HANDS OF ORLAC (Eng.)

– Hello and first of all, thanks for taking the time. How is everything going right now with HANDS OF ORLAC? What are you currently up to?
Hi. Thank you for the space you are giving us. At the moment we are recovering from recent  and not so recent times. Something is boiling for new plans. The price to pay is never so cheap.

– First off, as I guess some people won’t know about you yet; could you please make some history of the band?
We formed in 2009 in Rome as we were not satisfied with what was going on there at the time for us musically. Heavy sounded not metal and metal sounded not heavy. With the very first line up we released in 2010 our self produced demo «Vengeance from the Grave» on Mc and Cd and with the same line up we went in early 2011 to record our first album at Studio Misantropen in Sweden as we met Philip Svennefelt at the previous two editions of the Muskelrock festival. For different reasons the final recording session had on guitar and drums 2 swedish musicians that later joined the band steadily. By late 2011 the band saw a further swedish member to join as the original guitar player left. With such definitive line up we started the journey that terminated in Figli del Crepuscolo.

– And what’s the meaning and reason behind the band’s name, «Hands of Orlac»?
We liked the macabre atmosphear in the cinematographical adaptation by Wiene in 1924 and we wanted to reproduce it in music. And despite the later adaptations we found such name the one for us.

– Last year you released your newest album, «Figli del Crepuscolo». How was its feedback?
We received many good reviews for it, particularly from elders, which is great. It is always very nice to hear that people understand and appreciate what we do. Still, we think that our music is not really «mainstream».

– And if you could now  change two things on the album, what would it be?
At the end of Noctua fade out the instruments but leave the delay  feedback and have more guests participations on the album.

– In your information we can read the band is now located in Sweden. Would you mind to elaborate a little bit on this?
Is now more than 2 years that we gathered here after the mixed line up happened to be. It´s been pretty hard to make the band work from a long distance. Now it´s much easier. It also affects the feel of the band in the way the surrounding environment affects the sound.

– But you are Italian, and I have always thought underground Rock and Metal bands hailing from your country have something in common: the macabre, dark and horrific atmosphere. What do you think is the main reason for this? Italy is haven for many classic/cult horror movies, maybe most bands are also inspired by this?
In a country where the Pope and the catholic religion are still very strong on the other hand always there´s been occult roots and pre-christian rites surviving in the shadow. Under the aegis of a malevolent institution many things might flourish from mental oppression to set individuals free. And it´s not to be forgotten how death and morbidity are part of such institution.

– And in the case of HANDS OF ORLAC, where do you draw inspiration from to create your lyrics? What do some of them deal with?
Hands of Orlac is a horror themed band. All the lyrics are dedicated to it. We draw inspiration from pre-existent stories or we write some ourselves, depending on what suits best the moment and the music.

– In fact I read somwhere this album could be described as a Metal soundtrack to the classic European Gothic films of the 1960s but was this something you were aiming for? As I think you also manage to capture a certain gothic sound/atmosphere with your music.
We are really influenced by gothic horror of the 60´s in the the italian fashion and Hammer Productions. A soundtrack is usedto add a thrill so it´s not so unlikely to get along with such flavour in our music.

– Compared to the debut album the overall sound and production of this latest «Figli del Crepuscolo» sounds clearer. Was this how you envisioned the record?
We tried to get as much as we could to get on record the same sound one can hear when playing for real. On the first album we had less needs, soundwise. This time we were more looking for something and some more has been added to reach the way we had envisioned it.

– On the other hand, songwriting feels to me to be more dynamic and elaborated. Was the songwriting process any different this time around?
With this second album we kept going on our path. The songwriting was not different from before, just maybe we needed to do more this time.

– I also think this is a rockier album, even Prog at times, as we can appreciate on «A Ghost Story» so, is evolution a constant process for HANDS OF ORLAC?
We enjoy to do what we like and it feels natural for us to follow a progression. With music usually a band wants to send a message at a certain time in space. Figli del Crepuscolo is our actual message.

– The aforementioned song, «A Ghost Story» is one of the most diverse on the album, mixing elements from different styles, as some IRON MAIDEN-esque details. What could you comment on this track? What’s it story?
This song is the first one to be written and fixed for the album. This track talks about the blind search for power that often leads to dreadful consequences. So the different parts explain what happens in this story.

– And talking about such; what are the main musical influences for the band?
Nothing could have ever been done without the lead of Black Sabbath, everything starts there. Still, we are really influenced by NWOBHM and diverse heavy metal of the 80´s. As well we can´t deny our more prog and rock influences of italian tradition in the likes of Goblin for instance.

– Most people would say you are an 80’s sounding band, but I also find in your music a lot from the 70’s and even 60’s, maybe specially due to the use of the flute, which isn’t a really common instrument into your kind of music. In fact the flute and the vocals are somehow the trademarks of the band. Was important for you when you started HANDS OF ORLAC to have some specific elements that could set you apart from the rest?
When we started we planned to have flute to contribute color the music on certain passages. We didn´t think about making something different or new, just to use our own language to tell a story already told. It must sound horror and heavy.

– All this about «Figli del Crepuscolo» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
FIGLI DEL CREPUSCOLO

– And finally, what are your near-future plans?
We plan to complete soon new material for something that can´t be talked about right now. We as well plan to play live the songs that never saw the light on stage.

– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.
Listen to the music from beyond

Sergio Fernández
sergio@queensofsteel.com