Maurizio, welcome to Polismagazino.gr. First of all as an introduction please let us know some things about you and what you do with your band BLACK REUSS.
Hello, and thank you for your interest in Black Reuss. Perhaps first… Black Reuss is not a band, it is structured like a band, but it is a solo project. I do almost everything on my own. Writing, producing, arranging, lyrics and singing. Apart from the drums, I play all the instruments myself. I live in the small principality of Liechtenstein, which lies between Switzerland and Austria. Stylistically I move between doom, dark rock, and gothic metal.
When did you start playing music? What intrigued you to do it? And when did you decide to take things more seriously with your Art and create something very personal like BLACK REUSS?
I started playing the guitar when I was 12 years old. During my teenage years, my musical development moved more and more towards rock and metal. But in the beginning, there was Elvis Presley… I am still fascinated by the King of Rock after so many years. What an entertainer. Back then I thought to myself… how great it is… to be able to communicate with the whole world using a universal language like music. That motivated me to make music myself. Unfortunately, not as successful as the King, but the language remains universal and that still fascinates me today. I founded my first band when I was 16 and I was on the road with them for 20 years. In between, I studied music and took part in other projects. But at some point, I had enough and stopped and just made music for myself. I then started to set up my own recording studio and learnt and experimented a lot. One thing led to another and that’s how Black Reuss 2019 came about. I’m very reflective, values-orientated and think a lot about life. That’s how the concept came about, which consists of 4 albums and talks about the flow of life and its different chapters and phases.
What is your oldest music memory?
This is Italian children’s music from ‘Lo Zecchino d’Oro’. I am originally Italian and grew up in an emigrant family in Switzerland. My parents listened to a lot of music and the children listened to ‘Lo Zecchino d’Oro’. There are still a few songs that I can remember today. I even played some of them to my son when he was a child.
When did you feel that music is a part of your life?
As I said, that was as a teenager. That’s when I became interested in rock and metal, and I played guitar and wanted to conquer the world. So, the conclusion was to form a band. For me, there are only few things that convey emotions, mood, and message as well as music and are so universal. After so many years I am still fascinated by it and almost every day there is a song that touches me, cheers me up or distracts me from daily life and manages to take me to a completely different world for a short moment.
Which are your major influences both musical and non-musical that made you create music the way you do it today?
Oh… I’m often asked that, and I can’t answer it like that because there are so many things that influence me. Be it consciously or subconsciously. There are so many good artists… but it’s not just music that inspires me, but also other art forms like books, paintings, or film. Or other people who manage to make a difference with their ideas and ideals. It’s the unique things that happen in life that shape and influence me. Unfortunately, it’s also the less beautiful things that make me think. I’m like a sponge and absorb everything. Both positive and negative, and unfortunately that’s not always a good thing. Sometimes I would be happy if I could just ignore certain things. I try to express that with music.
Are you scared of success or failure?
No, not at all. For me, it depends on how you deal with it. Both have dangers, but in my eyes it’s opportunities. Success is a good thing, especially when someone has worked hard for it. I see it as appreciation. Unfortunately, success can also change a lot, so I think it’s important to keep a cool head and see it as a gift. In my view, making mistakes is also a good thing. It’s beneficial to not make the same mistake repeatedly. But that’s what keeps us going. Learning from mistakes is very important. In this respect, it all goes together. Mistakes always happen on the road to success and there is always an opportunity to improve something. And that’s how success usually comes about, specially sustainable success.
Tell us the whole story behind your latest album “Arrival”. How does it continue your concept? When was the album conceived and where was it recorded? Any special guests?
Arrival is the third album of a concept that consists of four. It’s about the flow of life and the individual stages. Arrival is the phase where you are more settled. That doesn’t mean that everything is solved, and you live in paradise. The demons are still the same, but i’ve learnt to deal with them and that’s the settled or arrival stage.
For Arrival I worked again with Diego Rapacchietti, the drummer of the legendary Swiss band Coroner. He is just amazing and plays my songs exactly in the way I hear it. And Anna Murphy from Cellar Darling sings on one song. Everyone played their part, but the moment with Anna on Soul Awakening makes me very proud. I think it sounds exactly like I heard it before she recorded it.
Have BLACK REUSS music and lyrics both been always made by you? Did you have any help in any part of your songs?
Music and lyrics are mine. I write, arrange, and produce everything myself in my studio in Liechtenstein. I then record the vocals with Roberto Deluca at ErreDiElle studio. For the mix, I worked with Roberto Macis from Solid Twin Studio. The mastering was done by Giovanni Versari, Mastering Engineer at La Maestà Mastering.
How can fans order your albums and merch?
You can visit the website blackreuss.com. There is a merch shop there for fans.
Will you take Arrival out on stage? Do you have plans for live shows or tours?
At the moment I’m working on the 4th album Death and I’m thinking about whether I’ll do Black Reuss live after that. That’s not easy because I have certain demands on a Black Reuss live show and they’re not easy to realize. But we’ll see what the future brings.
We liked Arrival very much and we hope people will discover your fantastic music that for us is a solid mix of heavy metal and gothic rock. Do you agree? Do you have any ideas to change styles in the next albums of Black Reuss?
Thank you for the great feedback. That makes me very happy. Well… doing something else would also mean that I would change. I don’t make the music conceptually but do exactly and only what I want and feel now. What you hear comes 100% from me and from me. The next album won’t be totally different, that much I can already say.
What are your future plans? Thank you for the interview!
As I said. I’m currently working on the new album Death which will most likely be released in the first half of 2025. Whether I’ll play a few more concerts after that is still written in the stars. Let’s see.
Thank you for your interest. Rock On
Official Website: www.blackreuss.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/blackreuss
Instagram: www.instagram.com/blackreussmusic/
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UC9UG6Rfa93ldqXiP3D6kVyA
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@blackreuss
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