RIAH - As well as countless other bands we're feeling the urge to grab the instrument and play, in first place for ourself and our well-being, so when we'll return on stage we can give our hundred percent for our fans!


De uit Italië afkomstige postrockband RIAH werd opgericht in 2015. De band combineert het zwaardere post metal met dromerige sferen, die je vaak terugvindt in pure postrock.
In 2018 begon de band aan het debuut 'Autumnalia' te werken. Riah zegt er het volgende over: "Our music starts with the idea that Autumn is not the ghost of death that crawls on summer's path, but it's the very chance to re-start, to die and to rise as a new being, a new spirit, a new mind.” en ook '' a mixture of beauty and brutality".
Dit debuut kwam in 2019 op de markt. De recensie kunt u hier nog eens nalezen: http://www.musiczine.net/nl/cd-reviews/item/76175-autumnalia.html  
Italië is heel hard getroffen door deze corona crisis. We vroegen ons af hoe een band als RIAH daarmee omgaat, welke plannen in het water vielen, wat de plannen zijn voor na de crisis.
De band had vooral deze belangrijke boodschap: '' I'd like to tell to the whole audience to continue to support your favorite bands, in particular during this hard times that we  are all having; we all do what we do for and with passion, to see and feel you all under the stage having a good times. We do our best, all of us, to bring you music and experiences but without your support this cannot last forever, so please be the wanderful fans you have always been and let us feel your support!"

Het volledige interview met RIAH
Riah was formed in 2015. The band combines the heavier post metal with dreamy atmospheres, which you often find in pure post-rock. In 2018, the band started working on their debut 'Autumnalia'. How did it all start?
"At the beginning we were kinda another band, we started as a duo called LAME (which in italian means blades) by the drummer Rocco Catturani and the guitarist Flavio Di Bella, the sound was much more harsh, raw and chaotic, we set the first riffs that formed the bases for the songs, soon the bassist Diego Ruggeri joined the band bringing new ideas that brought the whole project towords way more classy solutions. We changed name and we opened the doors to harmony and atmospherical sensation without loosing the heaviness that charaterise our sound."

Why did it take so long for a debut to hit the market?
"That's because once Diego had joined the band we had to rearrange some songs that we earlier composed as Lame, and I think we re-wrote some parts of some song infinite times before coming to the right structure and sound to record, plus in late 2017 Francesco Begnoni joined the band, so we had to do almost the same thing for a second guitar and a Mellotron in "Il Sogno del Buio"

Usually such bands are compared to great examples. At Riah we also hear a streak of Russian Circles or bands like Cults Of Luna come to mind. What is your opinion on that?
"I think that band like these, as well as ISIS, Pelican, Mogway, Latitudes, *Shells, The Pirate Ship Quintet, Soffocate for Fuck Sake, had a huge influence on us as a team and as individuals, for example Diego knew way better than Flavio and Rocco the Post Metal genre and both of them has started to discover that, the same happened with the two new talented guitarists Andrea Binetti and Michele Verni.
The influence of those bands indeed had a part in the composing work, but also during the production of the album, for the attitude let's say!"

How were the general reactions to that debut?  And has it opened doors to concerts and stuff?
"We can sincerely affirm that we had a good response: we played a lot in Italy, opening for Tides from Nebula, Storm{o}, Dumbsaint, we also took part at a huge festival in Bologna, the Krakatoa IIII together with many talented bands from both Italy and not, we had the graphic designer Francesca Bonci doing some amazing works our our songs. In December we went on tour in Germany with Brüecken, those guys are both great musicians and wonderfull people! Then our name has been on webzines as Impatto Sonoro, eklektik-rock.com, musiczine.net ,MetalItalia, Echoes and Dust, Score A/V, thanks to the, usually pretty good, reviews.

Two years have now passed. How's the band doing now?
"In those 2 years we changed our formation, Francesco left the band after the rehearsal and Andrea and Michele have arrived, since then we got to know each other musically and personally and I think that touring together has played a huge part in this. We already published with a live video a new song called "Epidermide" which had a great response, now we're aiming to a whole new album to valorize the new formation, so I can really say that we're doing pretty good!"

You changed a guitarist and took two in his place. Then you also have a new piece that will have the violin as an additional instrument. So you have 3 guitarists now? Tell me more about this big changes
"Having three guitars is hard, not joking, everyone needs to be heard clearly the frequencies do not have to be overlayed, but it offers huge possibilities in terms of composition, sound and approach at music, plus now we're thinking to add also some electronical pad to the drums as well. "

Italy has been particularly hard hit by this corona crisis. Hopefully everyone in your personal environment is okay?
"It has been a hard hit for everyone, the whole Country has spent almost two months in quarantine, these days we're opening up a little bit, but everything is going to be different from now on I guess, someone was even talking about having drive in concerts. (Just image the mosh pit ahahah).
Luckily neither us nor our relatives got the virus and now we're aching to go back to our normal lives."

I suppose many plans fell through this crisis? How do you deal with that as a band (and personally)?
"I just want you to know that we were supposed to open up for We Lost the Sea, and we also were planning a minitour in Germany with Rise Above Dead  in june. Now almost at the end of the quarantine we amimg forward, during isolation we have worked on some new tracks and above all, we're going to have some guest musicians for those tracks."

The reason for this interview is the release of a new single? and also a future release of a new record? feel free to tell more about it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ8gSUU33MM

"Epidermide, before the quarantine, should have been an EP, but considering that now we got almost 5 songs we recently decided to record a whole new full album to valorize both the music and the guest musicians: we're having violinist , saxophonist and much more ..."

When is the new release planned? And what direction will it take in comparison to the debut?
"Due to this situation everything we planned got canceled, so at the moment nothing is on schedule sadly. As soon as possible we'll gather again to begin the recording sessions!
I think that are going to be big differences with the first album, at least in terms of maturity.
Those tracks have been thought and written by five different musicians, Autumnalia has instead a lot of riffs that were born and thought for a duo guitar and drums; I also know that the guest musicians will bring a lot of elegance and characterization to the tracks.
We also are valuing considering to name each song in a way that might tell a story an additional to the music, as we did graphically in Autumalia."

Are there plans to bring the release live at social media or something? How are you going to promote this EP in these difficult times?
"Actually we haven't thought about doing an online realese, we can consider that, but I think we'll wait for the full album to organize a release party."

What are the future plans after this crisis?
"To go back to normality in first place, as well as countless other bands we're feeling the urge to grab the instrument and play, in first place for ourself and our well-being, so when we'll return on stage we can give our hundred percent for our fans!"

Is there also something like a post rock scene in Italy?
"Kinda of: we got a lot of talented musicians and band in Italy, the whole underground scene is rich of genres and ideas that are very focused on an experimental approch to music. This is referred to the whole underground: avangrade like Arto, Nero di Marte, OvO, Bologna Violenta, screamo like Storm{o} (the the whole festival Venezia Hardcore, that is getting bigger and bigger every year), post rock/metal like Postvorta, WOWS , Aikira, Winterdust, Elieen Sol, ourselves of course, then other great band like Cani dei Portici, Lleroy, Turin Horse, Nadsat, Lento and Zu, and I have to cite Krakatoa festival in Bologna, three days of delirious heaviness full of great names.
Here in Italy is really difficult to be a musician, the odds are infinite and often you are never taken seriously, but I think that this peculiarity of whole underground scene has allowed to build bondings that go further the mere genres of the bands, that's why in Italy we have an Underground scene that host bands of any kind."

My last question, how can fans support you? Feel free to put some links where you can buy merchandise and the like
We have a BandCamp for the united states users with our label Fluttery records https://riah-band.bandcamp.com/releases  for the CD in jewel case version, the vinyl version of the album can be bought on Moment of Collapse page https://kollektif.eu/sludgedoom/51828-riah-autumnalia-lp.html  for the european costumers,  the vinyl and the the t shirt (with special bundle) found on this bandcamp
https://riah.bandcamp.com/merch
, but you can also directly write to us on Instagram  @riahband or  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RiahBand  for the CD in digipack (European version) and the other stuff.

Maybe this conversation about redoing at Dunk! Festival next year? Do you know that festival and that possibility exists
"I Have to admit that Dunk! Festival has always been one of the principal goals of the band, we really hope to be able to take part in sooner or later!"

Are there any important messages to the readers, feel free to post them below?
"I'd like to tell to the whole audience to continue to support your favorite bands, in particular during this hard times that we  are all having; we all do what we do for and with passion, to see and feel you all under the stage having a good times. We do our best, all of us, to bring you music and experiences but without your support this cannot last forever, so please be the wanderful fans you have always been and let us feel your support!"