Hi all, this is Vito from Pentesilea Road. I am Italian, currently living in the Netherlands.
This Band has been for many years my solo project. I started it in the UK, in 2014, and for a few years I have been publishing some demos fully recorded by myself. It’s been only in 2020 since I went to look for some session musicians to record and publish the debut album, this year.
Line up
I am mostly playing guitar and bass, there is Ezio Di Ieso playing Piano and Keyboards, Alfonso Mocerino on the Drums and Lorenzo Nocerino on the vocals. However, there are quite a few special guests: Ray Alder and Mark Zonder from Fates Warning, Michele Guaitoli and Paul Prins.
We sound like
I do like the fusion between different musical styles and in general the wide dynamic within the sound. I do like to describe it as post-progressive. Although not everyone might agree, prog and some post-rock are constantly recurring within the album. Probably post+progressive would have been a better fit but, whatever it is, I hope it will sound distinctive and interesting enough.
Discography
So far, we have only published the Pentesilea Road Album.
Influences
I have been listening metal for over 3 decades and enjoyed hundreds of bands: I think very many of those have left something in terms of influences, whether in a conscious or unconscious manner. However, if I have to name the main ones, I’d say Fates Warning, Queensryche, Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Savatage, Riverside, PFM, Russian Circles, Pain of Salvation…so many! From the perspective of guitar playing, I have been strongly influenced by Marty Friedman, Satriani, Petrucci, Adrian Smith…
What do you write about?
Besides being the Amazon Queen in Greek mythology, Pentesilea is the name of one the cities from Italo Calvino’s book “Invisible Cities”. I particularly love the chapter of Pentesilea, the diluted city, liquidly spread, with no defined boundaries. I did like the idea of using it as a metaphor of the globalized world. Pentesilea Road therefore is the archetype of the, mostly unnecessary, travel around the world. It is loosely autobiographic, but I am pretty sure it is a concept known to many people.
I like to describe it as an act of dissidence, a protest against the new world order recently imposed to us and the one that it might be coming shortly. It talks about globalization, surveillance and behavioral capitalism, the role the mainstream media play in this big game, as well as roots, identity…all those things that involve familiarity and that once were considered the fundamental of life. The album does have a deep philosophy behind it…
Your favorite live performance so far
If you are referring to ours, so far, we did not perform any live yet. It’s a new band and we only published the first album….
Tell us a funny story that happened in studio or on stage
We never have fun; we just like to be serious.
[Long awkward pause]
I’m joking, of course
Your favorite records
Iron Maiden, Somewhere in Time; Fates Warning – APSOG; Savatage – Gutter Ballet; Helloween – Keepers; Dream Theater – Awake; Crimson Glory – Transcendence….and many more.
A musician you would like to meet for a beer
Probably Bruce Dickinson. Got the feeling he is brilliant in conversation…
Thanks for hosting the conversation! Talk you soon!
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKeoz8TsveQC6MOzQPysoKA
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