"All About The Album - 15 Questions" - a section at the RockUnited site where a recording artist with an recently released CD is confronted with 'album'  questions (15 of them, duh!). If you'd like to have your material up here, email: urban "at" rockunited.com (simply replace "at" with your standard @ )

ANNO MUNDI: "Cloister Graveyard In The Snow"

Gianluca Livi and Alessio Morelli are Anno Mundi's drummer and guitar player and also the main music and lyrics composers. They are the creators of the debut album "Cloister Graveyard In The Snow" which was released in August 2011. It was pressed in 100 numbered vinyl copies, featuring a four sided folder poster, three pictures, a printed insert and a giant hand painted poster, here's: ANNO MUNDI...

How has the reaction to your latest CD been?

Globally good! The record received magnificent reviews in Germany and Italy and just reasonable ones in the USA. The listeners enjoyed the album to the point that it was completely sold out in six months. This is amazing if you think that the price was rather high because of the limited edition.

How long did this CD take to make from start to finish, recording-wise?

We started to record in August 2010. The master was completed – inclusive production and mixing – in May 2011. All the songs were written before July 2010.

What kind of 'sound', production wise, did you have in the back of your mind, prior to entering the studio?

The musical spectrum we are involved in is the mighty seventies, based on a heavy Sabbathian guitar sound. We experimented with acoustic parts, wind instruments, prog overtures and so on. With all the pros and cons it can
include a seventies oriented production really suited us the best, because it is fascinating. We believe nobody experimented such thing here in Rome, but we did…. The most impressive thing for many reviewers and listeners was the Black Sabbath sound and more generally the seventies atmospheres of the Vertigo label. However, many reviewers have recognized a certain amount of originality in our music, due to obvious prog contamination, which was not so evident in the music of Black Sabbath. The real thing behind the “two riffs” of each Anno Mundi mood is an entire universe which grabs you by the throat and never lets you go, due to the absolutely free musicians

What kind of input did the producer have during the process?

Everyone has praised the production and it has been an honor for us to record in Ezra’s Winston's 3Fates recording studio. EZRA WINSTON was one
of the most influential new prog bands of the eighties and according to www.progarchives.com the band that took a variety of styles and became a
melting pot for all sorts of colours and emotions in music. Paolo Lucini is a kind person and good musician, so he can understand more about the
needs of other musicians. He helped us a lot, also with the arrangements and the result can be heard on the record. Our debut album contains some
compositions that we strongly believe in and Paolo added a touch of class which really made the difference.

And are you pleased with the final outcome? (sound - production wise)

We cannot say that the album is perfect, but only because the perfect record doesn’t exist. We are happy with the result, but we are mature
persons being aware that we can do better in the future.”

Did the producer (you) use any (weird) experimental miking and/or recording techniques?

We mostly used analogue recorders, so we didn't have the opportunity to experiment a lot, with the exception of some parts in the second chapter of Gallifreyan Suite, which is basically a variegated noises and sounds play over a stubborn rhythm section. In addition, the title track was played by Paolo Lucini with a keyboard synthesizer with some atmospheric effects. The production required different recording techniques. We strongly wanted to keep the rhythm section as natural as possible and some creative processes have been done with samplers and computer recording methods

How did you go on about capturing your 'live sound' in the studio, or perhaps you didn't

We used multi track recordings and never more than an instrument at once. This was due to the fact that we used a lot of guest musicians and we could not play as a complete band.

Please inform us about your favourite songs and lyrical highlights and why?

A highlight can be noted in Dwarf Planet, one of the most progressive songs. I am really proud of the involvement of Alessandro Papotto in this song. All the tracks are good for us because we composed them.

Any overall theme of mood that you're trying to capture while writing songs?

Notally seventies sound, psychedelic, progressive and loud hard rock, made the way we personally conceive what is a personal musical passion. I hope that the people will like it.

Does your vision for coming up with music get affected at all by time?

We do not measure over time because it always wins. Only time will tell if what we do is wrong or right. Meanwhile we just make the music we like.

Did the record company interfere with anything on your "sound" and songs?

No, not at all because we made it all by self production. We made this choice to be really independent because we knew it is not easy with this particular kind of music.

Are there any 'crazy' behind the scenes anecdotes from these sessions that you can share with us?

Certainly. The fact that I went to the studio to play most of the guitar solos with a bruised rib due to an accident.

How would you describe the sound of your new CD to any potential new fan? 

We made it in the old seventies way with no particular electronic effect. I hope this record will sound good to everyone who will buy it and that vinyl will never die. We made some gadgets for this limited edition and I hope it will be appreciated.

Who are your influences and heroes, besides Black Sabbath? (music-wise)

Yes, Deep Purple, Black Widow, Mercyful Fate, eighties metal, seventies hard rock and so on.

If there's anything you'd like to add, say, please do:

Thanks for the interview. We hope vinyl will never die. Long live rock and roll
ANNO MUNDI

Interview by: Martien Koolen. Concept/Questions by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
Photos from the band's website www.myspace.com/annomundi
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