5Rand is an extreme metal band from Italy, proposing a sounding mixture of thrash metal with industrial elements, with growl and clean vocals, both delivered by Julia Elenoir's female voice. The lineup is completed by Pierluigi Carocci (Guitars), Riccardo Zito (Bass) and Francesco Marroni (Drums).
Our debut album titled “Sacred/Scared” is coming out on Febreuary 24th, recorded at Kick Recording Studios (Rome, Italy), engineered and mixed by Marco Mastrobuono (Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hour of Penance), mastered at Finnvox (Helsinki, Finland) by Mika Jussila (Nightwish, Children of Bodom).
2.You have an album coming out during the end of February, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Well it’s hard to briefly describe our sound… Speaking of “genres”, ours would be something in between thrash, melodic death and industrial.
We’ve put all ourselves in this album and we hope you’ll feel its pulsating energy and passion. The music is so strong and evocative, in-your-face and yet also strangely subtle. We think we’ve done a really good job in that regard, and the lyrics are not less powerful!
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Even if it’s not a concept album, there are a few recurring themes that we hold particularly dear: the urge to be free and resist social coercions, to rebel against whoever and whatever oppresses and subjugates you, forcing you to be something that you’re not. This is the meaning behind the artwork too: we must not be afraid to taste the fruit from the forbidden tree, because knowledge is everything. Adam and Eve fear knowledge because they were told so; but when she eventually takes the fruit, she discovers that it’s a heart, which symbolizes our longing for a full life. Knowledge has the power to set you free, to make your life worthwile and make yourself a complete being, with all its parts without exclusions. There’s no damnation of the flesh and there’s no determinism, there’s just us trying to live as best we can.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name '5Rand'?
The name 5Rand comes from a strange story that happened to our guitarist Pierluigi some years ago. In a summer night in his hometown, he met a strange man (who eventually revealed himself as a shaman) and passed a good part of the night drinking and talking with him. When he spoke about his dream to build a metal band, this guy gave him a 5Rand coin from South Africa as a lucky charm and said: “If you make sure that every step is in the direction of the mountain, you'll get there”. That’s why Pierluigi chose this name for the band.
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
If we have to choose one best show, it would be the one we’ve played in October, supporting Fleshgod Apocalypse… the show was amazing and all the people in the venue literally freaked out when they heard our music, even if we were just the opening act. It was really exalting.
6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the album is released?
We are currently planning an European tour for this year, but we can’t tell you much more than that because everything is still in progress. We’ll certainly let you notice when the comes, though!
7.The album is coming out on My Kingdom Music, are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
Yes, we can say we are. My Kingdom has proved immediately interested in our product, we would even say enthusiastic, in fact. For us it is very important that those we work with have a clear and recognizable way, without disturbance and inattention, and finding someone who believes in your work is the basis for a successful collaboration.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic and extreme metal?
Really good, based on the reviews we are getting for the album and the comments on the videos available on YouTube. Our main purpose is to contribute to insane moments of head-banging for our friends and fans, so we’ve completely focused ourselves in achieving this, and it seems that this is happening. So we are really happy to hear that.
9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We hope to have soon the opportunity to bring our music around the world: playing (and attending to!) live shows is just vital to us. We have to personally communicate with everyone in the crowd our passion and our energy, we’re definitely not a studio band!
10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
This can’t be a straight answer, we’re not that easy to be labelled. We’re mainly a thrash metal band, so naturally we look up to the classics: Testament, Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth to name the biggest ones. But we also aim to a modern sound: we’re really into Gojira, especially their latest work, and we certainly have some contaminations from industrial acts such as Slipknot, Rammstein and Fear Factory. But then, we listen to a lot of death metal as well; so bands like Arch Enemy, At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity undoubtedly are a big influence. And we love our Iron Maiden background!
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Well, Julia loves to cook and she always prepares something special to eat for the band, often some new dish that she wants to try with us. She really puts our weight to the test! Pierluigi is an amazing painter, Riccardo reads an awful lot and travels to northern countries whenever he can, while Francesco enjoys skating and street art.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for reading us, we hope to meet you soon in some shows! Follow us on www.facebook.com/5randofficial and the other social media (you’ll find all the links on www.5rand.net) to stay up to date on where we’re going to play; remember the release date of our album "Sacred / Scared": February 24th. We’re almost there! In the meantime, take a look at our video clips on youtube ;)
Thanks again and keep banging your head!
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