hi, i translated the first link you posted from german -> english. I hope it's not too much to fit into one post.
NOVEMBRE
If two bands such as Katatonia and Opeth go on tour, a third band certainly has a hard stance against those "old bulls". But if one is mainly intrigued by that 3rd band after the show, that's very remarkable. And that's what happened in csae of Novembre: Although the italian Gothic-Metal band weren't well known to me at the time of the gig, since then I'll account them to the spearhead of intelligent and slightly melancholic metal. With the brothers Carmelo (vocals and guitar) and Giuseppe Orlando (Drums) we were able to exchange a few words at the day of the sold-out concert in the Berliner "Knaack".
Q:
You are touring with Opeth and Katatonia right now, two bands you are often compared with in reviews and other articles...
Carmelo:
Yes, that's right, although i don't really like it if someone says we would sound like Opeth or whoever else. I think we _do_ have our own sound, and of course I don't like to hear stuff like: "Hey, Novembre sounds just like Katatonia". But of course there are a few parallels, insofar comparisms are okay up to a certain degree.
Q:
In Germany you are quite an unknown quantity, even though you have been around for quite a long time. How did the audiences react so far?
Carmelo:
We are totally surprised, positevely. You are right, hardly anyone knows us in Germany, which is also the case because we - apart from festivals - never toured here. In our homeland Italy this is quite different.
Q:
Do you think you are able to archieve more here, with the relatively big presence of Century Media in Germany?
Giuseppe:
Yeah, i hope so. You know, we can't have much of an opinion of Century, since we haven't been working with that label for long yet. Surely we are not treated like for example Moonspell, but that's okay since we are not that big at all. And apart from that Century maybe signs a few too much bands for my taste, i can't say a negative thing about them.
Q: Your first two albums are meanwhile available on MP3.com for free. How did you come up with the idea?
Carmelo:
A friend came along with the proposal, and we thought "why not?". The pressings of the first two records are as good as sold-out, and a reprint wouldn't be worthwhile imo, so why not give people the possibility to get to know us for free? I can't say yet wether id did any good, but we already received some positive mails pointing in that direction, so it doesn't seem to be such a bad idea.
Q:
On your new album you feature a very beautiful cover version of Kate Bush's "Cloudbusting". What's the background to that one?
Carmelo:
Well, as the song was released in 1984 we simply loved it above all. I remember listening to it the first time on the radio and simply being blown away. Because of that we've thinked about covering it for a long time, and now finally put it into practice. Of course one is always sceptical if it works out. What do you think?
Interviever:
In my eye that's one of the few really good Kate Bush cover songs...
Carmelo:
Really? I'm glad to hear. It looks like it worked out quite well after all.
Q:
Guiseppe, as far as i know, you had to undergo surgery on your backside last year which nearly put an end to your career. How bad has it really been?
Giuseppe:
Well, not as bad as could been read here and there. The point is: backside surgeries are not unproblematic most of the time, and being a drummer you of course have your doubts. But in the meantime everything's okay, and luckily it doesn't handicap me while drumming in any way any more.
Q:
Apart from that you already had a few lineup problems, right? Your second guitarist Massimiliano actually left you, but if i got it right he is with you on this tour again.
Giuseppe:
Yes, not only on the tour, in fact he's a full member of the band again. We had a few personal difficulties which needed us to get some distance from each other, but now he's back with us, and to be honest i'm very glad about that!
Q:
Travis Smith is responsible for the cover artwork of the new album, and he's something like an AllStar among the metal-cover-artists...
Giuseppe:
Yeah, that's right, but the man simply is damn good. It's unbelievable and fascinating how he combines real and drawn elements and how he really manages to capture the mood of the music in his work. As an artist you are of course a little sceptical to which degree music can be visualized, but i am fully content with his work.
Tito
