The Median Man spoke with Davide Cotti, guitarist for Hyperion about the new record.
The Median Man spoke with Davide Cotti, guitarist for Hyperion about the new record.
HEAVY METAL
What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences?
We formed the band back in 2015 with the specific purpose of playing traditional Heavy Metal, without influences from modern music trends of any kind. We all come from different backgrounds, but Heavy Metal is the common denominator between us. Our singer Michelangelo, for example, is a big fan of Freddie Mercury, but also loves Manowar; our other guitar player, Luke Fortini, have a background in blues and rock/fusion, but you can also clearly hear the influences from Yngwie Malmsteen in his playing style. As for me, as a songwriter I’ve been mainly influenced by NWOBHM bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Angel Witch and Satan, but my guitar playing style is rooted in the first albums of american thrash metal bands like Megadeth and Metallica (I actually learned playing guitar trying to replicate the riffs from “Kill’em All”, when I was a kid).
How do you approach songwriting?
Most of the time, the process starts with a couple of lyrical lines that will eventually become the chorus of the song. If they get stuck in my head for enough time, I usually find a vocal melody that suit them, along with the proper harmonies. From this point on, the song start evolving in multiple directions, as I try different riffs and verses to see what works better. Sometimes I know right from the start what kind of song I’m trying to write, while in other instances the outcome is far different than what I originally imagined. When I’m done writing and I’m satisfied by the results, I record a demo version with a full arrangement, and then I send it to the guys of the band. Most often than not, when we get together to rehearse the music gets changed and improved, while in other instances the song remains basically the same as in my original demo. On the new record, for example, “Bridge Of Death” is almost identical to the original demo version, while “Bad Karma” has required months of work and improvements to achieve its final shape.
LYRICAL LINES
LYRICAL LINES
How do you approach songwriting?
Most of the time, the process starts with a couple of lyrical lines that will eventually become the chorus of the song. If they get stuck in my head for enough time, I usually find a vocal melody that suit them, along with the proper harmonies. From this point on, the song start evolving in multiple directions, as I try different riffs and verses to see what works better. Sometimes I know right from the start what kind of song I’m trying to write, while in other instances the outcome is far different than what I originally imagined. When I’m done writing and I’m satisfied by the results, I record a demo version with a full arrangement, and then I send it to the guys of the band. Most often than not, when we get together to rehearse the music gets changed and improved, while in other instances the song remains basically the same as in my original demo. On the new record, for example, “Bridge Of Death” is almost identical to the original demo version, while “Bad Karma” has required months of work and improvements to achieve its final shape.
EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED
Were there any themes that you wanted to explore on this new album, if so why?
I like to write about themes I’m emotionally attached to; for example, being a life-long wrestling fan, with “Fall After Fall” I wanted to write a song that could convey and voice my appreciation for that particular form of entertainment, while “Ninja Will Strike” express my interest in ancient Japanese history; there is one song on the new record, however, that separates itself from the others (as far as the lyrical themes) and it’s the title-track “Into The Maelstrom”: I wrote it just about when our first album “Dangerous Days” was being released, back in 2017, and in a self-referencing kind of way describes how I felt when our music was about to be received for the first time by the metal community, using the image of the spaceship flying through the black hole as a metaphor.
How has the coronavirus impacted your plans?
Well, it fucked them up pretty good! Like all the other bands with a new album released during these turbulent times, we are now unable to play live, which is the band’s main source of income. Producing the new record was quite expensive for us, and now we just hope to be able to sell a few CDs through our bandcamp page (https://hyperionbandheavy.bandcamp.com/), because we have no idea when it will be possible to tour again. Anyway, the virus situation is so bad right now that thinking about our plans seems a bit egoistic. Everybody, please stay safe and healthy, we’ll see each other again when this is over!
FUCKED
FUCKED
How has the coronavirus impacted your plans?
Well, it fucked them up pretty good! Like all the other bands with a new album released during these turbulent times, we are now unable to play live, which is the band’s main source of income. Producing the new record was quite expensive for us, and now we just hope to be able to sell a few CDs through our bandcamp page (https://hyperionbandheavy.bandcamp.com/), because we have no idea when it will be possible to tour again. Anyway, the virus situation is so bad right now that thinking about our plans seems a bit egoistic. Everybody, please stay safe and healthy, we’ll see each other again when this is over!