The Italian Manilla Road maniac Claudio Livera was the first musician to give an interview to our blog in 2020. Back then, it was about his epic metal project Crystal Skull – today, the next interview follows, but we deal with Claudio’s second band Sacro Ordine dei Cavalieri di Parsifal, who recently released their second full-length Until the End. If you like classic metal, you should read carefully…
André: Thank you very much for taking the time for us. How are you?
Claudio: Thank you very much to the Epic Metal Blog team, we really appreciate your support! At the moment we are very busy, touring to promote our new album Until The End and playing whenever possible.
André: Some readers might not know your band Sacro Ordine dei Cavalieri di Parsifal that well yet. Please tell us something about your band history so far.
Claudio: Yes, you’re right, as a band we have to work harder to build and establish our name in the European metal scene. And probably the Italian name sounds strange to European ears. The band was founded in 2000, it was Carlo and Paolo’s idea At the beginning the band was more focused on “playing live” and many of our fans are still very fond of that phase. In 2005 we released our first demo called Sacro Ordine. With its seven tracks it was almost an album. After the release, the band went on tour and played many festivals and gigs, especially in Northern Italy, with a pretty successful result. But I know that the life of a band can be strange, so there were some gaps and changes in the first formation. This until 2012/2013 when I joined the group. In 2018, we released our first full-length album, Heavy Metal Thunderpicking, released by Sliptrick Records. The album was very well received in Europe and is sold out today. In 2021 Paolo, the singer of the first formation, left the band. His departure slowed us down, but we decided to continue with the same formation. Carlo on guitars, Davide guitar and vocals, Claudio bass and vocals and Luca on drums. In 2023 we finally released our second album Until The End on the Italian label Underground Symphony Records.
André: What does the band name mean?
Claudio: The name may sound strange for a heavy metal band, but it is connected to our interests and culture. The name comes from the two founders of the band, Carlo Venuti and Paolo Fumis. They were and are passionate about epic themes in books and films, and the first inspiration was the film Excalibur.
André: Which artists have influenced you the most?
Claudio: Our sound could be reminiscent of “old school heavy metal”, recently refined by “power metal”. I am a big fan of German metal (Blind Guardian, Running Wild, Grave
Digger, Heavens Gate, Accept etc.). I can say that our sound is certainly influenced by bands like Manowar, Judas Priest, Metal Church, Cirith Ungol, as well as the first wave of Iron Maiden and Candlemass. We love to revel in the atmosphere of the 80s.
André: With Until the End, your second album was released in April. When were the first songs written?
Claudio: Oh! Tricky question… “Starblazer” was written in 2015 and on the album you can find a remastered version of “Stone River“, which first appeared on the 2005 demo Sacro Ordine.
André: How does Until the End differ from its predecessor Heavy Metal Thunderpicking?
Claudio: Until The End has many differences from its predecessor. It sounds very epic and traditional in a way. Some of the songs were written by Davide and me, so you can find some power metal touches.
André: Which song on Until the End embodies everything your band stands for?
Claudio: A very difficult question to answer with just one song. I’m pretty sure that each member of the band would choose a different song. I think you can find the spirit in songs like “Black Lion“, “Until The End“ and “Stone River“.
André: Let’s dream a bit: Which bands would you like to perform with one day?
Claudio: Well, my dream was to play with Mark Shelton (from Manilla Road), but unfortunately that turned out to be impossible… I think we would all like to play with Cirith Ungol or Manowar.
André: Were there any albums that excited you this year?
Claudio: There have been a lot of great album releases in the last few years. Bands like Smoulder, Herzel, White Skull, Darking, Sacred Outcry, Revoltons, Metal Church, Jag
Panzer… There are many exciting things in the underground scene!
André: On our blog, the focus is always on underground bands. What can you tell our readers about the underground metal scene in Italy? Are there many exciting bands and enough gigging opportunities, to name just two points?
Claudio: There are many great bands in the Italian metal scene. The ones from the eighties and the newer ones! Bands like Death SS, Sabotage, Adramelch, Dark Quarterer, Hocculta, Fil di Ferro, Steel Crown, Skanners, Unreal Terror, Vanexa, Royal Air Force, Strana Officina along with the newer formations like Sign of The Jackal, Asgard, Angel Martyr, Evilizers, Airborn, Wotan, White Skull, Domine, Great Master, Silverbones – these are the first ones that come to my mind, but there are many more in the Italian scene. From classic heavy metal to death and black metal!
André: Last question: Which five albums would you take with you to the famous desert island?
Claudio: I would definitely take with me: Manilla Road – Crystal Logic, Manowar – Sign Of the Hammer, Gamma Ray – Land of the free, Blind Guardian – Imaginations from the Other Side and Running Wild – Pile of Skulls.
André: Claudio, thank you very much for this interview! I wish you and your band all the best for the future. Maybe we’ll see you on a German stage one day!