Who has
produced and mixed the album? How does the final result compare to the idea you
had going into the studio?
Daniele
Liverani
- The album has been produced by me as usual, and mixed at Fear Studios in
northern Italy, where I’m mixing and producing most of my albums.
I have to say that I had very clear in my mind the result I wanted to get, and
we ran through preproduction’s and lots of rehearsing for this album that really
all was very defined.
There is also some particular aspect that may add some unexpected changes or
modification of the songs, it happens in all production, but this has been one
of the most clear and defined process I’ve ever produced I have to say.
So the final result has been very good to my ears, it really satisfies me at all
levels.
Tell us a bit
about artwork…
Daniele
Liverani
– Our drummer Dario Ciccioni has taken care of the artwork, as it happened also
for the first Twinspirits album. It’s becoming part of the style of the band I
have to say, I think it’s very good when you can handle the artwork from the
inside of the band, from one band member.
You get the chance of giving the right passion and time you need to really
complete the music with artwork and give a very consistent combo to the fans.
The main cover describers an icon of an angel, made of steel, with a great wing
that symbolize the research of the freedom….also the angel made of metallic
material is carrying with him the concept of an armature and a sort of a strong
and heavy prison we have to fight to be really free in life.
All songs also have been described inside the booklet with some images that
really get to the point and give the right visionary emotion connected to the
message of the concept development.
I think Dario did a great job indeed.
Will there be
another chapter in the Twinspirits story?
Daniele
Liverani
– Of course, you can be sure of it. There are already some songs in the process
of being written and demoed.
Twinspirits –
any special story behind your name?
Daniele
Liverani
– Well, Twinspirit32 is actually one of the 2 main key characters of my Genius
Rock Opera, released in 3 episodes back in 2002, 2004 and 2007.
And Twinspirits are also a special kind of entities described into the Genius
rock opera as a sort of “Dream conductor” and alter ego of the real human beings
that is created when they start to dream during a sleeping session.
So I decided that this characters name was a good name for this new band, cause
the music I was going to write for this band had for sure the aim of continuing
the thread of music I started to write in early 2000 for genius rock opera….but
more oriented to be played live on stage as a real band.
Also Twinspirits symbolizes well the similarities that all band members have,
especially about musical tastes and they way we feel about making music.
Is Twinspirits merely just another studio project, or do you have
plans taking the music to the stage as well?
Daniele
Liverani
– Twinspirits has born absolutely to be a band and to be present on stage at all
levels, that’s what we are working for.
We are organizing an Italian tour for December 2009, and an European tour for
spring 2010 where we will perform live songs of the first and second album.
Have you closed the book on the Genius project, or will we hear
something new on that frontier in the future?
Daniele
Liverani
– The Genius Rock Opera story concept I wrote back in 1998 in my short book
“Daliy Trauma” has been fully completed and developed in the 3 episodes. So
there will not be another Genius. That is for sure.
Twinspirits is anyway a sort of natural continuation of that thread of music; in
fact you will find many similarities in the styles of the songs.
Name the five
musical pieces that you want to bring with you when we send you to hell or
heaven!
Daniele
Liverani
– A Change Of Season, Back In Black, The Audience is Listening, Ain’t Talk about
Love, Sad But True.
Thank you very
much for answering my questions. Do you have any last rants for our readers?
Daniele
Liverani
– I just want to thank all readers for taking time to read this, and hopefully
will see then on the road very soon!
:-)
