Eleonora Damiano & Alex Mele • 2024
📸 Requiem’s Embrace

Into The Realm of Nightmares and Fairytales with Requiem’s Embrace

Fans of Nightwish and Epica will be absolutely captivated when exploring the stunning auditory artistry of Requiem’s Embrace.  Featuring the participation of Alex Mele (Kaledon) and Eleonora Damiano of (ex-Epinikion, Vivaldi Metal Project), Requiem’s Embrace is sure to enrapture symphonic metal fans all around this great big world!  Their glorious debut EP is entitled Nightmares and Fairytales and its vibrant reprieves are absolutely stunning to behold!  Highwire Dazerecently interviewed vocalist Eleonora Damiano of Requiem’s Embrace, so read on as we dive into the rapturous realm of Nightmares and Fairytales…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Requiem’s Embrace and how long the band has been together.
We are Requiem’s Embrace! I’m the singer, Eleonora Damiano, Alex Mele and Francesco Ciancio are our guitar players, and then we have Silvia Pistolesi at the bass, Fabio Bernardi at the Keyboards and Emiliano Cantiano at the Drums. We have been collaborating for about two years on this symphonic-power metal band that currently released a first EP entitled “Nightmares and Fairytales“.

Where is Requiem’s Embrace based out of and what is the local music scene like there?
I live near Venice, but most of the members are from Rome, Italy is not an easy territory for the metal scene but luckily it survives thanks to the people who loves this genre…

What has it been like working with Alex Mele from Kaledon?
Working with Alex has been extremely stimulating, he has an almost rare and extremely contagious enthusiasm, he has been open to my proposals and there is a great spirit of collaboration.

How did you wind up on Sleaszy Rider Records?
Alex had had experiences in the past, so it was a natural choice to submit listening to the EP to Sleaszy Rider.

Is there any overall story or concept behind Nightmares and Fairytales EP title?
Of course, fairytales and nightmares are used by humans to get in touch with their insecurities, in these three tracks we try to touch this world made of hopes and fears.

Discuss the three songs from Nightmares and Fairytales and what inspired the lyrics.
The EP opens with “Lady Foxglove“, a fairytale: this lady became evil because she suffered too much when she was a child, she is now a kind of witch who guides You into a gothic world made of darkness, poison and spells. The second track is “Scarlet Meadows,” a dream in which the protagonist once again finds herself face to face with her antagonist, the one who tricked her with fake benevolence while was plotting behind her back, in Italy we say: “what doesn’t kill you, strengthens you“, this could be the meaning of this song. The last track is “Nightmares,” the title could present itself, actually it is about when your nightmare is the reality, when we get stuck in the web of our past and it’s hard to see and face the present, there is only one way: let it go!

Who did the cover art for Nightmares and Fairytales and how much influence did you have on it?
I made the cover… via artificial intelligence… I was an Art student, so I was not pleased with it, but it was a choice forced as a matter of haste, my only consolation is that I worked on it to the point of achieving the closest result to the images I had in mind while I was writing the songs.

How close are you to writing and recording a full-length album?
We are almost there; we are working on the last tracks….

Has Requiem’s Embrace played live yet or plan to do so in the future?
We haven’t had a chance to perform together yet, we have been a studio project until now, but we definitely plan to do so in the future!

If Requiem’s Embrace could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
Uh…come on, let’s dream big!!! If I think to a band from the past, Alex will agree, no doubt about it…Queen! I love Freddie Mercury, He’s my favorite performer… and if I have to choose a current band…Nightwish! I think they have the perfect balance between metal sound and orchestrations.

What has the experience been like being involved in the Vivaldi Metal Project?
The studio-related part…challenging! It was during the Pandemic and there was so much material to record and make the choir…Epic! For the live part, it was just a brief substitution, but I had the wonderful opportunity to get in touch with some fantastic musicians both musically and humanely… great talent does not need great ego.

Are you currently involved with any other bands or projects outside of Requiem’s Embrace?
All the members have other projects and bands, I also sing for different collaborations, but we can manage everything…

What’s up next for Requiem’s Embrace?
Currently the priority is to finish the recordings and then hopefully…live shows!

Any final words of wisdom?
Don’t fear your nightmares and keep believing in fairytales! Thank You for this interview!

(Interview by Ken Morton)

Requiem’s Embrace on Instagram