Interview with Inner Shrine

December 24, 2013

Inner Shrine formed in 1995, from the Florence area of Tuscany in Italy. They are described by the press as Gothic Metal. But with a twist – alchemy and spirituality seem to be just two of the themes that they write about. Apart from an early demo recorded in 1996 and on cassette – a year after forming. The band originally signed to Dragonheart Records in 1997 but by the fourth album release had changed record companies to My Funeral Records. They have produced five full length albums the latest being ‘Pulsar’ and they are now signed with Bakerteam Records. Being from Italy, it’s safe to say that the band is not very well known over in the UK at the moment. However we think they deserve writing about. If Gothic Metal is your thing, you must absolutely check out Inner Shrines new album ‘Pulsar’.

We spoke to Luca (Vocals, Guitar, and Synth), David (Bass), and Claudio (Drums)…

RAMzine: Who are your main influences?

Luca: “We all grew up with ‘bread and hard metal’. Some of us also had great classical influences, some of us more gothic ones. I could give you many names of people who influenced me, but to put it in a nutshell I’d say that my main influences are ‘The Fathers of Heavy Metal’ (Ozzy , Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Megadeath, Iron Maiden).”

RAMzine: What would you say makes the band unique?

David: “What makes us unique…I think it’s the refinement of the sound that is never expected or banal, the will to bring the listener in the centre of our inner obscurity, and from what I read about the various Pulsar reviews we are succeeding in that. If the listener feels what we feel when we play our music we have reached our goal.”

RAMzine: How did the band settle on Inner Shrine as a name?

Claudio: “We chose Inner Shrine as our band name because it encompasses all we want and stand for. The proof of our courage whether the world likes it or not. We always did what we wanted and published all of our albums without fearing judgement. This is our latest proof. Inner shrine is the place where we face ourselves.”

RAMzine: Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

David: “Outside the music we are really different kind of people, and it’s weird how we can be so ‘similar’ when we play and so different in everyday life….for example I love motors, expecially Harley Davidson and I adore videogames and Japanese culture….Luca spends his time in his studio creating pictures, videos etc.. Claudio is a man that loves country life…”

RAMzine: We thought that your album sounded like ‘a sound track to an apocalyptic movie that plays out with a gripping consequence’ would you agree?

Luca: “Bull’s eye! I am very happy with this comment. Inner Shrine represent a new and different metal style. You see we’d like our listeners to travel with their mind while listening to our music. They should be able to feel the emotions of the ‘scene’ the song is describing. We’d like to call this music genre E.D.M., i.e Emotional Deep Metal. Pulsar signifies the end of civilization, the death of each and every certainty (religious, political, environmental e.t.c). Listening to pulsars seems like being near the end of the world and so we have to live it as fully as possible.

We used many sounds and 3D effects for that reason. It’s like a solid soundtrack with which we sort of ‘extinguish” our species and establish a new one, created by an alien race – who have been our primary predecessors- from outer space for a second time. So join us and enjoy the story!”

RAMzine: Is there a story behind the music?

Claudio: “Yes, everything that you can listen to is nothing more than a vision. A musical depiction of what we want to describe and narrate. It’s impossible for me to write and compose chords without a meaning, they might be beautiful but they will never be uniform. A story is a story, whether told or played. It must have a logic and express what you have inside.”

RAMzine: Will the next album sound similar or have you got something else innovative planned??

Luca: “I often say that we often change music genres. What happens in reality is that we merely adjust sounds and music to a new story. I believe that Pulsar is one of our most favourite works. The story is pure fantasy, science fiction you could say, but it could actually be our next tomorrow. I am also confident that our next projects will become more challenging and more thoroughly researched sound-wise. I must admit that we have excellent technical support and sound from Gold Music, Lands of Glory and Schecter (Endorsement and Studio). We are very greatful to have this great opportunity to experience sounds and create different ambiences.”

RAMzine: What’s next for Inner Shrine?

Luca: “I do not have an answer yet. As they say in the movies, you just have to wait for the next episode!”

RAMzine: Have you played in the UK before?

Luca: “I have been in England as a tourist and I have great memories from the place. I think it’s a wonderful country and it’s my impression that Inner Shrine will have many opportunities to be appreciated there. We are currently looking for some good dates for live performances. You see our heart surely lies with certain people and places..I am positive that 2014 will be a very busy year for Inner Shrine concert-wise!”

Although cloaked as gothic metal it wasn’t until 2012 that the band had a line-up change and with that came a new direction in the form of more violent atmospheric gothic metal that holds an interesting slant on the concept of the ‘end of the world’.