Headless has become one of the leading progressive metal bands in the genre. Led by guitarist Walter Cianciusi and fronted by former Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist Goran Edman, Headless blends complex rhythms with soaring, melodic vocals to create a sound unlike any other. Their new record Transitional Objects is out now and recently Walter and Goran took some time to talk about it.
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On whom else joins Walter and Goran in the current lineup – Walter: Well, there is a bass player of course, that is Martin Helmantel from Elegy, the band Elegy, and he’s been with us also for the previous records, Square One. Then there’s a drummer. That is Enrico Cianciusi, my cousin. We basically built Headless together back in the nineties before meeting Goran and, and Martin.
On how Goran came into the band – Goran: Well, it was such a long time ago now. How many albums have we made? Four?
Walter: Yeah, four.
Goran: Yeah, I got that. Right. What year was the first album?
Walter: The album was 2013. We recorded the first single in 2011, 2 years before the album, because we were very, very slow working on this project.
Goran: Been a long time, but I don’t even remember. Did you, did you write to me?
Walter: Yeah, I’m a stalker, so I try to connect with you.
Goran: Oh, you stalked me. And then I said yes. Yeah. Okay.
Walter: He tried to stay away for a while, but after, but after a few times I do it. Jeff, let me say that before Goran, there was no real Headless. It was just a teenage band that disbanded in 2000. So, it was just the name really. But when Goran came into the picture, it became a real thing.
On the creative process of the band – Goran: They basically write the songs and then have some ideas, maybe some about the vocal melody line that I might change to fit my own performance a little bit better. Then I work out some background vocals around it. Sometimes I’ve been writing the lyrics that mostly the lyrics has been prepared by Walter or Dario (Parente).
Walter: Yes, it is correct. I basically prepare a demo tape with all the instruments, but without the vocal line. In the beginning of the, the project, in 2013, I was still trying to write melody lines, vocal melody lines, suggest melody line to Goran, but I noticed that every time I try to write a line, the result was not so impressive as the ones coming directly from Goran, so I decided to not write a single note of the melody line of the vocal line, because it is way better to leave the master at work.
Goran: This last album we made that way. I was just sending some scat song, made up without any lyric to Walter. He became some sort of a poet on command and wrote a lyric to my phrasings. It was very quick. I was very impressed how fast he could write the lyrics. It was one day or less and I got the lyric and then I could start recording it for real on the melody that I have to try to illustrate.
Walter: So, there was a good energy between us. Yeah, it was very fast actually.
On if Goran uses melodies to smooth out the complexities of the music – Goran: I can’t really explain that goes on because I spontaneously just try to respond directly to what I hear without even knowing where we are going after that. I haven’t listened through the song. I put it on and then I just improvise and if I go wrong, I go back and listen to what I did and keep what I think sounds cool. Then continue from there. Try to build it up so it makes sense in the end, and it sounds like there is a line between bridges and verses and chorus and everything.
On the cover art and meaning of Transitional Objects – Walter: Well, there’s a long story about plush toys and teddy bears for Headless because we started writing about it in the first album, Growing Apart. There’s a song “No Happy Ending” in which there’s a line in which we talk about the teddy bear. Honestly, I was thinking about transitional objects as an important part of the life of my newborn son. When I started thinking about the cover artwork, and when I start thinking about the title of the album. So usually these objects, like plush toys or little covers are objects that are useful to reduce anxiety in children and can have a positive effect even in their future lives. So, talking about transitional objects is talking about security, talking about reducing anxieties, talking about getting better. But at the same time, if you look at the cover artwork the plush toy is not in a good condition. It’s a torn, battered, plush toy. this could be an end to our perspective about security, about having a comfort zone around us. Maybe we’re not in a comfort zone. Maybe the lyrics can suggest anxiety instead of reducing it.
On choosing Megadeth’s “I Thought I Knew It All” as a cover and if David Ellefson has heard it – Walter: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I reply first to the second part. David listened to the song and is very happy about it. He said more than once that he preferred our version to his version. But probably just because he’s acting like a friend. The lyrics of the song are particularly meaningful to me because can be referred in my view to a loss friendship and an incredible misunderstanding between me and this other guy that went on for, almost 40 years. I was wrong for 40 years. I thought I knew it all, but I don’t actually yeah, I’m talking about Dario (Parente) course, the, the other guitar player that we had on previous records But at the same time, it was a good way to celebrate my mentor, my band mate David Ellefson and have him on our record without featuring as a guest. It wouldn’t be very difficult to me to have David on this record, but I wanted to keep it as a Headless record, not as a side project by David. At the same time, it’s a song that he wrote personally. I don’t know if you know about it, but all the Youthanasia songs are related to Mustain, Ellefson, Menza, and Friedman. All the songs, even “A Tout le Monde”, but some songs are really penned by David. Some songs are really panned by Friedman, and “I Thought I Knew It All”, it’s basically a David Ellefson song. So it’s very unique and I was very in love, I always been in love with that song since my teenage. So, it’s been quite natural to choose that one.
On Goran singing for Yngwie Malmsteen – Goran: Well, yeah, his reputation was well known, but the biggest pressure was probably to be compared with the previous singers because they all were great singers in his band. Everything from Mark Boals, Jeff Scott Soto, and Joe Lynn Turner. So that was a sort of heavy burden to, to carry for me especially live since we also played covers from, from older albums. You always have that voice that you trying to imitate more or less to make it sound similar. But every voice is so personal. Then you have to make your own thing with the song. But I guess the audience want to hear something that is as close as it can be to the original. So, that was the most difficult part…”I Am A Viking”, “I’ll See The Light Tonight” was very hard because, in the end, he goes up to some extreme heights. Sometimes I can compromise these parts and even them out, so the voice wouldn’t break up or anything. But the one that was most difficult was probably the Joe Lynn Turner songs, because he has this kind of warm timber into his voice, his voice never sounds strained. Even when he is singing in high notes, it sounds very relaxed in a way. Now I remember, we were doing that song in the beginning of the tour. We were doing “Dreaming”. That was a bitch to sing because there’s long tones and it’s like you feel after a while that you’re getting tired and God, how am I gonna hold this tone? I mean, it’s gonna go to hell. Everything. I don’t know how long we played that song, but it was during the Eclipse tour.
On if they have contact with former drummer Scott Rockenfield – Walter: I can say something, but it’s basically his private life, so I wanna keep it safe in a way. I first met Scott personally after recording the album. So, it was 2013 a couple of months before the release date. We gathered in London. Queensryche were playing there and we had a chat. We talk about the project, and I cannot hide that without Scott Rockfield Headless wouldn’t have such a great attention from the media because there was a strange combination that everybody loved, Goran plus Scott. How is it possible? Everyone would say it. But it happened. He did a favor to me, I think probably because I’m a stalker, back to this issue, because I insisted a lot. Insisted a lot. But he probably said, “This poor guy from Italy let, let me do a good thing in my life. Let me help this guy.” He took the time to record the songs and did everything. He did do also a good promotion because he released a couple of statements about Headless and also on the Wikipedia page of Scott Rockfield, Headless are highlighted as one of the side projects of his career.
Nowadays I think there’s an issue with his health, and I’m not referring just to mental health, but is physically damaged. I think he has an addiction. After a while, he became too much to handle the Queensryche career, so he had to stop. He was forced to stop by his band mates, but at the same time, I must say that honestly, it was impossible in this condition to go on.
On possible touring plans – Goran: Not that I know of.
Walter: (I’ll get together with) Goran and guys in in Northern Italy, in Bergamo to shoot the, the video clip for “Still My Thrill”, that is the first song of the B side of the, of the lp. We should start from there. It’s is not easy to find a way to manage all the commitments of the four members of the bands because Martin has Elegy, Enrico has Neil Zaza, and so it is a pretty busy, busy schedule, but I would love to play at least some big shows, some festival shows if Goran is available. We’ll see.
Goran: Well, I had problems before becaus I was engaged with my two cats. Unfortunately, they have passed away both of them, so, it’s another situation now. They were more important than music to me. I followed my heart.
