What happens when punk meets rock n’roll, adding a little bit of psycho and playing it strictly in a horror key?
But above all, what do you get if 4 guys (genuinely one less sober than the other) who play this intriguing formula like to challenge themselves by bringing hilarious shows on stages throughout Italy and beyond?
The result bears the name of Motel Transylvania, a young band from Savona born in 2014 from the inspiration of Toxi and which boasts the publication of an EP “They Dig After Midnight” and the first self-titled full-length.
We are really happy to have been able to interview them to make our readers discover a reality that only those who are old inside cannot find engaging.
We thank them for their time and wish them the best for their career and musical productivity.
Hello guys! How are you? I would start immediately by talking about your genre: did the idea of proposing this horrifying psycho-punk come from your particular passion for terror movies?
Hi everyone, we are quite well despite this period, which is not the best for all of us.
Absolutely yes, the passion for the horror world, not only from a cinematographic perspective, was the spark that triggered everything.
It is undeniable that you care very much about your intriguing stage presence. You recently welcomed a new member to the group, abandoning that three-man lineup that involved Toxi as both a drummer and a singer, a real frontman on drums, a trademark of Motel Transylvania. What does this new lineup bring to the table?
We have always had guests on stage, it is something we love to do with musicians that we respect and, above all, to break that invisible barrier between stage and audience.
The choice was dictated not only by the possibility of focusing even more on the stage presence and on the interaction between the “frontman” and the spectator, but also to give each of us the opportunity to concentrate on his own instrument, expressing his potential to the maximum.
And we would like to add that the entry of the new member will be much more than musical added value.
Which groups inspired you most in the making of your music?
Oh dear… there would be many to mention but, for sure, bands like Zombie Ghost Train, Demented Are Go and OBVIOUSLY Misfits were the main source of inspiration for the composition of the very first songs.
With the consolidation of the definitive lineup everyone has brought all his artistic background, and this will be particularly felt in the sound of the songs contained in our next album.
Musicians and producers often have favorite musical genres and bands which are very different from what they themselves play or produce. Is this your case?
Absolutely yes, each of us listens to genres that are diametrically opposed to what our final product is.
We go from black metal to industrial, but we also enjoy hip hop, ska, italian solo artists and so on.
We believe that in every artist there must be a strong openness towards anything that can communicate something, more or less directly, through music.
Do you try to insert elements from different genres with which you have affinity in your music?
Our music is a “chimera” of genres from which we try to draw to create something new that can make people dance, get wet (someone had to say it) and split their faces at the same time.
In your opinion, what is the worst kind of music currently on the market? And what can be saved to get something valid?
I don’t think it’s about genres, it’s about the attitude with which one approaches them. As I see it, the real ruin is to try at all costs to be purists by denigrating everything that is the result of research, you have to experiment and transmit in total freedom to do it according to your taste.
Besides music, what are your passions?
Despite the imaginary of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, we are pretty calm people. Among our passions there are certainly traveling, partying and spending time together, but at the same time, we love art, literature, Z series cinema and, some of us, video games. All of this under the motto of “Sex, Blood and Ginger Tea”.
How do you deal with difficult moments in your life?
Surely music helps us to “exorcise” dark moments, which is particularly evident in songs like “A place to end” or “Beyond the lights”.
Is this stressful pandemic period giving you the inspiration for new material?
Absolutely yes, two songs are ready to be presented live and two more are in the embryonic state.
Are you planning to release a music video?
Actually we should have shot the video for “Dead n’Proud” on March 28th but obviously we had to postpone it.
This led to the reflection of bringing out something completely new that will probably be released around Halloween, a period that has always been quite important for our releases.
You did more than a hundred concerts, both in Italy and outside. How is the reception on foreign stages?
It is something quite different, there is a lot of curiosity and warmth towards what we do, we recently discovered the existence of a fan club in Germany and it makes us very proud and grateful.
Are you currently planning (COVID-19 apart) a tour that will touch foreign cities?
There are many stand-by dates in Europe, among them, there are dates in Austria, France, the Czech Republic, Catalonia and the above-mentioned Germany.
And there are good chances for a Mexican tour in 2021.
Thanks to Motel Transylvania for answering our questions! Good continuation guys, please do not forget to wash your hands often and stay home!
Thanks to you for the space you have given us. We salute all the readers of Metalpit, we hope to be back on stage soon!
