Exclusive Interview: Unquiet talk “Rest Denied”!

One of those records which happened to appear on our radar out of the blue and knock us down like pins at a bowling alley, “Rest Denied” by Italian Blackened Melodic Death outfit Unquiet marks their debut while they are still in fledgling form. Given it’s qualities there is no doubt that the band will reach critical mass before too long so we sat down with them to discuss how they went about turning their dream a reality…

As a project you’ve declared Unquiet as orientated around the writing partnership of Nicola Donegà (guitars, lyrics, artwork and graphics) and Fabio Renda (bass, orchestration, lyrics, mixing and mastering). However “Rest Denied” features vocals from Nicola Manfrini and drum programming from Matteo De Santis. How do the latter pairing fit into the dynamic of the group and will they be part of any future music released under the Unquiet name? “Yeah, Unquiet originated a few months ago, the day we started sending each other riffs/musical ideas stemmed from a rough period. After a bit of back-and-forth with tabs, we had three tracks ready for pre-production and we got pretty hyped up. Drums and vocals patterns were there, but since neither of us is really a singer or a drummer, we started wondering whether to ask a couple of friends for a bit of advice. That was the right choice, we’re sure they knocked it out the park! As for any future permanent joining, we haven’t really spoken about it yet, because we’re mainly focused on the promotion of our EP. Vibes and commitment are there, so… we’ll see”

They say that the first bite is with the eye and the cover artwork for “Rest Denied” is striking. How did you come up with the concept? Is there a deeper meaning behind it? “Thank you! Rest Denied deals with the anxieties and the fears experienced in everyday life following deep traumas, so we aimed for something that could rightfully convey these upsetting sensations. The character of the artwork is basically a portrait, a representation of whoever has to endure such painful hardships”

How did you find working with vocalist Nicola Manfrini? Did you find yourselves having to re-write any of the lyrics to fit the style of his vocal delivery? How did his interpretation of the lyrics strike you? “Nicola is a great singer and a very committed performer. We had actually very little to change as he was able to deliver exactly what we were looking for in a few tries. But don’t think he was just a hired gun! Truth be told, there are moments where you can hear his taste and experience really made the difference in the final cut”

We’ve mentioned the cinematic qualities of some of the music you’ve created; if the opportunity arose to write songs or a film score for a dark Italian Art House movie would that be something you’d like to sink your teeth into? “That is surely an unexpected but very much appreciated observation! As lovers of atmospheric music, when watching a movie, we like to pay special attention to the score. Writing one – or even a partial contribute in that sense – would be an amazing experience!”

If we are made up of our genes and our influences, what is in your jeans and who would you consider your influences? “This project really put on display our love for the most atmospheric, melodic and haunting genres. We surely owe much to Dissection, Rotting Christ, Septicflesh, Insomnium, Slumber, Enshine, Fallujah, Children of Bodom, Deathspell Omega, Mgła”

What’s next for Unquiet? “Definitely a full LP”

“Rest Denied” by Unquiet is out now and available over at bandcamp.