Vihaan Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Vihaan was formed in 2012 by Lorenzo Piccirilli as solo project based just outside of Detroit, MI. The focus is on the music, songwriting, and a range of influences from modern progressive death metal, 70s prog rock, and jazz fusion.


2.Recently you have released an album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

People familiar with Opeth’s material will be be accustomed to the sound; lots of lengthy songs with dark vocals, complex, yet groove laden rhythmic passages, and constant gyration between the extremes of total chaos and softer progressions. I like to layer sounds and include instruments with many types of timbres. Nothing written is overly complicated, but I think the final product is complex and deep.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

The lyrics are purposely vague and open to interpretation. The lyrics are fairly eclectic, dealing with paradoxes, and current and personal events.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Vihaan'?

Vihaan means “a new dawn” in Hindi and “hatred” in Finnish. I wasn’t aware of the Finnish meaning until later, however I believe the dual meaning reflects the music quite nicely.


5.The band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind forming a full line up?

The band still is a solo project, I brought on long time friends Chris Burrows (drums) and Anthony Lipari (Vocals) to fill out the sound in the original recording. We are jamming the record currently in preparation for potential live shows.


6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

N/A


7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

We are looking to play a couple local shows in the near future.


8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

I am not looking for a label and it probably wouldn’t make sense right now for a big label to sign Vihaan. Perhaps in the future.


9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of the extreme and progressive metal genres?

It has been small but positive. I think this is a great launchpad for future albums and there is quite a bit of sonic diversity in the debut. It was a long and drawn out writing process, with some of the original recordings and final mixing spaced out by two years. In the end, a distillation of my best material made the cut, but in the future I plan to keep the incubation time (from start to finish) much shorter.


10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

I see the project going from one extreme to the other and constantly pushing the envelope. Although I’m pleased with how Invicta turned out, I want to take more risks and push limits with at least parts of the next release. Whatever the sound and genre it happens to be, I want it to be intense to listen to.


11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I listen to plenty of progressive metal, Opeth, Cynic, Lamb of God, Devin Townsend, and Between the Buried and Me, to name a few. Some artists outside of metal have been influential as well, such as Kimbra, Camel, Almost Free, Chvrches, and Hiatus Kaiyote.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Outside of music, I enjoy reading books on finance and building computers.


13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?