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1. Intro RECORDED AT : FEAR STUDIOS (RA, Italy) DRUM SETUP USED : 'Hortus Animae Kit' (Refer to 'Equipment' section) COMMENT : A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR GROM. THIS IS HORTUS ANIMAE'S (A VERY RESPECTED AND CULT UNDERGROUND PROG/THRASH-BLACK METAL, ITALIAN BAND) FIRST OFFICIAL FULL LENGTH ALBUM, AND 2ND STUDIO RECORDING. DIEGO GROM MERAVIGLIA MET HORTUS ANIMAE AT AN ANCIENT GIG IN ITALY, AND IMMEDIATELY ESTABLISHED A FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BAND. WHAT STARTED AS A SESSION WORK FOR GROM ENDED UP BEING A BAND STUDIO COOPERATION. AS GROM PUTS IT IN HIS OWN WORDS..."It was the first time I did a session recording and really felt like the music was mine. Their music is exactly the perfect meeting point for me since it mixes my own personal musical preferences and my main musical experiences all in one...being progressive and extreme at the same time. I had GREAT fun recording this album and I am extremely proud of the way it turned out. I think it easily shows my best playing to date, although in my mind I could have done much better still. I had never heard the songs in my life before, I was called to do the job and went to the studio, walked in, set-up my kit, sat down, and started playing to what I could hear through the ear-phones !"...AND INDEED IT DOES SHOW D.GROM.M'S BEST EXTREME METAL STUDIO PERFORMANCE TO THIS DAY, SHOWING GROM'S ABILITY TO MIX A TYPICALLY EXTREME METAL POWERFUL AND TIGHT STYLE OF DRUMMING WITH HIS OWN PERSONAL TYPICAL PROGRESSIVE STYLE OUTBREAKS AND GROOVING, USING 'GHOST NOTES' AND INTRICATE RHYTHM PATTERNS, IT REALLY SHOWS D.GROM.M'S IMPROVISATIONAL AND CREATIVE SKILLS. THE ALBUM WAS RECORDED ALL IN 3 DAYS, WITH ABSOLUTELY NO OVERDUBS !! THE SONGS WERE RECORDED EACH BEING SPLIT INTO 3/4 SECTIONS, SINCE THE SONGS WERE NEVER REHEARSED BEFORE AND D.GROM.M HAD NEVER HEARD THEM UNTIL THE DAY HE WALKED INTO THE STUDIO, AND WHAT YOU HEAR FROM GROM'S SIDE, IS ALL COMPLETELY IMPROVISED IN STUDIO ! THE ALBUM FEATURES A PROGRESSIVE, INTRICATE VERSION OF MAYHEM'S CULT TRACK 'FREEZING MOON'. GROM SPEAKS..."The band had already adapted the song to their style of extreme metal, very progressive and seventies influenced. Indeed, they added a part taken from an Italian cult 70's prog rock band called 'Balletto Di Bronzo'. I came up with the idea for 'tubular bells'. I was watching the 'exorcist' a few days before and I always loved Mike Oldfield's albums...the idea came pretty spontaneous ! You see, 'Freezing Moon' is in the key of 'A', and so is 'tubular bells'. That meant that the two musical parts could easily be interacted and not sound out of place. I was in the car with the band on the way to the studio and i thought of the song...and I thought that no one ever did a metal version of that amazing piano melody ! So...I proposed it to the others and there you go !"...INDEED THE 'EXORCIST' PART IN THE MIDDLE OF 'FREEZING MOON' IS A REAL UNIQUE PEARL ! AS FOR THE TECHNICAL ASPECT OF THE RECORDING, THE DRUMS CAN BE SEEN IN THE 'EQUIPMENT' SECTION OF THE SITE. A CLASSICAL D.GROM.M SETUP, SIMILAR TO A SMALL EXTRACT OF HIS BIG CUSTOM KIT. THIS WAS THE FIRST STUDIO RECORDING WHICH INCLUDED GROM'S SIGNATURE NUT-WOOD SNARE DRUM AND HIS SIGNATURE STACK CYMBAL, A TYPICAL TERRY BOZZIO RECALL. YOU CAN ALSO HEAR THE LP 'JAM BLOCK' GROM USES ON THE RECORDING, HERE AND THERE. THE MICROPHONE SETUP WAS VERY UNIQUE FOR AN EXTREME METAL SITUATION, BUT IT WAS REQUIRED TO GET THE CYMBAL CLARITY NECESSARY FOR A BUSY PLAYING DRUMMER PLAYING TO A BUSY PLAYING STYLE OF MUSIC ! INFACT, THERE WERE 3 OVERHEADS PLUS 2 ROOM PANORAMIC MICs...A VERY UNUSUALLY DENSE, HI-MIC SETUP. I THINK IT WORKED GREAT SINCE YOU CAN REALLY FEEL THE EXPLOSIVENESS AND CLARITY OF GROM'S CYMBALS. NO TRIGGERS WERE USED IN THIS RECORDING AND EVERYTHING IS COMPLETELY ACOUSTIC, WITH DRY EQd TOMS TO AVOID MAKING IT ALL SOUND TOO BUSY. AS FOR THE SKINS AND TUNING, IT'S CLASSIC FOR GROM'S STYLE. NOTE ! : THE EXTREMELY FAST GRIND RHYTHM AT THE END OF 'FREEZING MOON' IS INDEED REAL...CONTRARY TO WHAT MANY MIGHT THINK. THE CATCH IS IN USING A FINGER TAPPING TECHNIQUE (ACHIEVED BY 'STICK CONTROL' EXERCISES) FOR THE SNARE AND CYMBAL AND SIMPLY TURNING THE MICROPHONE GAIN UP SKY HIGH SO IT BALANCES THE DYNAMICS OUT. GROM IS NOT AFRAID TO TELL THE TRUTH ON THE TECHNIQUE'S USED ! AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, GREEK LABEL 'BLACK LOTUS RECORDS' DECIDED AFTER HEARING THE PROMO RECORDING TO RELEASE THE ALBUM. A BUDGET WAS SET AND A CONTRACT SIGNED. THE ALBUM WAS THEREFORE RE-MIXED AND CERTAIN PARTS WERE RE-RECORDED OR ADDED. THE ARTWORK WAS HANDLED BY THE GREAT FABIO OF NEON TRINITY KILL, WHO DID AN EXCELLENT JOB IN PUTTING DOWN IMAGES TO REPRESENT THE BAND'S CONCEPTS. THE ALBUM WILL BE RELEASED THROUGH 'BLACK LOTUS RECORDS' IN THE SPRING 2003, AND HAVING A DUAL-ALBUM DEAL WITH THE BAND, A SECOND ALBUM OF THE BAND WILL BE RELEASED IN THE FUTURE THROUGH THE SAME LABEL.
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