What reasons were you guided by forming a band?

- Surely the need to play this kind of music to express ourselves, to express our crativity. We are fans of band like early METALLICA, early MEGADETH early ANTHRAX and SLAYER and this is what we love to play. Our songs are influnced by these bands but we have a personal approach to this kind of music so we are not simply a clone-band or a thrash metal cover band.....to try to believe!

While both, death and heavy metal seem to endure some kind of revival nowadays, thrash still is considered kinda "unpromising" genre. Didn't you think about that starting to compose and perform your stuff (which may be easily reckoned to this style)?

- We started to play thrash metal in the early '90 when this genre began to decline 'cos this stuff is really what we live for. The Music biz need to found a genre to use to create a new trend, in the early '90 all the bands were into death and black metal, then came out HAMMERFALL first album and all the bands started to play power metal....now this genre is going down and we hope that the new trend will be thrash metal! Now some old bands like ARTILLERY and DESTRUCTION have reformed and other bands like ANNIHILATOR and TESTAMENT have recorded very good albums....there will be a
new beginning for this genre?

Why did you change your monicker for so many times? As far as I know, ENEMYNSIDE is the fourth (!) name you carry…

- Yeah! Unfortunately there are too much bands called "Scapegoat" in Italy and abroad, so we have thought to change the monicker once for all and work hard to make our new demo known. For the first times the name ENEMYNSIDE will be spread with the notice "ex-Scapegoat".

What's the sense in using those "Hetfield-alike" vocals all the time? You see, almost all of the contemporary thrash metal bands act this way!

- This is Francesco's voice! He doesn't try too look like Hetfield! I don't think like you when you tell me about of the contemporary thrash metal bands that use Hetfield-alike vocals, what bands? The new thrash metal bands like THE HAUNTED, SOILWORK, DARKANE or TERROR 2000 (do you really consider SOILWORK and TERROR 2000 thrash metal acts? Hmm..., they only have few elements borrowed from that style - and that's all, I believe - ED) use extreme vocals and the other bands like ARTILLERY, TESTAMENT, OVERKILL or SODOM have their own vocal style!

If I'm not mistaken, some of you (had?) also participate(d?) in CYDONIA and OVERMASTER… What about making us acquainted with the bands I mentioned above?

- OVERMASTER was my first band, I started to play thrash metal in the early months of '94 forming this band and after four years this project was freezed because the lack of serious musicians interested to play this genre. OVERMASTER and SCAPEGOAT were the only two bands into thrash metal here in Rome and when SCAPEGOAT splitted up with their old guitar player I joined the band. CYDONIA now have changed monicker in HYDRA because there is a band with this monicker under Metal Blade. HYDRA is the band of our drummer Pileggi (featuring the guitar player of NOVEMBRE Max Pagliuso at the voice) and they have recorded a self produced album. The genre is a kind of atmospheric extreme thrash / gothic metal.....they are a great band!

Do you consider gigs and live performances to be of importance to the band? How many times have you played live so far?

- Yes, we like to play live and we consider this way the only one to spread our music. We have played tons og gigs here in Rome and in Italy and for the next year we will start again to play in every metal pub of our country!

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but the rumours say it's really hard to get a deal being an Italian band (the same goes for the studio expenditures… the studios over there (the good ones, of course) seem to be too expensive, especially for a neophyte band). What encourages you to go on with ENEMYNSIDE?

- The metal scene of our country now is better then some years ago. Several metal bands like RHAPSODY, LABYRINTH, LACUNA COIL,  NOVEMBRE, LINEA 77 have signed important contracts with labels like Century Media or Earache and now Italy is one of the most important countries for the european metal scene (you deserve it... - ED). We hope that it will be a positive thing for our band too 'cause we have a long story on the back and many songs that awaits to be recorded!!! About the studio expenditures, yes, the good studios are expensive but we have worked hard to make money to pay the record session for our new demo! This is the only solution if you are a band without a record deal! We believe in our music and we'll go on for our way!

Black metal appears as most commercially profitable (oops!) among metal genres nowadays, even though originally everything was quite the contrary. What's your opinion on this movement?

- Now black metal has lost the commercial importance of some years ago (I wouldn't say so. It still goes VERY well... - ED). We are not fans of this genre. I like the fathers of it, VENOM, but black metal nowaday is different from what VENOM play. I have some tapes of DISSECTION (great band!), UNANIMATED, MERCILESS and CRADLE OF FILTH (I hate them!) but I am not into this stuff!  We have listen to some bands like EMPEROR, SATYRICON, ENSLAVED, IMMORTAL but we don't like the sound and the attitude. If I wanna hear some extreme music I prefer listen to death metal!

Do you know anything regarding Russia? What is your attitude to the country of mine as well as it's people? Any Russian bands you've heard lately?

- Sorry but I know anything about your country...perhaps I have listened to some Russian underground bands but I don't remember their names! I'll be happy if some russian band want to contact me to trade! Get in touch!

I know it's (almost) always irritating to figure out "what the hell should I say finishing the interview", so let's stop here. You can tell us anything you'd like to, anyway…

- I wanna thanks you for the interview and for your support, if there is someone interested in my band, please write me, ok? See you!

ENEMYNSIDE contact -
Email: thrashmatt@lycosmail.com