A Decade Of Metal with Ancillotti

A Decade Of Metal with Ancillotti

Hell On Earth has arrived in nothing short of an epic way, many metal thanks to Ancillotti!  The almighty Ancillotti from Northern Italy has just unleashed their third magnum opus entitled Hell On Earth via Pure Steel Records. Founded by the brothers Sandro “Bid” (bass) and Daniele “Bud” (vocals) as well as son Brian Ancillotti (drums), the family project featuring guitarist “Ciano” Toscani has been dedicated to hard rocking the world since 2009.  Highwire Daze recently interviewed guitarist Luciano “Ciano” Toscani to find more about a decade of metal with the one and only Ancillotti!  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Ancillotti,and how long the band has been together.
Hi there I’m Ciano the guitarist in Ancillotti from the beginning and this year we celebrate ten years as a band.

Where is the band based out of and what is the local music scene like there?
Bud, Bid and Brian are based in Florence and I am from Parma – Italy.  Italy is full of talented musicians and nowdays the business situation connected to the metal market has changed a lot, the bands finally have the chance to play outside of Italy so the scene is growing…

How did you wind up signing with Pure Steel Records?
Well … after the release of our first EP Down this Road Together released only in Italy …. we sent these tracks to many labels especially in Europe …. the reaction was amazing and in a few months we had many offers out there and of course one by Pure Steel Records. We had faith in the label so here we are.  We are with them from the beginning, now the label knows the band well… who we are and where we want to go!  It’s a great partnership and we fly the same flag of rock so we are very happy that over the years they continue to believe in us

Is there any overall story or concept behind the Hell On Earth title?
Hell On Earth represents a segment of our life… the fight for a new beginning, a scream for a rebirth to protect our freedom on this earth, I believe that despite the title it is the soundtrack for a positive mindset.

Select two songs from Hell On Earth and what inspired the lyrics.
Wow…very difficult! I mean we are very proud of the new album and when you have so many special songs in the bag… you can close your eyes and any choice you will take is ok. Probably Firewind the third album song and the track Frankenstein… killer speed songs that combine the classic ANCILLOTTI songwriting with our current production.

About the lyrics…. Firewind is about the fear of war, in this case a real war, which brings to mind the cold war of the past century and the feeling of distrust in the future. This is why the protagonist feels forced to fight and wear his “iron fist”, to protect his family and freedom. A Mad Max style reality that’s reflected in the words of the intro, where a boy meets a girl and all they can do is… run!

Frankenstein song is classic story and is the only song that differs from the main themes of the album .The poor monster suffers searching for the meaning of his soul. He would like to have feelings but he is heartless… the same sensation that probably someone has sometimes felt in his life

Who did the cover art for Hell On Earth and how much influence did you have on it?
The artwork was designed by Augusto Peixoto from Portugal.  I gave him the idea to work on,of course linked to album title. He started immediately and after just two days the artwork was ready.  In our opinion Augusto has done a great job and our fans and supporters around the world have confirmed our opinion… so we are really happy.

What is the best and maybe not so best part about having family in your band?
Wow…nice question!..as I told you this year we celebrate ten years of ANCILLOTTI with the same line up and I think the family ties are very important for the band’s balance… inside the band we are all on the same level and there’s a deep respect… honestly so far I don’t know what could be a negative aspect of working in the family… but we cross our fingers for the future…

What has it been like to release an album in the middle of a pandemic?
As you know when you plan a new release in the music business you must respect the recording times, delivering the master in time for the slot assigned by the label and all these processes that are planned months and months before hand… it’s sad for us to have to wait for the tour… because we are a “Live Band” but now we finally can see some light at the end of the tunnel and we already have some shows confirmed for autumn… so… we have a positive mindset for the future.

When you look back on your debut album The Chain Goes On, what do you think of it now?
Well… On The Chain Goes On album, there were many songs that we play today in our live setlist… and I think it’s a great album for that time with a wonderful attitude… of course it was our first release as a band and if I look back on when the album was recorded… I think… ok… we have done a good job… but now the band, with the new album Hell On Earth, has brought its full potential to the next level. The songs are fresh but tough and melodious at the same time and the record sounds exactly as a band of our genre is supposed to in the year 2020… so The Chain goes on! Ah ah

What could one expect from a live Ancillotti show?
Without doubt pure adrenaline, great fun and solid heavy metal. We have consolidated over the years our repution as a “Live band” and I think with the new set the crowd will be really into it.  The setlist will cover all three of our albums but weighted in favour of the new album… your ears will be ringing for days after the show…… we look foward to start the tour and sing along with our warriors out here… so… see you on tour brothers!

How did your tour with Ross The Boss go and did you get to hang out with them at all?
What a journey that was! The crowd was amazing every night… Europe welcomed us with open arms and truly amazing audiences with Sold Out shows almost every night!  We shared many laughs with our brothers Ross, Kenny, Marc and Mike… and his crew… a perfect example of two bands becoming one family.

We ended this tour with the feeling that the future is bright. We met so many people that were waiting for us in Europe…we were so happy to receive this great welcome from the crowd.  But we could never have done this without our new agent Gianni Riga at DMC Group Agency who made all this possible doing a wonderful job with his great professionality, to him and his partners Loree Hunt and Nick Sourbron goes our heartfelt thanks!

What was it like opening for Uriah Heep and did you meet any of the members?
That was awesome, what a great night!… I think it was in 20 12 in our country and I remember a great show with a sold out venue.  When we met them in the dressing room after the show it was absolutely an honor for us…… a wonderful band and wonderful memories!

If Ancillotti could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
Wow… a lot… but no doubt nowdays it would be great to open for Judas Priest or Ozzy and if a band from the past Black Sabbath would be on top of the list.  These were some of the bands we idolized as kids and still listen to and love today!

Has Ancillotti ever toured here in the States or plan to do so in future days?
Unfortunately up to now we have not had the chance to play in the States but we certainly hope to do so in the future… we keep our fingers crossed!

Are you currently involved with any other bands or projects outside of Ancillotti?
Yes. Bud in a band called Strana Officina. Bud and Bid are together in a band called Bud Tribe. Brian is in a band called Junkie Dildoz and I play in many bands for sessions live or in studio…. but of course for all of us when Ancillotti plans the new release and tour, our priority is Ancillotti.

What’s up next for Ancillotti?
Hell On Earth is getting awesome reviews all over the world!  The album was released on 29th May so on the next months we will be busy promoting the new album, but we can’t wait to come back on stage. Our mind set is positive and we really hope to start the tour very soon.  We follow all updates around the world and our management says that it could be possible to start playing in Italy again after August or September, but the whole Hell On Earth European Tour is about to be reorganized!
Our booking agency DMC Group Belgium is working on it and the promoters said that all dates will be rescheduled in Europe for 2021…so we hope very soon we will be able to announce the first leg of the Hell On Earth Tour and celebrate live our new album Hell On Earth!!

Any final words of wisdom?
Thank you very much for your hospitality.  I’d like to thank the all metal warriors out there that will buy our new album!  It’s time for positive thinking with our favorite music so check it out our new album Hell On Earth, keep the faith, and see you on tour guys… Hell On Earth is landed!

LINE-UP:
Daniele “Bud” Ancillotti – vocals
Luciano “Ciano” Toscani – guitars
Sandro “Bid” Ancillotti – bass
Brian Ancillotti – drums

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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