Scream Into the Realm of Die For My Sins

From the creators of the almighty Heimdall arrives Die For My Sins, a classic heavy metal endeavor that should enrapture music fans all over the world.  In addition to Fabio Calluori on guitars, bass, and keys  and Nicolas Calluori on drums, Die For My Sins also features the grand participation of Ralf Scheepers of Primal Fear on session lead vocals.  In addition, Ian Parry from Elegy makes a very special appearance on one song.  Scream is the name of the debut Die For My Sins masterwork, now available worldwide via ViciSolum Productions.  Highwire Daze recently caught up with Fabio Calluori to discuss the arrival of Die For My Sins, the amazing Scream manifesto, the epic career of his other band Heimdall, and other topics of intrigue.  Read on…

We are here with Fabio from Die For My Sins. First of all, what do you find in Die For My Sins that maybe you didn’t find in Heimdall or your previous bands?
It was a different thing because I had the idea to create this new band after a mix that I did for Ian Parry’s solo album, because I have a recording mixing studio. Ian hired me for this mix of his Rock Emporium Part 2 mixing. It was a really nice project with many guests and many collaborations with other musicians. I thought that it could be a good idea to try something different, to collaborate with other musicians. Consider that we started this new band at the end of the coronavirus pandemic period. With Heimdall, we recorded many parts of Hephaestus, but I was waiting for some vocal lines because Gandolf had some problems. So we stopped with Heimdall in that period.

After this experience, this mix, I decided to start a new thing with other people to find other collaborations. Also musically, from a point of musical aspect, I thought that it could be nice to write something a little bit different from Heimdall. Consider that I love bands, like Priest, Savatage, and Virgin Steele. I love what I do with Heimdall because I compose most of the songs, but I want to try something different. So I started to write these songs and I wrote three songs at the beginning. I sent it to Ian Parry who asked me to choose one of the songs and sing it. After, I liked the results. It was Shades Of Grey that Ian Parry choose. After I liked the result, my brother and I thought to do an album, a complete full album. And so, I started to write other songs, and we found other singers to do the album.

One of the people that you tried something different with was Ralf Scheepers from Primal Fear. How did he become involved?
As I told you at first, I got back this song sung by Ian Parry, who is the singer of Elegy. In the beginning, we thought that it was nice to have different singers or two or three singers. So we started to contact some singers. But when Ralf showed great enthusiasm in the songs, we decided to send everything to him because I love his voice. I think that he is a really great singer.

So, we were very happy to send everything to Ralf. I think that I prefer this solution because fans can refer to just one singer. Okay, Ian Parry, it’s another important guest. But okay, Ralf Scheepers sings on all the album. It can be a good reference point for people that love this type of music.  It’s a classic metal album. So, I think that the voice of Ralf is just perfect.

What was it like working with Ralf Scheepers on this album? He is an absolute legend.
Yeah, it was very interesting, very nice. It was an honor because I love his voice. I followed him in Gamma Ray, in Primal Fear. I think that he’s one of the best metal singers in the world. It was very nice. I have to say that he did an amazing job on my songs. I remember that when my brother got to each song, we were stunned because he had a very great voice. I think that in the album, he sings a little bit differently from Primal Fear because he must adapt to my vocal lines. Probably I really liked it because he has this thick tone of the voice in many songs, that maybe in Primal Fear I hear less because it’s another different type of music. I have to say that this aspect is what I really liked about his voice. It was a great thing.

Is there any story or concept behind the title and the song Scream?
The album is not a concept album. Scream is probably the most metal song on the album. We need a real metal lyric for it. It talks about that when we have some difficulties, some bad periods, we have to react. We have to try to react. Sometimes screaming is a good thing.

The lyrics are really different from Heimdall. There are no epic teams. I think that lyrics can be seen as a journey through my mind. There are reflections about some themes like religion. There are some metal songs like Screams about time. I like to see it as a journey through my mind and to reflect about different things.

What is the best, and maybe the not-so-best part about working with your brother in this band, and of course, in Heimdall too?
The bad aspect, maybe not. I don’t think. The great thing there is, we have two years of difference. We grew together in music and not in music. We stay often together also for our work, for example. We have been playing together for thirty years. More than 30 years, 34 years, I think, 35 years. So there is a great relationship.

I just saw on Encyclopaedia Metallum that Heimdall started in 1994. So this year is basically the 30-year anniversary. That’s awesome. Congratulations!
Thank you. With some pauses, but yes, 30 years. In fact, to celebrate this year, we have rerecorded an old classic song that we will publish I think next month. So, Lord of the Sky, I can say we have to rerecord it. It’ll be a gift for people that follow us.

What is the current status of Heimdall? And will there be another album, or will we have to wait another 10 years for the next album?
I hope not. Okay, Hephaestus was published last year. Now, we’ll publish the rerecording of Lord of the Sky. I have many ideas for new songs. I don’t know when the new album will be out, but I think in two years. But okay, we have to see. Now, I have Die For My Sins to promote, and then I’ll start to think about a new Heimdall album. Heimdall, I have already new seven songs. Four are completed, and another three are in elaboration. When we reach 10 songs, we will start to record. I hope not 10 years from now…

No more 10 years wait for a Heimdall album…
I hope not. No, promise.  The idea is to publish in two years from now, I hope.

How well was Hephaestus, your previous Heimdall album received on Pride & Joy Music, and did you get a chance to tour with it at all, or play any shows?
No, with Heimdall, we did some gigs in Italy but no real tour. It is not easy with Heimdall because the singer is from Sicily and we are from Campania near Salerno, near Naples. So sometimes it’s not easy to coordinate. But we did some concerts, and it was very nice, after 10 years, to play live. I hope in the future to have a real tour, but it’s not so easy for us to coordinate all the things. We’ll see.

In addition to your 30-year anniversary, you have another anniversary coming up, a 20-year anniversary for an album called Hard As Iron, which is the first time I heard of you guys. I think it’s the first time I’ve covered your band. Looking back on the album Hard As Iron and the fact that it’s been 20 years, what do you think of it now in retrospect?
Honestly, I think that Hard As Iron is full of great songs. What I don’t like about that album is the production of the drums. I think for that type of album, it needs a different production of the drums above all. In general, the production is not so great, but above all, the drums. But I think that the album is more gothic, as atmosphere, a little bit darker than what we did before. But I think that is full of great songs. We play in all our concerts Hard As Iron, and I think that it’s one of our best songs. I really like the album, but I don’t love the production, above all the drums production.

Another one of your bands that I really liked a lot was Nude.  Looking back on your work with Nude, which is very different from anything else that you’ve done, what do you think of it now in retrospect, and would you like to do anything else with Nude?
I loved what I did with Nude. I like that style of music (gothic rock). I think that the two albums that we did, we knew they were really great. Unfortunately, the best player is no more with us because he died when he was 40 years old, so nine years ago. The best player was Antonio. In these years, we talked at different times about a reunion, but I don’t think that we’ll start again with Nude because the singer has his life and the keyboard that was an important part of the band also has his life, has other priorities, family, and so on. But honestly, I think that with Nude, we were a really great band.

Now I play in a band that is called Psycho Jungle, where I sing and we play also some of the songs, and the style is gothic rock. I really like three things to play: heavy metal, gothic rock, and black metal.  Because my first band was a black metal band, From Depths.  I started when I was 16 in 1991.  So, these are the three things that I love to play.

Fabio Calluori of Die For My Sins via Zoom!

Let’s go back to Die for My Sins. Is there any chance of Die for My Sins performing live at all? Is that something you’d like to do? Would Ralf be into it?
I think that these songs live will be really great to perform. I don’t know, because the idea is to have a real band. As you know in the album, I played everything. I played bass guitars, keyboards, I mixed the album, I produced the album in my studio. Then as a solo, I called two of my friends for the lead guitars, Luca Sellitto of the bands Timeless Fairytale and Stamina, and Carmelo Claps of Heimdall in one solo. But I played everything else by myself and my brother on drums. Now, we are searching for musicians to have a good band. We’ve found the bass player. The problem is to find a good singer. But again, the album will be out in November and then we’ll see because if there is a great response from the people, we can think something about live. For example, Ian Parry from Elegy could be a guest on live. I already talked to him, but we need to organize more dates and more gigs. So we’ll see. Actually, there are no real plans, but we are thinking about it.

I’m looking at Ian Parry’s credits, and they’re ridiculous. He’s done so many things.
I have to say that Ian Parry is a great person. I worked with him on his solo album. So, I know him very well. I have to say that he’s an amazing person, really amazing. He really loves what he does with enthusiasm. Really great person.

What is up for you in the new year with this band? Well, I think you pretty much told me you’re looking for members, but what do you have going on in the new year with any of your projects?
Now, we have to promote this album. The next month, the priority is this album now. Then, I’ll start with Heimdall again, and to find people for Die For My Sins. I already found the bass player. Now, I need a singer. This is the main thing. As I told you before, we are thinking of starting this black metal. Maybe From Depths again, this black metal project. I already have written four songs black metal style, Venom style. So directed, really straight to the point. I have many ideas. We’ll see. But okay, the priority now is to promote this album and to start again with Heimdall. As I told you, we want to publish Lord of the Sky new version, and we’ll see.

Do you have any messages for your fans out here in the States who’ve been following your career since Heimdall?
First of all, I think that this Die For My Sins album is a very good album. I ask people to give it a chance to listen to it because on the 22nd, it’s out for our label ViciSolum Productions that is a Swedish label linked to Sound Pollution, that is a big distributor in Sweden. I ask people to listen because I think that it’s a really good work with nice songs. Every metal fan can love this album, I think, I hope. For Heimdall, go on following us because as I told you, there are some things to have. Now, we are rerecording Lord of the Sky, but we have recorded also some other stuff, a new song that we want to publish maybe next year, some cover that also we want to publish. Thank you for all the support that you have given us so far, and go on to follow us to support us.

DIE FOR MY SINS are:
Fabio Calluori: Guitars, Bass, Keys
Nicolas Calluori: Drums
Ralf Scheepers: Lead Vocals (Session)

Guest Musicians:
Luca Sellitto: Lead Guitars
Ian Parry: Lead Vocals on “Shades of Grey”
Carmelo Claps: Lead Guitars on “Dark Symphony”

(Interview by Ken Morton)

Die For My Sins on Facebook