INTERVIEW with GIULIO MOSCHINI (Guitars/Backing Vocals) and PAOLO PIERI (Vocals/Guitars) of HOUR OF PENANCE ( Technical Brutal Death Metal – Italy )

"We’re fans of metal in every form, so we try to express and work on different styles to improve as musicians and always find new challenges and incentives to develop our skills. Hour of Penance is definetely a demanding challenge as musicians, but the main reason we all focus on this project is because we love what we do and enjoy ourselves playing fast and furious Death Metal".

Death metal is more than just music. 

It transcends such a limited mortal state of mind.

Death metal is the aural expression of humanity's darkest side, of devastation, sorrow and the harbingers of mankind's own inhumanity & ultimately it's destruction.

Death metal is not a trend, a fashion parade or a means to an end. 
It is much more than that. It is a way of life. A life in death.
This is the doctrine HOUR OF PENANCE spew forth with unrelenting musical verocity* through their sickening, mind-obliterating auditory assault on the senses.

Forged in the dark shadows of "The Holy Capital", this most unholy of quartets have steadily been making a name for themselves as one of the most intense, talented and impressive, both in the studio & live onstage, modern death metal bands around. 
These tyrannical troubadors of brutality have so far spread their plague of destruction across the breadth of the European continent from pulverizing festivals in Portugal and Spain in the West through laying waste to Germany, the Netherlands & central Europe to besieging the Czech Republic in the East.

Fresh from playing all manner of festivals including SWR Fest (Portugal), Neurotic Deathfest (Netherlands), Brutal Assault, headlining on home soil (Tattoing Death Fest, Italy) and numerous German gatherings (from Deathfeast Open Air to Summer blast, even headlining Ludwigshafen Fest) the band have also subjected the masses to a masterclass in precision brutality by touring Europe with Kansas' finest, ORIGIN in a match made in the bowels of hell itself.

Countless venues across the continent have witnessed the slaughter each time these Italian stallions take to the stage.
HOUR OF PENANCE are one of those few bands who not only manage to harness the tools of intense brutality in the studio and on record but translate that so perfectly into the live arena too that the poor gathered public is subjected to an even more visceral display than anticipated! 

With each release unleashed upon the masses HOUR OF PENANCE have continued to hone their finesse yet further, progressively managing to not only ratchet up the aural intensity of their music but also the sheer technicality, musicianship and calibre required to be able to withstand such increasing potentcy.
The year 2008 saw the release of the band's most lauded album to date, 'The Vile Conception', which was thirty-six minutes of ferocious brutality played with a precision targeted attack on the senses, and which earned the band high praise from the music press and the thousands of those who heard it, including CANNIBAL CORPSE's very own Alex Webster who listed it as one of his favourite top five!

Now, just when you thought it was safe to listen to call yourself a death metal fan, and with the impending unleashing of their most potent conjurations thus far, HOUR OF PENANCE are poised to strike & devastate the ears of the loyal disciples of death metal once more with a merciless masterclass in brutality entitled 'Paradogma' brought into inception at the legendary 16th Cellar Studios and Hertz Studios in Poland. 

Unleashing a likely tour de force in maniacal death metal brutality, a celebration of music in it's darkest and most inhuman form, HOUR OF PENACE have ascended to an even greater height of precision savagery. 
Every population has its cancer, every movement its enemies.
Be the wolf amongst the flock. Embrace the barbarity!

New band members : 

- Simone Piras (Drums)

- Silvano Leone (Bass)

- Paolo Pieri (Vocals/Guitars)

- Giulio Moschini (Guitars)

Hour Of Penance is a great technical brutal death metal band from Italy and as we know they just released new full length album ‘Sedition’ with 9 track include 1 intro. This time I just get reply interviews from Hour Of Penance, Giulio and Paolo just doing good answered to BUSUK WEBZINE. Let’s check it out now ………\m/

John Yoedi : Hi Giulio, How are you there ? Thanks for taking some time to do an interview with Busuk Webzine. Here is John Yoedi. Kieran James (Australia) and I share for this blog. Many congratulations on the new album “Sedition ” and it was release 2 month ago, you guys must be really pleased with the way it has turned out. I have been reading some very positive reviews for your album, so I guess you’re really happy with the response you’ve had although I know, you working hard for released new album ‘SEDITION’. What are your favourite memories about the recording process ? And how long you been working on it and did everything go to plan ?

Giulio : Hey John , first thing first , thanks for having us onto these pages. We're very satisfied by the feedback that Sedition is getting so far , we've got some very good reviews from all around the globe.

We worked again with Stefano Morabito at his 16^th Cellar Studios so the recordings went very smooth as you can imagine , we know well Stefano as he's a friend and he knows exactly how this band should sound like . Recordings took almost a month, plus some days we spent to mix it and mastering the right way.

JY : And how do you feel ‘Sedition’ compares to your previous album ‘Paradogma’ ? Would you like to tell us, what is the main different, but also similarities for the both album ?

Giulio  : This time  we wanted album that could sound modern as well as catchy as an “old” death metal album of the 90's, a more balanced sound between technicality and groovy part. That's because I don't like the way some of the new bands plays this kind of music nowadays, I think they're too focused on showing people how much they can shred with their instrument instead of making an enjoyable album for their fans.
This album is the evolution of Paradogma , I like to think at Sedition as an improved Hour of Penance album.

JY : What strengths have the new members brought to the band, were they all active in the composition of the album and how would you say things have progressed from the last release to this one?

Giulio : I took care of the composition by my own, Paolo actually took care of all the lyrics with me. We worked together sometime on changing some riffs here and there but what you can actually listen is what I recorded here in my home studio. We always worked like that. Paolo did an amazing job with the lyrics and the vocal lines , that's definitely one of the best thing on the new album.

JY : I think, Mauro Mercurio (Drums) was founder of Hour Of Penance. And he has been working hard for this band since first album ‘Disturbance’ to fourth album ‘Paradogma’. Although we knows he left the band after released Paradogma album. In Sedition album I can’t see the other founders of Hour Of Penance. And you have joined to this band, since second album ‘Pageantry For Martys’ (2005). While Mauro Mercurio left the band, Simone Piras came to Hour Of Penance as Drums. Would you like to tell us, what was reason Mauro Mercurio left the band ? And why you have decided to choose Simone Piras from Ancient Skin ?

Giulio : You people should understand that drummers don't write albums, most of the time they just sit on their drum thrones and play what some other people write for them. That's exactly how was it with Mauro and Simone. All the guitars as well as the drum parts are written by myself here at home with the computer and then played and recorded by the drummers in the studio – nothing has been added from them.

I can't really tell you why he left , because he didn't left , there's more than that but I don't want to talk, enough has been said already. Most of the people leaves bands because they're pussies.

JY : Besides that, not only Mauro Mercurio (Drums) left the band after released ‘Paradogma’ album, but also Francesco Paoli (Vocals). And then he has decided playing to Fleshgod Apocalypse but as we know he already member in Fleshgod Apocalypse. Many fans doubted Hour Of Penance’s future when Mauro Mercurio and Francesco Paoli left the band. What do you think about this ?

Giulio : I think that's gay. Drummers are replaceable as well as singers, what you CAN'T replace is someone who write songs for the band – and most of all if you're fan of a band the first thing you should do in that kind of situation would be not doubting of the band's future , but support the band. 

JY : Then came Paolo Pieri as vocals/guitars in Hour Of Penance. Paolo Pieri already have six band in Italy except Hour Of Penance. How can you so interest to invite him playing for Hour Of Penance ? And how he could be share time with his old bands there ? but I bet he is good musician and he knows how to share it.

Giulio : Paolo is actually only involved in Aborym besides Hour of Penance and Aborym at the moment is not a live band so he can manage to be in both bands without any problem. We picked Paolo up when we parted ways with Francesco because he was a friend and because we knew his capability, we thought he was the right guy for the band.

JY : Where did the band’s name came from and does it have any particular meaning to you ?

Giulio : “hour of Penance” is the christian moment in which you pray for your sins .

JY : I know you are all good and highly impressive musicians. And I can see some members in Hour Of Penance still playing for some Black Metal bands. What was the reason or the inspiration from you all then decided to playing Death Metal music for Hour Of Penance ?

Paolo : We’re fans of metal in every form, so we try to express and work on different styles to improve as musicians and always find new challenges and incentives to develop our skills. Hour of Penance is definetely a demanding challenge as musicians, but the main reason we all focus on this project is because we love what we do and enjoy ourselves playing fast and furious Death Metal.

JY : And it’s really awesome, Hour Of Penance released each albums about two years gap. Since album ‘The Vile Conception’ (2008), Paradogma (2010) and Sedition (2012). How do you manage to adapt to things and get the job done ? As we know its must be very frustrating and not easy to get an album together with a new team so often.

Giulio : We're fan of our own music so when we're tired of playing the same stuff over and over we start writing new stuff , it's kind of a natural thing for us so it's definitely not frustrating.

JY : All album from Hour Of Penance released with some different labels/records. ‘Disturbance’ and ‘Pageantry for Martyrs’ released by Xtreem Music, ‘The Vile Conception’ and ‘Paradogma’ released by Uniqueleader Records. And this time for the new album ‘Sedition’ released by Prosthetic Records. As I know Prosthetic Records already released some great metal core bands and death metal bands. How far are you into the contract your signed to Prosthetic Records ? Is it only for two album release, as like what you did before to another labels/records.

Giulio :  I can't really talk about the details of our contract with Prosthetic Records as you imagine but all I can say Is that it's a very supportive label made by hard working people who are into metal and most of all into the band they signed, so we've definitely looking forward to work with them in the future also for our next albums.

JY : Or you guys thinking about looking for another labels/records ? And what kind of labels/records would you consider signing with ?

Paolo : So far we are really satisfied with the overall effort that Prosthetic puts into Hour of Penance, so we don’t really have put any thought on this.

JY : The cover artwork from Hour Of Penance album was very amazing and very sick…I like it very much (since The Vile Conception, Paradogma and Sedition album). Who was artist or came up with the concept, how many design did you have to wade through until you came to this one ?

Paolo : We just gave a general concept to Gyula Havancksac and he came up with this amazing artwork, then we just changed some small details according to our taste. The result is sick, we’re really satisfied and the fans loved it

JY : The sound of ‘Sedition’ album really amazing and so brutal, variety tempo, surprisingly catchy guitar riffs, blasting drum patterns and guttural vocals. Overall, the production on this album was fantastic and extremely clear sounding. I bet Stefano Morabito (producer) was working hard for ‘Sedition’ album. Would you like to tell us about him ? And are you satisfied working with him ?

Giulio : We're very satisfied with his work , as I said before Stefano is a great producer and a friend so working with him was a pleasure. 

JY : The style and sound from ‘Sedition’ album a bit similar from Fleshgod Apocalypse. What do you think about this ? Because many people said like that or maybe I have to check my ears to doctor first hahahaha…..because I know that the overall feedback from both fans and metal media has been overwhelming. Do you really care what potential fans and musical critics like me even think of your work ?

Paolo : The first FA album, Oracles, followed a bit in the vein of Vile Conception/Paradogma, but now they’re doing something totally different, I don’t really hear any resemblance anymore between us. We always take critics in consideration, because sometimes listening to your own songs a thousand times makes you lose a bit of objectivity, but sometime you read such stupid shit that you stop caring at all about what people think.   

JY : What is gears do you use to record and do you use the same amp/guitars etc for live shows ?

Paolo : This time we used an ENGL Powerball and ESP guitar in studio, live usually we work with the backline provided, or our own Peavey heads.

JY : And do you have any endorsements ? If yes, please tell us ?

Paolo : We just started a collaboration with Seymour Duncan, their pickups have great tone and we’re really loving it, expecially the Blackouts. I am endorsing also Strictly 7 Guitars, they are specialized in 7/8/9 strings guitars, all handmade. They sound and look great, they are going to be the next thing in extreme metal. Our new drummer, James Payne, is endorser for TAMA drums, Zildjian cymbals and Vic Firth, all top quality stuff.

JY : Well I want to talking a bit about your personally now. When do you started or choose to play metal music ? Which bands inspired you back in the day to start ?

Paolo : I started when I was 14, in my hometown there wasn’t much to do so I started playing music, from classic to extreme metal stuff. I loved Metallica and Iron Maiden, then I made my way into more underground stuff, thrash, black, death metal.

JY : For you personally, who are the major influences on you as a guitarist ? Which kind of guitarist do you prefer ?

Paolo : I’m not much of a guitar freak, I prefer to avoid rules or study too much other guitar players, so I’m free to work on my own playing style.

JY : I bet, lots of sickest death metal bands in Italy and I only know some of them such as : Fleshgod Apocalypse, Putridity, Mindsnare (oldschool grindcore), Egemony, Gory Blister, Eden Beast, Indecent Excision, Vomit The Soul and Natrium. Are you closer with them ? Would you like to tell us a bit about death metal in your local scene ?

Paolo : We know the guys from Fleshgod Apocalypse very well and we shared the stage couple of times, but we are not very interested in the so called scene. We prefer to stick by ourselves, there’s too much talk going around in this context.

JY : What is the current situation of real Metal scene in Italy ? And are there any lesser know Italy bands that you would recommend for us beside as I told you before ?

Paolo : There are only a few venues decent enough to put a good show and and less people are coming to metal shows lately. It’s a bad situation also for the financial crisis we’re facing here. I don’t know any other band, I don’t follow what happens in the metal scene, I’m very much into Katy Perry nowadays

JY : Let's talk a bit about your song writing process. How does a song usually develop - do you first start with a lyric, melody, chord progression, or something else? Do you begin writing a song in your head before you pick up an instrument?

Giulio : It depends. Some songs can come up in a day, some would take more to be finished.. it depends on our inspiration.

JY : Mostly the lyrical themes of death metal usually talking about anti religion, occultism, mysticism, satanism, mutilation,torture, rape and etc. Did you write the lyrical themes as I said before or ? Who was usually responsible for writing lyrics and music concept for Hour Of Penance ?

Paolo : I took care of the lyrics in Sedition, and all of them pretty much deal with christian religion and how sick and twisted it has become. I believe the jews and then the christians who basically developed from the jewish creed have corrupted and fucked the mind of billions of people, used just as cannon fodder because they became slaves to their beliefs.

JY : Just a side question, What do you think about BUSUK WEBZINE ?

Giulio : Keep up the good work! Hard work always pays off.

JY : How has the crowd creation been towards you so far, both on disc and live ? How do you find the reaction from audiences when you are playing live? And where was your best overall gigs so far ?

Paolo : It depends very much on where you are playing, every country has a different approach in a concert. For exemple in Germany fans just stand still looking at the show, while in Eastern Europe, UK and US, people go crazy in the pit. It’s much more fun from the stage to see a crowd who gets in the right mood for a death metal show, banging and thrashing around like crazy. I don’t know what was the best show but the last tour in the US was probably the funniest time we had in our whole career. 

JY : And do you play live often or only on special occasions ? Are there any big metal fest in Italy nowadays ?

Paolo : We try to play as much as we can, as long as there is a financial return that is necessary to support the band. Too often we get offers in which we are asked to pay expenses by ourselves, or play without any fee. While some bands can afford to do this, we believe that is offensive for us as artists to even propose something like this. 

JY : On a final note,  Indonesian has a reputation as a country with a strong death metal fan base. Lots of great bands have toured to Indonesia like Dying Fetus, Disgorge (San Diego-Ca), Suffocation, Misery Index, Kataklysm, Nile, Psycroptic, and etc. It would be great to see you play live in Indonesia one day. Did you have ambitions to come here ?

Paolo : We got so many fans from Indonesia that is almost incredible! We would love to come for a tour but it’s very difficult because the travel is really expensive and you always have to go by plane from one gig to another. But if the fanbase there keeps getting bigger, we may touring Indonesia sooner than expected.

JY : Well, many thanks for your time and support. Best of luck with the new album and also for Hour Of Penance. Is there anything else you’d like to add ?

Giulio : Thanks a lot for your interview and big thank to all the indonesian fans !

If you want to know more about this band, please visit their site here :

Website : http://www.hourofpenance.net/

Press Contact : info@hourofpenance.net

Booking Agent: giulio@hourofpenance.net

(Interviewed by John Yoedi , June 03,2012)