The Grand and Poetic Soundscapes of Stranger Vision

The Grand and Poetic Soundscapes of Stranger Vision

STRANGER VISION present their own thoroughly imaginative brand of symphonic power metal that is absolutely wondrous to behold.  Fans of collectives such as Blind Guardian, Savatage, and Rhapsody are destined to be mesmerized by thrilling auditory odyssey Stranger Vision has to offer this great big world.  Their debut full length album Poetica is now available via Pride & Joy Music, and it’s an inspiring epic of sheer artistry well worth seeking out.  Highwire Daze recently caught up guitarist Riccardo Toni and vocalist Ivan Adami to find more about the almighty Stranger Vision and the intriguing Poetica.  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Stranger Vision, and how long the band has been together.
Riccardo: I am Riccardo and I play the guitars. With me is Ivan, the singer. We met less than 2 years ago and a special synergy began immediately since we have similar backgrounds and similar tastes. So we started to write all the songs which are then in Poetica. Then joined the band Luca, the drummer, Daniele at the bass and Gabriele at the keys.

Where is the band based out of and what is the local music scene like there?
Ivan: We are based in Modena, the motor valley of Italy. In Italy the power metal scene is very active. We have many internationally great bands: DGM, Trick or Treat, Elvenking, Vision Divine,Ancient Bards, Rhapsody.

How did you wind up signing with Pride & Joy Music?
Riccardo: We wanted an international label for our debut album, so we looked for one in the country that was and still is the home of European power metal: Germany. So we sent the album to Birgitt, who immediately believed in us and so the collaboration was born.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the album title Poetica?
Ivan: “Poetica” is not a concept album however for the song writing we were inspired by wonderful poems and some poems written by us. It’s very important to us to give every song a content, and that this content should not just be a simple lyric, but should be the deep
meaning of the opera, which also carries the music.

Select two songs from Poetica and what inspired the lyrics.
Riccardo: Regarding the lyrics my favorite songs on the album are Gates of Tomorrow and Before the Law, our last single.

Gates of Tomorrow is a song born from a reflection by David Foster Wallace, a commencement speech to the graduating class at Kenyon College. The speech is known with the name “This is water”. Wallace’s speech suggests that the true freedom is to be able to
consciously choose how to perceive others, think about meaning, and act appropriately in everyday life.

Before the Law is a song based on the homonymous parable contained in the novel The Trial by Franz Kafka. In this story, a man stands in front of a gate, protected by a guardian. The gate is a metaphor for knowledge and law, that is always accessible but immutable for the
man and he has to decide to accept it and pass through the gate or remain on his side and to take it as unknowable.

Who did the cover art for Poetica and how much input did you have on it?
Ivan: The cover art is made by Alessandro Conti. We wanted to recall a nineties cover art connected to our first single “Soul Redemption“. The idea was to represent our heroine in a wheat field and show the union between her self and the universe, a positive equilibrium vibe.

How did Alessandro Conti of Trick or Treat and Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody become involved with the Poetica album and what was it like working with him?
Riccardo: The choice of Alessandro Conti was a choice of friendship and respect for the work he has done over the years in the various bands in which he has played. We have been following Trick or Treat for years, as they are also from Modena. And we followed Rhapsody
since before Alessandro started singing with them. He is an incredibly talented singer and a great person: we wanted to have his contribution in our album.

Another guest on Poetica was Zakk Stevens of Circle II Circle and Savatage. What was it like working with Zakk on this album and how did he become involved?
Ivan: We love the voice of Zak and all his incredible job with Circle II Circle and Savatage.  We contacted him and proposed this collaboration. He was really cooperative, with his experience he suggested some adjustment to the intertwining of voices.

What has it been like to write and record new music in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and so much social unrest in the world?
Riccardo: Our initial plan was to enter the studio in March 2020 to record Poetica.  Unfortunately, we got stuck with the lockdown, but even though we were locked in the house, we wanted to come out with our own music and style, for these reasons we recorded and produced 3 covers that we released before ‘Poetica‘.  This forced stop allowed us to get to know better our recording equipment and improve our compositional method.  After 3 months fortunately the containment measures were loosened and we were able to enter the studio to record the album.

When life gets back to normal again, what could one expect from a live Stranger Vision show?
Ivan: We have long Live experience and personally I have practiced theater for many years. We would like to make a lot of shows to reproduce the complete album with power and tons of volume.

If Stranger Vision could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
Riccardo: My first love in metal was Iron Maiden. and their best concert for me is the Live at Donington on 22 August 1992. If we could go back in time to play before them in that live… well, it would be a nice dream!

Are you currently involved with any other bands or projects outside of Stranger Vision?
Ivan: right now we are all focused on this project.

What do you hope the rest of 2021 brings for Stranger Vision and for the music community in general?
Riccardo: The Covid situation is currently not good yet here in Europe. The vaccination campaign is going very slow. Despite this we hope for everyone that it will be back to normal quickly. We hope to do some live or maybe a mini tour by the end of the year.

Any final words of wisdom?
Ivan: We are living in a terrible historical period for humanity and we believe that many people need a spiritual, mental or in any case a different approach in order to face life. Using the words of illustrious poets, with great humility, in this album we’ve tried to give the listener some positive points of reflection. So, check it out and tell us if we succeeded…

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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