Matt: What do I think? That it's awesome! *laughs* It is, without doubts, our best album and looks like 'exploded' in all the world and it's positive. We were in the Top Five of a lot of countries, n°1 in Japan...
Dany: I believe that Fever is the right mix of Scream Aim Fire and The Poison. You? What were you thinking during the recordings of Fever?
Matt: Well, we just wanted to record a CD that would satisfy us in primis and we caught everything great from our other records and put them in Fever, bettering the songs at the same time. It's an easy formula but it worked!
Dany: The record has been recorded in a few different studios. Why all this variety?
Matt: Oh...Dunno! We get bored [easily]! *laughs* After staying always in the same place, you get bored, it's better moving, coming back to Wales and etc. The vocal session has been recorded in two different studios.
Dany: What you would say to all those fans who dislike the album because there aren't so many screams?
Matt: Stop wingin'! Go listen to another band! We play what we play and always screaming would be boring. What we do now [clean vocals] is more longeval, more mature, if you understand what I mean. If someone wants more screaming, go listen to fucking Hatebreed! To not have no respect to them, they are fantastic! But they play following their ways, we do following ours.
Dany: And Fever's vocals are really over the top, congrats!
Matt: Thank you. It was what we wanted. We worked a lot, really hardly. We worked more on the vocals because the music is the music, we can play it well but the voices were very important this time.
Dany: There were rumors about no ballads in Fever but there are two. Of course, everyone dislike this. What do you think?
Matt: Stop complaining about this! *laughs* What it's said before recording an album, it's not compulsorily what we have to do then! And then...then, A Place Where You Belong, to me, isn't a ballad. It's a song about (mass) slaughter, it's not a ballad! People thinks that a song with clean guitars and a low rhythm...it's a ballad. It's stupid! *laughs*
Dany: Right after The Poison's release you released a DVD, do you believe that now it's (again) the right moment to release a new DVD?
Matt: Well, we may do something at the end of the year, after the arena tour in UK...we'll record a few, we'll see and we'll decide. Everything is subject to change.
Dany: At the end of the month you'll play again in Italy at Gods Of Metal with Cannibal Corpse, Motorhead and other groups...Italian audience is intolerant...are you scared for the bottles? [That can reach the stage while the set]
Matt: Ah, bring it on! I can launch them too! I'm amplified, I'm more noisy...*laughs*
Dany: Looks in Wales there's a great music environment...You, Lostprophets, Funeral For A Friend and more...Do you believe that it's a great country for rock music?
Matt: Sincerely I don't think that it matters where we come from, it's more important how much we love music and we love playing music. It happens everywhere, you have your band, work hard and hope that a producer will find your group, a day...
Dany: You're usual to play in huge arenas but tonight you'll play in a little club...What do you think? The pros and cons?
Matt: The pros to play in a little club...*thinks* are funny! They are cool but not the real deal. The stage is really little, fuck! It'll be fun. It recalls us how we began, which is cool.
Dany: You're all daddies in the band. You in particolar have become one recently...
Matt: True, his name is Evann, do you want to see him?
Dany: Of course!
- Matt lets see him the pic on his iPhone -
He looks so similar with you!
Matt: Well, yeah...I hope! *laughs*
Dany: By the way, Moose and Jay too...
Matt: Yeah, Moose has two children, Jay has a daughter but her wife is pregnant...she will deliver the baby next month!
Dany: Is it difficult, to you, to manage the band and the family?
Matt: Oh...for me the thing is new but we do, and it's not easy! I have seen Evann just the last weekend at Donington, I held him but the second after I had to give him to Charly because I had to play. It's hard. I mean, to him the thing doesn't change and mean that much, but for me it's hard to see him change, grow and not be there. Before the European tour, we have been in America for five weeks and when I came back and I have seen him at Download, he has grown so much, he was bright and always laughed...I thought 'shit!'. I wasn't there while everything happened. But he's alright, I don't think he mind about this that much *laughs*. But I'll work harder because of him.
Dany: This is the third time you come in Italy, do you like our country? What do you think of Italian audience?
Matt: I like it, the two past show we played [in Italy] weren't the biggest of this world, but they have been awesome! Tonight the stage is little but is funny. It's for fans, the fans who loves this shows, I would love to see my favorite groups too!
Dany: Any future plans?
Matt: We never stop, dear! We have to play at these festival, then one month off so Jay can remain with his wife..then Japan, Australia, America, Europe and UK, Australia again, then maybe, relax. Then I'll see my baby, maybe *laughs* Then everything will start again. New album, new tour...and then I'll die! *laughs*
Dany: Well, everyone has to die!
Matt: Yeah...Great problem! *laughs*
Daniele (Dany) Amato for Hard Sounds.it