Interview with Guitarist Alex Mele of Kaledon (Italy)
By Mick Michaels
COSMICK VIEW: Hello, Alex! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.
Alex Mele: Hello there, thanks for having me! My pleasure.
CV:
Do you feel Heavy Metal music in
general is viewed differently by fans in Europe compared to fans elsewhere,
especially in America, and if so why?
AM: Oh no, in general I
think that the main difference is related to the followed kind of metal! In
Europe we follow mainly power or classic metal! For example, I suppose that
people in America love more Lacuna Coil than Rhapsody Of Fire! Of course it’s
just an example.
AM: Oooh, from my personal point of view I really like this music because of the related collections! I collect many CDs, vinyls and many things from my favorite bands. In other kinds of music I don't really see this attitude.
CV:
Has
Metal splintered into too many sub-genres in your opinion, thus, making it
harder for newer bands to actually classify themselves as one style over
another? Is it confusing for fans as
well?
AM: Yes very confusing, but of course only for the new
bands! I am 45 so I really don’t listen to many newcomer bands! I still listen
to Iron Maiden…ahahahha
CV:
How would you describe the current state of the music business considering we
are now living in a COVID aware, and
maybe even feared world? Have things drastically changed long-term for artists
and bands given the recent pandemic? What are your thoughts?
AM: Everything is now considered Pre-COVID and Post-COVID! The pandemic changed
all the music related stuff. Now we are in a situation where organizers and
bands must have to recover things from two years ago! Young bands cannot play
anymore because all the small venues have gone bankrupt so the situation is
really hard to manage! I really don’t know when all this shit will finish…really
don’t know….
CV: What do you feel makes your band and its particular approach to songwriting work? What keeps the band together and making music?
AM: Oh this is very easy because all Kaledon’s material is strongly related to the Legend Of The Forgotten Reign saga that I wrote in 1997 so, to write a new song is quite simple! I choose a new character or a new particular moment of the saga and that’s it…. You always will find music connected with the lyrics, therefore you’ll find a hard metal song if the lyric is about something strong, or a ballad if the lyric is about something like love or things like that! With the band…we are now something like a family… so it is easy to keep “the ship afloat!”
CV:
On a more global view, how do you see your band’s music and songwriting
separating itself from just being another Heavy Metal act?
AM: Oh well I can’t…. I mean, I know very well that we
are “one in a million,” but of course we try to do our best every time we do
something new for our fans! This is the way….
CV:
Can an artist truly be unique? Some would argue there is no such thing as being
unique; that it’s nothing more than a compounding of influences making an
artist who or what they are. Would this then say that artists today are
destined to be just copies of those who have already come to pass?
AM: No I do not agree! I think that everyone of us is
unique! You know…you can try to copy something from a different band but you
will do it with your hands so it will be different in some form! I think that
all of us can add a little drop to this world and it will be unique…. Yes I
truly believe in this thing!
CV:
Are there life lessons to learn being in a Heavy Metal band that you feel
cannot be taught elsewhere? If so, what are they?
AM: They are not really lessons; they are more a way of
life and of course not only in the Metal bands. To be in a band, it is something
to be in a big family, so you have to learn how to handle various people and
situations. It is certainly very difficult but at the same time very
stimulating.
CV:
What do you feel makes someone a “rock
star”? Does being a rock star automatically make one iconic or are the two
completely different in your opinion?
AM: Does throwing the garbage in your underwear make
you a rock star? If so, I am…hahahah!
CV:
What's next for you? What can fans expect to see coming as the world looks to surmount
a new normal laced with a load of restrictions?
AM: We are releasing a new album, the first in 5 years!
It will be the seventh chapter in the main saga and the title of it will be: “Chapter
7 - Evil Awakes!” The release date is September 23rd and the company is Beyond
The Storm Production!
CV:
Thank you again Alex for spending some
time talking and sharing with our readers. It was a pleasure. I wish you all
the best and continued success.
AM: Many
thanks to you… hope to see you guy very soon on the road somewhere…. Cheerz!
Check
out Kaledon at:
Official: http://www.kaledon.com/
Facebook: https://www.metalmessage.de/px/facebook_index.png
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaledon/
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