JUNE 29th 2024
TYSTNADEN EXCLUSIVE

MetalTitans Metal Mom had the opportunity to talk with Italy's modern metal band, TYSTNADEN. Forming in 1999, this band is a fascinating blend of instinctive energy merged with elegant atmospheres. The band members draw inspiration from a wide range of their musical interests like Korn, System of A Down, even ranging from The Beatles and Pink Floyd. This range of musical diversity, comes a gothic rock band that is unique and stands out from the rest. Check out our exclusive below:

Laura De Luca (LDL) – voices
Giulia Coletti (GC) – lead guitars
Cesare Codispoti (CC) – guitars
Stefano Galioto (SG) – bass
Alberto Iezzi (AI) – drums

MT: How did you come up with your name?
LDL: Our first bass player, Marco Di Castri, who founded the band with our guitarist Cesare, was a huge fan of Ingmar Bergman films. At the time, he shared our passion for Swedish melodic death metal. "Tystnaden" was the original Swedish title of a 1963 Bergman film, and Marco suggested it to us. We liked it right away for its solemn meaning, which contrasted nicely with our powerful music but still felt very personal to us.

MT: What made you decide to form the band in 1999?
CC: Marco and I were playing in a metal cover band, but we were starting to get a bit bored. One afternoon, we got together, looked each other in the eye, and decided it was time to start a new band. We felt a strong need to create our own music—something very personal, powerful, and captivating.

MT: Can you tell us how each of the band members came to be part of Tystnaden?
Laura De Luca (Vocals): She started out as a backup singer, but once we saw her incredible talent, we knew she was the one. Sorry to the others, but we gave her the crown of the kingdom.

Giulia Coletti (Lead Guitars): Giulia is the most talented female lead guitarist in our region, Friuli Venezia Giulia. When our former guitarist left the band in 2017, we naturally chose her as Laura’s perfect sidekick, and we were right!

Cesare Codispoti (Guitars): He’s one of the founders. He would like us to describe him that way, but in reality, it's because he's always been the creative soul, as well as a natural analyst.

Stefano Galioto (Bass): When Artur Sahakjan left the band in 2014, Stefano was a rising talent in our town, Udine. He was also a friend of us and this is also a plus.

Alberto Iezzi (Drums): A few years after we formed Tystnaden, our first drummer left for personal reasons. Alberto was the best drummer we’d ever heard—powerful, super fast, and with amazing style. He was playing in another metal band, but we really wanted him, and luckily, he joined us.

The story of Tystnaden is pretty long, but honestly, we believe that the five of us are the best-mixed ingredients for our unique recipe.

MT: Who writes your lyrics, and where does the inspiration come from ?
LDL: I write the lyrics myself, often long after writing and finalizing the melodies, sometimes even dangerously close to the recordings. I think the rest of the band might hate me a little when I keep them on edge, but somehow I've always managed so far. Inspiration comes from the moment, from the music, from things around me. There are parts of the lyrics that still move me because they bring back a smile, and others that still cause me a slight pain. Some lyrics are so cryptic that I believe I'm the only one who can interpret them, but I know many find their own personal way to understand them.

MT: Does each member write their own riffs, drum blasts ?
GC: We start with rough pre-productions made of guitar riffs, often by Cesare, drums written by Alberto. Afterwards, each of us develops these tracks further, adding our own touch, including small fragments. The piece comes together slowly; sometimes, Laura introduces vocal lines that can alter the entire concept of the song. Yet, there is always that bit of magic that's hard to explain.


MT: You have a new album "THE BLACK SWAN" being released this year, was it easy to put together?
LDL: Nah, it wasn't an easy album because we started it back in 2019... composing, refining the tracks, tweaking every line, always trying to make even the finished stuff better... that stuff was happening almost every month. There was a risk of getting tired and starting over because time kept ticking. It was a real odyssey. Then in the middle of it all, COVID hit, isolation, fatigue, fear. In the end, we realized we poured all our emotions and reactions into those songs. And in the end, it worked out, it's definitely and purely 'US'.


MT: Do you have a theme for the album ?
LDL: Yeah, the theme is about life's uncertainty in all its forms, marked by these unpredictable events (those so-called black swans) that have a huge impact on the world, even our own little personal worlds. We can't predict them, but we can build resilience against the bad ones and make the most of the good ones by recognizing that we don't know everything and there are limits to what we can know. Thus, it's all in our hands how we react.

MT: What made you decide to call it "THE BLACK SWAN"?
LDL: The album title is taken from Taleb's work discussing the existence of black swans from a philosophical perspective. That's how we see it, and in our songs, there's our way of reacting to such events.

MT: Where there some difficulties in the making ?
CC: Oh, so many challenges. First of all, the distance, staying apart, finding the time to move forward in a time that has been tough for the world. Starting over, drained of energy from facing difficult moments in life, trying to find the strength to support each other, to motivate ourselves. The realization was difficult, finding time due to our jobs and families for recordings, the times that seemed to drag on slower and slower. But nothing ever stopped us from envisioning and dreaming about our finished work. Which is so beautiful.

MT: Do you have a favourite song on the album, and why that one ?
LDL I've got several songs that I could call my favorites, it's really hard to choose. I'd say 'Crystal' because it's my personal dedication to the little one in my family and because it's a song written by Giulia. It's powerful, emotional, like my friend and amazing guitarist Giulia, and also like my daughter Adele, to whom it's dedicated. But there are really so many others, and I could go on mentioning more and telling you why.

MT: When you do an album, does everyone have some input into it, or just one person lays it all out ?
LDL: It's definitely a team effort. Everyone contributes. There's no one more, that there isn't a bit of magic from everyone.

MT: After the album is released, do you plan on doing a tour to support it ?
LDL: We would absolutely love to go on tour, maybe a few unforgettable dates. Playing live is my favorite part. I even forget about my lower back pain when I'm on stage (usually until the next day, when I remember everything).

MT: Your last album was 2012, why so long before "The Black Swan" ?
LDL: I could tell you that sometimes you need silence (Tystnaden - Ed. note) to come back stronger than before. There were personal ups and downs that led us on different paths, separated us for a few years, but ultimately had the power to bring the five of us together for good. So everything that happened over these years had to happen, inevitably.

MT: What is the best best about being in Tystnaden ?
LDL: The best part is that they're truly my second family. I feel completely myself in Tystnaden. There are dark, tougher moments, but often it's like planning a great trip with people you can't wait to vacation with. The journey is worth the effort, and so is the view with Tystnaden.

MT: Is there any bads about being in the band ?
LDL: Yeah, sorry for the metaphor, but sometimes - still talking about family - when I don't do my homework, I feel like the younger kid who's thinking of some decent excuse and still comes home and gets a scolding.

MT: Is there anything you would like to add to this interview that I might have missed asking ?
LDL: Yeah, the question might be “Do you think The Black Swan will be a hit with the audience?” I think so, I really believe it's our best work yet. And I think the fans will see that too. Thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us at MetalTitans.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TystnadenBand
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tystnaden_band/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@tystnadenbandofficial

Words, views and opinions expressed in answers are those of the authors and do not reflect necessarily the official position, attitude or position of 𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗚𝗘 ᴳᴸᴼᴮᴬᴸ