Doomed Confessionary: Giuseppe Guarini (King Potenaz)
Photos by Giulia Ticozzi & Giuseppe Fanizza // Studio Figure
King Potenaz is an occult stoner doom metal trio hailing from Fasano, Italy.
After first demo and two singles, the band released their full-length debut album »Goat Rider« on April 28th, 2023 via Argonauta Records.
Can you say a few words about your band?
We were born out of a series of jam sessions in 2019 in Fasano, Apulia, Italy, and immediately we’ve began to write our own music by drawing heavily on the work of doom/stoner bands like Sleep, Electric Wizard, Kyuss, Monster Magnet and, of course, Black Sabbath. After a change on drums, the lineup solidifies into the current power trio formed by me, Giuseppe (guitar and vocals), Francesco (bass guitar) and Piero (drums and synths). We’re longtime friends and musicians, active in the local heavy/underground scene since the 90s: me and Francesco initiated several black/doom/drone projects such as Helvete, Moriendoom and Rius de la Mort, whereas Piero played drums in punk/hardcore bands No Exit and Erpice and produced two electronic solo albums as PRNX.
What was the biggest challenge for the band this year?
Certainly the biggest challenge we had to face this year was the search for live dates… Unfortunately in our area it is a bit difficult to find venues suitable or willing to host events of our kind, and not having a booking agency behind us it was really complicated… Even if in our own small way and with great effort, together with other local bands, we managed to carve out our live space in the Apulian doom/stoner scene.
What can you be most proud of this year?
The thing we are most proud of is, without a doubt, the release of our debut album for Argonauta Records in April and the 12th place in the Doom Charts of the same month… In addition to the many fantastic reviews, in short, the album was received enthusiastically and we must admit that we didn’t expect it… for us it was a great achievement after years and years of hard work… and it’s just the beginning…
What was your biggest regret?
In all honesty we can say that we don’t have any big regrets… at least for this year…
What was the best concert/tour this year and why?
Probably the best live show of this year was the last one we did in Molfetta at the Macerie Ribelli together with our friends and Argonauta roster mates Pachiderma among others… It was really funny, we gave our soul (to the devil), with a very hot audience and crazy energy.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
The truth is that there have been so many surprises this year… so many truly noteworthy doom/stoner and metal albums in general have been released that it is difficult to choose one in particular… Certainly the biggest surprise is It was seeing how the validity and excellence of the world doom/stoner scene, but also the Italian one in particular, is finally there for all to see… It’s a scene that deserves respect because it’s made up of thousands of very cool bands who work hard ass every day to make their music known
Where can we see you live next year (concerts/tours)?
At the moment the only dates set for next year are 4 and, in particular, the Waves Of Doom Fest II in Bari with Shores Of Null on January 13th; with Pachiderma at ExViri in Noicattaro on January 19th, at Kambusa for Dirockato on February 1st and at Resilienza in Bitonto for the FreakOut Stoned Fest on May 10th… Then we are also trying to organize a festival with other Argonauta Records bands at the end of June… We will keep you updated.
What are your plans for the next year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
We have almost finished composing the songs for our second album and, if all goes well, at the end of February we will lock ourselves in the studio to record… We continue our search for a booking agency that can help us increase our live activity… Our dream would be to participate in some big festival like the Desertfest, the Maryland Doom Fest, the Freak Valley Festival… In the meantime we keep our fingers crossed and with our heads down we continue to bust our asses and take our music on the road… Then there would also be a big surprise but maybe it’s too early to talk about it… We’ll just tell you that there’s a cover of a historic punk band involved, and a tribute album… We can’t say anything else… Stay tuned!
Do you already know what are you doing on New Year’s Eve?
Like every year on New Year’s Eve we will all be together with families and friends at Giuseppe’s (guitar/vocals) house to make some noise until midnight and beyond…
How can people best support your band?
We think that the best way to support us is, first of all, to continuously listen to our music and, if possible, come and see our live shows, then obviously also buy our merchandise starting with the »Goat Rider« vinyl on our Bandcamp page.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
First of all we want to thank from the bottom of our hearts all those who have allowed us to make our music known to as many people as possible and then of course we want to thank all those who have supported, endured and encouraged us from the beginning… We just ask you to continue to do it… We love you all! And please, never stop supporting local bands and sharing their music, they deserve it and need it.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well