PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Following Planetmosh’s review of Karnya’s stunning album ‘Coverin’ Thoughts’, we decided to grab keyboard maestro Dario and ask him about the bands beginnings, the album and their future plans. The album is without doubt one of my personal highlights so far of 2013 and well worth checking out if you haven’t done so as yet.
Firstly, welcome to Planetmosh and many congratulations on the album!
Thank you very much We really appreciated your review!
If I could first take you back to the origins of Karnya as a band, I understand you were all active in the local scene at the time but how or what made you come together to form the band?
Karnya were born from the ashes of Zen. During the last years the band was twisted upside down and I was the “sole survivor”. It seemed logical with a brand new line-up and image, to change the name. Chronologically speaking Enrico Sandri was the first to succeed followed by Riccardo Nardocci. The last change was last year when the newest member Luca Ciccotti joined the family.
You quite openly say that the 70’s Progressive sound has been an influence on your sound, were there any bands in particular that you admired?
For the 70’s bands like YES, RUSH, PFM have marked our musical growth since we were kids. Beside that we have pretty varied influences. Each of us listens to different genres often in contrast with what the other guys in the band listen to. What is important is that it will inspire something and give us emotions. We try not to get stuck in one genre.
You also combine other musical elements into your sound, has that always been the case or would you say things have developed as you’ve gone along?
I would say that over the years our musical awareness has matured and we started to feel the canonical elements of prog metal, we felt the need to expand our sonic palette. Prog metal, it’s the best genre to do that expanding with because it has no boundaries.
Your signed with Bakerteam Records, what made you sign for them and how did they find out about you?
We knocked on various doors and between all the offers (often very ridiculous) BT was the most transparent and accountable. Their offer gives us a very good visibility and exposure level on the music market, which is essential to be able promote our music to the public.
Let’s get right up to date with the release of the excellent debut album ’Coverin’ Thoughts’, an album I had the pleasure of reviewing. How long did the process take from writing to recording?
The process was very long indeed. The various lineup changes that have occurred over the years have certainly helped to slow down the whole process. On the other hand, we’ve taken all the time we needed, without any hurry, to take care of every detail and make the best songs possible. We are real perfectionists in the extreme!
Fortunately, in the last two years we have regained a balance and stability that has enabled us to speed up the 
finalization of the project such as the mix and mastering process.
Did you enter the studio with a particular vision as to how the final product would sound?
Well certainly we wanted to record a quality album (both in content and in the sound) and that it could reunite in itself melody, technique and the right amount of aggression that would allow us to distinguish ourselves from the progmetal mainstream, with a very distinctive sound.
One (of many) tracks that stood out for me personally was ’Flooding Blood’, how did that track come about?
Flooding Blood was the first song that we wrote with the new lineup after Riccardo and Enrico joined the band. The song contains in itself a bit of all the elements that characterize Karnya’s sound such as melody, technique and power. It was definitely a good starting point that allowed us to understand also what our musical potential was with the new lineup.
The album does have the odd quieter moments, such as ’Fallen Angel’ for example. Is it important for you to get that balance and mix of sounds and styles?
It is very important! We did not want to make a flat album where all the songs sound the same way. We wanted every song to have its own character and to reflect our influences. In doing so we hope to have involved a diverse section of people with different tastes that can find at least one or more tracks to their liking.
Now the album is out, have you been able to make any plans for some live shows?
We are currently setting some dates in our area, by doing so we can improve and perfect our show to carry it around as much as possible.
Does having an album out and being signed put any added pressure on the band to start thinking about album number two?
Some say that the second album is the most difficult in the career of an artist because you have to cope with the expectations of the audience, especially if the first work has received such a warm welcome. In any case, currently we do not feel any pressure and will soon start working on new material because we already have some good ideas. Surely we want to keep the modus operandi that has allowed us to create CT.
Have you any ideas for the follow up album yet, any changes in the musical style?
As I said in the previous question we are very excited to start composing new songs with this fantastic lineup. We are also curious to see where our sound will bring us. We’ve grown musically (and not only) when creating CT and what happens next will be the natural evolution of that creative process.
Everyone has been feeling the pinch over the last few years because of the economic situation, not only in Italy but all over Europe. Has it been harder to secure promotion and recording sessions, or has the band been ok in that respect?
The global economic situation has certainly also influenced the field of music. We tried to optimize costs as much as possible. Each of us has a small home studio created with sacrifice that has allowed us to make our recording in total autonomy. If we had to turn to private studios for all the work CT would not sound like how it sounds. The optimization of the recordings allowed us to invest more in the process of mixing and mastering, elements that have made a real difference to our sound.
Finally, how would you sum up the bands sound and attitude for those readers out there who may not be familiar with Karnya at this moment?
We are an honest band that love music and that try to make good, solid and quality albums. If you are into metal, prog but you’re also interested in listen to something different that combines technique, melody, power and the right amount of experimentation then Karnya is the right band for you!
Many thanks for your time.
Thank you for this interview and for giving us space on your magazine. \m/
‘Coverin’ Thoughts’ is out now and available through Bakerteam Records.
