Interview with Cristian Tricarico (vocals) of Nexxt
In 2023, you released your second full-length album, "Spiritual Survivor". How does the follow-up to your 2007 debut "Addicted to Sin" reflect the growth you've made since then? Why is there a sixteen-year gap between albums?
Cristian Tricarico: "Spiritual Survivor" represents a new beginning for us. Back in time, due to job reasons, three original members were replaced by Paky and then by Alex, so finally the new lineup was put together. The new entries brought new life and ideas into the band and allowed us to work strongly on the arrangements of "Spiritual Survivor", a work that - we guess - embodies the synthesis of our philosophy: never give up, be reborn from your ashes stronger than ever with new ideas. Indeed, during the making of "Spiritual Survivor" we dared more than the usual, technically and musically, experimenting new approaches in the studio. One of the most particular aspects of the making of "Spiritual Survivor" was to use different studios. This experience made us grow a lot on an artistic and also human point of view.
As a band we have always had to face difficulties. Unfortunately the area where we live does not offer many career opportunities, and for this reason many young people have to leave our home town. This is why we have had numerous lineup changes. For the record, our first album, "Addicted to Sin", was recorded 14 years after the band was founded in 1993. The delay was basically due to economic hardships. However, we still managed to raise the budget to make two EPs, "Apparent Control" (2003) and "Strength of the Rooted One" (2005) which contain some of the most representative songs of the band. The period between "Addicted to Sin" and "Spiritual Survivor" was really a rough time. I suffered the loss of my son and thus I was forced to a long period of inactivity. In addition, those years were tough to get the chance to play live. We even tried to include some 70s and 80s covers in our set list, played in our own way obviously, just to be able to play more, but it didn't last long. And so we immediately started working on new songs.
In 2015 we recorded a four-track EP, "Arise or Die". We recorded it ourselves. Despite the raw quality, these four songs played damn cool and powerful. After a while three-fifths of the band left Nexxt. This stalemate lasted until 2020. Currently our lineup is strong and stable, which allows us to work harder on new material with greater determination.
From the time of your formation (1993) to the release of your debut album (2007), did you play shows consistently, finances allowing, and experiment with different sounds?
In the early years we played a lot of gigs and we were really determined as we are today. We are always immersed in everyday life focusing our attention on real problems, social inequalities, wars (past and currently ongoing) and this has greatly influenced our listenings and thus our sound.
Among the covers you added to your set list, which most helped the band develop its own brand of thrash metal?
Even nowadays in our set list we play "Territory" by Sepultura, a band we pay much respect to and consider very close to our way of conceiving life and music. It's not just a cover, it's a flag to stand behind.
What about Sepultura's "Territory" made you want to cover it during your performances? How much of the band's creativity went into covering it?
Sepultura has been an icon of thrash metal for us with their unique style in which we sink our roots. Territory is a scream against war and its propaganda, not by chance it is included in our set list at the end of our live shows after "Air Raid 1943" which is about the bombings suffered by our city during the Second World War. The peculiarity that we gave to "Territory" is in the outro, where we do a medley with the final riff of "Domination" by Pantera, something always much appreciated by our audience.
Does Sepultura's proto death metal era, tribal metal era, or groove/thrash era speak to you and the band most? Or does it vary depending on the song?
Sepultura have basically influenced my singing more than Nexxt's style. I first heard Sep around the time of “Arise” and that influenced me a lot in my vocal approach.
How did you, as a vocalist, find inspiration in “Arise”? How do you feel about their older years and the broadening of their perspectives?
As a singer (but also as a fan) I consider Max Cavalera's voice a real trademark of Sepultura. "Chaos A.D." and "Arise" represent a real meeting point between the old school and the new trends of metal. Just like Pantera.
Which aspects of Pantera's legacy have left a lasting impression on the mainstream and underground of metal? How much influence do you believe they have had on new bands?
Pantera rules! Their influence was fundamental in defining the entire subsequent course of metal. The two fundamental elements of Pantera: power and irreverence. Their influence is still felt today. They were and remain a fundamental chapter in the entire history of rock and metal.
Pantera's transition from hard rock to heavy groove thrash was quite drastic. How can you explain this having such a significant effect on mainstream industries?
It was a drastic and not at all obvious change and it's really hard to explain. "Power Metal" and "Cowboys from Hell" do not seem to have been conceived by the same band. I think that the reason for their success was precisely this definitive break with the old glam metal. "Cowboys from Hell" represents a turning point for the entire scene.
How much of a setback was each lineup change, and how long did it take to find new members who shared the same vision as you?
Despite all the lineup changes, we didn't have any problems. Each new member brought his own contribution and ideas. Before being a band we are a group o
f friends. So respect and empathy are fundamental. Indeed, one of the songs on the new album, entitled "Nexxt", talks exactly about this: whoever passed through Nexxt still left their mark.
While the band was in its early stages, what real-life problems were they most focused on? How did it impact your choice of influences and the development of your sound?
At the beginning we were focused on building a band with a strong identity, considering the experience and musical inclinations of the members, but right during the construction of this work my first child arrived, along with the consequent marriage which significantly limited the live activity of the band.
Our influences have never been univocal, in the sense that each member of the band prefers, for example, some more death, some more thrash, some more heavy metal, etc... This has determined a fusion of influences that has naturally shaped our sound.
Did those experiences have bearing on the lyrics you wrote for your songs? Who is the band's lyricist and what topics does he tend to write about most frequently?
Our lyrics are written both on personal experiences and on social, historical or literary themes. For example we composed "The Master and Margaret" taken from the novel by Bulgakov or "Uqbar" by the Argentine writer Borges, or for example "Taste the Flowers" about the plague of pedophilia, or "Sacrifice in the Struggle" on the fight against exploitation. The lyrics are usually developed by me, but there are several lyrics also written by the bassist Michele Speranza and the former guitarist.
Besides the social issues you mentioned, is there any genre from your country or area that has served as inspiration or partial inspiration for you musically?
I'm not a big fan of the music produced in my country. It doesn't represent us and it's far from our world. Luckily our underground metal scene has lots of bands, both recent and historical like Necrodeath, Bulldozer, Unreal Terror and many others. But also other bands from the new wave and punk rock scene like Litfiba, Ustnamò, Disciplinatha, CCCP and many, many others. Basically our inspiration is more related to the approach than to the music itself.
What do you mean by the approach those metal, punk and new wave bands you cited made to their music?
The influences of the bands I mentioned before are not only about the musical aspect, but also about the approach in terms of honesty and coherence. The sound of Nexxt has always been free from trends and tastes and we want to remain free. Influence is not only made by music, but ideas as well.
What prompted the band to release a live album ("Live at Teatro Mediterraneo") immediately following the 1996 release of your debut demo? At the time, did it accurately depict the band's live performance?
The live show at Teatro Mediterraneo was our first performance on an important stage, supported by a professional technical staff and a big audience. It was a festival for young bands, financed by the municipality of our city, which you could access through a selection process by sending your demo tape. It was an incredible experience because our performance was acclaimed by the audience as an established band even though we were only at the beginning of our live experience. The live show was recorded and we decided to ask the sound engineer for a copy to release our first live EP.
When “Addicted to Sin” was released, how was it received? In your opinion, how much room for improvement did you see in your work musically and lyrically once it was out?
The release of "Addicted to Sin" was greeted by our audience with an enthusiasm that we did not expect, I was struck by the comment of one of our historical fans who, in a post on social media that remembered that album, wrote: “Addicted to Sin” was for us kids of that time, the “Master of Puppets” of our band. “Addicted to Sin” represented the end of a long phase for the band, a work that reached a compositional and experimental maturity. Since the album was released under a label we had a boost in international distribution, but unfortunately we did not receive the same promotional support from the booking and promotion agency.
After “Addicted to Sin” was released, what steps did you start taking to improve your sound?
Basically our sound has always been very personal and, during these years, we worked to harden and define it further. After “Addicted…” there was the first turnover. With the arrival of our new drummer (Paky), Nexxt gained more groove. Then, in 2021 our new guitarist (Alex) joins and we go back to one guitar (he plays one guitar as two. He plays one guitar as two. Such a hard work) It's a kind of return to the origins.
How does returning to a single guitar represent a return to your origins, and how did this impact your material?
Nexxt was born with just one guitar, that's why I was talking about going back to the origins. To be precise, "Arise or Die" was recorded with two guitars. On "Spiritual Survivor", instead, we went back to just one guitar and this brought us closer together.
Discuss the recorded tracks for "Spiritual Survivor" and their lyrics. Did you channel as much feeling into them as into your music? How are the lyrics relevant to our current times?
The lyrics for “Spiritual Survivor” were treated with the same attitude. They the songs embrace various themes and moods, including contemporary ones such as “Silence Outside” itself, written during the pandemic, used to suppress the freedom of individuals and leaving individuals to die in deep loneliness; or “Jester’s Court” which deals with the dynamics of corporate hierarchies that tend to create divisions and discrimination against those workers who do not align themselves with corporate propaganda; or like “Limits Inside” which deals with the theme of today’s society that solicits a petty competition between individuals, which often pushes them to cross the threshold of their own limits, both moral and attitudinal.
Back in 1997 you included the song "Controlla L'Assoluto" on a compilation called "A.K.O.M. Sampler 6." How did the band get its name and content on this release, and how much did this inclusion help? Were there any other compilations you appeared on?
It is actually a matter of homonymy because I don’t think it’s us, because even though it is associated with our first studio EP “Apparent Control” (2003) the release date doesn't match. There have been compilations in which we have been included, but they were usually made by self-produced fanzines. The most relevant compilation in which we have been included is that of a well-known Italian journalist and talent scout (Red Ronnie) who invited us to perform in a project he made in television studios with different bands and a compilation distributed nationally was published.
How would you like to proceed with your next release? If not already underway, when do you expect to begin working on it?
We have just completed the recording phase of the new single that we will release soon. It is a song written at the origins of the band and then revisited over time and we decided to give it a new life because we believe it is a song that fully represents our past. At the same time we are already projecting ourselves for the next album that we hope to be able to realize within the next year.
Where are the best places online where people can discover new information about the band and keep up with its progress?
Our always updated channels are Facebook, Instagram. Our entire discography is available on all platforms.
-Dave Wolff
