Temperance’s new album Viridian arrived on January 24th (order here), which marks their fifth overall record and first with Napalm Records. We recently caught up with the Italian melodic metallers to discuss their new album, lineup changes, and hopes for the future.
Viridian marks a new chapter for Temperance especially that it’s the first under Napalm Records. How has this affected the overall recording process?
I would say that the recording process didn’t really change its shape with the passage from Scarlet to Napalm. What really made the difference was time, as for Of Jupiter and Moons, we only had a few months to record and prepare everything due to the lineup change, whilst with Viridian (and thanks to the time given us by Napalm, this for sure) we had way more time to take care of all the details regarding the production. Basically we did exactly the same steps that we did for the previous album, keeping on our research for the real and organic sounds. Having several months to spend before the release date since the signing of the deal with Napalm, we could really work as we wanted on these sides. That’s why we don’t only have a real violin, a hammond organ, a real piano as for “Jupiter”, but this time you’ll also hear a string quartet, a children choir, a harp, a bagpipe, some flutes…
Musically, how have things changed when Alessia and Michele joined the group just in time for 2018’s Of Jupiter and Moons?
The new line up really opened many doors in terms of harmonic possibilities for our music. Having three singers gives you the possibility to choose which kind of sound, color and energy every single note could have, and at the same time it boosts the energy of a chorus or of a specific part when all the vocals unite. Basically now all the singers complement each other both together and taken singularly, and that’s just fantasy when it comes to writing new music as there’s no limit.
What are some of the themes on the album?
Temperance is a band driven by positive vibes. What we want for our listeners is to put on a record of ours and start smiling. When it’s over what we hope is to have given a bright moment in a life that is not always easy. This is reflected in our lyrics. Sometimes we use tales to make people dream, but there’s always a morale. Sometimes we’re more direct, sometimes we talk about real facts, sometimes about feelings and emotions….but from all of this, positiveness and light are the elements we want to pass through.
What songs on Viridian did you find the most challenging?
Surely “Nanook” and “Catch the Dream.” “Nanook” because of its complex layer structure, “Catch the Dream” because it’s definitely a song that is out of any guideline of the metal world. In “Nanook” we went all in with the instrumental sections: there are around 15 musicians involved and the children choir too! “Catch the Dream” is a gospel, with NO instruments at all, but we wanted everyone who could to join the chant and sing at least a small section of this gospel. So yes, what you’re listening to, there is not only the band, but also some of the technicians and the musicians involved in the recording process of Viridian.
How was the experience for making the music video “My Demons Can’t Sleep?”
Awesome! We spent a couple of days in a medieval environment that was absolutely suggesting and that put us into the perfect mood to shoot the video. The castle of Verres has a magic atmosphere that matches perfectly with the lyrics of “My demons can’t sleep.” The big rooms, the rocky walls, the lights…it was a surreal experience! The horse scenes and the outdoor scenes in general have had a fantastic ending!
Your live performance at 2019’s 70000tons of Metal blew us away, which we have to ask, do you have any plans for a North American tour?
Temperance is still a small band, but we are strong and extremely determined fighters. Our dream is to play as much as we can and everywhere: North America surely is one of our biggest goals and we’ll do whatever needed to reach you. As you perfectly know, reaching any other continent is hard for every band before a certain point: if we could choose to come basing the decision just on our will, we would be there already!
Is there anything else you’d like to say or add to your fans?
We’ve put all ourselves in this record, so the only thing we want to do is to invite anyone to dig into it: listen to the lyrics, let your mind be surrounded by our songs and breathe the positive vibes that come out from all the tracks. We are sure that Viridian can let you put your headphones down with a big smile on your face!
