I have known about Italian rockers 3rd RoOm (www.myspace.com/enterinmyroom) for a while now, and I love their style of melodic symphonic metal. And Khay (pictured above) who is a good email friend of mine seems an awesome lass. Please support female fronted rock by checking out their myspace site. 3rd RoOm deserve your support. However, please read the interview first! Also, they tour the UK soon! The dates are on this website!!
Italy sure seems to be the hotbed of gothic/symphonic metal at the moment. Can you give me a little history about the band, and the story behind the aforementioned mind blowing mini cd 'Frame Of Mind'?
Well I have to say we are all friends since a long time but to find the roots of 3rd RoOm we have to reach the early 90’s, when RoberthK & MonTagnA shared duties in the Italian scene in one of the first metal bands from Roma, but roads of metal are wild so they decided to walk on different road after a few years. The Roads unite again in summer 2006, when the new project comes as a latent thought in RoberthK’s mind. The whole 3rd RoOm musical concept as well as the mini cd (FRAME of MIND EP) runs around the joining of classical orchestral elements with modern Rock music. To complete his concept, RoberthK engages me (Khay Lenitas), he was looking for a female with a delicate voice. Being now RoberthK on guitars & composing, Khay on vocals, and MonTagnA on bass guitar. Drum parts are in first place taken by Aeshla, who has just the time to shoot In My Room video, and record the debut EP... but leaves immediately to follow his multiple musical projects. March 2007 comes, and Fo' is recruited to be the one behind the skins. Choices prove to be great when we hit the scene around Europe, imposing us as a powerful and complete combo on stage. Frame of Mind is completely composed by RoberthK except for the lyrics that are by me, but all of us, we improve the sound with our personal touch during recordings.As I said before the project was a latent thought in his mind and music was as well.
I am very curious about the band's name 3rd RoOm. Can you tell me more about the name?
The name, It was not a choice...the name chose us :P It was born naturally...the number 3 is "constant" something that appear so often in our life, birth dates and something like that and for all its meanings also, it is so symbolic and " RoOm" because we live music like a room you can enter whenever you want, a place were you feel protected in, where you can be what you really are, something that wraps but you never feeling caged....
'Frame Of Mind' is awesome, and I like it's symphonic edge. Have any members of the band been involved with any other musical projects, that you would care to perhaps let us here at Ravenheart Music in on?
RoberthK and me- we're completely involved with 3rd RoOm, no time to have any other projects, but Montagna plays with his historical band the death thrashers 'VII Arcano' and Fò plays with the glam-rockers 'Stick it Out and the black metal and 'Vidharr'. You couldn't believe it but there's a girls who plays guitar!! He has also a personal musical project named Fò Project so 4 different bands!!
Can you tell me more about the songs on the record, and how are things on the record label front? I certainly get frustrated at the number of awesome bands/artists I come across that are unsigned, when they should in reality be signed, and getting their music heard by a wider audience.
Actually there are a lot of bands, a lot of talented bands but unfortunately just a few are not only famous but well promoted and well supported, but I guess a label need to have a few band to dedicate it time and attention it requires. We're validating many proposal but find the right label is hard as well for a label to find the right band ;) so we're taking so much time in choosing one because we would like to find one really interested in us and a label who could make us reach all our fans and friends!! We're recording the new cd, it will be released in the very beginning of 2009 and in October 2008 we will release a new single, preview of the album. The album title is:- 'In Case of Darkness' and the single is 'The Soul Chronicle'...it will include some nice gifts ;)
I know 'Frame Of Mind' only has four tracks plus of course a video, but it showcases your music perfectly. Do you have any fave songs? and by and large how would you yourself describe your sound?
We're 4 and we've 4 favorite songs! So one for each :P
Mine is 'Falling Leaf', as a friend so close to us said music, as well as lyrics is a part of you. You show it to the people and they see what they want to see in it. 'Falling Leaf' is my point of view on human frailty, but a lot of people feel it
like a love song or others meaning...We sound like a "movie - metal - soundtrack" We are "SoundTracks for Visionaries". The sounds-our feelings, the music-a window you can watch through...
A point of view through melodic female vocals, poignant piano, stunning guitars and heavy strings. I can't say one band we're inspired by because we all listen to so many different style of music so influences are so different, but is all so balanced. There are no solos or something like that, everyone of us has
his own right space.
Bearing in mind that 'Frame Of Mind' is independently produced, was the recording process simple, or did it give you any major problems of any description?
Self production is not something unusual, a lot of bands produce their first products because it's easier with all the digital equipments, plug-in and all the digital stuff, but we used also a "real" recording studio with all the analog stuff we love!
We have a sound engineer, he's the mind and heart of the band, and he's really so professional and so meticulous and recordings was not a joke. We worked with an external sound engineer as well, to have a different point of view, it helps in improving your songs. I can say our production has been really expensive, we choose to have 4 tracks well done and a video clip insted of a 10 track cd not so good concerning production. We effort also printing costs, we choose a unusual package so we woked so hard to make it all possible butwe have had not real problems .
As mentioned previously in this interview, I understand that a full length record is in the pipeline. Can you tell me more, and is the musical direction similar to 'Frame Of Mind'?
We are still working so hard to complete the songs that will be part of our full-lenght album "IN CASE OF DARKNESS"- so we decided to present a new single, preview of the album coming. The album follow the guide lines of the debut EP "FRAME OF MIND" but I guess music is growing up as well as we're doing as musicians so it could be a little different from the 4 tracks we've composed before, the aim is the same : give you our visions and let it feel yours.
I also mentioned earlier in this interview regarding you being unsigned. Do you have a label to release the forthcoming cd?
Being unsigned was our choice, but actually we're validating many proposals to find the more interested labels in working with us and will be working hard on distribution and promotion. The aim is to reach the most people possible, and get our music directly inside everybody's RoOm so we will see, keep our finger crossed .
The female fronted rock/metal scene here in the UK could be stronger although it is ok and is growing. What are your expectations of the rock/metal scene as a whole in Europe and indeed across the big pond in the USA?
I don't know why, don't know if we have something special or "different" because we're not so interested in it, we create what we want, we play our feelings...but I have to say we didn't expectthat a lot of people would like our music...this way!!
The people that write us the most are from UK and USA, they write us everyday asking when we will be there, but we've also fans accross Europe and in the south of America. I'm not able to say what I expect from but I can say what's my dream to reach and meet everyone who likes our music, and then have the possibility to do some live shows in every country who appreciate our music.
Musically and spiritually who/what are your inspirations, and what sort of music do you listen too when you are chilling out at home?
Musically and spiritually I have to say we're all so different one from each other so it's alway so hard find the right thing that everyone of us love but we always find the right one. There are a lot of bands I love and I've every day a favorite song so I could talk about it for so long. Anyway the first inspiration for us are movies and sountracks.
I understand there are a few dates in the UK shortly. What would be your plans for the longer term future?
We have been really surprised when we understood how many people, specially from UK and Usa, love our music- we didn't expect it! And I've been really excited when clubs start asking us playing there, and it happened first in UK! We also played in Portugal, Romania, Spain and we've so many show planned all around Europe and for USA and the South America. We received some requests also from Russia, Cyprus and Japan, but we have to work so hard on organizing because, as we talked about before, we're unsigned.
All I can say is good luck in all what you do, and we at Ravenheart wish you all the very best. I myself must be honest and say I cannot wait for the new album. Finally is there anything that you would like to say to anybody across the world via this website? I will say something first however..."YOU ROCK".
Thank you so much for your interest in us! I'll do the best I can to join you!
Thanks Khay
Dave Smith (Oct 14, 2008)