Dear readers, we have the pleasure to offer you in this article an interview with an Italian band that proposes Progressive Rock with Metal contaminations and a new album out. We welcome Mysteria Noctis.
Hi, welcome to our pages, how are you?
“Hello! All good, thank you! We’re honored to be featured here on the pages of Progressive
Rock Journal. The band is the brainchild of Alessio Negretti, Alberto Negretti and Giacomo Piccinini,
joined by Mattia Di Lorenzo and Gioele D’Adda.“
How did the band form and what meaning does the name Mysteria Noctis have for you?
“The band was formed when we were very young; we were all still high school students at the time. We started off on a lighter note music-wise, and after some rearranging and change of path we consolidated on “Mysteria Noctis” around 2011. So 2025 marks the 14th year together as a band!
The name was born during our very first progressive death metal period, but its meaning has evolved alongside us. It now resonates deeply with the themes we explore in our albums: introspection and the ongoing quest to understand the essence of existence. In a way, we aim to delve into the mysteries of a metaphorical night.“
You offer Progressive Rock sounds with heavy contaminations, how did your passion for these sounds come about?
“We’ve always listened to all sorts of metal music, not exclusively progressive. In fact, our first full-length, “Higher Dimensions”, was definitely heavier and inspired by extreme metal, prominently black and death metal. There probably were hints of the future evolution of our sound even back then, as in some progressive and avantgarde influences were there already – just not fully exploited and explored! As we grew older we naturally let go of the heavier parts and focused more and more on the progressive parts.“
Regarding this, what are your main sources of inspiration?
“We tend to include a bunch of influences in our music and try to avoid being too dogmatic or purist. Sticking to progressive rock and metal, we obviously include the classics, for instance Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Genesis, Jethro Tull, and Marillion; as for more contemporary artists, we are very much influenced by bands in the likes of Dream Theater, Opeth, The Dear Hunter, Tesseract, Porcupine Tree, and Vola. Going beyond strictly prog stuff, influences may vary a lot depending on the band member and album being considered. Rock influences are probably Swans, Russian Circles, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Daughters. Electronic inspirations (which are in fact very relevant to “Vespro”) come from Koan Sound, The Weeknd, Ulver, Kraftwerk and Venetian Snares.“
Your fourth full-length “Vespro” is due out on February 28, 2025, how would you describe this work?
“‘Vespro‘“‘ represents the musical evolution of our band and further refines the musical and narrative traits that have defined our sound so far. Lyrics-wise, we opted for our native language, Italian, whereas in our previous works we blended English, Italian and Latin. Compared to “Vulnera”, “Vespro” stands out for its more sophisticated sound design,
particularly in terms of audio production and arrangements. Also, we decided to minimise the amount of orchestration and focus our attention solely on (analog) synthesisers which we barely used in the past.“
Music and intense vocals, what themes do the album’s lyrics deal with?
“‘Vespro'”‘ is a concept album that tells the story of a man who, driven by an anonymous letter, sets out to find the sender. Along the way, he embarks on a journey that forces him to confront his past. The central theme driving the entire story is that of choices and their consequences.“
A solid and elaborate sound, how does the creative process of your music take place?
“Everything begins with a compositional idea written on a staff, which is then gradually refined through an extensive process of arrangement and pre-production. Compared to other bands, we tend to work a lot on computers and DAWs in the first phases and rehearse things a bit down the line. Compared to the past, the pre-production phase was much more detailed and carried out collaboratively: we had a raw demo of the full album with tentative sounds quite early in the development. Even the process of lyrics writing, given the need to tell a cohesive story, underwent more meticulous development and took on a central role.“
Have you released a single “Valzer d’Inverno,” are you planning any more to anticipate the album’s release?
“Yes, on February the 7th, we will release our second single, “Ricordi?”. This is by far the most direct song of the album: mostly 4/4 time signature (which is quite remarkable!) and with a heavier attitude.”
This is your fourth studio work, how has your sound evolved over time?
“As mentioned earlier, we began with a focus on extreme sounds in our debut album, “Higher Dimensions”, which we eventually set aside in favor of the progressive rock approach in “Quid Est Veritas?”. With “Vulnera” — and even more so with “Vespro” — we’ve managed to merge these two sides, blending them into what we now like to call Alternative Prog. it’s a fusion of rock, metal, classical, jazz, electronic music, and more — all in odd time signatures.“
In addition to your studio work, you have always offered an intense live activity, do you have plans in this regard for the near future?
“Yes, in addition to performing parts of the album in live clubs, we will bring “Vespro” to the stage in its entirety in a theater setting.“
I read in the press release about the many live dates you have played over the years, do you have any particular memories or anecdotes you would like to tell us?
“The most memorable moments are certainly those from our shows at Tunnel Club, but especially at Alcatraz in Milan.
One of the funniest anecdotes (for the readers, a bit less so for us performers) was when a guitar string snapped in the middle of one of the solos in the song “Swingin’ Mind”. In an act of extreme generosity — considering how possessive guitarists usually are about their instruments — the guitarist from the following band skillfully passed his own guitar to
Alessio, allowing us to seamlessly continue the performance.“
Italy has always been at the forefront of the Prog Music, how do you see today’s scene in the Italian Progressive scene?
“The progressive scene seems quite vibrant, with excellent examples like Benthos and Virtual Symmetry. However, in some cases, we notice a certain excessive attachment to the past without a real desire for innovation. Of all the Italian progressive bands we’ve followed so far, we consider it a huge shame that “In Tormentata Quiete” are no longer active.“
What advice would you give to young artists approaching music with more elaborate sounds like yours?
“Our advice would be to live music with passion, not fearing to take risks, even if it means seeking unconventional and experimental solutions.“
Do you have any other activities or artistic passions outside of music?
“We have many passions beyond music, including climbing, hiking, and other mountain activities, as well as more traditional sports like soccer and basketball. We also delve into intellectual areas like philosophy and art.“
I thank the band for the interview, wishing them all the best for the release of their new album and the continuation of their artistic career.
Lineup:
Alberto / Vocals
Alessio / Guitars
Giacomo / Drums
Gioele / Bass
Mattia / Keys
