In a day apparently like many others Adōn Fanion, the young singer of the promising – yet unfortunately not so famous in Italy – American band Ghost Ship Octavius, gave his full attention to our telematic interview.
Thank you Adōn for being so nice to grant us some of your time to answer our questions. In 2015 you released your debut album which received wide success, but how was your project born?
Initially, the project was born out of a collaboration with Matthew, Van, and Chris Amott from Armageddon. The group went through some turbulence in its early days, including the departure of Chris Amott from the group and the three of us eventually solidifying the music into a concept that we were all happy with. It became Ghost Ship Octavius and took on the theme of the frozen legend.
Your band has a very particular name, how did you choose it?
We all searched and searched for names, but the name Ghost Ship Octavius was first suggested by Matt, after a long Wikipedia binge ;) Many good band-names are already taken and everyone knows how difficult it is to find a good name when you’re creating a band. We were lucky to find something with a strong theme and concept that matches the music and evokes imagery that is unique and haunting.
Seven months ago you started a kickstarter campaign for your second album, currently on its way: could you tell us something more about it? Which themes will be covered by the lyrics?
This album covers a wide range of themes, but it’s close to being a concept album in some ways – for many of the lyrical themes have relevance to each other. The lyrics deal with great loss, sadness, confusion, hatred, exile, emotions that are relevant to myself personally and closely entwined with the concept and story of the music. But there are also some conceptual and elaborate themes that paint ideas, more than a story specifically. Emotionally it feels more adventurous than the first album, but also more unique in many ways. There is a lot of ground covered, and I would say Ghost Ship Octavius is developing more of its own unique sound.
How did you choose the album title? Does it have a specific meaning?
We were choosing one of the tracks to title it by, and Delirium is what we chose for it’s mysterious nature. By choosing the track “Delirium” as the album’s title, it allows us to arrange the songs as segments of an individual’s experience or delusion with more freedom from their chronological place in the story line. So, choosing that name is also quite liberating when arranging the album tracklist. There are pieces of the story that can fit in multiple places and still be relevant. “Delirium” itself is a state of delusion defined by incoherent thoughts, illusions, delusions, and panic. These themes are often projected onto a character and story that embodies challenges that I observe personally.
Who takes care of writing the lyrics and who composes the music instead?
The lyrics are usually written by myself, and the songs are a collaboration between the three of us. Matthew begins writing many of the arrangements by himself, and has an idea for where they will go and how to build upon them before we collaborate with our ideas. There are some arrangements that I begin, and then bring to collaboration after sketching them out. In the end, the three of us contribute pieces of our souls into the music and make something unique!
What did you get inspired by (and still are), during the composition of this album?
I cannot speak for Matthew’s inspiration, nor Van’s inspiration, but mine personally came from a lot of places and experiences that I lived during it’s creation, including a great period of personal darkness. Each song is a different experience, really, so it’s difficult to focus on one thing in particular. But it is all inspired by the real experiences that we’ve all had in our own lives – applied to metaphor and story.
How did the tour with Tyr, Orphaned Land and Aeternam go? How would you describe this experience and why?
The tour with Tyr, Orphaned Land, & Aeternam, was great! It was our longest tour yet, and we were able to visit and play for a lot of new places. Touring is one of the greatest experiences, and this one left us all feeling like we cannot wait to get back on the road again. It was great to make friends with everyone and have the opportunity to share the stage with them, as well as making friends all over the continent and sharing our music. I personally feel grateful for the experience, and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
What do you think about the prospect of playing in Europe, and right here in Italy maybe?
We would all love that! An European tour is still in the works, but as soon as it’s possible, we will jump on the opportunity!
It’s quite evident you enjoy running among nature and also living a healthy lifestyle, how do you reconcile all this with the many work and music commitments you’ve got?
I do, because I have to. The way that I manage to reconcile those personally is managing my time with my mental/physical state. I have, since being a child, suffered from extreme malaise and fatigue that is typical of my family. That is why it’s important to run, exercise, and do things that are difficult. I also believe that it’s important to have a mission first thing in the morning, to wake up properly. There is a lot of time in the day to do meaningful things, even after subtracting sleep, work, and food. There are many specific ways that I tailor my time, and still am trying to find the best way to do it efficiently. For instance, if you play multiple instruments like I do, it seems more productive to spend 3 or 4 hours straight practicing an instrument one day a week, than to spend 30 minutes practicing every day.
Who are the idols you draw inspiration from? Is there anyone who “drove” you to begin your path as singer and musician?
Musically, I was fortunate at a young age to be exposed to too many influences to list. But once I started singing, in my teen years, I was obsessed with Dio, Dickinson, Chris Cornell, and other powerful voices. Almost too much! I started branching out into different genres of vocalists as well, and studying them really pushed me to explore my voice and technique.
Thank you again for your kindness, feel free to say anything you want to our readers.
If you’re reading this interview, you’re probably the cool kind of person we’d love to meet someday. So feel free to say hello to us. We hope to visit soon!
