LH: Greetings. First of all, your album The Powerful Hand has recently been released worldwide through Scarlet Records. How has the response to the album been from the press?

STEFANO: Hi everyone! Although it was our debut, we can say the album received very good feedbacks from the press, as well as the entire production. Words of appreciation have been spread by well-known hard rock/heavy metal magazines worldwide, and it?s cool someway to see they are attracted by the unusual inspiration of our contents and lyrics, besides the music. I think we are only at the beginning!

LH: I understand that the Seminary of Catania have helped you to finance ?The Powerful Hand?. Exactly how involved are the Seminary of Catania with the release?

TONY: Our cooperation together with the Seminary of Catania was conclusive to enter the recordings and to get over the work with the mastering fase. They are co-producer of the album and let me say that?s a great, uncommon event. It sounds quite strange but this is the fact. They really believe in our project and are part of it since Davide Bruno (keyboards) entered the institute for his vocation. We thank them all for everything they?ve done for us and the project.

LH: From what I have gathered, it was only in 2001 that you began using any kind of religious inspiration in your lyrics, by which time you?d have been going for 3 years. Up until that point, what did you write about?

VIRGILIO: Our lyrics were usually inspired by life itself, expecially by human emotions and by those great questions about existence that everyone has to face up at a certain time. The change happened in 2001, as you mentioned before. I think we have changed our point of view, because we changed as men in spirit, not only in music. It?s easy to explain it now: this is our identity!

LH: Was there a point in which you turned to the Catholic faith, or was this something that was already a part of you long before you began using this as musical inspiration?

STEFANO: Who knows?I think nobody knows how much religious a man or a woman can be. All of us received a Catholic education since our childhood and this is quite normal for people living in a country like Italy, I think. So we had been always close to the Catholic culture. Davide?s vocation was the turn of the page, it?s sure and as men we are still on walking and searching, just to better comprehend our faith, enlightened by Christ?s word. That?s the truth.

LH: Tell us, where else do you turn for inspiration for your music and lyrics?

(STEFANO) As I told you before, life itself gives us the inspiration. For example, I often take a look at my profession and as physician I can say there might be thousands reasons to find inspiration. When a patient smiles or cries, when you work all day long and still not find a good cure for their sufferings, when you try to bring back a young boy to life, whe you live all this every day, sometimes you have to take a deep breath, hold your pen, turn on your guitar amp and begin to write! This happens to me so many times?But there are some other ways to explain what lies in our hearts? think about ?War is pain again?. We wrote this song just to say ?no? to any kind of war and violence. And these are unfortunately times of war and violence, don?t you think?

LH: Of course, there are a lot of religious types who view all kinds of heavy music as something more sinister than it really is, and likewise there are fans of metal who believe the two elements cannot mix. Do you think it is possible, perhaps through your music, to open up a few eyes and change these ideas?

(DAVIDE) It is exactly what?s happening! And this is a great thing! We think it?s time to make those people change their convinctions. But all this needs to be gradual. We are metallers and show our passion for heavy music in each song! We?re demonstrating that even with a extreme kind of music like heavy metal is, it?s possible to talk about Jesus Christ and the Gospel, to merge heavy metal with faith. At he same time we?re humbly educating the religious world around us that heavy metal is not only violence, bad messages and Satanism. Trust me, to see hundreds of people singing and jumping while we?re playing The Rock, which is inspired to Psalm 62, it?s really amazing!

LH: I?m aware that you take part in benefit activities and collect money for various causes, could you tell us about your involvement with these?

DAVIDE: You?re just talking about a side of our project. We want to collect money using part of the gains related to the album sale. We?ll use them to support a mission in Guatemala for the young prisoners rieducation programs. (TONY) We are directly in contact with some priests who live and work there since many years, so no other third parties or benefit companies will be involved. It is a safe mode, we think.

LH: You all come from different musical backgrounds. Which other bands or projects have you all been involved with up until you formed the band?

JO: We started in 1998. We used a different moniker (Metafora) but the line up was the same as you know. Virgilio Ragazzi (bass) played in several progressive metal projects, while Tony Zappa was already drummer and composer of the power-symphonic metallers Orion Riders. I knew Stefano Calvagno (guitars) about 3 years before we met Davide Bruno. We used to play together melodic and classic power metal, using both Italian both English language since the beginning. That?s why you can find so different music styles in our songwriting.

LH: Finally do you plan to tour on the back of ?The Powerful hand??

VIRGILIO: As you know it?s so difficult for a ?new comer? band to have a good promotional tour, but we are working on this to complete it as soon as possible. Lives and gigs are very important for us, as musicians, and for the project as well, because we can see our fans face to face, we can exchange our emotions and bear witness of our faith and passion. So, stay tuned on band?s official website www.metatrone.org for upcoming events and further informations about live performances!

LH: Thanks for your time. Do you have any final words?

STEFANO: Please, let me say thank to you for the chance you give to the band, really. Thank you for your patience! (ALL) God bless you all! See you on stage!

Interviewed by Luci Herbertp> www.metatrone.org