Why did you decide to bring in two bass guitars, and how has that changed the way your songs sound?
Krhura Abro: It was Erba del Diavolo that had the idea of a new doom project with two basses. She reached out to us and after a few jams together we realized that something interesting was taking shape.
What’s the story behind the lyrics on Fire Blades from the Tomb? Where do those ideas come from?
Krhura Abro: Life, Death, Nature and our own existence on planet earth.
Your music nods to classic metal but also feels fresh. How do you find that balance?
Khura Abro: To be honest I don’t think we have a “modern” approach to our music/songwriting. We don’t over think too much about what we do, we just love and listen to a lot of different genres and most of the work is done in the practice room. Of course we use modern tools to share our ideas, riffs and so on, but that’s pretty much it.
Why the name “Ponte del Diavolo”? What does it mean to you as a band?
Erba del Diavolo: I like to picture the Devil himself crossing the bridges of musical genres. Because if you don’t play with the Devil, why even bother?
Krhura Abro: The “Bridge of the Devil” is an actual location near our hometown. It’s a fascinating place that has a lot of myths and legends. We thought that the name (in Italian) sounded really well and also resonates with a certain “luciferian” vibe that comes with our music.
How has living and working in Turin shaped the band’s direction?
Khrura Abro: I would say a lot. We love our city, both socially and artistically. Sometimes I really feel a magical atmosphere here in Torino.
Fire comes up a lot in your work – what does it symbolize for you?
Erba del DIavolo: Fire is the key element to light a fat joint before writing our music.
Since you’ve all played in other bands, how do those different backgrounds feed into your songwriting together?
Khrura Abro: Ponte del Diavolo became our main project pretty soon. Of course having all the band members coming from years of playing in different projects helped and influenced our creative process. Everyone has their own personality and approach to music. Personally I had a long term vision for this project since the beginning and luckily the alchemy between the other band members worked really well
What kind of feelings or reactions do you hope your audience walks away with after hearing your music?
Khrura Abro: I’d like to see them falling in love with each other
Erba del Diavolo: I like to evoke the feeling of having the urgency to buy everything on our merch table.
Signing with Season of Mist is a big step – how has that changed things for you?
Khrura Abro: I would say that’s a little bit too soon to answer this question. We feel that we’re doing what we want as we want. Up till now Season of Mist has been very supportive and professional with us.
Occult and esoteric themes run through your songs. Do those connect to your personal beliefs, or are they more artistic imagery?
Khrura Abro: That’s a question to which everyone in the band could give you a different answer. Each one of us has its own take on beliefs and “spirituality”. Personally speaking I don’t really divide the so-called “occult sphere” from my daily life and of course I love all the pop-imaginary that comes with the subject!
Erba del Diavolo: it’s a fundamental aspect. Art is directly linked to magic, it’s the most intimate expressions of Man. I don’t think I could bring emotions to my lyrics without touching these themes. WIth the music I have the ability to investigate and channel the deepest parts of my inner self by shaping them into words and images. Hearing is linked to the fifth element: “Spirit”. That’s the thing that I want to nourish with our sound
Studio recordings can feel different from live shows — how do you capture that atmosphere on stage?
Khrura Abro: You can say that the band has always been a “live band” since its conception. All the first three EPs are recorded live and you can say we have a “punk” approach to music. We don’t care about solos or other types of virtuosity. I believe that the atmosphere in the record gets captured well in the live performances, while the energy is even higher (and the volume as well)
Can you break down the concept behind Fire Blades From the Tomb and how it ties into the band’s bigger vision?
* Erba del Diavolo sips from a glass of wine and stares into the camera*: “Satan”
You’re rooted in black metal, but you pull from other styles too. How do you keep that mix working without losing your core sound?
Khrura Abro: I like to define our music as an Italian jam session between Siouxie, Darkthrone, Black Sabbath and 2 basses under acid. As stated before there are so many influences behind the sound of the band and we love that it’s hard to pinpoint the band sound to a single genre. Of course Metal is a common ground for everyone in the band.
Looking back, how has the band evolved since you started, and where do you want to take it next?
Khrura Abro: I don’t know, an apocalypse is coming so let’s focus on the present.
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