Michal Roháč

DESCENT INTO MAELSTROM

Italy is not just a country of pasta or pizza. The metal scene is extremely rich here and it hides interesting bands in its underground. One of them is a band that pushes its technical death metal without borders and is not afraid to incorporate new elements into the style. But Andrea Bignardi, singer, guitarist and founder of the band Descent Into Maelstrom, will say more in this interview.

The band was formed in 2016. Who was the founding member and say something about the origin and beginnings of the band.

The project's started as a my one band man. Back in the days, it was more like a challenge with myself, I wanted to prove what I could do and to produce something interesting mixing different kinds of metal.

The band's name is based on a book by Edgar Alan Poe. How much did this writer inspire you?

Again, once it really was the main inspiration of both lyrics and music. Now, the name "Descent Into Maelstrom", means more a deeper and deeper research in terms of music experimentation.

Which bands and musicians inspired you?

For the "metal" side I would say Death, Dying Fetus, Septic Flash, Opeth and Cynic. For the"non-metal" side King Crimson, PFM, the Queen, Arnold Schoenberg, his students and other modern classical composers.

You have released two albums and two singles. Tell more readers about these albums.

Well, all these releases are deeply different from one each other. The debut album Descent Into Maelstrom was a melodic death/black metal blend, but the next album Iconoclasm was much more a progressive death metal, with some dodecaphonic influences (that's why we define our style "Dodecaphonic death metal"). The third release, the four-songs-EP Gehenna has even more Dodecaphonic influences. The interesting thing about it is that we used the same dodecafonic matrix, with the same mathematics rules that Arnold Schoenberg used for his compositions. Then there's the single Pater, a sort of evolution of Gehenna, in which dodecafonic music and technical death metal, that will be the style of our third album.

You are planning a new album. If so, reveal some things to him.

Next album will be entitled Dei Consentes, a twelve-songs-album with an original concept, about how the fallen twelve main roman gods would be if they would exists nowadays. But I can't tell more, it's too soon! ;)

For the last two years, the situation with concerts has been bad. Which concerts from the past do you consider your best?

We had some good shots when it happened to open a concert for two big names of Italian music scene, Necrodeath and Distruzione.

You are definitely planning some tours in the future. Also reveal where you will play if you already have some confirmed dates.

We had some gigs planned in Poland, but covid jeopardized them. So, for now, we are regrouping and deciding the next move, playing some concerts locally.

Will you go solo or with another band?

Of course would be very nice to go touring with our brothers Obsolete Theory, Rabid and others… but I think that, for now, it's still too soon to guess something about it.

Music doesn't make much money these days. What are your jobs?

I'm a software developer, Tia is a chemical engineer, Peter and Mike I can't tell, it's a secret!

What do you like to do in your free time?

I personally love go hiking, watch films with my wife, going to art gallery and of course learning new stuff about coding.

Thank you for your answers to my questions. What would you like to tell the fans at the end of the interview?

Thank you for everything, I would say to all who's curious about us to follow our social pages, we'll post the making of our next ep Nocturnal Transfiguration! Cheers guys!