Dear readers, we have the pleasure of hosting an Italian artist in this interview, a member of the UK band Tyger Of Pan Tag since 2020. We welcome Francesco Marras.
You are a Guitarist/Songwriter/Singer/Producer, how did you get into music and Heavy Sounds?
“I started listening to heavy metal very early. When I was 8 years old my older brother was listening to an Iron Maiden cassette, Piece of Mind to be exact, I went into his room and stayed there listening. From there on my passion for heavy metal was born. He had many friends who listened to that type of music and passed me cassettes, CDs, I had the opportunity to meet many bands.“
What are your sources of inspiration in this regard?
“I always say that everything I’ve done in life I’ve done to try to be like Steve Harris and Iron Maiden. I didn’t want to be them, like many musicians do today with cover/tribute bands, but I wanted to be like them and write my own music, something that could last over time and leave a mark of my existence on this planet. Even today Iron Maiden is my greatest source of inspiration, obviously over the years my musical culture has expanded a lot and in my way of writing music I am influenced by everything I have listened to and by different musical genres.“
February 21, 2025 will see the release of your new album “Out Of The Fire,” how would you describe this work?
“‘Out of the fire’ is an album more similar to Time Flies (my second solo instrumental album) because it includes songs from different periods, in fact some songs were written even before my previous album “It’s Me!”, from 2022. Furthermore, just like in Time Flies, there are several guests (such as David Readman from Pink Cream 69, Gianni Pontillo from Victory, Iacopo Meille from Tygers of Pan Tang, etc.) and most of the songs have already been released as digital singles/videos on YouTube. There are 3 unreleased songs.“
Vocal and instrumental parts intertwine, what themes do the lyrics of the albuim deal with?
“The themes of the lyrics vary from introspective and focused on the meaning of life, and simpler lyrics such as Lost Souls, which talks about two alcoholics (a boy and a girl) who fall in love and together manage to solve their problems and live a new life. Or Cyber Lust talks about the addiction to pornography and the female image on social media.“
10 tracks with several guest appearances, what did they bring to the sound and composition of the album?
“I tried to involve the singers on songs that were good for their style, so as to make them feel at ease and I must say that everyone had a good time and gave their best, taking my songs to a higher level.“
You played several instruments on the album, what equipment did you use?
“Since the songs were recorded and produced in different periods of my life, you can hear a variety of sounds and mix / mastering in the album. Speaking of the guitar sound, in the older songs they were recorded using a Marshall jcm 2000 dsl with 4×12 cabinet with celestion vintage 30 and Creamback speakers and as microphones I used a sure sm57 and a ennheiser md421. In the more recent songs instead I used the sounds of the Kemper.“
You have extracted some singles from the upcoming album, should we expect more to anticipate the release?
“Before the release, no, because time is short and I need to promote the album. While in the next few months, after the release of the album, I plan to release a couple of new videos of songs from the album on YouTube.“
Many of our readers and your fans wonder if there will be a chance to hear your music live, or is this a studio-only project?
“For the first time ever I will have the opportunity to bring this solo project of mine sung live,
in fact to promote the work, I have planned a mini tour in Germany in March, here are the
details of the tour:
Tuesday 25 March – Jazzkeller, Krefeld
Wednesday 26th March – Rockin’ Rooster – Haan
Thursday 27th March – Quattro Cultura – Köln
Friday 28 th March – Schänke, Haltern am See
Saturday 29th March – Alt Werdohl – Werdohl
Sunday 30th March – SOL Kulturbar“
Since 2020 you have been a member of UK cult band Tyger Of Pan Tang, how did this collaboration come about and how does it differ from your solo work?
“What I do for my solo project is uncompromising, that is, I do exactly what I want and how I want, for me this is very important because, in addition to being an outlet, when I compose I write the parts of all the instruments, the lyrics and the vocal lines. While when I work with Tygers, being a band, obviously each member of the band puts his own spin on it and expresses his opinions on the direction of the songs, it is more of a team effort. In any case, I am a very active composer.“
What memories or anecdotes would you like to tell us about your experiences with the band?
“There are so many fun things that happen on tour with Tygers, but I will never forget the first show we did, it was in Madrid and, because of covid, even though I had joined the band, we hadn’t done a single show in the first 2 years together. So we met in Madrid a few days before the show to get to know each other and do two days of very intense rehearsals. The show went great.“
You are lucky enough to be in contact with different realities, including international ones, how do you see today’s Heavy Music scene?
“The Hard’n’Heavy scene is alive in Europe, there are so many venues and festivals where you can play live and people go to see the bands. It’s great to feel the support of the fans. Even when we play in Italy the response is fantastic.“
What advice would you give to young artists approaching music with sounds like yours?
“The greatest advice I can give to young musicians is to rely on an experienced producer for the production of their studio works and to accept his advice on the sound of the instruments, on the mix/mastering and on the structure and arrangements of the songs. Probably if I had had such a figure available in Sardinia when I started, I would have achieved my goals sooner.“
You are an experienced musician, how has your sound evolved over the years?
“As for the guitar sound, for example, I experienced the transition from analog to digital first-hand, so my first recordings were on tape. I remember, for example, the revolution that came with the release of the Line6 Pod, which paved the way for all subsequent amp simulators. I still consider myself lucky to have grown up playing directly connected to a Marshall. Today, however, when I play live, I use the Kemper, which has made my life on the road a lot easier, because I never know what amp I’ll find on stage and it guarantees that I always have my sound.“
Do you have any other activities or artistic passions outside music?
“I am a full time musician, but I really like nature, the sea, living in Sardinia I am in the right place.“
I thank Francesco for the interview, wishing him all the best for the release of his new album and the continuation of his artistic career.
“Thank you for your support! My new album “Out of the Fire” is available in CD on my website: https://www.francescomarras.com and to stay up to date on my activities I invite you to follow me on my social pages:
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