Italy 1977, a couple of young lads forms Death SS a fantastic band that turned to cult status with its wild combination of a mysterious image,theatrical actics and devestating heaviness, Paul Chain the guitarist and one of the founding members leaves the band 1984 to form Paul Chains Violet Theater, Death SS are still active with the other founding member Steve Sylvester at the leading helm. Chain have made a whole bunch of stuff since his solocareer started in 1987 after Violet Theater and his legacy continues. Paul Chain have recently made a new album called Cosmic Wind released by Italian label Beard Of Stars and on the cause of that I thought an interview would be suitable for the past and present tales with Chain, a true cult figure and legend in the underground doom/heavy scene.

Welcome back with the new album Cosmic Wind soon to be issued by Beard Of Stars, at this stage I havent had the chance to hear it, what kind of an album is Cosmic Wind fill us in ?

"Sing from space" comes from some sessions, it's been recorded live in studio on a two-track master on Saturday 6th november 1999 (we used to call it "the test of the sounds"). "Cosmic Wind" has been recorded the day after, with the same studio techniques, and we considered it the real well-made work.During the masterization phase and after the realese of "Sing from Space", also thanks to the good reaction of the fans and of the music criticism, we realized that the 2 records (pieces) were one work as the two sides of the same coin.

Cosmic Wind is it any major changes in the musical direction on this album compare to your previous soloreleases that have been shifting from doom metal via experimental to electronic stuff, is it new ground covered on Cosmic Wind ?

No answer.

You are really a underground legend for a whole bunch of people out there after 25 years in the business, previously before your stint with Death SS did you play with anyone else or was Death SS your first band fill us in on your background ?

I had already a band and already played my pieces by the age of eleven.

Death SS was and still is a remarkeable unit especially in the early days, in my mind outrageously heavy and psychotic and a lot of theatrical tactics involved looking back at the early days of Death SS, how was the following back then compare to nowdays and how many eps and albums did you do with Death SS ?

I found DEATH SS in 1977 together with Steve Silvester. I invented the name and the term "horror music". I wrote music and Steve the texts, but soon I realized that Steve wanted to be the centre of attention, for this reason we dismissed him from the band in 1982 and we played with another singer but the groupe wasn't the same, so I put end of DEATH SS in the 1984. In the same year I founded Paul Chain Violet Theater, that is a name of transition of 4 records from DEATH SS to PAUL CHAIN (LOGO). Steve recorded the copyright of the group in 1987 after the realese of "The Story of 1977-1984", after the success of the realese he came back on stage and the band became completely his, also because we were no more interested in, we considered it out-of-date. Later I realized that maybe Steve and me created the band because he could use it.

After Death SS came Paul Chain Violet Theatre, a band that I havent heard that much actually, fill us in on Violet Theatre how much of a difference in the direction was it compare to Death SS and your solostuff that came later ?

No answer

You had Violet Theater for 3 years, in that time how was the following back then from the fanbase and how much media support did you have ?

I've always put my artistic reason in front of the business. For me a record is good if I'm satisfied with it.

In 1987 15 years ago, you introduced your solocareer with the Ep King Of The Dreams, followed by another Ep Ash before your first Lp Violet Art of Improvisation, how was the response back then to your early work compare to your recent releases stuff like Dies Irae and Alkahest for example ?

No answer

As far as I know you have had a number of guests in these years, one of them is Lee Dorrian of Cathedral fame a huge fan of yours for the album Alkahest, looking back at that album for example how was it to work with Dorrian ?

Artistically and humanely, I have good memories, that record was of a transition period so important for both the artists that the two bands influenced each other. The rest is history.

Along the way you have also done loads of productionwork for a lot of bands mostly Italian Warhead is an example as far as I know also your own stuff, how much do you feel you progress for every recording you do ?

The "sound" has always been a gut issue for me, also because, being an improviser and finding in the improvisation my best artistic expression, often I start from a particular sound for the creation of an artistic work.I'm completely self-taught person both in music and audio field and one day I discovered ma as an artistic producer,maybe for the experiences acquired in the field.

Back to Cosmic Wind, is it any meaning to the title ?

I prefer not answering in detail this question, because it implies a too broad speech on spiritual concepts linked to the biblical prophecies.

I know you did a bunch of liveshows with Death SS and Violet Theater I am not sure if you have made any live shows during your solocareer, if so fill us in anyway what is the main difference between live and studio for you ?

I don't spend many time in the testing-room and I believe in this. I think that you can reach artistic completeness through the balance of these three things: testing-room,studio and live; however I use the studio to record, like the old classicol musicians (like Bach) used to write music on the stare.

Talking about the brilliant fanclub that you had, that along with the loyal following you have had over the years, how pleased are you with the following you have created so far and fill us in on the fanclub work and the new campaign for Cosmic Wind ?

No answer.

You have signed with Beard Of Stars, you have had a number of labels through the years compare to the previous how pleased are you with B.O.S considering support and promotion?

By playing many different kind of music, I worked with a lot of labels. But now I wish to have my own label,especially in my city, for this reason I built the Quasar records, in association with Geffry and Fabio; however I hadn't problems to work with the B.O.S. because we have been working toghether since 1983.

Back to the fanclub, these guys have released loads of material so far old demos, live stuff and a whole lot of other things how much have this material meant for your legacy ? cause there are quite a few fans out there that really are fanatical in them.

No answer.

The Italian scene was really exploding in the early 1970s bands like Hunt,Hero, Flea, Ill baletto di Bronzo, Electric Frankenstein for example made awesome recordings, for 70s freaks check them out,when you came out in 1977 you were in there in the first wave of Italian Heavy Rock, looking at the scene today with bands like Thunderstorm, UfoMammut,Skywise, Warhead for example how do you feel about the Italian scene today compare to the early period ?

In Italy we have always had a particular situation that is not visible from the outside. I've been always censored,perhaps for my well known neutrality and incorruptibility. The reasons for the situation must be searched in the political scene: The management of Italy by our american "masters". After 1945, the year of the indipendence, Italy became automatically an American colony, although not in a clear way. In those time, when the americans divided the world (now we see the effect) decided that Italy had to be, for everybody, the symbol of white politics: the pope and the vatican had to be the false image of worldwide peace as for 2000 years the Roman church had always done. So the government created (secretly) a commission with the power to censure everythings considered dangerous for the immage of the church in the world. You can understand how it was difficult for me to survive in this situation. That's why I cannot blame when I think about my career, because I did everything on my own. Just image how it was...

More on Death SS, Steve Sylvester are still doing it, how do you feel about the Death SS albums in recent years compare to the early stuff ?

No comment (only business)

After what I have read there is three cornerstones that forms your musicianship that is evolution, improvisations and being a pacifist you also look yourself as a music craftsman, have these cornerstones been there from the very beginning or have they come along the way ?

I have always been what I'm, sometimes it took me a lot to comunicate it to others, but this strengthened me, helped me to get more experience and to salve my dubts.

You have been experimenting with a lot of different sounds in the past 25 years, is it any musical fields left to cover for you ?

I believe in evolution and i think one can never say to be arrived even after 1000 years of career.

Compare your legacy in Italy compare to the rest of the world, is Italy your best market or is it other places ?

Surely others countries.

Back to Cosmic Wind, what is the next plans now after the release of the album are you going to make any Eps, tourdates to support the album, next album plans, other projects etc.etc fill us in on your plans ?

I'm really moody, actually I'm recording on my own with an acustic set, I 'm trying to improvise and to experiment with the piano and the classic guitar but, I don't make plans for the future.

By Gabriel Lilliehook

Paul Chain Info/News at web.tiscali.it/paulchain mail paul.chain@libero.it

Order Cosmic Wind at www.vinylmagic3.it mail bos@vinylmagic3.it