Within Italy's metal scene, there arose a new musical entity this year, a one-man progressive metal project by the name of Jester Majesty, led by Alessandro Gargivolo, also active in the thrash metal band Alchemist. The project has presented itself with a couple of singles, and recently, a new three-track EP "Plains of Heaven" was shown to the world to present an even broader musical horizon. Not long after it was announced, I decided to reach out to Alessandro Gargivolo, the man behind Jester Majesty, where we discussed his musical journey, his work on Alchemist, the story behind Jester Majesty, including his various influences from paintings of John Martin to his favorite metal albums. I hope you will enjoy this interview, and feel free to check out Jester Majesty and Alchemist from Turin, Italy.

Vladimir

Greetings Alessandro, how are you doing brother?

Hi Vladimir, always Metal! Thank you for inviting me, and greetings to all the Metalbite fans. My health is much better compared to the previous years.

Your project Jester Majesty has presented its first EP Plains of Heaven, shortly after releasing two singles The Heart-Shaped Void and Defiances of Natural Laws. What can you tell me about the musical direction of Jester Majesty and what were you looking to expand in your songwriting for this EP?

The musical direction of Jester Majesty will always be characterized by a huge inspiration from the 80/90s Progressive Metal style, as I am the sole composer and author. The first single titled "The Heart-Shaped Void" has been like a volcano for me, the various ideas I had accumulated over the last three years all came out at once. About this short EP, I wanted to dedicate a lot of space for the riffs, and the arrangement, but above all to the meaning, as it's a conceptual work. "Plains Of Heaven" reflects the struggle against mortality and the cycle of life and death. My aunt's premature death at the end of 2021 definitely left a mark on me, and this EP is the respective scar.

When you started out this project, what was the initial vision that you had in your mind? What were your primary goals as a founder and musician behind the project?

The initial vision was to focus more on a "studio" project, like spending a lot of time experimenting with sounds and arrangements and having the privilege of being the sole composer. The main goal is to combine my passion for metal with many aspects of my personality and life experiences that I want to communicate with. I think that I have a particular style of riff-writing, that will definitely evolve over time. I really enjoy combining melodies and dissonance, also using particular scales, but the biggest change for me has been the tuning, 'cause I have never played in B before Jester Majesty. The modern sound idea of this EP came from wanting to avoid poor recording quality. You know, in these times you can have many tools like plugins to make a low-budget work sound good and understandable. Considering that this is a second musical project, I felt there should be no limits, and that each note should be as clear as possible. The whole work has a purely mathematical conception, it would sound like a "Mathrash".

Your previous works, including this new EP, feature artworks which are the paintings of John Martin, the highly acclaimed English painter and illustrator known for being heavily influenced by the works of writer John Milton. What inspired you to incorporate his paintings in your music, and how important is it for your music?

The choice to use John Martin's paintings simply comes from my huge attraction for his immersive creative style, which I feel perfectly balances the sound I was aiming for. The naturalness of "The Plains Of Heaven" painting counterbalances all the modern production, but the most plausible truth is that I was struck by one of his paintings that was used on Angel Witch's self-titled album, a fundamental band for my musical development and inspiration. I owe much of my musical writing to that crazy and yet brilliant Kevin Heybourne.

What are some of the influences behind Jester Majesty besides the music? Were there any works of cinema, poetry, or film music that played a big role in the band's background?

As I mentioned in the previous answer, my admiration for Angel Witch is clearly evident, but I have to say that it's difficult to associate other influential bands with Jester Majesty, 'cause I believe that its sound has a personal imprint. If I had to mention a few artists, I would say, Psychotic Waltz, Control Denied, and Saviour Machine. I'm sorry to say that there are currently no sources of inspiration from cinema or poetry, although I am passionate about cult movies and some authors.

Alongside yourself, you also have other session musicians such as Erymanthon Seth of Apocalypse and Feralia on guitars, Luca Margini on synthesizers and keyboards, and Jester "The Fester" on drums. What is the band chemistry like between the members and how was it collaborating on the songs?

I chose some musician friends to join me in this new musical vision. I have to say that Erymanthon is a very talented musician, as well as a dear friend. During the songwriting process, I sent them the isolated tracks so that they too could take out the best of their personality in playing. As for Jester "The Fester", since working with a real drummer can be sometimes much more stressful, I decided to work with a long-distance session musician. However, 50 % of the drums have been re-sampled to adapt to modern musical standards. So, "The Fester", the plague has been not collaborating with real drummers in the studio for the moment. Anyway, it was very satisfying to collaborate together, as mentioning professionalism first meant that every request has been respected.

You are also involved in another metal band Alchemist, which last put out an EP Architecture of Humanity during January of 2023 and also a self-titled demo in September, but since then it seems like you shifted your focus to be more involved in Jester Majesty. Was this a subconscious decision that you've made to expand your musical background to different territories or were you looking for ways to take a break from Alchemist?

You've mentioned the sore point of this year! Correction… those who have played with me have sought every way to take a break from Alchemist. I am the founder and main composer, but unfortunately, there has been a drastic line-up change and the process of releasing the first full length has been brutally delayed. Sacrifice was recorded between August and September of 2023, but after the last live show at Blah Blah in Turin, I had to face various issues with the other guys regarding their expectations and responsibilities for this release and for a label contract. You know, sometimes it's not easy to coordinate different perspectives, especially if they don't always share the same passion for metal and focus on musical dedication. I have always been there for Alchemist. I gathered my strength and perseverance and finally found new guys. At the moment, I'm very satisfied with their commitment, we'll be back on stage in December. So, Jester Majesty has also been a personal pressure valve in this perspective, but many of the musical ideas date back to before the Alchemist situation. So no, I've never taken a break from Alchemist.

Could you also tell us a bit about your overall musical background, i.e. where did your musical journey begin? What were your first big influences and were you a self-taught or classically trained musician?

All started around the age of 7 when I was fascinated by seeing Jimmy Page on the screen playing "Stairway To Heaven" live in New York in 1973. Dad bought me my first classical guitar at 8 years old, a black Valencia model. I don't know for which reason, but I didn't enroll in classical guitar courses. I started later at the age of 11 years old studying classical guitar for a year by a private teacher. Soon after that, I was given my first electric guitar, an Epiphone SG, 'cause I was very passionate about Angus Young at the time. But if I had to compare all the work I have done over the years, I would absolutely say that I am a self-taught musician.

Speaking of which, did you get the opportunity to meet or work with any professional musicians in the local scene or abroad during your career?

To be honest, no. I've met very few professional musicians or at least those who don't share the same musical vision as I do. Turin is full of musicians, but not seriously passionate real metal musicians. We're in a period where everyone wants to be an artist, everyone can be an artist and fuck, to only end up making reels on Instagram and sticking their band around the city. Where is the passion? Previously to Alchemist and Jester Majesty, I had only one other musical experience. It was a Hard Rock band inspired by early Judas Priest and Rainbow, but definitely only postponed my ascension to play metal music because I believe that I was born to only do this.

So far, what are your plans for the future? Are you aiming to focus more frequently with Jester Majesty or are you currently working on new material for Alchemist as well?

I would like to write a lot more music, both for Alchemist and for Jester Majesty, but I would definitely like to broaden my horizon for having the opportunity to play with other musicians, including national ones. I think that there are people out there even better than me in playing. With Jester Majesty I intend to write a full album planned for 2025, with the long-term goal to get a collaboration with the legendary drummer Norman Leggio (ex-Psychotic Waltz), but before that, I will release a single for early 2025 that will be a collaboration with a legendary guitarist who made his best guitar work in the 80's in a Texan metal band, but I won't say anything for now. It will be a surprise! As far as Alchemist, the full-length "Sacrifice" with 8 tracks is ready, but I have absolutely a lot of riffs and songs to bring to the next rehearsals and I am very excited about my evolution and artistic direction. It will always be Thrash Metal but much more enriched with progressive and melodic elements. As for Alchemist, it's important to point out that playing in a band context is much more exciting especially when the chemistry of the members comes on stage. So, I definitely look forward to the completion of the production for Sacrifice by Michele Moglia, the drummer, recorded in his home studio "CastelVerde Records", built in a farmhouse near Turin. I will only be present at some important mixing stages, but more as a co-producer for the delicate mastering process. The prospects that I have for this band are high, but I would like much more passion from everyone. The best focus would be to afford a studio with some acclaimed artists, I know that a certain Tommy Talamanca of Sadist likes this stuff. I would love to collaborate with producers like him. I think that at a certain point, it's essential to detach the production perspective, 'cause a musician has to think more about his instrument. The great albums in metal history have succeeded because of hands outside the band, that's what real sound engineers are made for.

Thank you so much for the interview, Alessandro. I am highly looking forward to hearing more great stuff from both Jester Majesty and Alchemist. Are there any final words?

Thanks to you Vladimir for this invitation. An important message I would like to leave is that passion is the most important thing about everything else in music. Aspiring to be a professional musician means that you must convey an aura of confidence and admiration, having respect and dedication for themselves. With metal, you can't afford not to buy CDs/Vinyls, not study your musical instrument, and go to trap house, techno, indie, and modern pop concerts. Total waste of money, and stop the madness. There are better things in life. You can't show up on stage in a suit and a tie, or with hippie shirts or trousers lowered to the ankles. Having a personality and knowing how to preserve it and nurture it over time is part of the game. People without a fixed idea or who do 2/3 of brainwashing per year will take metal to its extinction. Greetings to the metal community and wish you all good listening!