On October 18, 2024, power metal phenomena Frozen Crown released Wild Hearts, their first album since signing with Napalm Records, but also since the arrival of Alessia Lanzone, a young prodigy aged just 18, as third guitarist.
Rich in messages, the album is positive and somewhat nostalgic, with some tracks echoing earlier ones, such as I Am The Wind, which follows I Am The Tyrant from The Fallen King.
With a track paying homage to Children Of Bodom, the Italian band open their hearts to their influences and their journey, offering us more personal, more intimate tracks, aimed at their fans who are growing in number every day.
Giada “Jade” Etro and Federico Mondelli took the time to answer our questions about this release, which didn't disappoint die-hard fans! (The interview is available below).
And if the studio has convinced you, we look forward to seeing you live to discover their world! After a winter tour with Kamelot, the band will hit the road as headliners across Europe next April!
(To get your tickets, click here !)
INTERVIEW
Hello. We're here to talk about your upcoming album, War Hearts, that will be out on October 18th. Do you have one word to describe the album ?
F - Fast.
G - Fast, yes ! It is !
F - Because it's fast from the very beginning. Then it gets, of course, slow at the end, but most of the songs are pretty fast, you know? So that's the first word that comes to mind.
What's your favorite track of the album?
G - So for the moment, mine is Edge of Reality, because I love the mood of the song and the theme of the lyrics. And because musically wise, it reminds me of tracks like The Shield Maiden, which is a track that our fans love. We have been playing it since the first album. And the theme we talked about in the lyrics is basically the passing of time and the importance to live your life at its best every day. We took inspiration from the Highlander saga. We don't live forever, and every one of us can experience the loss of a beloved one. So while we are still here we have to go on with everyday life, with the everyday difficulties everyone has to face, which is a theme we talk about frequently in our lyrics.
F - Mine is the last one, Ice Dragon, because it summarizes a lot of elements of Frozen Crown, but at the same time, it also serves as an ending for the album. I'm very attached to the lyrics. That’s a song that our longtime fans are going to find themselves more tied to because of the lyrics that make a lot of references to our past lyrics.
And it's your fifth album in seven years, but you also go on tour and everything. How do you keep up with the rhythm?
F - In fact, we are going crazy right now. [laugh] No, it's just that, maybe a lot of bands are touring much more than us. Usually we are doing a couple of tours every year, so we're busy, like two to three months with the live shows and then the rest of the time we are writing. We write a lot of songs even when we are not working on an album. We are constantly writing. And that's why we always have songs ready when we are about to release a new album. We are born more as composers rather than musicians.
And your creative process has been a little bit changed recently as you welcomed a new member for this album. It was the first time Alessia was here ! How did it affect your creative process ?
F - Yeah, absolutely. For what concerns the core creative process, that remains the same, because we start writing songs, always from vocal lines, maybe some lyrics, but most importantly vocals and the main riffs and stuff. But of course, after we had arranged the song structures with our drummer, this time we passed the song to our two guitar players, Fabiola and Alessia, and they were able to write and record their own solos. And that somehow gave us a different perspective of the songs. Maybe some solo even influenced the latest part of the song, or maybe gave us some ideas for the bridge and so on. So it was more of a collaborative work, even if the core process still remains the same.
And what's your favorite thing about making this album?
F - Probably the fact that we're releasing it with Napalm Records, first of all. So that we are able to give it more exposure than we could. Because previously we were always based on our own social media. This time we are with a label that is bigger than us, so of course we can rely on their promotional push. And of course, also the fact that we love this lineup, so everything is more organic, and the album represents positivity brought by all members. We are a family now, and this is reflected somehow by the album.
In this album, you talk about important themes like mental health, everyday life, and struggles in life. What's the message? What do you want to say to people through this album?
G - We usually want to give a positive and motivational message, because every day we have some challenge to face, every one of us in a different way. Everyone has their struggles, so we want to be on the side of our fans and of the people who love our music by giving them positive vibes and motivation, even in the darkest hours. So both by the lyrics and by the energy that we put in the music.
Do you think music changes the world?
G - In my opinion, yes. That's why we put a lot of effort into trying to send those messages, because music has the power to change your day in a better way. One usually hopes. You know, you listen to music when you’re feeling down, when you need a recharge, when you're feeling blue and you also want some melancholy. There are a lot of times in which the music is useful to make you feel something, whatever you want. So in my opinion, especially for a band like us who wants to share some messages, music can change the world. I think you can find a person that is not into sports, for example. You can find a person that is not into movies. You can find a person that's not into books. All people are different, but everybody is always listening to music, no matter what. I mean, you can be a sporty person, you can be a nerdy person, you can be a video game person. I don't know, whatever. But you're still listening to music, and that's the only constant there is, you know? So music, of course, changes the world because it's the most influential thing. It's everywhere in our lives, even if we are not necessarily aware of that, because music is everywhere. Like when you go in the elevator, when you are in your car, when you are in the street, in a bar, there's music everywhere. So, yeah, absolutely. It can change the world.
You have many influences. I've read about it. But do you have one specific influence for this album?
F - No, I would say just Frozen Crown music. I mean, because we really wanted to make our sound to be the same, but evolving in a way that's more tempo and straightforward. So, yeah, I think we have a lot of influences, but all those influences actually create the Frozen Crown sound, and this album sounds very Frozen Crown, if you ask me. So I would say no, we don't have a specific influence, maybe for the album title and for something we got influenced by Children of Bodom. But that’s, I mean
Is that why you chose the title ‘War Hearts’ ?
G - Yes. They have been one of our main influences. We grew up with Children of Bodom when we were teenagers, so we wanted to pay tribute. But also, because aside from the music, we love the albums, and we feel very close to them because we are a young band. They started young, being wild. And we feel very close to them for this. You know, we are loving to play fast, the fast riffs, fast parts, and we wanted to pay tribute.
You say you're starting as a band. But I can see that you're already growing so fast and going so far. You're also about to go on tour in a few. How do you feel about it ? Excited ?
G - Oh, yes. We are really looking forward to being on tour because for the first time we will be in the UK. That's very cool. And we are very happy to share this album, War Hearts, to the world. So the tour is the main way we can share it. And of course, you know, Kamelot, the headlining band, is the band which I have been influenced by in my teenage years. So, you know, it's very important for me to be on tour with them. And yes, we are excited. We want to share our album with the world. Alessia has been playing with us live for one year now, but she already had a tour in Scandinavia this winter. We will be in some European countries. We have already been there but without her, so we are very happy to bring her there with our band all around Europe.
And how did you meet her ?
G - We have known her for some years because she's living around here, close to us. But she started by being a fan of Frozen Crown. We have been in touch for years.
F - She's been sending us videos, playing our songs already, you know, because she was just a fan sending her stuff.
G - So when we decided to bring a third guitar to the band, the choice was automatic. She was the right person and because we wanted to bring the same feeling we have in the albums, the same roll of guitars we have, and we don't want to use backing track sequences. Nowadays, it’s being used even too much in many situations. And Alessia was the perfect person for all solos, parts and rhythmic parts. And from a human point of view. That's why we are also very in harmony more than ever as a band now. She has been, you know, the cherry on the pie !
So we talked about her, but right before we were talking about touring. Do you have a country you would like to play in that you never played before?
F - Canada.
G - Canada and I would also love to go to Australia. It would be very nice.
Maybe you don’t know it but we are french, so do you know some french words?
G - J'étudiais le français à l'école mais je ne me rappelle pas. [laugh] It's very useful when we come to play in France because I love to refresh my French, but I should do it more.
Do you have a message for your fans? Something you want to say to them?
G - Yes. We really hope you will enjoy War Hearts and we are very happy to share it with you all. Let us know. And of course, we are looking forward to seeing all of you live first in November with this tour and in the near future.
F - Yeah, maybe we can happen to touch a lot more cities in France because we have been there in the past and we really love that. We really love to play there. Would be amazing to do more shows in France.
G - I remember that the shows in France in 2020 were some of the craziest we had. The audience has been amazing.
I really want to thank you for giving us some time tonight.
G - Thank you. It has been a pleasure being with you and hope to see you on the road.
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