Singer Virtuoso Roberto Messina speaks Exclusively with Musica en Progreso

During  The late eighties and towards the beginning of the nineties in Italy Power Metal Music had its resurgence. The Country is well known of its tradition in owning the greatest performers since the early ages of singing.

Secret Sphere is one of the Bands that had held the Italian flag of Metal very high, throughout a brilliant career containing mandatory collector’s Item classic Albums such as Scent of Human Desire (Nuclear Blast 2003) and most recently the straight to your face release: Archetype (Scarlet 2010) all portraying singer Ramon Roberto Messina's brilliant and amazing vocal lines. 
 
In what's probably a pinnacle moment for Secret Sphere's career and with a bit of a shock for us their followers Singer Virtuoso Ramon R. Messina has been replaced by Michele Luppi, another great singer within the circuit of Italian Metal and Rock Musicians.

Nowadays Power Metal re installs itself once again, yet some singers are opting out to re- direct themselves in what’s more deep inside their feelings, and ideals. Not too long ago Alessio Garavello left Power Quest to pursue his own Band and now Ramon Messina is about to release his own Group called 6008 days. 

In a cool turn of events Roberto Messina Had Contacted me, regarding a post on Secret Sphere's Facebook page and we end up in a chat in which he exclusively talks about leaving Secret Sphere and the future of his new Band 6008 days.

Musica en Progreso: Why did you Leave Secret Sphere in first place and what was happening with you concerning Musical directions within the style you wanted to pursue and was still there some Metal oriented thoughts, or were they directed towards more simpler ideals?

ROB: After vocal recording sessions of the new album (as I recorded all the songs) it happened that there have been some discussions about the style; my vocals where still power metal but with a very personal rock orientation. I mean, the other members of the band also love rock, but there has been no chance to find an agreement, I was really convinced about my job, and they just were not. After this fact I decided to leave the band as I’m totally devoted to my inspirations, and even if I’m willing to collaborate with the other musicians, as I always did, it was too much to accept for me to review all the vocals according to someone else's taste. In my opinion a vocal line is not power, or rock, anyway, the only difference is between what it comes from my heart, and what's not. 

Musica en Progreso: Please tell me about the style and story behind, and how long have you work on your new Band 6008 Days, why such a cool name and how is the schedule looking like for touring and promoting! 

ROB:  I’m working on 6008 Days band since two years now. I began alone composing the vocal lines and structure of 16 songs, after this step I met my friend Valerio Bulzoni, a great rock guitarist and with him we arranged these songs and added some more. He is also a composer and he brought two more songs to the project, but above all he can put the right arrangements to change a song from a simple idea into a fucking complete rock song! During thi process of composition we realized all my instinctive ideas were based on a 6/8 rhythm, so it came to my mind the name 6 Out Of 8 … 6008 (the former name of the band). I added to this the concept of a countdown, 6008 days… it already started on 23 June 2011 … At the moment we based our publications on the release of our first single-videoclip The Bad Day! We are about to publish it (half October 2012). It is a very deep “piece of heart” formed by the collaboration with a video-director, Antonio Masiello, very famous in Italy for videoclips and conceptual/video art. We offered him our song and he offered us his idea. The result is something really original and high-quality. This videoclip, and the 5 other songs we just recorded, will be the starting point of our career that will soon Materialize with the first album of 6008 Days! We dream to bring our shows very soon on live tours in America and Europe. 

Musica en Progreso: Do you have the feeling that Power Metal is within difficult times and that older Bands repeat themselves over and over again? and especially how is the metal scene in Italy? 

ROB: I never cared so much of the “macro-systems”, I mean power metal is in crisis for me if I don’t listen to it anymore, for example, or it goes very well in my car, where I listen to many CD's :)! Just kidding, surely sales are on a bad point, and sincerely it was a bit disappointing for me to realize, especially in Italy, that metal audience was made of really few people, with less and less audience each concert. Musicians need their audience otherwise to compose is useful like a masturbation; while all what we want to do with our music is to make love with it to people who listens to us. 

Musica en Progreso: Another amazing singer is in the same situation as you, Alessio Garavello, he opted to follow is own with his Band and they sound very good!singers like you and him seem to have problems with the ideals behind Metal, how good is this when it gets to shifting styles, does this motivates you even more in terms of writing different material? 

ROB: Anybody with a strong passion and sincerity has problems with the “cliché” of any kind of music style, as cliché are always more related to the business behind, than to the true inspiration. I personally don’t have any problem with my music because, as it happened in this last period, I avoid those situations in which I’m “forced” to do something I don’t love. My esteem goes to all those musicians and artists who manage to be appreciated with their style and who have something to communicate. 

TECHNICAL FILE: 

Instrument of preference besides singing and Microphones used: 

I’m actually using a Beta58 microphones in live, but I am about to try something new that is more focused on dynamics of the voice. Besides from singing, I love Piano more than any other instrument. Any formal studies within the realms of Music: I’ve studied 7 years of opera singing, but despite these years I’m still the same “stupid” rocker :) 

Favorite Sport or Different activity of preference: 

I do gymnastics every day, a fit body is the best way to keep well my vocal instrument. I’m specializing on verticals! 

Favorite Food or Drink: 

I LOVE to eat, and to drink good red wine! 

Five favorite Metal Albums (Progressive, Death, Power etc): Return to heaven denied (Labyrinth) – Transcendence (Crimson Glory) – Operation Mindcrime (Queensrÿche) - Burn the sun (Ark) – The divine wings of tragedy (Symphony X) 

Five favorite albums (non Metal): Grace (Jeff Buckley) - King for a day (Faith no more) – Us and Them (Shinedown) – Blackbird (Alter Bridge) – Mezzanine (Massive Attack)

a few words for the fans: Please keep faith in me as I do! See you on tour soon Thank you to you Rodrigo and the whole staff of Musica en Progreso, a special thanks to all the fans!!! Rob 

thanks a lot Roberto for your time! and the best of lucks! we need singers like you!

Photos are courtesy of Roberto's Facebook Profile 

 

                    Rodrigo Trupp for Música en Progreso



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