1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We formed in early 2020 in the middle of the first pandemic wave. The urge to do something musically fresh during that terrible period has led me and Umberto to put our huge passion for the early nineties swedish melodic Death Metal and Black Metal into Huronian. We released a demo containing two songs plus a Dissection cover during that year and now we are ready for the release of our first full album "As Cold as a Stranger Sunset"!
2.So far you have released one ep and a full length, musically how do they both differ from each other?
Not much actually, because the demo Ep simply contains tracks that were written for the full length and were eventually included in It. Of course the production of the full length Is a huge step forward, thanks also to Damian Herring's (Horrendous) mastering contribution! Apart from that, the full album has a songwriting diversity we could not express in a two tracks Ep of course.
3.Most of the music is heavily rooted in the classic and melodic Swedish black/death metal style, what was the decision behind going into this musical direction?
We all love the early nineties melodic Death and Black metal records. The problem Is that we hardly find something interesting that was released after 1996/97. So we decided to bring back those atmospheres, while trying to avoid being simple imitators without personality. It's spontaneous after all, we try to create something that we would have liked to hear!
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
Lyrically I wanted something that could lead the listeners far away, avoiding topics related to society or "daily issues". Most of the inspiration comes from literature, especially the sci-fi and supernatural one. We wrote the material during the First european lockdown, and my mind simply wanted to fly away toward other worlds! There are songs inspired by E.A. Poe and Lovecraft novels, another one by Milton's "Lost Paradise" and a couple reminiscent of Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" saga.
I think they fit the atmosphere Umberto created with the music very well.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Huronian'?
It Is inspired by the "Huronian Glaciation", an event that covered earth's surface with ice completely more than 2 billions of years ago. The name alone evoked images of desolation, distance and solitude in my mind. A lot of the band imaginary deals with time...ancient past, distant future, time travels.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
I painted the cover in the middle of the songwriting process. Umberto was sending me new material continuously and I didn't want to be less active than him! It depicts a cold, alien world where colors and details are not the one we use to know as humans. The cool thing Is that It Is open to any interpretation. It could represent the earth in an unpredictable, far future, or a completely different Planet.
7.HGas the band done any live shows or open to the idea?
No live shows yet, but a full line up has Just been completed with the addition of Gianluca T. (ex Voids of Vomit) on bass and long time friend and guitar maestro Tommy P. on second guitar. We hope to hit the stage as soon as possible, "As Cold as a Stranger Sunset" deserves a good live promotion.
8.On the ep you also done a 'Dissection' cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?
We wanted to cover something that could sum up all the influences and Umberto came up with the idea of "Heaven's Damnation". I immediately agreed, It Is one of Dissection's more Death Metal oriented songs, and represents a killer mix of everything we like in the genre.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of melodic black and death metal?
It a bit early but so far a lot of people seemed to appreciate the material. Many of them said that there Is not much similar stuff around nowadays and I'm really pleased to hear It. We have to wait the release of the full album to have a more precise idea of the reaction, but I'm definitely optimistic!
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We will continue to develop our style but we would not change the concept, both musically and lyrically. We don't want to re-invent the wheel, our aim Is writing the best music possible within our stylistic margins. There are still tons of blast beats, melodies to deliver and weird, obscure stories to tell!
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Early Gothenburg scene was definitely an influence, as well as early/mid nineties
Blackened Death Metal. Svensson era At the Gates, skydancer era Dark Tranquillity, Eucharist, first In Flames album and, on the other side, Dissection, Sacramentum, Unanimated, Necrophobic. But of course our songwriting Is not a scientific formula. Marcello drumming for example carries some very aggressive american Death Metal influences to the table. It's a mix of different sensitivities.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for the interesting interview! Follow Huronian at www.facebook.com/huronianofficial
and www.instagram.com/huronian_deathmetal