MARBLE’s third album, T.I.M.E., masterfully blends heavy riffs with melodic interludes, inspired by historic female theater characters. Dive into the band’s journey through music, drama, and evolution.
1. Congratulations
on the release of T.I.M.E.! The album has such a rich, theatrical theme. Can
you tell us more about the concept behind it and how it evolved?
Hello,
Thank you for hosting us on your pages! The idea for the theater story came
from our singer Eleonora, who is an actress even before she was a singer, and
still acts in a local company. With her and the support of her director, we
have tried to develop this connection between the female characters played by
Eleonora in the lyrics, setting to music (metal) the development through time
(T.I.M.E.)
2. With
T.I.M.E., you’ve drawn inspiration from historic female characters in Western
theater. How did you choose which figures to focus on, and how did their
stories influence the songwriting?
Eleonora
together with the director of her theater company structured the idea, although
Lady Macbeth was an almost forced choice being one of her favorite characters.
Musically, we tried to transfer the atmosphere of the play with our own style.
Perhaps the song that was most influenced by the text was “Smile In Decay” in
order to channel Winnie's lucid madness (taken from Samuel Beckett's “Happy
Days”). But if you think about it, even “Heliosyncrasy” on Galileo's VIta was
musically influenced by the text, which is why Jacopo wanted to introduce the
church organ as a keyboard harmonic base. The common thread connects everything
in our vision.
3. Eleonora,
as both the vocalist and a theater actress, you bring a unique dramatic quality
to MARBLE’s music. How did your theatrical experience shape your vocal approach
for this album?
Eleonora: I
think music, just like theater, should transmit something to the audience:
technique is important, but it is meaningless if you cannot give a piece of
yourself to the listener with your music. I try to relate to what I sing and to
give it shape in a way that comes to the public’s heart.
4. The
song “The Sleepless King” explores the story of Lady Macbeth. Could you share
what drew you to her character and how you wanted to portray her in the song
and music video?
I had the
pleasure to bring her to life on stage, so I was quite familiar with the
character. I’ve always been fascinated not only by her ruthlessness and
strength, but also by her inner turmoil. At first she seems to be the real
villain, the one who convinces Macbeth to commit his crimes. But in the end she
ends up crushed by her own sins, when she realizes that her husband has gone
too far and cannot be stopped, and this brings her to madness. There’s a
fragility to her that calls to me. Incidentally, it’s my favourite song in the
whole album!
5. The
album features collaborations with artists like Ivan Adami and Clode from
Tethra. How did these guest appearances come about, and what was it like
incorporating their styles into MARBLE’s music?
Clode lives
not too far from us and I know some of the Tethra guys personally. We were
looking for a growl vocalist who could fit into two of the tracks and Clode was
immediately available, the recording took place in my studio in a very relaxed
and I must say fast and professional manner.
For ‘The Jester Duplicity’, on the other hand, we had to research a bit because
we were looking for a melodic but dirty timbre, then I remembered Stranger
Vision. Ivan Adami threw himself into the project because I only found out
later that he had also performed in the theatre, so the idea immediately seemed
familiar to him. Ivan perfectly captured the nuances we wanted from the male
voice in the song and, I would add, his voice blends perfectly with Eleonora's,
creating a really nice duet.
6. “Smile
In Decay” includes an entire choir. What inspired you to use a vocal ensemble
for this track, and what do you feel it adds to the overall atmosphere of the
song?
So, “Smile
In Decay” returns! It is a particular song, we played a lot with metrics and
rhythm to give it a sense of continuous change, just like in Beckett's work.
The chorale “Calliride” is from our hometown and their director is a friend, it
all happened naturally and with incredible complicity. We had tried to create
the “single” vocal lines, but the effect we were looking for was that of the
chorus just with so many voices, I would say that the goal was achieved!
7. Your
sound combines intense riffs, melodic interludes, and complex arrangements. How
do you approach balancing these elements to maintain both power and harmony in
your music?
Well,
that's a good question. I think it's the result of experience accumulated over
the years and a mix of our influences and tastes ranging from Hard Rock to
Death Metal. We try to make room for everything and mix the sound organically.
You can hear certain blues phrasing done by Paul in some of the solos, while
the rhythms of me, Norman and Omar are often daughters of our extreme
background.
8. The
album’s production has a deep and polished quality, thanks to Marco Zanibelli.
How did working with him shape the final sound of T.I.M.E.?
Marco did a
fantastic job of getting into our heads and understanding what we wanted from
our sound. First of all, he managed to give a drive and a nastiness in the
rhythm section that we never had, plus to keep all the layers of harmonies
compact in the background with the countless vocal and keyboard lines.
Eleonora's voice comes across as beautifully clear and powerful. We really
could not be more satisfied with the master that Marco brought out.
9. T.I.M.E.
is your third album and follows up on the success of S.A.V.E., which was
centered on the seven deadly sins and virtues. How do you feel the band has
evolved musically and thematically between these two releases?
I think
thematically we stayed on a good level, we changed the theme, moving from
religion to theater, but keeping the “anthology” structure of the record.
Musically, on the other hand, the evolution I think is evident, there has been
great work by everyone, especially Eleonora for her parts, both in composition
and arrangement. We arrived at the mixing stage with all the material complete
already, we were and are very convinced of the proposal of “T.I.M.E.”!
10. The
album artwork by Giannis Nakos has an intense and mystical look. What message
or vibe did you want the artwork to convey, and how does it connect with the
music inside?
We were
really lucky to have the talent of an international artist like Giannis Nakos
of Remedy Art Design, from Greece. We gave him the preproduction of the album
and the idea of the theatre concept. the only element we wanted to keep is the
woman with short light hair, who is a bit of our mascot. We allowed him
artistic freedom, as he rightly requested, and indeed Giannis created fantastic
works! The integration with the theater theme and the mystical element of the
hand towering over everything is his vision, but I think it makes the album
even more epic and intriguing!
11. MARBLE’s
music includes a mix of heavy thrash-like sections and beautifully melodic
parts. What bands or genres have influenced this unique blend in your sound?
There is a
variety of different influences for everyone, I think that is one of the
characteristics that allows us to create our sound. I range from Marduk black
metal to Swedish death metal, but I'm a big fan of finnish power metal too.
Eleonora on the other hand listens to Amorphis, Evergrey, Nightwish, but also a
lot of rock like Dire Straits or Bruce Springsteen. Omar and Jacopo are more on
the progressive side with Dream Theater and bands like Nevermore or some
progressive band from the 70 like Italian master PFM. Paul loves Joe Satriani
and Helloween, while Norman, being the youngest listen to more modern stuff
like Protest The Hero.
12. Looking
to the future, what are MARBLE’s next plans? Will you be touring T.I.M.E., or
are there any other projects in the works?
We’re still
a studio project. We’re planning some live shows for next year but nothing yes
is set on paper.
Thank you
for having us on your pages! We trust that your readers will enter the theater
with us and be transported on our journey through the history of theater.
“T.I.M.E.” is available on all streaming services and in a beautiful Digipack
CD box set!
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