Crossbones interview (written by Carla Morton)

Crossbones is a Rock metal band from Albania formed in 1996. Here is an interview with the band’s guitarist Ben.

Hi Ben, how are you?
Hello Carlä, pleased to meet you.
Fine, enjoying this interview 🙂

Tell me when Crossbones was formed.
Crossbones were formed in 1996 in Tirana, the capital city of Albania. The first members were Olsi Ballta (founder/vocals) and Arbi Xhelo (co-founder/guitar), then Klodi Shehu (guitar) and Alban Male (drums & keyboards) joined the band and till 1998 they always had session bass players. At this time Fatjon Gjashta joined the band as a bass player till 2000.
First rehearsals took place in a friend’s house basement. In that time in Albania there were no professional studios, for a standard Rock/Metal type of use. So every band or musician had to build their own improvised rehearsal room with maybe cheap or modified gear and acoustic tools that could be found back then in Albania.
So for Crossbones it as a tough road to start, and especially the recording of the first album “Days Of Rage” in 1997.

First album was out in 1997 entitled “Days of Rage”. Tell me about it.
“Days Of Rage” was recorded in a home studio and at that time the quality of sound was not so important more than the fact that Crossbones were entering in the Albanian rock music history as the first band ever recording and producing an album on CD of course with a little help for the financial issues.
The whole album is like a mirror to those crazy years of transition in the Albanian life and politics. There was a civil war, and the people were kind of numbed and angered at the same time, so it was a difficult period for everyone.
That’s what “Days Of Rage” talks about, drugs, war, revolution, hatred, desperation, death and blindness. It is a music theme of those years in Albania.

”Live At the Black Box” is a live album from 2011. Where this took place?
No actually “Live At Black Box” is not a live album. Back then, I was playing with my other band Inverse Horizon, a fusion progressive metal band from Italy, and we decided to do a show in Tirana, it was my first show in my country, as I always played in Italy ‘till then. I was friends with the guys from Crossbones and I called Theo (Drums) and I invited the guys to plays a show together with Inverse Horizon.
It was the first ever progressive metal show in Albania.
A year later, I joined Crossbones.

Are you preparing for a new album?
Yes, we are currently in the studio, recording our 2^nd Studio Album, we are releasing a CD Single soon, containing three tracks that are going to be part of the whole album.
The album is going to be released in Fall hopefully. I am very happy of how it is building up.
It features a wide range of styles, aesthetic approach and harmonic research.
For more, let’s wait Fall.

What are the bands influences, since the first album seem to be Thrash genre.
Our influences are as identical as different in each one of us. But this particular has become our inspiration and strength in the writing process.
Me and Theo are into bands like Dream Theater, Opeth, Meshuggah, Cynic, etc, Olsi is to Metallica, Alice In Chains, Black Sabbath etc, Klodi loves Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin etc.
We actually don’t like to call ourselves as Thrash band. In every different song you can find as much Thrash as Stoner, Prog, Punk, Death, Jazz etc. Of course there is a single language sense in our style, but definitely not just Thrash. We love to create music, that is all.

Any lyrical themes?
I can say that we write about life, struggle, love, losing, death, wind, sun, the ocean, universe… In a conceptual, oneiric or real life way.

Did you have shows/tours along?
Speaking for the 2015, we actually are back from a show in Thessaloniki/Greece, the 24^th of April. We played at the “Eight Ball Club”. It was the first time ever that an Albanian rock band played a show in Greece. It was amazing to perform there, great show and great audience. Greece is awesome! I salute all our Greek friends!
Also we had many gigs here in Albania from January ‘till now and upcoming shows yet to be confirmed. We are going to play a show in support of the Single CD. And later a tour for the upcoming album.

Do you have something to say about the fans?
Create your own music and explore the universe of musical instruments, nature, love and dreams. Read books and play your damn guitar!

Thank you Ben, all the best!
I thank you too Carla, best wishes and see you again.

https://www.facebook.com/CrossbonesBandAlbania

(c) Carla Morton