First of all, let me suppose that "Brand New Babylon" is nothing but a certain kind of metaphor. Would that be correct?

- Correct. The concept of Babylon has to me a meaning I wouldn't completely explain but that has something to deal with MISTAKE. With a feeling of inadequacy. With self-deception. Not only of the many negative things around us, but of the negative things INSIDE us. Everyone of us has his Babylon somewhere, and everyone should learn how to deal with it.......

The latest work of yours comes with a nearly unique sort of packaging, at least that's what I've been told. Could you please tell us more on this subject (as well as explain if it's based on a certain kind of concept or not)?

- The album came in two different editions: the standard one (still on digipack) and a special one in a leather, embroidered sleeve + 6 postcards + a different booklet. I strongly wanted to have an edition of this kind destined to the old-time CANAAN followers, something that they could hold as a special item apart from the regular cds. I always had a love for "OBJECTS", and I wanted some copies of "Brand New Babylon" to have a VERY special packaging. It's a kind of feticism.....

"Brand New Babylon" already is the third CANAAN's offering, right? What do you consider it to be, in comparison to the former works of yours?

- Good question. "Brand new Babylon" sounds a little bit alien to our own ears as well, as it's different from what we expected when we started the recordings. We used a new sound-engineer, and his touch changed a bit our overall sound, making it drier and in a way lighter. However the album is our darkest and most oppressive work so far, in spite of the production. We consider it as a considerable forward step in the band's evolution, waiting for the new one to show up. We started playing again after a one-year break, and the results are very satisfying so far.

What's your own stylistic definition of CANAAN?

- Dark.

How has "Brand New Babylon" been accepted in the underground community and major mass media?

- The album received enthusiastic praises from everywhere, but this is not really important to us. We play because we need to, and not to obtain any kind of recognition from other people. Major mass media? Are you joking? CANAAN is NOT a fake media-friendly band. And needless to say we do not even want to be it. As far as we're satisfied with what we do and as far as our music helps preserving a kind of psychic balance, nothing else matters. The rest is up to those who approach our music.

Just by the way; what is underground to you?

- Everything that's not conncted with music-business and its stupid rules where promotion always overcome quality and even the most pathetic children can reach the rock-star status because of their 13.500 piercing and pretend son-of-satan look. On a more general level, I apply just one dichotomy: there is music for the crowd and there's music for the few ones who are intelligent enough to understand it. We belong to the second category. Modest enough ?

Besides being an inalienable part of CANAAN, you also appear as the mastermind behind Eibon Records. Why have you decided to start the label of your own, and what are you aiming to reach with this venture?

- Well, the label started as a part-time hobby back in 1996 and mainly as a way to release and promote our first album "Blue Fire". However I immediately noticed I could have tried to turn it into a full-time job. Thus in late 1997 I left my previous job and started focusing exclusively on the label. My aim? Releasing good music and supporting artists I respect. Nothing more and nothing less. The very high qualitative standard of my productions is attracting a huge amount of people, mainly through word-of-mouth as I never had will (& money) to embark on large promotional campaigns.

It seems like all the CDs ever released by Eibon, come in an extremely limited quantities, thus appearing as difficult of access items. Haven't you ever thought of releasing anything in at least a couple of thousands copies?!

- Well, the CANAAN albums are all around 2.500 copies, FROZEN AUTUMN 3.500, ESOTERIC and WHILE HEAVEN WEPT around 1.500 / 1.800, so I guess some of my releases were made available to a larger audience. Other ones come in strictly limited quantities, but that's natural, considering the nature itself of those records. Power electronics and dark ambient have a much smaller number of followers worldwide, and sales / record availability comes as a direct consequence of this fact. Last but not least I think rare records are NECESSARY as well...

Have you ever had a (truly) painful experience you still consider to be of importance to you?

- Not really. I've never been an "happy" person, and even though life is in constant balance between positive and negative things, these latter has always been predominant in me. All I can see when I look back at the past are long periods of "introspection" (call it depression if it's easier to understand) with nothing special to remember, nothing special to say, nothing special to obtain. This condition persists even now, and pain is more a silent companion of mine than a loud-screaming entity.

If you had a chance of impaling anyone (figuratively speaking, of course), whom would that be, and why exactly him / her?

- 5/6 of the entire humanity. Because we are like a swarm of locusts consuming the resources of the planet, without respect for what's surrounding us. Needless to say I would include myself in the terminated ones.

Once we broached subjects somehow related to death, let me wonder what's your opinion on euthanasia? Quite a controversial matter, isn't it?

- Not really. I tend to regard everything with a very subjective eye, so when a person decides that his life is no longer worth leaving, I can't see why he / she should NOT be able to decide to end it in a peaceful matter. When suffering is much too strong to bear and much too deep to resist, I think death could be not only a positive achievement, but a real relief. I am favourable to euthanasia - after all why should one live with a pain that's clearly useless and meaningless? Better dead than suffering.

What's your view on the literary sources of inspiration? Which one would you name as "the book of your life"?

- "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" by W.F.Nietzsche. I discovered it when I was a child, and it opened my eyes on so many subjects. That book perfectly couples a STRONG philosophical backbone with a visionary language, resulting in the most comprehensive reading I've ever had. Even now after a thousand readings, it still discloses many secrets...

Has any book (prose or poetry, doesn't really matter…) ever made you to drastically change your opinion on the certain subject?

- Not really. The change of perspective is a hard to fulfill thing, and generally requires much more than a book. A book can maybe give you some hints & new ideas, but a huge amount of subjective analysis is needed in order to DRASTICALLY change any opinion. At least this happens with me - I guess other people have different experiences.

Do you know anything regarding Russia? Any metal bands coming from the country of mine you've heard lately?

- Mmm, not really. The only band I've heard is RAKOTH, which sounded fairly ok.

Final message…

- Thanks for the interview and good luck with the magazine. See you in Babylon.

CANAAN contact -
Email: canaan@azure.it