Interviews : Eyefear (Sammy Giaccotto) – 31/1/09

Eyefear have been at the forefront of Australia’s power/prog scene for well over 15 years now, and have supported many big name acts including Blind Guardian, Evergrey, Nightwish and of course, attending the 2007 San Fransisco Bay Area Rock festival with names such as Spock’s Beard, Crimson Glory and Jon Oliva’s Pain on the bill.

Eyefear have just recently released their 4th studio album through their new European label Dockyard1, and will soon be launching the album locally here in Australia on the 7th Feb, 2009.

Metal Obsession recently had the pleasure to speak with Eyefear keyboardist, Sammy Giaccotto about the bands new release “The Unseen” and their upcoming album launch in Melbourne at the Esplanade Hotel.

Metal Obsession: Hi Sammy, thanks for taking the time to speak with us at Metal Obsession.

Sammy Giaccotto: No problem, thanks for having me.

MO: Could you give our international reader’s a little introduction to Eyefear and your role in the band?

SG: Well, Eyefear has always been described as a progressive power metal band, which is probably correct due to the many influences each member has, we have always been a traditional metal type band. I play keyboards in the band and share the main songwriting duties with Con our guitarist. I also take care of the production and recording aspect of the band.

MO: Eyefear’s new album “The Unseen” has been out for a little while now in Europe and Australia thanks to your new label, Dockyard1. How has the new album been received by fans so far, and are you happy with the final outcome of the new album?

SG: Yes, we are very happy with the final outcome of the album, Tommy Hansen did a great job mixing it and I’d like to think I did an ok job recording it! It’s hard when you are an independent band that doesn’t have a huge budget, but considering this, I think we did very well. So far the album has been well received with most people saying it is a balanced blend of good songwriting and tough sounding production. We feel we have matured a little more since the last album.

MO: For the many fans who kept track of Eyefear’s recording progress on the bands personal Youtube page, we know the band worked along side legendary producer Tommy Hansen. Tommy has worked with other bands, such as Helloween, Jorn and Pagan’s Mind. How was it working with Tommy Hansen on the new album, and did he offer any words of wisdom which made a profound impact on the band?

SG: Tommy was very easy to get along with, he has a lot of experience and I would have loved to record the album together with him. But we are on opposite sides of the world! He basically put his head down and worked hard to get us what we wanted mix wise, so our relationship was very focused towards the mixing of the album. I’m sure if we recorded with him I’d know him a lot better.

MO:You actually produced Eyefear’s last album, “A World Full of Grey”, which was released back in 2007. Did you still get to somewhat produce or be in the creative loop of the new album, or was it all in the capable hands of Tommy Hansen?

SG: Well, the production ideas and overall sound of the album actually happen mainly during the pre production and recording process, so I guess you could say Con and I had a lot to do with it as it was usually us sitting in front of the computer during the very early stages of these songs. Tommy, basically stuck to his mixing duties, which of course contributes to the sound of the album. The other Eyefear members also have creative input, once Con and I are happy with an idea we’ll bring it to the guys and we work on it together to fine tune it.

MO: The band has been going through some changes of late, both good and bad. Mid last year your long time bass player, Rob Gorham shocked everyone when he decided to leave Eyefear. This news came as quite a shock to you all since Rob has been apart of the band since its creation in the early 90’s. How has it been working with Rob over the last couple of years, as I’m sure you guys must have had some pretty amazing times together?

SG: All of us still consider Rob a good friend, he’s an easy going guy, have to remember, Con, Zain and Rob went to high school together so regardless of Eyefear’s lineup or status the bond will always be there. He had a big influence on the bands sound, because he contributed heavily to the lyrical side of things. Personally, working with Rob was easy, like I said he’s easy going. Because him and I shared the same side of the stage we had some awesome and really funny moments during performances, that’s what I like about playing live. Will be good to catch up with him at the album launch on February 7th.

MO: The departure of Rob Gorham didn’t weaken the strength of Eyefear what so ever, as it only made the band stronger with the recent acquirement of Evan Harris. Evan has worked with other local metal acts including Black Majesty and Endel Rivers. How many musicians did Eyefear go through before selecting Evan Harris as the new bassist?

SG: Well, we only had a meeting with another musician before selecting Evan.
Both Evan and the other candidate were impressive and could clearly play.
It was a hard decision to make. I’d say the only thing that tipped the scale a little in Evans favour was his long term experience on the bass guitar. Again, both persons would have fit the position easily.

MO: How have rehearsals been going so far with Evan, and what are your expectations of Evan when the band set foot on stage again?

SG: Rehearsals have been great, I have only known Evan for a little while now but he seems like a decent genuine bloke, and he’s a good musician. As far as expectations go, we expect Evan to have a good time on stage, if he’s happy, then we are happy. Most of us in the band have a fairly professional attitude which I can see he has too, so I think he’ll do fine on stage from the very first gig.

MO: Well, as mentioned before, the new album “The Unseen” has been out for sometime in Australia and Europe through Dockyard1 records. The new album is quite a leap in terms of production and song writing compared to previous releases, as I’m sure many fans would agree when they had the pleasure to listen to the new album in its entirety earlier last year on the bands Myspace page . How was song writing comprised this time round, was it a group effort, or were lyrics mainly handled by a one person party?

SG: Con and I usually get together with ideas we have come up with on our own.
Then together we get the basic arrangement of the song done. Once we are happy we bring it to rehearsal and show it to the others. We play it live as a band and tweak and fine tune the song until it feels right, sitting in a room writing  a song and playing a song together are two different things, its important to us that we play it as a band before making it final. The lyrics are/were usually written by Rob and Danny, however, on occasion Con and I would also contribute lyrically.

MO: The lyrics on each of Eyefear’s albums come as somewhat of a personal message to some, as your lyrics are based on the concept of human emotion and psychology. Were these themes still a big part of the new album, or did Eyefear head in a new direction all together with song writing and concepts?

SG: Human Emotion, etc, are all things that people can relate to, so to us, writing songs with these themes in mind seems a good way to take the listener on a particular journey.
Eyefear has never sat down as a band and made a conscious decision as to what the themes will be for a new album, we write what comes naturally and happen to be lucky that our themes seem to be somewhat universal and fairly broad.

MO: Who conceived the idea for the album artwork? It seems the man in white is strangely holding a masquerade mask which is somewhat similar to that of Australia’s former Prime Minister, John Howard.

SG: Haha! I never noticed that before! No it’s not a stab at Howard! We gave Bjorn (the artist) the album title and told him to go for it! We like to give the artist freedom, we have found that unless you have a very specific good idea, its better to let the artist create something themselves. They haven’t disappointed us so far. We usually mention examples of album covers to the artist so they have a rough idea of what we are wanting.

MO: Eyefear will be back in Melbourne very soon with their album launch set on 7th of Feb at the Esplande Hotel in St. Kilda. For the many metal fans in the local scene who have yet to experience the majesty and excitement of an Eyefear live show, what can they expect in terms of an Eyefear full set?

SG: People can expect to see a band that always gives it their all. Even when we are having the worst night (sound wise, etc) we try to forget about it and perform to the best of our ability. Most of all, you can expect to hear a singer who can actually sing! That’s what I like about the metal/rock scene, unlike a lot of pop artists who have their vocals severely treated on their albums, with metal/rock, what you hear on the album is usually what you get live, there are a few exceptions of course.

MO: Has there been any new improvements to the live experience of Eyefear in recent months, either with new equipment or stage props being bought into the mix?

SG: Well, for the first time in Eyefear history, Con got himself a new guitar which is down-tuned, so you will notice a heap of songs on the new album which are in a different tuning. It turned out to be a good thing because it enabled the band to explore new ground. Apart from that, everything else is pretty much the same, we tend to live by the moto, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it!

MO: Since we’re on the subject of tours, Eyefear actually toured America back in 2007 which many maybe unfamiliar with. Eyefear were a part of the San Francisco Bay Area Rock Festival, and appeared with international guests such as Jon Oliva’s Pain, Crimson Glory, Mob Rules and Spocks Beard. Could you give the Metal Obsession reader’s alittle insight into that tour and how the American fans reacted to Eyefear’s music?

SG: San Fransisco was great, the other bands were awesome, all good people, the promoters, crew, fans, etc, were all great, we made some good friends. I don’t think they new what to expect from an Australian metal band, but from what I could tell, they seemed to like Eyefear’s music, we had a lot of people come up to us once we were off stage, a lot of them still keep tabs on us now via the internet.

MO: I believe Danny Cecati, Eyefear’s lead singer was joined on stage with D.C. Cooper (Royal Hunt) at the BAR Festival to belt out one of Eyefear’s famous tracks, “Whispers Of The Soul”. This must have been both an honor and a pleasure to experience this with your fellow band mates?

SG: D.C. was great, Con suggested it to him and he was all for it, I gave him my ipod which had the song on it, he took it for a few hours in the morning and performed the song with us that night, true professional. He’s got a great voice too, and turns out to be a good drinking partner! On stage we were all having a good time, especially Danny and Con.

MO: Eyefear have been well known to support some amazing bands in Australia, to name a few Nightwish, Evergrey and of course one of your most well known supports was with power metal legends, Blind Guardian. I was one of the many honored to be apart of the only two shows in Australia and have to say it was one of the best shows I’ve seen in my life. Blind Guardian were truely something live, but Eyefear warmed the crowed and were greatly welcomed by one and all on those two nights. Having said that, has there been any recent international tours annouced with Eyefear in mind for support, or is it all closed lips for now?

SG: Supporting the bands mentioned was a great experience, I must say, all the crowds were receptive towards us, we still see a lot of those people around, it’s good to catch up.
We like the interaction, gives us a chance to speak to those who support the scene and find out what is happening out there.
The Blind Guardian support was great because the Forum is such a good venue for metal, more bands should play there. At the moment there isn’t any talk of us supporting another international act, of course this is something that is not ruled out for 2009.

MO: Who would you like to tour with in the near future, if you had the chance?

SG: Hmmm!, Kamelot. Most of us like their music so that would be cool.

MO: Now 2008 saw some amazing releases, both internationally and locally. What were some of your favorites of 2008, and what are your expectations of 2009?

SG: I’ll keep it international for political reasons! I really like the latest Meshuggah album “obzen”. I don’t mind Metallica’s Death Magnetic, It has taken me a while to get used to it but it grows on you, I wouldn’t say it’s the greatest thing they’ve done, im sure most would agree on that! Give me Master of Puppets any day! I also like Nightwish’s last album (Dark Passion Play), although I cant remember if it was released in 2008.

MO: Well mate, its been a pleasure speaking with you. I wish you and the guys in Eyefear the best of luck for 2009, and am very excited and looking forward to seeing  Eyefear at the album launch in Melbourne on the 7th Feb at the Esplanade Hotel.

SG: Thanks a lot mate, thanks for you and everybody out there supporting Eyefear and metal. It means a lot to the bands out there. See ya at the gig!

Band: Eyefear
Date: 31/1/2009
Origin: Melbourne, Australia
www.myspace.com/eyefear

Questions:Anwar Rizk (Metal Obsession)
Answers: Sammy Giaccotto (Keyboardist)

Make sure to come along and check out Eyefear on the 7th of February at the Esplanade Hotel in St.Kilda (Victoria) for the album launch of  “The Unseen”.

Also included on the bill, will be local thrash pioneer’s, In Malices Wake and South Australia’s Black Orchid who will both be releasing their debut albums on the night. Eye of the Enemy and Nothing have also been added to the line up, so expect a good night of local heavy metal.

7th Feb 2009
Eyefear @ The Espy, St Kilda
w/ In Malice’s Wake, Black Orchid SA), Nothing and Eye of the Enemy
Tickets available at the door 8pm, $15.

www.myspace.com/eyefear

www.myspace.com/welkinentertainment

www.myspace.com/inmaliceswake

www.myspace.com/blackorchidsong

www.myspace.com/eyeoftheenemy

www.myspace.com/nothingthrash