Introductory interview with SCHIZOPHRENIA (Belgium)

SCHIZOPHRENIA from Antwerp Belgium. The band consisted of : Ricky  Mandozzi (Bass, Vocals),  Lorenzo Vissol (Drums), Marty  Van  Kerckhoven  (Lead Guitar)  and  Romeo  Promos Promopoulos ( Rhythm Guitar). Their first material was a single ''Perpetual Perdition'' out on October 1st, 2019. They achieved this first  introductory goal.  Where  they  gained  great  global recognition  through  social  media  and  became the craze of deaththrash  fans  as  a  whole.  After  that,  the symptoms  of Schizophrenia became even crazier with the presence of this EP '' Voices '' out on January  31st, 2020. It lasts 20 minutes of 5 tracks included. It captures the greatness of the 80s era without being  boring  or  repetitive  and  that  is  the main reason it is hoisted today.  The  songs  are  not  too  complicated but still aggressive enough to be interesting to listen to. The first song ''Structure of Death'' is a timeless hymn for every respectable thrasher and deathster, and it’s also one of the first songs that ever caught my attention when I began listening to SCHIZOPHRENIA. Ricky Mandozzi got a harsh and fierce vocal reminded  me  of  Tom  Angelripper  or  maybe  slightly  David Vincent. Musically it fueled by ferocious, tightly-executed riffing and intricate bass/drum, thickness- double-bass fills that give it an  extra  intensity  on  the production. The next song from the single  ''Perpetual Perdition' ' was  indeed  hit  with  a  speeding without mercy, there is a lot riff of SEPULTURA and KREATOR as well. However, the EP is just at the beginning. Right from the third  track  you  notice  that  something has changed; even a bestial,  furious  assault  like  “Mortal  Sin”  and  others last two tracks.  I think it were a sign that SCHIZOPHRENIA will go even further towards adding more death metal to the mix on their music that you'd hear in their future albums.

   However,  this  EP  is  like  a  therapy capable to inject enough doses to treat your schizophrenic (if you had), In addition to the treatment  of  psychotropic . So,  keep  listening  to this Belgian septic  schizo,  before  ending  with  a  chronic  assault!!  Really recommended!

 

   Hi ! Thanks for your time, it’s much appreciated. How are you? Can you tell us about your previous bands and how far did you think you can go with this band? 

 

Hello, thanks to Metal Distraction for having us! Lorenzo here drummer of the band, all is good for us given the situation and hopefully for you as well. In SCHIZOPHRENIA all of us had past bands related somehow with the thrash and death metal scene and it is through this common ground that eventually the band was created in 2016. A year prior Ricky (Bass/vocals) and Romeo (Guitar) met when joining an already existing thrash metal band in Antwerp but quickly decided that they wanted to play a more extreme kind of metal. They decided then to form SCHIZOPHRENIA. To complete the band, they asked Marty who was a friend and at the time active in a local death metal band to join on second guitar. Finally, they asked me to fill the drums duty. Ricky and I had crossed path some years before through another death metal oriented musical project in Brussels. In a way all our past bands were our training ground. They enabled us to know exactly where we wanted to go with SCHIZOPHRENIA and be ready right from day one.

   Why did you decide with the name  SCHIZOPHRENIA?

The name Schizophrenia was chosen by Romeo and Ricky in reference and homage to one of the greatest metal albums. However, it was also chosen for the fact that this album is a demonstration of ‘extreme metal’ at the time when we didn’t yet divide everything into predefined style. The only thing that mattered was playing metal to its extreme. This is the mindset we all share and want to transmit. We don’t care about what style we are playing, whether it is thrash or death metal, all that matters is transmitting an energy and aggression that was already there in the early years of SEPULTURA. In addition, Schizophrenia is also the disease of a tormented mind who unfortunately must live its life in tension and pain from within. Though often misunderstood as simply a split of personality, we think the disease is a good reflection of that energy we want to transmit.

  What were you aiming at in the beginning you started the band?

We were aiming to the same thing we are still aiming now. That is, through music reflect the energy and aggression we feel inside in whatever shape it comes natural to us. But perhaps we also wanted to make a statement. In a period where metal has been a trend for most of the scene well divided into their specific genres, in a period where, in Belgium at least, it became fashionable, we wanted to get closer to what we think linked all the bands we love so much. Again, it’s all about the energy. That same one you could feel when listening to KING DIAMOND, MORBID ANGEL or BLACK SABBATH. This is why we don’t say we play “Old School” or “revival”, not only because this has also become a trend but also because that energy for which we started SCHIZOPHRENIA is not confined to the 80s. We want to carry it in 2020, not in a constant reminiscence of the past.

   You have just release a new 5 track EP ''Voices''. So, what was your objective, and Why you put out as an EP and not a full length album?

 We released “Voices” in January 2020 and it’s our debut EP. We wanted to get the band out there with the best result possible we could achieve at that time.  The EP was meant as a presentation of the band, laying down the foundations for what is yet to come. We didn’t have pre-set objectives other than just make the most out of it. To use it as grounds for experience and learning in order afterwards to release our first Full Length without any regrets. I think releasing an album right away would have been too early and perhaps a mistake.

    Have your lyrics related to the concept of Schizophrenia itself, maybe it has something to do with the affairs of life around you?

Well, the whole EP is based on the concept of madness and tormented minds. We've tried to put it together with themes like violence and a bit of mental disorders. The lyrics were greatly inspired by real stories that we decided to tell from another point of view.

   You’ve made vinyl/CD’s for the EP your self right? – are you in touch with any labels for distribution abroad?

We decided to self-release this EP and promote it ourselves. We’re quite satisfied with how it went. In addition, we already partnered with several labels around the world for distribution deals. Dying Victims from Germany produced a limited amount of tapes. Spiritual Beast from Japan teamed up with Universal Japan to release this summer an exclusive South East Asia and Japan press of the Ep. Napalm Records also released a limited blue vinyl edition and finally Redefining Darkness just announced our North American press with two new limited vinyl colours. However, self-releasing “Voices” gave us lots of exposure and we received many record deals. We'll see what the future brings.

    You have successfully highlighted the old school thrash sound and many listeners suppose you are influenced by SODOM.  Could that be inaccurate or maybe there is something more accurate than that?

We definitely have many influences but maybe not SODOM in particular despite being fans of Sodom.

I think SLAYER, early MORBID ANGEL, SEPULTURA, DARK ANGEL were stronger influences in the making of “Voices” but if listeners hear SODOM in there that's also cool!

   Which of your most important tour was delayed due to an outbreak? So, what is your hope?

In March 2020 we toured Europe together with EVIL INVADERS and ANGELUS APATRIDA. Unfortunately, the tour was cut short due to the pandemic. Given we had released our Ep only a month prior it was our first real occasion to promote it. The reaction of the crowd each night was incredible. We even sold out several items from our merch table. It’s too bad we had to cancel those last dates, we owe it to the fans from those cancelled shows to come back! Of course, we also had quite an extensive list of shows planned to promote the release following that particular tour but all were cancelled. It’s a pity because we were not able to properly defend the EP on stage. The difficulty now is that it’s hard to plan anything in the upcoming months or year. We already announced a rerun of the tour with EVIL INVADERS and ANGELUS APATRIDA this coming February, another tour is in the making as well as one offs shows. Hopefully most of the shows can still happen, that’s what we hope for at the moment.

   Do you already have songs for the next upcoming first album? Maybe you have any different ideas about it?

We have had to adapt to this Covid-19 situation and modify our plans a little but we’re actually already preparing our next release, shortly we’ll be entering the studio with some new material. We will give more info about this later on, all I can say for now is that the new material is more intense and faster. We’re quite excited to show our fans what we’ve been preparing lately.

    Well, that's all.  Hope you have a successful career. Is there anything left to say?

Thanks! And thanks as well to any one reading this and supporting the metal scene in any way. Hopefully we can meet sooner than later. Cheers.