Doomed Confessionary: Nicola, Fabio, Fede & Diego (For The Storms)
For The Storms is a doom/death/sludge/post-metal band from Brescia, Italy. They just released their second full-length album »Losing What’s Left Of Us« on October 12th, 2024 via Meuse Music Records.
The project comes from the necessity and desire to narrate one’s experiences, thoughts, and conjectures on existence and non-existence. The music, born as a simple outlet, has now evolved into a much more mature self-analysis, culminating in a poetic-philosophical exposition on mortality, change, and individual definition.
The band’s music writing is hardly classifiable in a classic list of metal subgenres, and it fits perfectly into what seems to be a new wave that has developed in recent years from sludge and doom, as well as hardcore and post-metal, especially in central and northern Europe.
The style characterized by contrasting sounds, heavy riffs, and expansive atmospheres ranging from the heaviness of a thousand mountains to the lightness of emptiness. This emerging genre, besides being a hybrid taking a lot from other subgenres, also constitutes a sensitive deepening of artistic meaning and values contemporary and traditional culture and personal feelings, pushing back against the superficiality and ignorance that seem to stir in today’s music.
For The Storms are Nicola Belotti (vocals), Fabio Pierani (guitars), Diego Belleri (guitars), Federico Albini (bass) and Lorenzo Rossetti (drums).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Well, For The Storms is actually the most intense and meaningful project of us all. It’s not everything about the music. Some of us have played together even before 2016, and during these amazing years we shared such beautiful joyful and extremely awful experiences together, helping each other and growing up together. We put a lot of effort in the band, even if we all have jobs, families and important stuff like that. I think that each one of us puts in our music all the pain, suffering and struggle that life “gifted” to us, and that’s what makes our band so passionate, intimate and intense. Musically speaking, we’ve been playing since 2013 and played in different projects, some good, some bad. From 2018 we started writing darker and slower stuff and settled on what seems to be a melodic post doom death metal/atmospheric sludge metal, but these are a lot of words that mean nothing, we make For The Storms music.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Definitely not to give up. Personally, most of us have always been at war with ourselves, always on the brink of giving up, and balancing a stable project with unsteady hands is not easy, but we’ve always been united in our sorrows and helped each other out (this we cannot stress enough). As a band, the biggest challenge has especially been finding a stable lineup. Many drummers we played with left the project at the worst possible time for some pussy-ass reasons after they decided that the band was too much for them. Actually, we’re pretty happy and stable with the lineup we have at the moment. We discovered some beautiful people and some awful pieces of shit during our journey, the good ones are still in touch with us and that’s ok.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Despite our recent debut, we’ve had many positive feedbacks about our songs, lyrics and artworks since day one. We also had the opportunity to share the stage with awesome bands and meet great artists. In 2021 we played with the Faroese band Hamferð at Doom Heart Festival IV, and enjoyed a brief Italian tour in May sharing the stage with October Tide (a band we’ve been listening to for years). We also got the opportunity to join forces with (EchO) in organizing the next Doom Heart Festival editions, which is an awesome event but also a place in which all doom metal music lovers meet, networking and sharing an awesome day. The most important thing, though, is that we keep being genuine, honest, not giving a fuck about conforming to successful stuff and soulless like-grabbing shit like that you see on social media. Everything we produce, everything we say, from lyrics and music to social media posts, is what we really feel.
What was your biggest regret?
Fabio: My biggest regret is to have spent too much time around toxic musicians. Fuck’em all.
Nicola: I think I should have spent more time with my family when I had the chance.
Fede: I regret every single time I let emotions engulf me from being free from the wrong people around me, overcoming my cynicism, wasting time thinking about the heat of a moment.
Diego: My biggest regret is to live overthinking about the future, focusing on my goals and not allowing myself to enjoy the people who love me.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
We think every show has been special in a certain way, and everyone of us has his special view and opinion about that… but definitely, touring with October Tide and (EchO) has been a great experience that we’ll remember for a long long time. The best tours/concerts are yet to come!
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Beside tons of beautiful gothic girls and the fucked-up/barely-existent music scene in Italy? I think that the biggest surprise is the passion and the participation that fans show us throughout comments/messages. On the other hand, the biggest “negative” surprise is that nowadays if you want to be seen, or even playing live, you have to pay, pay, pay, pay…
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Fabio: I’m not into heavy music that much actually these days, but I’d say black metal (Nocturnal Depression, Shining, Numenorean, Harakiri For The Sky).
Nicola: Not just heavy music but heavily rotating are Ghost Brigade, Oathbreaker, Radiohead, September Malevolence, Woods Of Ypres, Shining (SWE), Title Fight, Teitur, Whirr, Basement, Absent In Body, Amenra.
Fede: I grew up and chose my instrument by listening to the old fashioned Maiden, and so they will come over and over again in my rotation. But I’m a huge fan of Death (both the band and the genre), so there is always a space for bands under this sign, from Morbid Angel to Cynic, Carcass, Necrophagist and so on. Oh, and doom/sludge ones, ofc.
Diego: My heavy musical rotation carries Dissection, Conjurer, Swallow The Sun, Deafheaven, At The Gates and Unreqvited.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Fabio: Hard to explain, but the best advice I’ve been given once was “you are what you play”. It meant a lot to me in a specific moment of my life.
Nicola: A simple and solid “stop giving a fuck about numbers and do what you love”.
Fede: “Play with people more inspired and talented than you. Only in this way, you will improve.”
Diego: A warm “Always remember why you started making music. There will be tough times and challenges, but keeping the passion and love for music alive can help you overcome obstacles”.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Fabio: I love spending my time and energy watching contents about women’s ignorance and stupidity and some other gore/violent stuff. Oh and a lot of porn of course. That’s maybe a hint of why I’m on therapy lol.
Nicola: Gore videos, watching cringe content to feel better about myself, hate, voluntary dissociation, wasting away.
Fede: To watch fake-ads and advertising on social media…but I think I will go for the basic “I stand for minutes watching people dying in front of me” to look tough and metal…
Can you say something more about current music scene in Brescia / Lombardy?
We are from northern Italy. In the past years, due to wrong choices and greed beside the pandemic, most of the local scenes have seen demise along with more and more live-music places from east to west. Nowadays, more and more young people (<20 y/o) started a band to express themself, and the hardcore/punk scenes (beside the long date festivals) are growing stronger everyday. There are a few collectives making underground music alive, and the people around are starting to be more conscious. But we are a long way from being what we’ve been in the past.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We just had the release party of the new album on October 12th at Palazzolo (BS): a fantastic night with music and art, surrounded by people we love and respect. Next we’ll be playing in Graz with Aeonian Sorrow and Marianas Rest in November. We have around 20 gigs to schedule for 2025, so it will be an amazing year to see us live! You can follow us on social media to know all the details of the next shows.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
To keep playing no matter what life throws at us. Giving our best sharing our beautiful music and thoughts. We don’t aim to be the best and biggest metal band in the world of course, but at least we want to leave some kind of trace of what we did. Certainly, our experience has grown and we will make more conscious choices for both playing live and studio sessions, but we will maintain our line, and produce the music we feel.
How can people best support your band?
I think the best way to support us is to come see us play live and be present, be there, and talking to us, saying what you think about our stuff. You could make our day. We also love when we see people sharing some of our lyrics on their social media, that means we hit the right spot for someone. When eyes close, thoughts start to float, and the music makes us think and imagine…that’s the point of all art.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Life is harsh, so is death. Be meaningful and true for yourself and your beloved ones while you’re here. Be unique, be special, be true to yourself.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well