Interview with TARCHON FIST

Hi! Congratulations on the release of your fifth album, “The Flame Still Burns”! How does it feel to have the album finally out, especially after the challenging times of the pandemic and the lockdown?
Hello, first of all, thank you for inviting us to your space! It is a pleasure and an honor for us! It feels good. At the end of every recording project, when you finally manage to see the result of so much effort, there is always a great satisfaction. This album, then, is the result of a particularly complex work born during the lockdown in March 2020, without seeing each other in person. In reality we were on tour at that moment, we were publicizing the previous album, “Apocalypse”, but with the pandemic we had to reinvent ourselves, and starting to work on a new album at a time when it was not possible to play live seemed like the right better choice.

TARCHON FIST has been praised for its ability to blend classic/epic metal influences, hard rock attitude, and heroic imagery. How did you develop this unique style, and what were your main inspirations?
Thanks to those who finally realize what TF’s style is!!! we try to contaminate our songs as much as possible, with all musical genres. We love music at 360 degrees regardless of the genre. the result is varied songs that have the band’s style in common. Someone accused us of not having a homogeneous style, which we basically carefully avoid by choice!!! Inspiration can come in various ways, from topics relating to everyday life stories to historical events, from the deeds of the common man to those of the heroes of epic or mythology. for example in the TFSB album “Ireland’s Rebels” is linked to a photograph, “9\11” to September 11th, “The Man” to a well-known American wrestler, “The Legend Of Rainbow Warrior” to the passion for life they have volunteers in general (specifically referring to Greenpeace) in short… life provides us with the material necessary to write songs!

Your sound encompasses various genres, including NWOBHM, Celtic hard rock, melodic thrash metal, street metal, and even folk and classical music. How do you manage to merge these diverse influences into a cohesive musical experience?
We like to deal with different styles and genres. This helps us to always look for new and “fresh” solutions while maintaining a certain style in terms of composition, arrangement and performance. As said before, it is the band’s style that creates a common thread… thanks for noticing these things…

Can you tell us more about the lyrical concepts explored on “The Flame Still Burns” and how they tie into the overall message of the album?
The lyrics on this album deal with the concept of passion in all its facets. In the first place, in the title track, there is clearly “our” passion for music, understood both as a form of expression and as a life choice. But passion can take on the most disparate forms: love for one’s family or attachment to certain values. Still other songs tell of his passion for sport, for visual arts such as photography. Finally, we have passion also understood as a mission. This is the case of Soldiers In White, a song written to pay tribute to the medical and nursing staff who offered their lives to save the lives of others during the pandemic.

What is the significance of the artwork, and how does it represent the essence of the album?
The artwork, as for the previous “Apocalypse” was commissioned to Mr. Stan WD. The idea was to recreate all the symbolism spread across almost 20 years of the band’s discography. In the foreground there is obviously Tarchon holding the sword, exactly as we left him in “Apocalypse” during the fight against the demon Manth who now, defeated, finds a place in the shadows as a trophy on the wall of the protagonist’s castle. Again, you can see the wolves with the “T” engraved on their foreheads, present since the band’s very first recordings. The king’s throne is the same as on the “Tarchon Fist” album and the shields refer to “Fighters” complete with letters HMBF engraved to recall “Heavy Metal Black Force”. Finally, still in the symbolism linked to Tarchon we find the fist, an emblem that for years has taken place on the group’s shirts only to underline that despite everything… THE FLAME STILL BURNS!!!!

“The Flame Still Burns” was recorded and produced by TARCHON FIST themselves. Can you share some insights into the recording process and the creative decisions you made during the production?
All TF albums follow more or less the same process, they are written, arranged and recorded in the studio by Lvcio, the creative decisions are all made here, at the same time Ramon and Rix take care of the lyrics, also in this case they are adapted in the studio… once the pre-production phase has been completed, we are preparing for the definitive recordings, first the drums (in this case carried out at the PRI studio in Bologna) then the guitar and bass recordings, the base has been prepared, again in this case we returned to the PRI studio for the lead vocals, while the choirs are always recorded in the studio by Lvcio… after which everything is passed to a professional studio (in this case always “PRI studio” in Bologna) for editing, mixing and preparation of the master later, with the final tracks in hand, you have to find someone to physically produce it!!!! Nothing special… everything more or less as it was done in the Jurassic period!!!

After the success of your comeback album “Apocalypse” in 2019, how do you feel “The Flame Still Burns” builds upon your previous work and pushes the boundaries of TARCHON FIST’s sound?
Basically, we used the same method and the same “team” for the production of both albums, the sound of Tarchon Fist continues to be powerful and incisive. “Apocalypse” is a more cerebral album, while “The Flame Still Burns” is in some respects more direct. We like the central theme of this album, that of passion, a concept that pushed us to move forward even when the whole world stopped due to Covid. Probably also for the next album (scheduled for the band’s twentieth anniversary in 2025) the same method will be used… we are very satisfied with the performance of our last 2 albums.

TARCHON FIST is known for delivering powerful and energetic live performances. How do you capture that same energy and intensity in your studio recordings?
Studio work and live performances are two sides of the same coin. In the studio we record the songs trying to make them as similar as possible to the idea that in our opinion could be the most effective in terms of sound performance, involvement (also and above all thinking about when they will be played live), sound and aesthetic taste. Some songs “grow” quickly, others take longer. We believe that the love for what we do and the interaction with the audience develops a synergy of energies that increases the result a hundredfold… we are a LIVE BAND first of all Our nature requires us to thread stages… and afterward, we like to party with the people present…

You have performed at prestigious festivals like Wacken Open Air and Autumn Assault. How do you approach your live shows, and what do you hope the audience takes away from your performances?
We always face every stage with a lot of enthusiasm, playing live (as already said several times) is our nature!!! We have fun and we plan to have fun!!! What do we want the audience to take home from one of our shows??? May people go home peaceful and relaxed, happy to have actively participated in a day of metal!

TARCHON FIST has gained recognition in the NWOTHM scene. How do you feel about being a part of this flourishing movement, and how does it influence your approach to creating music?
We are proud of it!!!! We love what we do, and we do it at our best! Let’s hope we can continue on this path! Thanks to the people who support us and allow us to bring music everywhere! We are aware that all the people in the metal world who love us are an integral part of our world, there are many songs we wrote in honor of these people, from our “So Thank You All” from the last album to “We Are The Legion ” or “Hammersquad” from previous albums… without you… nothing would have sense.

How important is it for TARCHON FIST to have the support of Underground Symphony in reaching a wider audience?
We are happy we had the opportunity to work with a historic label like US and have the promotional support of NEE CEE AGENCY. Mutual respect is great! Several times in the past we were very close to have an agreement which unfortunately did not materialize! With TFSB we did it!!! We will see the results later, for the moment US has taken us to Japan!!! Thanks Maurizio!!!!

Did you feel any pressure or expectations while creating this new record? How did you handle those factors during the creative process?
No, actually like many bands we found ourselves having to record a new album in 2020 because with the pandemic nothing else could be done, “Apocalypse” the previous album was released in August 2019 so in February 2020 when the world collapsed we were on tour… we had no intention of recording a new album and we had no agreements or contracts with anyone… but there was no choice…

How did the lockdown period impact the genesis and development of “The Flame Still Burns”? What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
As we have already said, The Flame Still Burns is a result of the forced standstill that was the pandemic. It wasn’t a planned album, given that in February 2020 we were in the middle of a European tour where we were promoting “Apocalypse”. However, when we understood that things would be anything but short and that the concerts could not be held indefinitely, we began to work remotely on a series of songs which were then collected in “The Flame Still Burns”. Working apart was certainly not easy. During the rare and short opening periods we took advantage of seeing each other and maximizing our work together. No, it wasn’t easy, but we were determined to prepare the work so we could start again as soon as the pandemic returned. Every difficult thing we met we were able to solve it and overcome it by facing it… as always… as in perfect Tarchon Fist spirit style: never giving up!

TARCHON FIST’s roots are deeply Italian, as reflected in the band’s name, which derives from the Etrurian king Tarconte. How does your Italian heritage influence your music and contribute to your unique sound and identity?
First of all, thanks for using the word “unique”, we are very pleased! we are convinced of this, but we are often compared to existing realities, often big names of bands that we love, which undoubtedly makes us happy and is also partly true given that in metal it is difficult to bring out great innovations, but I think the use of the word “unique” should be reserved for the particular way of composing, that is, building every single song and the entire collection of every single album! We believe that Italian musical culture does not significantly influence our style, perhaps our music has more Anglo-Saxon roots with a lot of Germany around…

Throughout your career, you have received flattering reviews and achieved high chart positions. Did you anticipate such positive reception, and how does it feel to see your music resonating with listeners and critics alike?
Thanks again for your consideration!!! it’s wonderful to be able to see your work appreciated, but we get the real satisfaction live, with people singing our songs, the smiles of the people under the stage are the real satisfaction, the people waiting for you to party after the concert it is the true satisfaction of the hard work we do to pursue our dreams! Thank you all… without you nothing would make sense!!! (So Thank You All – from TFSB album 2023).

Looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations for TARCHON FIST? How do you envision the future of the band both musically and professionally?
Our goal as always is to: take to the stage first and foremost, because it allows us to experience music and meet people to party with!! and produce music that satisfies us considerably and allows us to propose ourselves for new opportunities to play live!!!! As for our future, we are working on a CD for the group’s twentieth anniversary, and… but at the moment it is still in its embryonic state… in any case we are not planning on becoming millionaires!!!!!

Can you share any plans for upcoming tours or performances in support of “The Flame Still Burns”? Are there any specific venues or festivals you are excited to play at? Thank you for your time!
We are always enthusiastic!!! At every concert!! We always find great satisfaction in performing and sharing emotions with those present!!! We like to party before and after every show!!! at the moment we have a nice festival planned in our city, the “Boyler Fest” homage to a much loved character in our area, TARCHON FIST event: https://www.facebook.com/events/579216804422410 Main event: https://www.facebook.com/BoylerFest in December we will be in Amberg in Germany and in the near future we are working on some shows in Rome Milan and one in San Marino… thank you guys for your time the beautiful and intelligent questions that were asked and the beautiful consideration for our music, we are grateful! Thanks to those who read for dedicating a few minutes of their lives to us. For those who want to delve further into the world of Tarchon Fist here are some links!!!

https://www.youtube.com/user/tarchonfistofficial
https://www.facebook.com/tarchon.fist01
www.tarchonfist.com
https://www.instagram.com/tarchon_fist/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/26hm52yXmuQRSR0687HyOt