Line Up:
Stefano Borciani On Vocal
Stefano Rossi Ciucci On Guitar
Riccardo Rogari On Bass
Edoardo Di Santo On Drums
Well,Friends Of Aristocracy!
We speak again of our newsroom, where in a little while, we will have, in all its emotions, the interview 155 of the Aristocracy.This time, we talked to a band that breathes brutality and shows all the gifts of a relentless fury.In 2020, they started their way with the EP titled as Echoes of Dying World and also got a valuable contract with the label Everlasting Spew Records.This year, they return with their debut album entitled “Unheeded Warnings of Decay”. They are the Italian band Instigate. Before we start the interview, we want to thank the whole band and especially Stefano Rossi Ciucci and Stefano Borciani for answering our questions. Let's go to a song of theirs so we can start this amazing interview.
A1:Let´s talking about the composition work in Unheeded Warnings of Decay?
Stefano Rossi Ciucci:Usually me and Riccardo write all riffs and a drum base to work with,then Stefano Borciani write all lyrics based on the music. It's really simple,we follow our instincts.
A2:How does the cycle of civilization inspire the band?
Stefano Borciani:The whole concept is focused on the cycle of civilization. “Unheeded warnings of decay” is a kind of concept album, from awareness of the human race as species to its collapse.
A3:Cain influenced the last song for what reason?
Stefano Borciani:On “Seeds of Cain” we took his biblical shape too. Cain is a tragic shape, the biblical archetype of the traitor. But Cain, like all of us,is a product of his parent’s choices of his own essence, the scenario that surrounds him, and lots of different influences.I found him like the perfect archetype to represent humanity: we are a species born with limits that, sooner or later, will condemn us. But can we really call ourselves “guilty”?
A4:What is Haruspex?
Stefano Borciani: We are not machines.We need a spirituality that helps us to find answers. This need drives us to do incredible feats but also to make huge mistakes and to trust false prophets.Haruspex in ancient times predicted the future by reading the entrails of animals: I imagined a futuristic scenario where a man climbs an huge abandoned skyscraper in a post-apocalyptic scenario, risking his life to reach his oracle and pays him to have the future predicted.
A5:What else instigues the band besides the songs you make?
Stefano Borciani: Inspiration is everywhere you can find the conflicts and inconsistencies which, instead of helping us to progress to dare a future for our children, only turn our planet into a poisonous landfill. We are too inspired, unfortunately.
A6:What makes Instigate different from your past projects or projects that you still participate in?
Stefano Borciani:Each musical project arises from the need to compete with different sounds, different inspirations and different methods of composition, adding new skills, enriching myself as a musician and as a person, why not?!
A7:Some literature or film inspire the band? Stefano Borciani:I love horror cinema and horror literature. Luckily, the latter never disappoints me ahahah.
A8:What´s the idea behind artwork´s album?
Stefano Rossi Ciucci: We had a lot of problems to find the right art, to combine the concept album idea and images. I went in touch with the mighty Gary Ronaldson off Bite Radius Design, he worked with bands like Sepultura, Napalm Death, Misery Index, Pig Destroyer, etc...talking to him about what we have in mind. He sent me this amazing artwork that explains everything: some cops take a city London, in the inlay art, burning everything. People didn't take care about the "warnings of decay" and that's the worst possible scenario. Some people didn't understand this cover,we still can understand why, the combination art+title seems really clear and they accused us of fascism/nazism. Nothing could be more wrong! We have nothing to do with politics and there is no reference in the texts/music regarding it.
A9:Why didn't Kevin Talley participate in the drum work on this album?
Stefano Borciani:It was a painful choice, because Kevin was really great in "Echoes of a dying world". But we needed a compatriot for the future of the band, also to be able to do concerts in the future and not have to constantly resort to session drummers. But it remains a collaboration we are extremely proud of!
A10:What are the oppressions and absolutisms that humanity realizes that are totally inspiring for the band?
Stefano Borciani:We are surrounded by absolutisms and oppressors.And I don't just mean dictatorships or other shit that undermines the individual’s dignity and freedom of thought. Each government should guide its choices based on the psychophysical well-being of the individual and society, not the interest of a few lobbyists and criminal associations. In Italy by now the exponents of politics no longer even try to hide their own inconsistencies, their inability, they aren’t ashamed of links with criminal associations or to clearly favor their interests.Just to cite the most recent example, I consider Giuliano Amato's choices as criminal acts.
A11:A nightmare metaphorical narrative is something the band creates excellently.Do these narratives take place in any specific structure of the world beyond the band?
Stefano Borciani:Not specifically.I believe that self-defeating choices come from very common instincts, all over the world. I would be willing to bet that if man could start over he would retrace the same path.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P05nxaXhaC4
A12:Do we live in the most deceitful time of humanity because of social media?
Stefano Borciani:We live in the most deceptive time because we have found one more means by which to deceive mainly ourselves. We use social media to show our best, to guide others’ choices, to sell products, just as we do with any other social medium, including simple face-to-face dialogue. But unlike a real dialogue, there is no contradiction, many speak without listening in a one-way dialogue. I believe that those who have not understood this mechanism have the sensation of communicating more through social media, of getting better information, but they are getting used to false communication.
A13:This album is conceptual?
Stefano Borciani:As said before, the whole concept is focused on the cycle of civilization.
A14:How band arrive to Everlasting Spew?
Stefano Borciani:Giorgio and Tito have been friends for a long time and we have already collaborated with other projects. Borcia's band Demiurgon is also on the same label, for example. The Spew was a natural and spontaneous choice, both as musicians and as friends. A15:What would 2022 Instigate say to 2020 Instigate on the first day of rehearsal?
Stefano Borciani:I’d like to say “Keep on giving it all because you will see some good ones, dai adesso!”
A16:What´s bands influence ours?
Stefano Rossi Ciucci:Misery Index, Dying Fetus and Suffocation are the main influences. Anyway you can listen to Carcass too, Dyscarnate, etc... A17:How is the supernatural approached by the band?
Stefano Borciani:We do not have a supernatural approach, we have a concrete and scientific perspective. I think it is limiting to analyze the world around us and man's choices through the supernatural: to discover causes and consequences, whether they are scientific or anthropological, is always more interesting than attributing a higher will to everything. We must not attribute the causes of our misfortunes to others, in order to evolve it is necessary to look inside with honesty and a spirit of criticism.
Stefano Rossi Ciucci:Man, really thank you for your patience. So sorry for the delay and thank you again for it. Please let me know when it will be out so we can share it on our SM.Cheers!