{"id":70030,"date":"2022-02-18T10:27:44","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T15:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=70030"},"modified":"2023-07-16T07:50:52","modified_gmt":"2023-07-16T12:50:52","slug":"interview-with-alessandro-del-vecchio-of-edge-of-forever-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2022\/interview-with-alessandro-del-vecchio-of-edge-of-forever-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Alessandro Del Vecchio of Edge of Forever"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Alexandra Mrozowska
\u2014 Senior Columnist \u2014<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s something truly fascinating about humanity, it\u2019s the universality of our experience. What seems to be just a thing of the past or a yellowish page out of a history book for some \u2013 may in fact become a never-ending source of timeless inspiration for a creative mind. Two most recent albums by the Italian four-piece Edge of Forever, fronted by the renowned multi-instrumentalist and producer Alessandro Del Vecchio and released on Frontiers Music SRL \u2013 titled Native Soul<\/em> and Seminole<\/em>, respectively \u2013 are a clear example of that. As a songwriter, Alessandro once again uses the theme of the Native Americans\u2019 struggle and resilience to shed more light on way more contemporary problems. Hardrock Haven\u2019s Alexandra Mrozowska caught up with Edge of Forever\u2019s mastermind to discuss the parallel drawn between the Seminole warrior and a modern-day human being \u2013 and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: The last two years saw a literal explosion of new music, its magnitude being for obvious reasons. Was the process of making new Edge of Forever album Seminole <\/em>impacted anyhow by the uncertainty of the world we live in today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Well, obviously the pandemic had great downsides, but also had great upsides (laughs) and the upside was that we had more time to just sit down and write more. But basically the process of writing an Edge of Forever album didn\u2019t change that much because we live in the same region… I mean, we weren\u2019t affected by the restrictions and we could see each other and work in the studio together. So, it was business as usual for us \u2013 but just with the luxury of having more time and concentrating even more on writing and the creative process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: When we talked about Seminole<\/em> almost a year ago, you\u2019ve said the album will be about \u201cthe world today through the Native lens\u201d in reference to the title. Now that it\u2019s out, can you elaborate on this idea?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Yes, the album is exactly about the struggle of anybody that\u2019s just facing adversities today \u2013 but through the lens of a Seminole warrior. And before making the analogy, I have to go back to why it\u2019s a Seminole warrior. The Seminole as a Native nation were some of the proudest and strongest [nations] to face the invasion of Europeans, but while they were struggling to save their culture, their nation and their lands, they also rescued, saved and sheltered the slaves from the North. So to me, that is the greatest lesson that we could learn from the past \u2013 that the Seminole could teach us \u2013 that in times of division and adversities, war and depression, you can always find strength to save yourself and by saving yourself, also save other people. And I saw the world today fall apart during the pandemic because we\u2019re all divided between, you know, all kinds of sides. Everything has become \u201cI am one of these\u201d or \u201cI am one of the others\u201d, I am [in] one team or I am against that team. And in my opinion, it\u2019s a weakness for the world and we didn\u2019t learn any lesson from the past. So I hope that by writing an album against this whole situation and giving a positive outlet for all this rage, anxiety, sadness and depression, we can make the world a better place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Certainly. Some reviewers named Seminole<\/em> a concept album. Would you agree, to some extent at least, with this one theme the songs revolve around?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Yes, surely. The album is basically telling the same story in different stages about this person \u2013 it can be a group or a single person, or a nation, or just a humankind overall \u2013 that\u2019s fighting against diversities. And it gives different outputs to different situations. And yes, the album can be considered to be a concept album because everything can be summed up in the final mini suite, which is the combination of the story and the overall concept is rounded up lyrically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: There\u2019s some heavier vibe to Seminole<\/em> here and there, which is a development of sorts but also takes us back to the first album [Feeding the Fire<\/em>, 2004] sound-wise. Is this reference deliberate, so as to incorporate Edge of Forever\u2019s past into the present?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Well, it wasn\u2019t done intentionally, but basically we wanted a heavier version of Native Soul <\/em>\u2013 but with even more melody too. So we wanted to go beyond our limits and be able as a band to do an album that\u2019s heavier, but it\u2019s got songs that are more memorable and anthemic and that can reflect who we are today. And the full circle, going back to the first album… basically it\u2019s simply because we give more space to the guitars and a heavier concept for drums and bass. And it\u2019s an album that\u2019s been written and recorded without any boundary. It\u2019s not just a Hard Rock record, not just an AOR record, not just a Melodic Metal record… it\u2019s got elements of this and that, which is what Edge of Forever was basically formed for. And we had more melodic moments, like the second [Let the Demon Rock\u2019n\u2019Roll<\/em>, 2005] and the third album [Another Paradise<\/em>, 2010], but then we went back to the original formula, which in my opinion is what made Edge of Forever a band that could stand on its own compared to the other bands around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Definitely! Can you take us through Seminole track by track?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Yes, sure \u2013 here we go! \u201cGet Up On Your Feet Again\u201d is a song that\u2019s basically put the foundation down for the album. That was the first song that I wrote and it\u2019s a kind of number one song for the story on the album because it was the first one that was written and it\u2019s setting up the pace for the album with heavier guitars, heavier rhythm section and a great chorus that\u2019s anthemic and melodic, but also very uplifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then we go into \u201cOn The Other Side Of Pain,\u201d because that song is about going through pain and knowing that the pain is not something that\u2019s remaining there all the time and is always the same. And there\u2019s always hope and there\u2019s always salvation \u2013 on the other side of pain. It\u2019s basically a heavy song, with intricate guitars and bass lines, and it\u2019s the only song that\u2019s featuring a keyboard solo per se… and it\u2019s one of my favorite songs. Even if it\u2019s more obscure and it\u2019s more on the heavier, darker side of the album, it\u2019s still one of my favorites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMade It Through\u201d is basically what happens when you go through pain \u2013 you\u2019re on the other side of pain and you can finally say, \u201cWell, we made it through,\u201d because we can always make through something. It takes lots of work, a lot of manpower and confidence… you gotta be resilient and strong and pure in your soul to make it through. In my opinion, it\u2019s one of our best songs even because it\u2019s very melodic, but it\u2019s got a melancholic side to it that we\u2019ve never had. I love the guitar work on this \u2013 I think Aldo [Lonobile, Edge of Forever\u2019s guitarist, known also from Secret Sphere and Archon Angel] really raised the bar very high on this album, but even more on this song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then we go into \u201cShift The Paradigm\u201d which is our most melodic song on the album and it\u2019s got a great, positive, uplifting chorus. The song itself is about changing the paradigm of being so used to make the wrong decisions and do the wrong things and take the wrong turns… and learning as a human community to make the right decisions for all. And not just concentrating on the good of very few elements, but trying to shift this paradigm of doing wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then we have \u201cAnother Salvation\u201d, which is a song about seeing the good in the bad. If something goes the wrong way, it\u2019s not the end until it\u2019s the end. We\u2019re always renewed after defeat. So even if it\u2019s negative and it looks like it\u2019s negative, it\u2019s always a brand new start. Once you hit rock bottom, there\u2019s only a way up and it\u2019s the way to salvation \u2013 to become a symbol of salvation, the better human beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cBreath of Life\u201d is basically the only real ballad that we have on the album. It\u2019s a song that I wrote on my piano and it\u2019s fragile but strong… And in my opinion, that is my best vocal performance of all, because it shows the different sides of what I want to be and what I want to express as a singer \u2013 to be soft, almost fragile and almost broken, but then to strengthen all that sadness into liberation towards art and message to the Universe and to the world. And as a messenger for what I think is the right message that music should have \u2013 which has to be about beauty, about peace, about love, about positivity… about empowering humankind, \u201cBreath of Life\u201d is one of my best performances in my opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWrong Dimension\u201d is where things start to go Prog. It\u2019s a heavy, epic song that\u2019s got elements of Rainbow and DIO and Led Zeppelin… You normally don\u2019t hear a song like that on modern Hard Rock records, and we wanted to go long, epic and powerful, wide and deep…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We turn to \u201cOur Battle Rages On\u201d, another heavy song which has got an almost Heavy Metal or Melodic Metal guitar riff. It\u2019s powerful, it\u2019s melodic, it\u2019s anthem-ic but very deep and it\u2019s got a sadness to it and a cry to the Universe that I really love. And it\u2019s about the concept of always being at war, but in a good sense. Be at war against diversities, against discrimination, against what\u2019s wrong in the world and what we can better in our lives and in our existence. So basically every morning when we wake up, we gotta hear the battle rage and follow the cry to the call of making this world a better place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then we go into the \u201cSeminole\u201d which is basically the final chapter of the story that talks about that Seminole warrior that in \u201cIn the Land of the Seminole\u201d realizes that his life is taking a distance towards what\u2019s in the world right now. And then in the second part, which is called \u201cMistaken Reality,\u201d it talks about how we can misunderstand reality and take the wrong for good and the good for wrong… especially nowadays, with all those social media BS. We almost feel like we\u2019re tricking ourselves into following the wrong idols, basically. And then it goes into \u201cRewrite The Story,\u201d which is the third part of the mini-suite and is about changing what we see. If we realize what is right and what is wrong, what is vital and what is not, what is full and what is empty \u2013 we can basically rewrite the story, starting from ourselves. How many times we feel like we\u2019re too little to change the course of time and things…? But it\u2019s not true, \u2018cause we have to start from somewhere, and that \u201csomewhere,\u201d that place, is ourselves. And we can only rewrite the story if we realize what\u2019s right and wrong. And then we go into the final part and it\u2019s called \u201cThe End\u2019s Starting To Begin\u201d, because when you realize that you can detach [yourself] from evil, from what\u2019s wrong and what you don\u2019t like \u2013 \u2018cause you\u2019re not forced to follow any of that \u2013 the end or what seems the end to something in reality starts to reveal the beginning. Because we can only be human beings with the right morals and the right values when we detach ourselves from what is wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: You\u2019ve also been mentioning here and there that Seminole<\/em> is more of a group effort than Native Soul<\/em> was. What kind of impact did it have on the music and would you like Edge of Forever to be even more of a collaborative unit in the future?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Yeah, totally yes. I would love to see Edge of Forever grow in confidence in this even more. Because the big difference that I hear as a producer and as a band member of Edge of Forever between Native Soul <\/em>and Seminole<\/em> is that musically Aldo, Marco Di Salvia [Edge of Forever\u2019s drummer, also of Hardline] and Nik [Mazzucconi, Edge of Forever\u2019s bassist, also of Labyrinth] are more free to be themselves in the songs. And that mirrors exactly a better result \u2013 there\u2019s more energy, there\u2019s more fire, there\u2019s more depth and, in my opinion, the album is just stronger overall. It\u2019s more \u201calive\u201d in a way and it sounds even more like a band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: And speaking about you as a producer of Edge of Forever \u2013 years ago, we talked the differences between writing for your own band and other artists, bands and projects. But how does your attitude as a producer change when it comes to Edge of Forever? Would you say you enjoy working on your band\u2019s albums more for whatever reasons, or maybe it\u2019s just simply a whole different process?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Well, the only big difference is that if I work on my music and I am the singer and the songwriter, it\u2019s a little more intimidating because you want to be perfect [laughs]. And as a singer, there\u2019s a syndrome of never feeling like you had the right take. But knowing that, I decided to go the other way this time and to enjoy the process and just sing freely, compose freely, record freely and mix freely… We didn\u2019t have any comparisons. We just did what we wanted to do and it\u2019s been more fun and more productive in my opinion. It\u2019s got a sonic result that\u2019s reflecting the joy and the energy that we could release during the process because we were free. Obviously, as a producer I\u2019m trying to take the tide and the leash is in my hands, but not too much. You know, I wanted to enjoy it and to have fun, and just make it a great experience for us as a band, first of all. And you see what happens when you do that, and in my opinion, it changes the final result of the recordings completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Because of Edge of Forever\u2019s history, the name of Marcel Jacob continues to resurface in our conversations over the years. However, there\u2019s an aspect of this early collaboration we haven\u2019t discussed so far \u2013 what did he teach you when it comes to music production, the process of overseeing the album and perhaps songwriting as well?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Well, Marcel was basically my main and only mentor when it comes to production. What I\u2019ve learnt from him is the absolute commitment to [achieving] a result that\u2019s just great \u2013 to making music that\u2019s just standing the test of time, [changes] of taste, language and any other barrier… Basically Marcel taught me that music has to be a reflection of beauty and creation, so there\u2019s no Heavy Metal, no Rock, no Pop, no Dance, no this or that… Music is music and it\u2019s a universal language. And this search for beauty is something that should be common to all forms of art, but we\u2019re so into dividing music and any other form of art and [putting] it into drawers that we forget that music is the universal language. It\u2019s the most universal language that we have on Earth, \u2018cause you can play a song that\u2019s in Japanese and you don\u2019t understand a word, but you can still relate to that song and it can change your life and it can become a soundtrack to your life. And this is what happens \u2013 all around the world with songs that are in different languages or with English songs that are [listened by] other people than native English speakers… Still, these are the songs that made history and changed people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Right, I think both of us know a little bit about it [laughs].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Yes [laughs]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: An back to Seminole<\/em>, we can\u2019t forget there\u2019s been no way you could have promoted its predecessor back in 2020. Do you plan to tour both albums at the same time, so as to make up for what\u2019s been missed with Native Soul<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Totally yes and I hope we can do it soon, because you know, these songs are meant to be played live and that\u2019s what we wanna do. And what\u2019s where we excel the most \u2013 it\u2019s onstage. That\u2019s where we can show this rage and urgency and importance that we have in our message. That\u2019s where we can shine \u2013 it\u2019s only onstage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Right, speaking about Edge of Forever\u2019s concerts, now that you have five albums to choose from, do you plan to occasionally include the early songs in the live sets? Do you feel they still represent Edge of Forever as it is today, even though so much has changed within the band?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: You know, going back to songs that are twenty years old is always some kind of jump into the past, but you gotta respect the fact that for a band, albums are part of the journey… And in my opinion, even if I did something different today, I accept that it\u2019s in the past and it is what it is. And I just enjoy walking the memory lane and playing songs that I wrote when I was twenty years younger and twenty years less experienced, but still gave it a hundred percent like if I wrote it today. And that, in my opinion, is a big difference between being passively playing your repertoire and really taking a side of your repertoire and playing a new kind of song that\u2019s in the past in a way you would write it today, giving it the importance and the depth like you wrote it today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Apart from Edge of Forever, you also participated many, many other albums, including the new Star One album Revel In Time<\/em> and what is actually interesting about it is that it includes two CDs with the same set of songs but sung by different singers, so it\u2019s you and Joe Lynn Turner singing \u201cThe Year of \u201841\u201d on two parts of the album, respectively. Before we get lucky to talk with Arjen Lucassen \u2013 which we hope we will \u2013 can you reveal anything about the idea behind these double takes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Well, I cannot speak for my friend Arjen, but in my opinion, a person like Arjen always has more singers because everybody wants to work with him and basically everybody wants to be on an Ayreon album or a Star One album. So I guess he simply decided to give the songs different spins. Because, obviously, what Joe Lynn Turner\u2019s done on the track is different than what I\u2019ve done on the track, and what Jens Johansson [Stratovarius, Rainbow \u2013 he plays a keyboard solo in a version of \u201cThe Year of \u201841\u201d sung by JLT] has done on keyboards is completely different than what I\u2019ve done on keyboards. So the same song doesn\u2019t become just \u201cOkay, that\u2019s another version of the song.\u201d It\u2019s more like another vision of the song. I\u2019ve been friends with Arjen for years and I finally can say with pride that I\u2019m on a Star One album. It still feels strange, because I\u2019m probably the biggest Star One and Ayreon fan ever, but that feels very good and I was honored and I had so much fun doing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: When you shared Arjen\u2019s post about Revel In Time <\/em>on your social media, someone commented they\u2019re proud seeing an Italian name among all the tremendous artists involved in Star One\u2019s new album. Do you feel your success can inspire others \u2013 in general, people who struggle to follow their dreams for whatever reason?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: I hope it does, and it\u2019s my main focus when I\u2019m putting myself out there. No matter how little or big the extent of somebody else\u2019s success can be, I want to see people being inspired by positive references. Obviously, my whatever-you-wanna-call it… success, happiness… journey… can really light up some fire, because I\u2019ve done things and I\u2019ve played with people that I\u2019ve never thought I could play [with]. I\u2019ve recorded hundreds of albums and I\u2019ve played with the greatest musicians of all. But still I\u2019m the guy coming out of nowhere from the countryside of Italy with no formal music education and no relation to somebody famous… I had to work hard and I really hope that my journey and my whatever goals that I can achieve are passing that message: Just work hard, hard work will always pay off. Challenge yourself, but never forget that\u2019s repetition and time that will reveal the path. It\u2019s not one take. Life is not just one shot. It\u2019s not just \u201cOkay, let me try to become a musician\u201d and then, after a few weeks, you fail and surrender. It takes a whole life, especially when the goals are big, the work, the commitment and \u2013 oh my God [laughs] \u2013 the focus is a daily or even hourly practice… up to seconds. If the goal is big, you have to have a warrior mind \u2013 or the athlete mind… An athlete that wants to take part in the Olympics trains their whole life for that and their journey is never over. And the same goes for music. No matter the genre, the place you\u2019re coming from… if your story\u2019s big and true and there\u2019s hard work, somebody will hear that story. Somebody will want to hear that story and I hope that I\u2019m always sending a positive message in this world of bullies and influencers and this and that… I hope that a true story from a simple guy coming from the countryside can inspire another regular person from somewhere and some other nation\u2019s countryside to fight for their dream and work hard and create a habit of channeling the creation of art every day… every minute, every second… and literally walk the talk for all their life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: And speaking about the greats you\u2019ve been working with, recently you\u2019ve also posted a photo of you and Jorn Lande, naming him your \u201cfavorite artist to work with.\u201d Collaborating with so many different people, what makes them easy or difficult to work with?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Well, Jorn is Jorn. First of all, Jorn is one of my best friends and it\u2019s a person I enjoy and absolutely love working with. But the great thing about the artists that I work with is that it\u2019s not just the voice, it\u2019s not just the guitar, it\u2019s not just the music. It\u2019s the \u201cwhy\u201d \u2013 who they are \u2013 that\u2019s really inspiring. And even if there\u2019s differences and angles that we have to struggle with and we fight over details, I always respect why they\u2019re there. And to me, that is inspiring \u2013 to see and read the soul of the musician. Because you know, sometimes from the outside it seems like musicians are on autopilot. But it\u2019s not [like that]. You\u2019re not in this game because of the business, because of the money or because of the fame, but because there\u2019s a primal call for art and for music. And when I\u2019m in the studio with, I don\u2019t know… George Lynch, or Johnny Gioeli, or Jeff Scott Soto… these fantastic musicians… what I\u2019m attracted to is not their skills. Because it\u2019s obvious that they\u2019re good. But when they become music and they start playing and they start singing, their whole life kind of reveals upon my eyes and I can see and I can feel why they\u2019re there, why they\u2019re who they are, why they play or sing like that… and what music means to them. And that is the most encouraging and inspiring place for me to be, because I\u2019m avid fan of music. And when I see people like that, that\u2019s where I go, \u201cI want to become that connected with music,\u201d or \u201cI want to become even more connected with music.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Absolutely, and when it comes to interviewing these musicians, the impression is exactly the same… And another piece of news that caught everyone\u2019s attention recently was that of Deen Castronovo, announcing that the fourth Revolution Saints album is in the works. And when it comes to this kind of project, is there still some space for experimentation and development or maybe it\u2019s rather strict continuation of the previous albums?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Well, we always try to make a step further… that\u2019s our mission. Obviously, the genre imposes some sort of free limitation \u2013 that\u2019s the way I like to talk about it \u2013 but our mission is to write our best songs and try to push the boundary and go beyond what we\u2019ve already done. We don\u2019t wanna just stick to the formula or to the past simply because it worked and then it\u2019s gonna work [again]. We want to be better, for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: And as you\u2019re always up to your ears with studio work \u2013 what other projects are you currently involved in and what albums are you working on now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: The albums I can talk about are… [laughs] basically Jorn and the new Sunstorm album that we\u2019ve just almost finished working on and I\u2019m very excited to do another album with Ronnie Romero who\u2019s a blessing to work with. Then we have Revolution Saints, and there\u2019s a new Black Swan album coming out, and the new Jeff Scott Soto album coming out which is one of Jeff\u2019s best works and we\u2019re very proud of this new album that hopefully we\u2019ll reveal [something about] in a few days. And then there\u2019s lots of new music that we\u2019re working on and… it\u2019s gonna be a great year. Honestly, it\u2019s gonna be a great year. We\u2019ve already had the records like the new Giant and… oh my God, it\u2019s incredible [laughs]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: There are projects and bands you continue to work with over the years, but there\u2019s a handful of newcomers each year too. Is it any easier to work with artists you\u2019ve known already for years as musicians and people, opposed to those you just got to know? Is establishing a certain kind of chemistry always easy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: It\u2019s got pros and cons on both sides. Working with somebody that you know, you have a different target because it\u2019s a common target. And working with somebody new is different because it\u2019s working from scratch but on the other hand, it\u2019s working with a map \u2013 with a target. But I love both situations. Sometimes it\u2019s more interesting and refreshing to work with somebody that you\u2019ve never worked with because you have to somehow challenge yourself to accomplish what they hear and what they want to hear from you. And then you gotta pass the new name to the audience, so you have more responsibility… But then, on the other hand, when somebody\u2019s known, you have to put up with the legacy \u2013 which is another job [laughs]. But I like both these situations and to me, both are inspiring because you\u2019re basically challenging what\u2019s people already know from an established artists and what people want to hear from the new artists. So to me, it\u2019s different kinds of responsibility but it\u2019s the same [in the] sense of research and creation, basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Having worked on so many projects, you see some continued and others shelved \u2013 sometimes never resurfacing again. If you could resurrect now one of these shelved projects you took part in that ended after one album only, what would it be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Well, you know… the one that I miss the most is Three Lions with Vinny Burns, Nigel Bailey and Greg Morgan…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Oh yeah. A magnificent one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Yeah, that was a fantastic album and a great experience of working with these guys… It was incredible, [with] the great chemistry and we loved it. It was amazing. And I hope we can have another one \u2013 at least another one \u2013 because that\u2019s the only one that I really miss the most because of the great musicians and the great people and… oh my God, the talent that was on that record was impressive…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Absolutely… It was really an incredible one, yeah. Still, there are bands and projects you tour with, including Hardline for example, and more and more of those that remain studio projects exclusively. As live setting\u2019s perhaps the only appropriate environment for music to thrive \u2013 something we\u2019ve been painfully reminded of by the pandemic \u2013 what do you think about the concept of a studio project itself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Well, to me both situations can simply live together. We\u2019ve seen bands that suddenly stopped touring \u2013 and I\u2019m not making any comparisons, I still stay humble \u2013 but it\u2019s like the Beatles stopped touring when they realized that the music was too complicated and too intricate to be played live, or Steely Dan, or other bands that simply enjoyed staying in the studio. And there\u2019s a different nature of a band like Hardline \u2013 one that really thrives onstage. Hardline is a different beast onstage, because we write and we work for that. We work for our music to be brought onstage. But then there are bands that are just recording in the studio. That\u2019s their nature and you just gotta accept it. It is what it is. It\u2019s not that if a band doesn\u2019t go on tour, it\u2019s bad \u2013 or the other way around. To me, it\u2019s all about accepting what it is. And for example, Revolution Saints… I would love to tour with them. But it\u2019s very tough to put all the schedules together \u2013 we tried it and it didn\u2019t work. We had basically one show and it was amazing, but I gotta accept and know that Revolution Saints is just a studio thing and that\u2019s its dimension \u2013 as simple as that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: We\u2019ve just mentioned Hardline, and obviously only recently you\u2019ve managed to play a handful of gigs \u2013 I believe, in the UK mostly. What was the feeling of returning to live stage after such a long time like? Was the reaction from the audience any different, maybe stronger, than before?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: For sure, we\u2019ve almost cried as a band [laughs] because we couldn\u2019t believe that we could play again after two years… But we\u2019ve also had a show in Italy, which was different because Italy has basically just returned very recently to the live shows, so people were just eager to see a show. In England, we have a fantastic fanbase that\u2019s always noisy and they participate in the show and they love it, but the UK had way fewer restrictions in terms of shows. So I would say there were more emotions in Italy \u2013 and I would it was less emotional in the UK, but it\u2019s been a blast anyway and it was amazing to be on stage again and I really hope that we go back into being grateful for playing shows… Because you know, sometimes we complain about the travelling, and the backstages, and ticket sales, and this and that… but my God, we did miss that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Yes, sometimes we take things for granted and complain, as you say, but then we learn we need all that when we lose them… And as you\u2019ve already mentioned at least some projects and albums we look forward to in 2022, what are your plans as a touring musician?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: With Edge of Forever, we\u2019re working hard on taking the band on the road. We\u2019re hoping that we can save some shows from the tour that was just cancelled because of COVID. Hopefully, we\u2019ll get all the gigs back when the world is ready for tours and shows… But that is our definite goal, to bring the band back onstage and promote the albums with the right respect and conditions. And Hardline is already planning gigs \u2013 we\u2019ve just moved our shows in Europe again from March and April to something like May and June… We\u2019ll see what happens, but definitely Hardline, Edge of Forever and Jorn are bands that are working hard on being there because we would\u2019ve toured right when the pandemic hit. So it\u2019s almost two years and we miss that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Absolutely, so fingers crossed for everything to work out fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Thank you very much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Is there anything you\u2019d like to add in the end?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Well, first of all, thank you for the never-ending support for me and my music, and Edge of Forever especially. And I really hope that Edge of Forever gets the chance to cut through these million songs that are released every day and that and that we can reach people because I really think we\u2019re more than the average hard rock band that you have out there [laughs]. We\u2019ve really worked hard on the album and we bring a message that\u2019s different, and we play music that\u2019s different… And I hope your readers and our fans will understand what we\u2019re doing, will take our side and will walk into the future with us… and see us flourish and prosper thanks to their support \u2013 taking a long journey into the future with Edge of Forever and our music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo credits: Alessandro Quadrelli<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit Edge of Forever online: Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit Alessandro Del Vecchio online: Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Watch the new video to the eponymous mini-suite “Seminole Part 1-4” off Edge of Forever’s new album:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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