Edu Falaschi recently gave an interview (October 2010) for Rio Metal Blog (in Portuguese), where he tells about his entire career as a singer and a producer, about various aspects of his work in Angra and Almah, and pre-Angra career. Edu also speaks about the metal scene in Brazil and other interesting subjects.
Here is the English translation of the interview made by Irina Ivanova from Edu Falaschi Official Website ! Thanks a lot Irina :)
Rio Metal Blog : Edu, when and how did you start to get involved in the music ?
Edu Falaschi : Since I was born, because my father was a musician, not a professional one. But by the time I was 17, I got my first experience of playing in a band.
Rio Metal Blog : How did you get to Rock/Heavy Metal and what are your biggest influences?
Edu Falaschi : It happened due to my cousins who were Iron Maiden fans. By the time I was 12, I bought my first metal albums. My main influence as a singer is Dio.
Rio Metal Blog : Edu, as far as I know, your first band was Mitrium in 1990. What do you remember about that time? What are the most significant differences between the underground scene of that period of time and the modern reality?
Edu Falaschi : Everything was too magic, all of us were real dreamers, everything was more difficult without the Internet, but even in those conditions just a year after we started, Mitrium recorded its first LP. The fact is that it was almost impossible for a metal band of that time. Besides having a lot of fun, we also worked hard.
Rio Metal Blog : Are you still in contact with any members of Mitrium?
Edu Falaschi : At times I talk to Enrico (ex-drummer of Mitrium), at other times I meet Fefo on the beach and sometimes I talk to Nick. We were big friends, but the time and the distance separated us.
Rio Metal Blog : What was it like to take part in Venus? From my point of view, it was one of the most significant opportunities at that time to establish your name at the metal scene.
Edu Falaschi : It was pretty cool, the band was really great, a kind of hard rock metal act. I did it with a great pleasure in order to help them with the CD because their vocalist had unexpectedly left the band and they invited me only to record the album. It was too much cool! The CD is perfect! A must have!
Rio Metal Blog : At the same time with this project, one of the best of your own works (in my honest opinion) was being born. It was the debut album of the band Symbols. How did the composing process run and how did you manage to combine the work simultaneously in two bands?
Edu Falaschi : At that time, I was still studying at the advertising and marketing department. Everything was in a big rush. But my love for music broke down all the barriers. And I loved to do that album! Especially, because I had my brother by my side! I usually worked from 9 to 16h, then I went to study from 18 to 23h, and I made the recordings in the studio from midnight till 4h of the morning. Then they gave me a lift home and the next day I had to wake up very early and go to work… Also, at that time we didn’t have pro-tools and stuff like that in order to refine the voice, so everything was very honest and made with a great enthusiasm. Listening to the CD, you can hear some “imperfections” which are the soul of music, from my point of view. Nowadays, everything is set in order and we began to look like robots.
Rio Metal Blog : One of the features of the Symbols’ albums is a strong influence of our beloved Dio, it concerns the whole sound as well as some vocal lines. Would it be possible to say that it is a kind of paying homage to the artist?
Edu Falaschi : I like Dio and I will always put some elements inspired by him in any album. But Symbols was heavy and melodic at the same time! It was a fuckin’ great band! I will be always proud that I played in the band with these guys.
Rio Metal Blog : Tell me about your other side: besides being a singer of all these bands, you’re also a producer, let’s talk about this part of your career!
Edu Falaschi : I really love what I’m doing! To produce is my big passion! I’m very happy to work with many bands now! You can check out these works very soon!
Rio Metal Blog : Which bands have you already produced? What band would you like to work with?
Edu Falaschi : Symbols, Almah, Artemis, Still Alive, Angels Holocaust and some more bands soon, besides the projects I helped but didn’t sign as a producer. I also like to work as a coach, when some band is going to record a CD and invites me to produce only the vocals! I act like a specialist in football giving the whole technical direction for the vocals, performing etc, and getting out of a singer everything he can give and trying to get the best possible vocal result for a CD.
Rio Metal Blog : What do you think about the rock/heavy scene in Brazil? What kind of difficulties bands of Angra’s and Almah’s level meet nowadays?
Edu Falaschi : Very amateur. Without big professionals in metal. Actually, many of the bands’ contactors are just fans, and not really professional managers. It hurts the quality of the whole thing. For example, the manager of Ivete Sangalo (a famous Brazilian pop singer – edufalaschi.com.br) is not her fan, but a real professional which gets profits and does his best for it, organizing everything for the artist and providing the whole event structure. In this way, all is being done very well.
Rio Metal Blog : Besides your own bands, during your entire career you have been invited many times as a special guest to participate in albums of various bands. How does it usually happen? Did you have anything very special for you?
Edu Falaschi : They call me and if I like I participate. So, it’s simple. I loved to sing Phantom of the Opera with Tarja on stage.
Rio Metal Blog : When and how did you decide to establish Almah?
Edu Falaschi : In 2006 I launched Almah as a solo album. Then, while being without activities with Angra, I decided to transform Almah into a real band. And it really turned to be a mega band, because our musicians are excellent and super talented, besides being friends and doing everything with a great love and inspiration.
Rio Metal Blog : To record the first Almah album you invited worldwide famous musicians, how did you make it possible?
Edu Falaschi : They are friends of mine.
Rio Metal Blog : How did you get along with them?
Edu Falaschi : Perfectly, they are great guys! It was an honor for me! I liked to visit them in USA and Finland. I adored everything! I made this CD exclusively for myself, without any pretense, it is a pure soul (“alma” means soul in Portuguese).
Rio Metal Blog : Making the 2nd album you already had musicians from Brazil, and it looked like that in the end, the project turned to be a real band. How did you get to this line-up?
Edu Falaschi : At that moment, I had already known all of them quite a long time, only Paulo was pointed out by Moreira.
Rio Metal Blog : How could you sum up “Fragile Equality” tour? I believe it has been very satisfactory, at least I was at the show in Circo Voador here in Rio de Janeiro and I found that the response of the public was really good.
Edu Falaschi : It has been quite cool. Clearly, we would have liked to have an international tour and even more shows in Brazil. But there’s time for everything. Soon we will start working at a new CD, the third album of Almah, and maybe some international tour can happen then.
Rio Metal Blog : If I’m not mistaken, you mentioned at that show in Rio that the song Torn could have been left out of the album, but Felipe Andreoli insisted to include it. Could you explain?
Edu Falaschi : Yes, it’s right, I believed that this song was too much heavy to fit the style of the rest of the album, but I was completely wrong (smile). That is why the best solution for any band is to discuss everything in a democratic way.
Rio Metal Blog : At some shows you shared the stage with Bittencourt Project, the solo band of Rafael Bittencourt, what was it like to see your bandmate from another point of view?
Edu Falaschi : It was fuckin’ great, to attend his shows and to be attended by him is a very different thing! Interesting!
Rio Metal Blog : Another interesting fact about you, Edu, is that you’re a fan of Japanese culture and you even recorded a version of the overture for anime movie “Saint Seiya” (in Brazil: Cavaleiros do Zodíaco). How did it happen and how did it turn out that fans always remember and always ask for the song “Pegasus Fantasy” during your shows?
Edu Falaschi : It happened by accident, Álamo (the dubbing-in studio which worked at the Japanese movie in Brazil – edufalaschi.com.br) invited me and I sang. Suddenly, it became a great hit. I can be only thankful for this opportunity, since I loved to do it and I liked anime being a child. I will always do things like that if it’s possible!
Rio Metal Blog : Well, returning closer to the actual subject, how did you entered Angra?
Edu Falaschi : Kiko through his ex-wife invited me to some auditions in order to, possibly, enter the band. It happened before Fireworks, because at that time Andre Matos presumably was already going to leave, thus I rehearsed with the whole band – Kiko, Rafa, Confessori and Luis. It was really cool, we played a few covers and improvised some melodies which might have been songs for Fireworks. But in the end it really happened only in 2001 with Rebirth.
Rio Metal Blog : Did you ever feel any fear to enter Angra, since it had already got to be a big name at that time?
Edu Falaschi : No, not at all. I knew that there would always be comparisons with the previous members, but I decided to face this challenge. I just had a fear to hurt my voice having to sing such shrill songs. Actually, this stuff has nothing to do with my natural musical character, as it was, for example in Symbols. But at that time I put too much dedication into going to the extreme during the shows. I should have stopped, since the problems appeared, but many things had been already scheduled. I took for the risk and decided to execute all the arrangements in order to don’t let Angra down. Now, being totally recovered and coming back to sing in my best way, I can confirm that I would never do something like that again. And various singers also don’t do that, like it happened in case of Khan from Kamelot who is ill and stopped his activities, putting a replacement for a tour. I did my best and I fought for all the causes of Angra, I was hurt physically and morally at that period of time, but today the band is a very big name! Clearly, it happened also thanks to those 9 years of the first line-up. But our work during the last 10 years has been the principal thing in order to make Angra what it is worldwide nowadays.
Rio Metal Blog : What was the recording process of “Aurora Consurgens” (which was not accepted well by a part of the fans) like?
Edu Falaschi : It was nervous, cheerless and made in a hurry.
Rio Metal Blog : How did you decide that everyone composed two songs for the CD? Did it happen naturally or was it predetermined?
Edu Falaschi : Naturally, we just thought about the CD! And the best songs entered the album, as it is done always.
Rio Metal Blog : What has changed from the recording of that album? What was the idea behind the compositions of “Aqua”?
Edu Falaschi : Everything has changed! The spirit, the partnership, the motivation, the yearning, everything. The album is a concept one.
Rio Metal Blog : Was it difficult to put Shakespeare in a musical format?
Edu Falaschi : No, everything was ok. Shakespeare is very musical! Practically, a fan of melodic metal with such fantasy as he had in his stories. (smile)
Rio Metal Blog : Listening some of your acoustic sets broadcast on radio in the past, I’ve got a feeling that the atmosphere between all of you was very good. And after the recent events, do you think that the time has worn off those feelings?
Edu Falaschi : We were three new band members, three ingenuous dreamers, happy to make our dreams come true. But the reality is not so perfect, “the dark clouds are not really cotton balls”, and we could see how much of cruelty, greed, egoism and lies exist in professional field. Today I’m a different person! With the same love to the music, but with an experienced heat and with some scars. I keep all that remains of my innocence for my compositions and for the singing on stage.
Rio Metal Blog : What was the most unusual thing that happened to you all over these years on the road?
Edu Falaschi : To knock down a deer on one highway in USA when it was snowing. We even didn’t succeed in making any churrasco from it! (a typical Brazilian meat course, usually made on grill etc – edufalaschi.com.br)
Rio Metal Blog : What about the critics around the new album and your shows?
Edu Falaschi : Some are very good, and some are not. As always, the critics are rather the critics, the lords of truth! But the real truth exists in what everyone feels listening to the music and it’s unique, personal and impossible to hand over.
Rio Metal Blog : I remember, I’ve heard some comments about the health of your voice, how is it doing now?
Edu Falaschi : It’s perfect, well, today I’m almost 40, with 20 years on stage, about 11 CDs have been recorded, more than 50 songs have been launched, I have 5 worldwide tours and more than 300 shows in my background, not always in those conditions that we deserved to have. And all this - without a month of respite. It has a kinda burden nowadays, it’s not so easy now as it was when I was 20. But today I have much more experience to get along with this way of life. I’m a happy and fulfilled man who wants much more as yet! The music is my life and I will die doing it.
Rio Metal Blog : What do you think about a new band of your brother, Illustria? What was it like to work with a member of your family?
Edu Falaschi : The band is very good! I’m a suspicious person, clearly, but I believe that my brother is genius! He sings fuckin’ great, he can play almost all the instruments and every minute he composes a great song. This band will give all that they promise!
Rio Metal Blog : Edu, do you already have in mind a new album for Almah?
Edu Falaschi : Yes, to do it soon!
Rio Metal Blog : What do you think about Rock / Metal scene in Brazil?
Edu Falaschi : It’s growing up, but it’s still a baby! But everything will change! I have such belief!
By Victor Mattos
