HADEAN TIDES – GIORGIO TROMBINO
Art: Mariya Popyk
Assumption started out as a studio-only project in 2011 in Palermo, Sicily, with me, Giorgio Trombino (guitar, synths and vocals) and David Lucido (drums,). After releasing our second record, an EP entitled The Three Appearances (2014), we decided to turn Assumption into a live band. Our latest album Hadean Tides (2022), features our full line-up, which comprises Matija Dolinar on guitar and Claudio Troise on bass. We played gigs around the EU plus festivals such as the Kill Town in Copenhagen and Asakusa Death Fest in Tokyo, both in 2019.
On a lyrical level, ‘Hadean Tides’ goes from poetic elaborations inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke, W.B. Yeats, Dylan Thomas and T.S. Eliot to dark depictions of antediluvian worlds. There needs to be a proper storyline, but there is a red thread linking figures and moods.
I believe in inspiration, which is an entirely esoteric process in its own right. For instance, our track ‘Triptych’ features some imagery related to the mythological musical fight between God Apollo and Marsyas, the Satyr. Marsyas played the aulos, i.e. the flute Euterpe, muse and goddess of musical inspiration, has been iconised with. That whole song is an ode to the free-form creation of images. For what concerns atheism in metal, I guess there must be a connection between those things, but I don’t see any conflict in it. Everyone should be entitled to the use of religious, pseudo-religious or pseudo-scientifical themes from a completely secular standpoint. Satanism, theism and the like can be used as mere cultural sources, and they should not imply, confirm or deny the connection of such elements to whichever songwriter’s personal belief.
I can’t speak for anybody else, but I base my life mostly on magical thought. I believe in forces beyond our imagination, and superstition has its weight in my perception of reality. There are a number of things that can be shaped by your own unique visualisation of reality and little else.
Doom metal is a way of conveying sombre moods, and it’s one I’m very at ease with. Its power lies within the mostly slow tempos. As a musician and listener, you are implicitly invited to rethink the act of listening while allowing notes and rhythms to breathe, find their own space and progressively reveal their nature. I love the fact that it goes 100% against the pace of modern times, as it’s a contemplative genre. To experience it fully, you have to sit down and let sounds flow through you, whether you’re into Sorcerer, Solstice, Pagan Altar or Thergothon. Philosophy-wise, my previous answer was more or less clear about that.
I can’t recall having relevant musical thoughts while being drunk or high aside from a single occasion through opium. I felt a deep, peaceful connection with the surroundings and still vividly remember that sensation. These days when I write music, I conceive an album individually as a whole. Therefore, I look at the general structure of the songs first, picture them within a possible tracklist and re-think stuff to create a functional equilibrium of moods. This only sometimes works, and sometimes you just have to set your creativity loose.
Yes, there have been some tragedies in my life which have definitely influenced some of the music I’ve done. I’ve thrown lyrical bits here and there, but I admit it’s hard to read between the lines.
Evil and malevolence are pivotal factors in metal songwriting. You have to imagine something big, dark and mighty when you write. It definitely helps. It has to be magic; take you someplace else and kick you in the guts all the way through. Truth be said, there is also a more mental dimension to the music, but it’s got more to do with how you link a band’s sound to their aesthetics. Artworks and lyrics create a vertical bond with music because they help you picture scenes while listening to the songs. It’s got to evoke something out of the unknown.
Believe it or not, I discussed this specific issue with my sister the other day. She said, ‘ if our end time ever comes, we’d rather dance it away to a beat. It’s poignant to see music as the ultimate experience.
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