Interview for DEATHTHRASHER MAGAZINE by ARMANDO MUTILATOR :

Here I am again,
it took me less than I thought to answer to all your questions... I hope you're satisfied with them. If you're not...well, I can't do a thing about it :))

I'll send a promo of Inner Deathscapes for a review, and I'll include you in the list for the Nothingod promos as well, ok?

Tell me if you need pictures, a high def logo, etc...
Take care,

Marco/VII Arcano

DT: When and why the band was formed?.
VII-A: The band was formed so many years ago: 1989, more or less, and was named SEPOLCRUM. I got into it some time later as a bass player (now I'm on guitars), and then we tried to work out demos and stuff. We got together because we had something to say, and that was DEATH METAL! 

DT: Marco, do you remember your days in SEPOLCRUM?... do you have any SEPOLCRUM's stuff?.
VII-A: Yes, to answer both questions. We had a good time together; we were just kids with lots of metal in our minds. I keep jealously all my audio and video recordings (maybe I lost our first demo, but I should have a copy), even the worse ones, but I won't give 'em to you…haha…you'll never hear our old stuff from me. The music is not bad, but it's played awfully!!!

DT: Your influences?.
VII-A: So many. We listen to almost everything, except grunge and nu-metal (also known as NO-metal…). So I can say SLAYER, KISS, TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL, DISMEMBER, AT THE GATES, OZZY, THE HAUNTED, MY DYING BRIDE, DESTRUCTION, MORBID ANGEL, BLACK SABBATH, MISFITS / DANZIG (YEAH!!! My first band was a MISFITS cover band!!!!), EXODUS, KREATOR, JUDAS PRIEST, etc… All this just about Metal. I personally like very much THE CURE as well as THE DOORS, DEAD CAN DANCE, U2 (the good old ones) and much other shit I can't remember all of them right now…

DT: What can you talk me about your first release with the name of VII ARCANO?.
VII-A: Our first release was a 7" named "Gather My Blood Forever", a thing that should have come out with the name of SEPOLCRUM, since it was much more in the vein of the band, especially if I think of VII ARCANO nowadays. That's why we like to start VII ARCANO history from a promo CD we recorded in 1999 with the new (at that time) and actual singer Mirko Scarpa and a whole renewed line-up/songwriting. 

DT: How do you know MIRKO SCARPA?.
VII-A: I know him since many years, but I don't remember where I first met him. Maybe at a concert, or maybe at high school (our high schools were different but very close), or maybe at some record shop. It's impossible to tell: he doesn't remember either! Sure is I met him in the '90s, when there were so few deathrashers in Roma at that time, and he was one of the good ones! When I called him for the first time to ask him to join the band, he went crazy as soon as I mentioned a couple of bands that were influencing our new songs: At The Gates and Dismember (we both have always been great fans of Dismember, since the beginning). The craziest thing was that we needed a drummer as well, and he had the one from his band!! It's hard to find one band member at a time, figure out if you can find two with one phone call!!

DT: Your fave beer?
VII-A: GRIMBERGEN and WARSTEINER.

DT: Tell me about your work with WARLORD RECORDS.
VII-A: Not much to say about it. Alex is producing our records; I'm helping him with his website. Really nothing more. 

DT: Your discography?.
VII-A: We have only 3 releases out as VII ARCANO, but we have 3 other in the works for 2004. Our first is a doomish/gothic 7" called "Gather My Blood Forever", and I was the only actual member in the band. Then we have a promo CD with 3 tracks in the actual VII ARCANO Deathrash vein that was made just for promotional purposes, and finally our first cd "Inner Deathscapes" of which I have to send you a copy soon, if you don't have any... During 2004 we should have a 7" out (recorded something like 2 and a half years ago) called "Postmortem Extasies" with 2 unreleased tracks; our 2nd CD "Nothingod", and another 7" split with German Thrasherz WITCHBURNER, of the "Bulldozer Armageddon" series, in which we recorded the song "IX", from the homonymous BULLDOZER album.

DT: Your best Italian band from ever?.
VII-A: NECRODEATH above all, and more recently I really appreciate a band of some friends of ours, called Grimness, which play Black/Thrash metal. They really kick ass! Check them out!

DT: Do you like the old Heavy Metal?.
VII-A: Yeah, sure! Old HM is all I am actually buying right now, because I am missing some classics in my CD collection and because I'm not much into the recent metal releases. I just discovered myself being a great fan of TWISTED SISTER and THIN LIZZY to mention a few.

DT: What can you tell me about your bad experience with the delinquent Rip Off CHRISTIAN PAUCAR TOLEDO?.
VII-A: Not much: I just sent him a copy of our CD and after a while I read all the bad things on your site. I got quite pissed off when I discovered that I had lost a promo copy of our CD, but I didn't lose that much, so who cares about him. He wasn't very happy of all the stuff you write about him, haha!! He just kept complaining in a semi-incomprehensible English, so I threw away his mails.

DT: What do you think about ELIPHAS LEVY?.
VII-A: Who? I had to check out on the web to discover who he is… I am not really into occultism/Satanism. I just care about playing my shit!

DT: Do you like NECRODEATH?.
VII-A: Yeah, sure. I like their records, we have played some times with them and we know them personally: they are really great guys. We should try to catch with them more often, but we live in different cities, and they are not so close. Too bad I must say. They really kick a mean fuckin' ass, and don't give a fuck of whatever! Their stuff rules!

DT: Do you know who is Reverend AL SHARPTON?.
VII-A: No idea, again, I have to look around for something about him..

DT: What do you know about South American Scene?.
VII-A: I should have a CENOTAPH CD and that's it. I have to get some more info on the scene, 'cause it really seems there's a lot of new stuff comin' up from there.

DT: What can you talk me about your last show?.
VII-A: It was in November (we should play more often…) with DESTROYER 666. They rule!! Even if KK had some complains about my brown motorcycle jacket…he couldn't understand why I didn't have a black one!! Hahaha!! Seriously, it was great to play with them. They just go on stage and blow their music on your face. We had a great time, they are very nice guys, and the people that came to the show had a great time as well. We are supposed to play with SADUS next month: I can't wait 'cause I've never had the luck of seeing them live, and it will be an honour to share the stage with them.

DT: What is the gender of PIKACHU?.
VII-A: Uh?…Manga-Metal?

DT: What do you think about DAKRUA?.
VII-A: I just listened something from their 2nd cd while they were recording it, 'cause we share the same recording studio (The Outer Sound Studios in Roma: try to find something better in Italy!!), but they're actually not my favourite tunes. I prefer heavier and less romantic stuff. But they do are a good band.

DT: Are you into drugs?.
VII-A: Drugs? What are they?... I'm half insane on my own; I don't need any…I prefer spending my money in cds and guitars.

DT: What do you think about ANTON SZANDOR LA VEY?.
VII-A: I don't care about him, and I guess he's not gonna care about me as well!!...

DT: Tell us about your KISS cover.
VII-A: Yeah!! It was an idea of both me and Mirko, because we are great fans of the band (Love Gun was the first Hard / Metal album I have ever listened…you know, it was kinda revival for me..). I came up with the idea and prepared the riffing immediately. When I saw Mirko in the evening I was beginning to talk him about it but he first asked me if it was the case of playing a KISS cover. So I told him I had it all ready and he went crazy when he knew we thought about the same song!! We recorded it during the "Inner Deathscapes" sessions, playing it the VII ARCANO way.

DT: Are you into INNER CIRCLE?. Tell us about the Anti Semitic Community.
VII-A: No, I'm not into any Circle or anti-something, and I don't know a thing about the Anti-Semitic Community and what they do. I'm too busy in thinking about myself to have time to waste for someone else. As long as you don't bother me, you're not in my hate-list.

DT: Do you like to drink Vodka with piss?.
VII-A: Well, no, but maybe I'll taste it…I'll have to ask my girlfriend first, 'cause I just have some vodka here left and nothing else…haha!!

DT: Do you have STAR WARS action figures?.
VII-A: No, I don't. I think I had some when I was a child, but I can't remember very well. I'm full of WARHAMMER miniatures instead; so many that I don't know if I'll ever paint all of them …

DT: Which is your best production?.
VII-A: Our latest recording "Nothingod", definitively. It's aggressive, it has better sounds, it's heavy, it's both complex and melodic in a way, so I like it very much. Besides this time 90% of the music is mine… 

DT: Do you prefer MACINTOSH or PC?.
VII-A: I work with a PC, but everyone keeps telling Mac is much better, especially for graphics / sounds. To me it's the same, I just prefer PCs because I know how they work.

DT: Tell me about "Nothingod" please.
VII-A: It is so far our best work, hard to make because we had just a couple of songs when our guitar player Roberto left us and we decided to start again from the beginning, since we didn't want to have any of his songs on the album. It is far more instinctive than "ID", and we all felt more inside of it when we were both writing and playing the songs. I think the songs are great because there are spontaneous, a bit less monolithic than "ID", and there is much more variety in the album. The artwork is killer as well, and is done by the same graphic artist that made the last KONKHRA and HANDFUL OF HATE albums. I really can't wait 'till it will be out! 

DT: Do you like soccer?.
VII-A: Soccer? No way! And I hate being in a soccer-oriented country! I mean, I don't really hate the sport in itself, 'cause I played soccer as well (I was VERY small), but I hate all the thing that is around it. It just sucks! On Monday morning people can't talk about anything else!!

DT: What do you think about ALEISTER CROWLEY, do you read THE BOOK OF THE LAW?.
VII-A: I'm in contact with VINCENT CROWLEY of ACHERON, but I guess it's not the same person you are talking about… No, I didn't read the Book of Law, and I don't know what it is about.

DT: Your future plans?.
VII-A: Probably try read the books you mentioned and get some info on all that occultism stuff, so I will be ready for a future interview and I won't leave any empty answers J… I hope to have "Nothingod" out as soon as possible, 'cause we recorded it almost a year ago, and our label is being a bit lazy…then we will be able to plan some more live shows for promotion.

DT: Your last growl for DEATHTHRASHER readers?.
VII-A: DEATHRASH IS ALIVE!!!!!! Wait for us 'cause ARMANDO MUTILATOR is gonna pay us plane tickets to come and play near your jouse!!!! :))

KEEP ON THRASHIN'N'BURNIN'

Cheers,