The Hard Rocking Thrillz of Beverly Killz
The Hard Rocking Thrillz of Beverly Killz
The Hard Rocking Thrillz of Beverly KillzBeverly Killz from Italy is ready to rock your world with their supremely catching melodic hard rocking anthems. Iguana Mulata is their latest collection of sonic artistry, now available via Perris Records. They’ve opened for the likes of Eric Martin and Crazy Lixx, and are lying in wait for these pandemic days to come to an end to rock the stages once more. Highwire Daze recently caught up with drummer Rob to find out a whole lot more about the hard rocking thrillz of Beverly Killz. Read on…
Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Beverly Killz, and how long the band has been together.
My name is Rob, I keep time to the band while trying to look cool behind the drum kit. The band was formed in 2007, I was present in the first line-up, I took a ‘short’ vacation and then some time later I came back to replace Fabio, the drummer who had replaced me. LOL
Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there?
The band members all live near Milan, Italy. If we talk about hard rock, there hasn’t been a scene for many years now, and hard rock has never been a popular thing so the “scene” has always been quite underground. Nowadays musicians, or aspiring musicians, play in cover bands or improvise themselves as music teachers…the less gifted ones record YouTube videos in their bedroom. In general, however, the Italian listener is no longer interested in live music or bands that compose their own music, besides hip-hop, rap or this kind of ugly stuff.
How did you wind up signing with Perris Records?
We got in touch at the time of the first album; Perris has this “cult” aura around them, so they were one of the first labels we contacted and apparently they liked our music. So with this new album we wanted things to be done professionally and with some passion, we contacted Tom at Perris again, he was happy with the new material and we made it happen.
Is there any overall story or concept behind the album title Iguana Mulata?
Making a long story short.. Higuana (with an unnecessary H) and Mulata are two brands of rum that we were drinking during the recording of the songs. We played around with the names and thought they could make a cool name for an album! (Though we are aware such a name might induce you to think we play salsa or reggaeton)…
Select two songs from Iguana Mulata and what inspired the lyrics.
Take Me, Hate Me was our first single and it kind of gives you a good picture of what we do: dirty guitars, good riffs, melodies and powerful choruses. It’s about a guy Vince knew, about his addiction and how you become slave to it.
Then After The Rain shows the softer side of BK, intense and melodic. It’s about witnessing partner going through hell, and your duty to support.
Who produced Iguana Mulata and what was it like working with them?
Iguana Mulata was produced by us, it’s the result of our creative and financial efforts. We then chose Magnitude Studio to record the drums and mix the tracks. Working with Matteo Magni has allowed us to bring Iguana Mulata to a high professional standard, while maintaining a strong and precise identity, a sort of trademark Beverly Killz!
We didn’t want a record with pre-packaged sounds, an album equal to all today’s productions, our goal was to get out of the current standards of the genre and do something recognizable.
What has it been like to release new music in the middle of a pandemic and so much social unrest in the world?
Unfortunately, the Covid emergency did not allow us to promote the new album in a live set; it would have been nice to organize a release party, or even just meet personally the fans who have bought the album so far. At the moment, however, the predictions are very bad, the pandemic has brought to its knees the clubs and facilities that gave space to live music, the recovery will certainly take time.
What is a live Beverly Killz show like for those of us who have never seen you before?
I was lucky enough to attend the Beverly Killz concerts and not only to participate as an active musician! I can therefore say with certainty that even on the most shaky stages will never miss the explosive show of a dynamic and tight-knit band!
What was the experience like opening for Crazy Lixx and Eric Martin and did you get to meet or hang out with them at all?
In a word: amazing! They are so professional and dedicated, you immediately know their success is well deserved. With Eric it’s been quite incredible, when he walked in were all star-struck, he took out his guitar and started singing for us while we were setting up the stage. At the end of the night HE asked US to take pictures together! So kind and humble.
If Beverly Killz could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
Oh well, personally I would choose Samantha Fox at her peak! The calluses that I have on my hands are absolutely not due to the hours of study with the drumsticks!
What do you hope 2021 brings for Beverly Killz?
I hope for a 2021 of recovery, not only in the musical field. For BK I hope for a return on stage as soon as possible, and since we are currently writing and composing, I also hope to have IM’s successor soon. At the moment I’m enjoying the positive reviews and excellent feedback from the record so far.
Any final words of wisdom?
Wisdom? Ehm…despite my age I don’t think I have enough to dispense it. Thanks for the interview and thanks to everyone who will continue to support the band and buy our album. Keep on supporting bands that have the courage to propose their own music!
BK is:
Vince: Vocals
Gabe: Guitar
Dany: Guitar
Andre: Bass
Rob: Drums
(Interview by Ken Morton)
