Black Light on bbr

"Even when you have to follow a hard path, you always know that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel"

Black Light are currently working on the new EP "Set Yourself Ablaze" and bbr took the opportunity to talk with the Italian metalcore band. Enjoy the interview below.

Would you like to give us a brief history of Black Light?
Of course! So Black Light was founded in 2012 by Nicholas Casarin (guitar) and Mattia Casarin (drums), who are brothers and so grew up together with the same passion for music. At first, the band was more into a Hardrock style, which evolved in some kind of Thrash Metal. Than, it completely turned into a Metalcore one! The current line-up has been long-awaited, and we already have a huge list of former singers of bassists until we became the current line- up. We now live in Liepāja, Latvia to work with our new recording label, Sliptrick Records. We hope four our future to realise our dreams and live of our art.

Tell us about the name Black Light. How did you come up with it?
I would say it just came by itself. We wanted something simple, that anyone could remember. I know that some people could find it basic but they don’t know what’s behind it and so I’m excited to explain it right here. The “Black” represents the way we use our darkest feelings and transform them into something we could be proud of. It’s like turning negative energy into music. The “Light”, is the hope we have for our future, which enlighten our mind and gives us the strength to continue. Cuz even when you have to follow a hard path, you always know that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.

How would you describe your music?
It depends a lot on which timeframe you’re talking about, because our music changed, and is still changing a lot. Our first official album, “Storms and Shades” goes in many different direction and, even if its main sound is metalcore, it features different types of styles. There’s an Alternative metal song, a Grunge song, and an acoustic ballad as well. Our new EP “Set Yourself Ablaze” is way more compact and united. There’s a main core you can find in all songs that leads you from the first to the last one.

Your forthcoming EP «Set Yourself Ablaze» will come out on label Sliptrick Records later in the year. Tell us more about this release.
This album was kind of an adventure for us. You know, we were all in different places when we recorded it, except for Nicholas and Mattia who were together. So we were sending stuff to each other by social media. But then everything flew in the right direction when we recorded it at Golden Factory Studio. Our new bassist, Matteo Perini, was in the band only since two month when we did, but its recording session has been as good as the other ones, so we’re happy of the result. This EP goes deeper into a metalcore sound, cutting some of the previous influences. It’s very focused on breakdowns. So we expect a lot of moshpits from the audience during our forthcoming live shows!

What are your songs about and what are your main sources of inspiration?
Our first album and new EP has kind of similar lyrical themes which are discussing and questioning social topics. Okay, that was a better way to say we basically bitch on everything and everyone into it! What inspired us for that is the idea you make of the world, of society and the way it works when you start to discover it. It’s a lot about disillusion and the reaction to it. Our source of inspiration could be anything we could see around us. People, places, something that could happen and inspired us or something we could see. You know, sometimes a small detail could stay into your mind and lead you very far from the start, then, you end up developing a whole piece about it.

You have released the first single, «Map Of Truth», the first track taken from the forthcoming EP. Are you satisfied with the result?
Oh yeah we are! It’s deep, dark, but at the same time groovy featuring a melodic chorus,whitout losing the main darkness. It’s like a heavy punch in the face. I would say heavier than usual Metalcore. That’s the case for many songs of “Set Yourself Ablaze” and I think that the EP’s title talks by itself.

What is the response of the fans?
We had a nice feedback, and the first review was really satisfying. It made us blush! The fans liked it a lot too, so we’re happy about everything that’s happening since we released it. We feel grateful to everybody, and we can’t believe that all our hard work starts gaining some recognition, it’s a really great feeling.

Which are your plans for the future?
We’re keep writing new stuff right now. It’s gonna sound different from the first album and the new EP as well. Then, we’re planning some live shows and a tour. We’ll start from Tallin, Estonia, where we will play the 3rd of August to warm up for Betraying The Martyrs.

Which artists would you like to work with and for what reason?
I think every band member has his different artist he would like to work with. Nicholas is a huge fan of virtuous guitarists like Jason Richardson, or classic great ones like Zakk Wylde. Mattia loves Asking Alexandria, and we take inspiration from them for our music as well. Matteo admires Ryan Martini from Mudvayne, and for me, it would definitely be Corey Taylor, from Slipknot and Stone Sour. Then, there’s a lot of Metalcore bands we would like to play with, like Blessthefall, Bad Omens, Division, Miss May i and I Prevail.

Thank you very much for this interview. Anything else you want to add?
We wanna thank you guys from BBR for this interview, we’re really happy to have a place into your webzine. You guys are amazing and we admire the interest you have for growing bands like us. So, to everybody who could read this, take a look at BBRweb.com, it’s a great webzine!!