By Nicholas Jason Lopez
A hearty mixture of good old-fashioned screams, chunky riffs and heavy breakdowns, Italy-based prog-metal band Where Stars Collide recently debuted their new single “Rage,” in the vein of bands like Periphery, Tesseract and Erra.
The track explores the sentiment of isolationism, a “blindness” of sorts, as if one is trapped in a dark room incapable of escape. Despite the inner rage that pushes us away from others, they express that people are still capable of reaching a personal state of balance through it all.
The Music Bugle had the chance to talk with guitarist Simone about “Rage” and more.
Music Bugle – How did you guys decide the band name?
Simone – We thought of several names for our band, but we had to get rid of some of the options, as a local band had just released an album that had a very similar name to the one we had chosen at the time. It would have been confusing. The name Where Stars Collide originated from a Summer day, after we got ice cream. We immediately loved it, as it represented exactly our ideas and concept. We are still incredibly proud of the name we picked!
Music Bugle – What directly inspired your new single “Rage”?
Simone – The song expresses discomfort, which originates from life’s lack of change. This phenomenon carries on day by day, creating an unchangeable cycle that we continuously try to interrupt. This situation can be associated to each one of us, as we all face difficulties when we struggle to follow our passions. These feelings constantly have an effect on our body and on our mind.
Music Bugle – Who are you listening to right now, music-wise?
Simone – Each band member has extremely diverse music tastes. This is reflected on what we are currently listening to. Lately, we have been hooked on Northlane, Vola, Caligula’s Horse, Bring Me The Horizon, as well as on recent rock releases and local band singles.
Music Bugle – What excites you the most about your style of music?
Simone – Intertwining our musical influences and our technique to create something unique that can transmit deep emotions has always been what has pushed us towards writing new songs.
Music Bugle – What are three of your all-time favorite albums?
Simone – Choosing three albums among the numerous ones that we have loved is extremely hard, but these are the ones that helped shape Where Stars Collide – The Contortionist – ‘Language,’ Tesseract – ‘Altered State’ and Periphery – ‘Periphery II.’ Bonus goes to Pink Floyd – ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon.’
Music Bugle – Which of your songs were the hardest to write?
Simone – Concerning the musical side, the last song of our upcoming album was the hardest to write. We struggled to create something that every member would enjoy and we were on the verge of deleting the song completely. However, we managed to conclude the project and it has become one of the songs we’re the most proud of. We cannot wait to let you listen to it!
Music Bugle – Does social media help or hurt musicians?
Simone – Social media is definitely fundamental for a musician’s career. They are the most effective means of communication to reach a vast, engaged to your music public. Of course, it is important not to get sucked up into social medias too much, in order to maintain some kind of balance.
Music Bugle – How have you been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?
Simone – COVID-19 had an enormous impact on our lives. Each one of us struggled while seeing friends and relatives fight the virus, although we believe this situation gave us many insights concerning the future. The band’s projects have often been threatened and postponed due to the fact that we cannot see each other that often. The suffering live scene has been put on standby for over a year and we cannot wait for shows to start again.
Music Bugle – What’s a quote that motivates you to keep doing what you do?
Simone – “Do it. Don’t let your dreams be dreams. Just do it!”
Music Bugle – Where do you go when you need an escape?
Simone – Music is that sort of place where we can all meet and create new sounds. It unites us, even during difficult times.
