Four years after the release of Rabbits Hill Pt. 1, the Italian power metal band Trick Or Treat are back with part two of the saga. Vocalist Alessandro Conti gives us the scoop on the album, a new member, guests such as Ripper Owens and Tony Kakko, tour plans, the band’s early days and other subjects.
Chad Bowar: Since your last album, you’ve added guitarist Luca Venturelli. How did he come to join the band?
Alessandro Conti: Luca is a long time friend of ours, and one of the most talented guitar players in our city. When Luca Cabri left the band, then we all agreed that our first choice was Luca Venturelli, and we were very lucky because he immediately said yes, so here we are!
How did you approach the writing and recording of Rabbits Hill Pt. 2 compared to the first installment?’
Part two is definitely a step forward in terms of sound and songwriting for us. The workflow was longer, and we worked more on the details and to create the right atmospheres matching the final parts of the story, we’re very proud of the final result.
You had several guests on the album. How did you decide Ripper Owens would make a good General Woundwart?
When we wrote “They Must Die,” we were thinking for a guest with a strong and sort of “evil” voice for General Woundwart, and Ripper Owens was definitely what we were looking for. When we first listened to the track with his voice on it, we were speechless. He’s a great singer and a living legend!
How did Tony Kakko from Sonata Arctica’s appearance come about?
When we were on tour with Sonata Arctica in 2014, we became good friends with them. Tony is a really nice and kind person, and when we asked him for this collaboration, he accepted with no hesitation. His voice is like a trademark in the worldwide metal scene, and it’s an honor for us having him sing on our record.
Is this the end of the Rabbits’ Hill concept, or will there be a part 3?
No, Part 2 will be the ending chapter of the saga. We’re done with rabbits. (laughs)
How did you come to sign with Frontiers Records for this album?
It was through our label manager at Valery Records, and we were so stoked because Frontiers Records is definitely one of the most important rock/metal labela worldwide. This is a great opportunity for us to take a step forward in our career, and we met a lot of new friends at Frontiers.
How does that affect your expectations?
This is a really big goal for us, and we are sure that this will be the beginning of a solid and long term collaboration with Frontiers.
What are your upcoming tour plans?
We’re planning right now, it’s a work in progress.
Any chance of a North America tour during this album cycle?
We really hope so. Stay tuned!
It has been a while since you released a live album. Any plans to do that or a DVD?
No plans for that that soon, but in the future for sure.
Describe Trick or Treat’s very first live show.
It was 2002, in a small pub of our city. At that time, we were a Helloween tribute band, and we called all our friends that night. We also put flyers of the show around the city the days before. The end result was the little pub completely full of people, and a great first show with great memories!
Where haven’t you played live that you’d still like to get to?
The big European festivals like Wacken, Hellfest… We really would like to play there!
Who are your all-time top 5 Italian metal bands?
Of course Rhapsody, but also Dgm, Secret Sphere, Ancient Bards and Elvenking.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
Stay tuned to our Facebook page, we’ve got a lot of videos coming out this month.
(interview published July 8, 2016)
