ILLOGICIST: Brutalism Interview

LOGIC BEHIND ILLOGICIST

For BRUTALISM’s readers, technical death metal oriented Illogicist is a band that has probably popped up on the review section many times. However, many may not have known much about the group... until now. Vocalist/ guitarist Luca Minier was kind enough to answer a few questions about the band, personal life, and give something to fans and readers to know more about a band they (hopefully) enjoy.

Hello there. How are you guys reaping the success from your latest album?Hi guys!! We are currently enjoying a well deserved rest, the recording of the album took us about a year and we are really curious as to how metal fans will judge it.

Your work has always been on the more philosophical side. What concepts do you wish listeners to take away from ‘The Unconscious Of Living’ the most? Is there a running theme or does each song speak for itself on a different level?

What concepts: Concepts of fear and the ghosts that are generated by ourselves in the search for ones own conciousness, of the purpose of ones own life. The reccurrent theme which unites the lyrics and the music is the theme that deals with the unawareness with which humans face their every day lives. 

Musically, how did you want the album to sound different from your past works, or do you feel that Illogicist has reached a comfort zone within your output for a ‘metal’ sound?The new album sounds much more compact and dark/obscure compared to our previous albums. There is more violence but at the same time the quality of the band remains strong. 

For those that don’t know, how did Illogicist begin? And why choose Technical Death Metal specifically as a genre of choice?Illogicist formed in 1997 with the aim of creating music without being limited by the confines imposed by one genre, to crete music free from rules. It wasn’t a conscious choice to play technical death metal, we played and that was that, the media has labelled us Techinical Death Metal, we prefer to define ourselves as progressive, if we are forced to define ourselves. 

What got you into Metal in the first place?The first band that got me into Metal was Iron Maiden.

First metal CD, show, etc…Iron Maiden, cd-vhs Maiden England (Live), my first concert was Iron Maiden with Megadeth as support.

Have you found much support for your kind of Metal  in Aosta, Italy, or did you have to branch out further to find better promotion and people to appreciate your music?Aosta is a small place and Italians are Xenophiles, so, paradoxically we have had more success abroad then in Italy particularly in the U.S and Eastern Europe. 

If one were to listen to something like ‘Subjected’ from 2004 and then pop in ‘The Unconscious…,’ do you think they would hear a drastic change in sound, such as maybe the way the vocals sound or the guitar tones? Are you happy with how Illogicist has progressed so far?We have tried to better ourselves album after album, ‘The Insight Eye’ and The  ‘Unconsciousness of Living’ were produced directly by me, so I was able to give those albums a more personal direction. The way that I sung on Unconsciousness came about in the studio,  trying out different styles and trying to under stand which style embraced best with the music. For the guitars we were looking to make the sound more compact and powerful without losing definition, so we are happy with our progress. 

When not involved with the band, what do you guys like to do to just sit back and breathe and find inspiration for the next album/ concept? Some people like to travel or research, others just spend time with family… etc.I like to travel, produce, record and mix other bands and snowboard.

What would you say fuels Illogicist the most at this point to keep on going? In a world where MP3s are overtaking CDs and downloading is rampant, the ability to make money in the music industry is less than it used to be so usually there is always something more pushing than just the ‘glory of a rockstar life,’ no?Illogicist is a project which was born with the aim of being able to freely express its own musical tastes in the way that we like the most, being an underground band we are not obligated to anyone so we feel free to follow our instinct.  As far as the music business is concerned, given that there is very little money to be earned, we play for passion and out of our love for music, so the fact that mp3’s are overtaking cds and that people tend to download albums doesn’t really affect us, on the contrary, it helps us get discovered by people who wouldn’t know about us unless they downloaded out albums. 

What did you think would happen with Illogicist when you started back in 1997, all the way to the first demo. Did you ever expect to see yourselves over ten years later still making heavy, and better music?Yes I did, because music is an important part of my life, it’s part of meand through the years, since the first demo-  ‘fa parte di me, e negli anni’- I have dedicated myself to ensuring that the band was known abroad. I hope that in another ten years we will still be together composing and playing what we like even if it is very difficult to create something whcih is really original.  

So now that the new album is out, what’s in store for the future? Can listeners expect some touring coming up or ongoing so they can see you live?Yes, the idea is to promote the new album by playing live as much as possible. Unfortunately we are currently without a drummer and we are looking for one. Here in Italy it’s difficult to find really good drummers who are really dedicated to what they do but I hope to get back on stage as soon as possible.

Last question: Your fans are part of the heart of this engine. What has been one of the nicest or most inspiring things a fan(s) has done for Illogicist, be it a comment after a show or a written comment online that has really made you feel like the band is making a positive impact on listener life rather than being just ‘another Death Metal band’?All out fans are important to us and they all make us proud of what we do. It is inspiring to receive positive comments and encouragement from fans all around the world. It makes us strive even harder to make every album even better than the last and to carry on playing the music we love. 

Thanks again for the interview guys as well as letting BRUTALISM continue to review your work!Thanks to you for the support and for the visibility that you have given us through the years, we hope that we will have the opportunity to appear within your pages in the future, respect for your work and for your readers.