Q: This is your first time in Zagreb. What are the expectations from tonight?
A: We are very happy to play in Croatia for the very first time as we’ve had a lot of messages from people saying: “Ohh, you should come to Croatia please!” and I’ve always feel bad when it was not possible or not planned, so when my agent managed to bring the show here for the first time I was very happy. We were on tour with Warkings that had some holes in the middle and we wanted to fill them. We don’t have expectations of the places we know already. This is the brand-new territory for the pirates!
Q: You were very close to Croatia when you played in Slovenia on MetalDays and Budapest, so we traveled to see you there as well as many Croatians.
A: Of course, but I suppose many didn’t manage to afford travelling so we are very much looking forward to discovering the pure Croatian crowd in Croatia. The promoter said he’s expecting around 250 people tonight, which is amazing. The hospitality and everything has been great so we are happy to be here.
Q: You will also come to Croatia once again, but this time with Kamelot in November this year! That’s also gonna be the first time in Croatia, so you’ll have 2 times a premiere show in Croatia!
A: Oh, yes that’s gonna be great, looking forward to it!
Q: How is the tour going? How is everything, do you find it exhausting?
A: It’s been amazingly well since the beginning, its two bends being on the same level and you might expect to have wars everyday about someone taking up too much space or something like that, but not at all, it’s just not happening! It’s completely opposite, we have known each other for a long time and were happy to be together. The crew is getting along very well so it’s a real pleasure to be on this tour. It’s going really smoothly as 40 people are involved and there is always a possibility of ego fights or friction but we don’t have any of that on this tour so it’s really great! For me and the others in the band I believe this is the best tour that we’ve ever done, mood wise and in all other ways! It’s also great that our crowds are merging, we’ve played the biggest clubs we’ve played so far as headlines. E.g. We’ve had 1500 people in Munich and also over 1000 people in several places in Germany and France. It’s wonderful!
Q: What do you prefer: to play in clubs or at festivals?
There are great sides to both! At festivals you don’t have all of your production or play all of your songs but you play in front of so many people and some have probably never heard of you and the mindset is different. It’s so much fun to play in the sunlight and in front of so many people and bring fire to them! When it’s outside: there are less problems with the effects so we can also have fire and many effects. It’s fun shows, they are short, it’s hot and it’s fun! I really like that as the mindset is there, everyone there came to have fun at the show. In contrast, when we are on a tour with our show, when we are headlining we play longer shows and have everything under control and then it’s mostly our fans coming. It’s completely different vibe as well. I have to admit I enjoy both. When you play at the festival in a country for the very first time like we did at Hellfest last year and when you have so many people that sit down and row and jump, sing and enjoy- it’s an amazing feeling! I do prefer when it is our show and completely our universe as there’s a lot of storytelling on the stage and this is where I feel at most at my creative zone, but I do enjoy both. Festivals are great, rain or shine!
Q: Do you have an example of a song that became a huge hit and maybe surprised you?
A: We loved the “Melancholy Angel” from the first time it was created and when we heard the final version and thought: “Whou, this is a cool song!” and this song has been carrying the band from the first time it came out. It really helped people discover us and it was a good gateway as if you liked that song maybe you would get into the band more. This song had this effect and we are very lucky to have it and we still enjoy playing it live and having people jumping on it. This song definitely pushed the band further. Then we saw that some other tracks became fans favourites, like “Master the Hurricane”, which is the opposite of the “Melancholy Angel”- it’s a long song, way more symphonic metal and I’m also happy to see people connecting with something that is a bit deeper, richer that some of the previous stuff. Then there is: “Tonight I’m Alive” as it has this oriental vibe, some people hated it as “this is not metal”, but it was accepted very well and a lot of people dance to it and put it on their party playlists because the vibe is so special and I also believe it became a fans favourite because of the mix of cultures that we did there.
Q: How are you satisfied with the reception of the latest album?
A: I think people really loved “Pirates” and continue to love the second one “Pirates II – Armada”. It’s very hard to compare albums, it’s not the same old. We really truly feel that it has been resonating with people. The entire idea of Armada and bringing people together, escaping the real world and empowering people with messages in our songs is great for us. Like, when we recently played in Sweden and Denmark – the majority of people never saw us live but have been converted to our music probably through our latest release and maybe the one before that. We’ve had the feeling that the second Pirates album reached more people and we can see now on this tour how many are coming to our shows. The theme of the album also inspired us for our stage props, scenography and everything and I think that our fans also loved it as well. We’re still touring thanks to it and it was two years ago and we were very happy.
Q: How does your recording process look? Do you change a lot during recording and what is the level of involvement from all members of the band?
A: Majority of our music is written by Michele and firstly he and I go through everything: the ideas, themes and the song that he puts together from our arrangements. Then we do a demo version with vocals and solos and everything. Then we pass it to the hands of our producer who also has ideas and suggestions on how to enhance some parts and whatever needs to be done to push a song a bit further. When the song is finalised with the three of us, most of the time, then we let our guitar player play some solos. So first we create demos in which we have a very good idea how it should sound like as a final track. Afterwards we record the parts mainly separately and combine all of it together. Sometimes we enhance something at that point, but mainly all of this work has been done before the recording. In the studio we just have the focus on performance.
Q: What is something that you always bring on a tour with you?
A: My light here! (points to a standing lamp) It’s great for applying makeup and I always bring it. I won’t talk about the obvious like my microphone and stuff. I like to have my own bedsheets as I like to feel a little bit like home. It is better for morale and it’s more comfortable. So, I arranged my sleeping area a little bit. Extra comfort for doing makeup is sometimes: more light! As mainly people like to keep backstage dark. Otherwise, I like to keep everything to the minimum and to carry the least. Everything I have with me: I use and I don’t have a dead weight to carry around for weeks.
Q: What are you doing in your free time?
A: I love taking care of my garden and I love to cook, paint and be creative with my own musical instruments at home. Of course, seeing friends and families, travelling around and I try to stay inspired and feel like a child still. I like being at home in calm and peace and living a simple life which is in contrast to this one which is fast and crazy.
Q: What advice would you give to a demo band regarding their career and their efforts? How to succeed?
A: If there was a recipe on how to succeed- I would love to know it! I think if your motivation is to make money or be famous- then don’t play music! I think it’s a trap when you do art or music and want to be like someone. It’s OK to practice painting or playing music from a band that inspires you. That’s OK as that’s the way you create your own library of music but I think it’s key to search for your own voice and your own light. It’s not out here, it’s inside. You can follow trends but the trends are always changing even when you think you’re up to date. Don’t do something that is trendy, just do your own thing. Find something that sparks something inside of you because if you’re genuinely touched by the music you create and write- it’s most likely that other people will feel that same way! It might not be hundreds or thousands at first. Everyone starts small and develops and I think people need genuineness and authenticity. Even if we are a pirate band- we are our own pirates, it’s not fake, what we’re doing. It is the main thing and it’s the hardest as you really need to know who you are and is this really me. Is this something that I really like or was told I should like? From peers, others or society? With Visions, this band is over 25 years old, we really spoke to fans and had the greatest reception when we decided that we need to do our own stuff and decided to turn pirates 4 years ago. That would be the main thing.
Q: Do you have any wishes to go on a tour with a band you haven’t collaborated with jet?
A: I would like to tour with Sabaton because they are fun guys and it’s one of those bands that did their own thing from a long time ago as a history band. They have been mocked for so long as their music is a bit simple for some people but it’s also super well done. I get a great vibe from them.
Q: Planes for the future?
A: This year we will deeply work on a new album so at the end of the year it’s ready and in 2027 we shoot pictures, videos and prepare a launch of the album. That’s the target at the moment: for the summer 2027! We are working on plans to tour Europe and the US. We might release a song at the end of this year already, but I’m not sure yet. We had talks with several festivals and it was too early to confirm anything but that was the main idea. We have been very consistent and have been dropping a new album almost every 2 years. This one will take a little longer but I think we needed that time to tour and present this Armada era. It needed some time to breathe and it even led us here for the first time and it has been great! Now we need to take some time to make something great!
