Greetings, Marco!!! Your band's history appears as something I know nothing about, so let's start from that good 'ol question regarding VLAD's bio…

- Well, we were born in September '95 and we propose to join inside our sharply heavy metal influenced music,typical gothic and romantic
sonorities. This kind of research has found achievement in our first homonym demo-tape,issued in September 97 and in a solid live activity. In March '99 our second demo-tape was issued titled "DOMINE", completion of year of hard work.

Let's go on asking and answering typical questions, heh heh… It was really difficult for me to figure out your style (which looks more like a successful combination of various genres), therefore I'm wondering how would you describe VLAD's stuff?

- We use to describe our music like "Heavy Gothic Metal" but we prefer to consider it like a combination of five differents personalities so everyone proposes his own musical background.

Your debut (?) tape, "Domine", has been out for a while… What about the feedback you've received - I bet it should be quite positive…? Also, how are the sales going? Do you consider VLAD to be a band which will find it's very own niche in the market?

- Even if "DOMINE" isn't our debut demo, we can consider it like a passage between the material of the first demo and the new songs; We have received distributors' appreciation and interest but nothing really concrete. Perhaps our music is too intimate and visceral but in the same time quite difficult to trade and to receive.However the promotional phase has begun a very short time ago and we are just waitin' for good chances.

Everything inside the "Domine" booklet appears to be written in Italian, why so? You know, in my view it may only harm the distribution in foreign countries, since no one outside Italy will understand what the hell is written there…

- If you are talkin' about the lyrics, we have chosen to use the Italian and the Latin language.Instead the booklet is in Italian because this packaging has been made for the Italian market to have answers of commercial and critical type (the first demo, penalized by an indecent production, has received only critical consent).

By the way, regarding the lyrics of yours. I hope, you wouldn't mind getting us acquainted with their contents? Also, I noticed that the second tune, "Aura", features few lines in Latin as well as quotations from Dante's "Inferno"… Please, explain the move.

- The Italian and Latin languages represent our culture and awareness; The choose of inserting Dante's "Inferno",was due to opera's cultural importance in the strongly clerical medieval Italian society.

Despite all of it's… let's say 'selling points', "Domine" has one undoubtedly serious drawback - did you know about that? I mean, of course, the fact that it consists only of intro + three (rather short) songs! Once "Domine" fascinates your mind and essense, it fucking ends leaving you utterly disappointed, still craving for more! (I'm not kidding. That's serious.) What is the reason for such a short tape's duration?

- The sadness and melancholy are the introduction of an inner research that explains itself in an alternation of more introspective and more powerful parts of our music, so none of us has been worried from the demo's songs' length; every song is the inner motion representation.

"Domine" leaves an impression of very well executed material. Please, tell us more in regards to the recording studio and it's staff… Some time ago I heard one of the fellow guys from Italy saying that you have to be almost a millioneer in order to reserve decent (at least 16-track) studio for no less than a couple of weeks… Is it truth?

- There are in Italy few good and equipped recording studios and producers able to handle METAL (for example our first Demo Tape has been produced in a horrible way). However Raimondo Mosci, our producer,even if he has worked alone, has been serious, careful to our requirements,in spite of the tall cost.Effectively in Italy to pay very much is the only way to have a decent product.

The same guy (honestly speaking, his name is Stefan Fiori and he is the singer for GRAVEWORM) told me that 'in fact, there's no metal in Italy. There're only few bands over here, playing some heavy or doom metal… Most of 'em are totally into folklore, at least when it comes to south of Italy'. Therefore, here're two questions arising: first of all, is he just too pessimistic or… or everything's quite the contrary? And secondly, how are the things going with metal in your hometown (Rome)?

- Effectively in Italy the Metal-Kids are just a small number; Only recently classic and power metal has found fortune (perhaps classical Italian culture has received this kind of sonorities for the cultural affinities). The extreme scene is conceptually imitative of North-European themes and trends, creating an "elite" without own roots.

And what about the metal mass media? As far as it goes for Italy, I'm
familiar only with the certain mag named GrindZone (if I'm not mistaken, formerly it was only a section in Italy's Metal Hammer edition)…

- There are a lot of Magazines and fanzines, some of which were born following a trend, others are trying to support the Italian scene,but the crowd's provincialism and the mass-media's difference obstruct the Italian-groups'affirmation.

Going further into the subject (the Italian underground, I mean), I'm wondering if it's easy to perform a gig and what is the medium crowd's quantity?

- It's very difficult to organize a tour in Italy because there aren't clubs, promoters,little audience(there is crowd only for just famous groups)so there isn't money enough to pay the group's costs.

If speaking geographically, Vatican is located 'inside' your motherland, hence an inevitable question comes… What is your attitude to religion as a whole and to christianity (catholicism), in particular?

- Everyone in the group is free to think as he wants,everyone has his own religious awareness so he is respected by the others members. Religious themes aren't in the interest of VLAD project.

By the way, once, when Vatican was honoured with my visit :), I
noticed BLASPHEMY's t-shirt selling in one of the little shops near the main church… Isn't that funny (perhaps, maybe even ridiculous)? But if we considered it to be the 'beginning', what would come further? A black metal band from Vatican? Is it possible, in your view?

- We aren't interested in these things; Every kind of fanaticism (Religious or anti-religious) is far from our cares.

Since I knew nothing of your band before I got the tape, may I assume that due to the fact that VLAD still is in it's infancy and endures 'the lack of repute' period because of that? Or you're simply that bad in promotion?

- We are "young", because it is just 3 years that we play together, and in Italy it is very difficult to obtain such a promotion to permit a band to be known in other countries, especially after the first demo has been badly produced.

I brouched a subject of promotion in the previous question, consequently here're one more for you developing this theme: have you receive any offers yet? Personally I think that labels' lack of interest in your case strikes as more than strange…

- The promotional phase,as we have repetedly said,has started with a lot of delay; The only concrete contacts are from two Italian Labels (Metal Horse, Black Tears), for the realization of two Compilations.

Ok, that's all, Marco. Now it's time for you to share with us your future plans and say few words for the end…

- Thanks to everyone who will support our band, to you Kai, to PREJUDICE from Belgium, to STONEHENGE from Russia and to all our friends,thank you again!!!

VLAD contact -
Cflorido@hotmail.com