6 days ago14 min read

幸存者 - 意大利Groove Metal乐队Nexxt专访

Nexxt由贝斯手兼主唱Michele Speranza于1993年在意大利福贾成立。Nexxt以前是一个三人乐队，1996年发行了第一张Demo。1998年经过多次阵容调整后，他们找到了最持久、最富有成效的阵容，主唱Cristian Tricarico至今仍在乐队中，Nexxt发行了多张EP专辑之后2007年第一张正式专辑“Addicted to Sin”在意大利厂牌Hurricane Shiva发行，这张专辑发行之后便获得意大利歌迷的关注和好评，2015年乐队发行了一张EP专辑，随着这张EP专辑发行之后乐队再无任何新作品发行，直到2023年乐队才发行了第二张正式专辑“Spiritual Survivor”，这张专辑乐队展现了一张和第一张专辑完全不同的作品，其中乐队使用了更多的Groove Metal的元素，同时保持着凶狠，毒辣的Thrash Metal元素，在新专辑发行之际杂志也与乐队取得联系进行了一次专访！

（V: 代表笔者 A: 代表Alex）

Formed in 1993 in Foggia, Italy by bassist/vocalist Michele Speranza, Nexxt was previously a three-piece band that released its first demo in 1996, and after several line-up changes in 1998, they found their most sustainable and productive line-up, with vocalist Cristian Tricarico still in the band today. After releasing several EPs, Nexxt's first official album “Addicted to Sin” was released in 2007 on the Italian label Hurricane Shiva, which gained the attention and critical acclaim of Italian fans, and in 2015 the band released an EP, with which the band released its first demo. In 2015, the band released an EP, after which the band did not release any more material until 2023, when they released their second album “Spiritual Survivor”, which was a completely different album from the first one, using more elements of The band used more elements of Groove Metal, while keeping the elements of vicious, venomous Thrash Metal, and on the occasion of the release of the new album, the magazine got in touch with the band for an interview!

(V: for the author A: for Alex)

采访对象：Alex（Nexxt乐队吉他手）

采访时间：2024.12.27

V: 你好Alex很高兴认识你，非常感谢你参加这次采访，我想这是你的乐队第一次接受中国杂志的采访，首先向所有的中国歌迷问好，Nexxt成立于1993年，是一支历史悠久的乐队，请问是谁首先发起组建这支乐队的？你最初的名字是Next，但很快就改名为Nexxt，你为什么要改名，Nexxt这个名字是什么意思？

Hello Alex nice to meet you and thank you very much for participating in this interview, I think this is the first time your band has been interviewed by a Chinese magazine, first of all hello to all the Chinese fans, Nexxt was first formed in 1993, a band with a long history, who initiated the formation of this band in the first place? You started out as Next but soon changed your name to Nexxt, why did you change your name and what does the name Nexxt mean?

A: 嗨,伙计们，谢谢你的采访并且对我们感兴趣。这对我们意义重大。是啊!你是对的。这是我们第一次接受中国网络杂志的采访，我们真的很荣幸。乐队由我们现在的贝斯手兼词曲作者Michele Speranza于1993年在阿普利亚的福贾组建。乐队最初的名字是Next（后面有一个“x”）然后由于与另一个乐队同名，我们决定再加一个“X”。这件事发生在大约20年前。这句话的含义与乐队不断发展、不断寻求新道路的思想密切相关。

Hi guys，thank you for the interview and for your interest. It means a lot to us. Yeah! You're right. It is the first time we have been interviewed by a chinese webzine and we are truly honored. The band was formed by our current bassist and songwriter, Michele Speranza back in 1993 in Foggia, Apulia. Originally the band's name was Next (with a single 'x'). Then, due to a case of homonymy with another band, we decided to add another 'X'. This happened about twenty years ago. The meaning is closely linked to the band's thoughts about constantly evolving and always seeking new paths.

V: 最近几年你和鼓手Pasquale才加入乐队，你们是怎么加入乐队的？为什么第一代成员退出了乐队？

Both you and drummer Pasquale have been in the band for the last couple of years, how did you get into the band in the first place? Why did the first generation members quit the band?

A: 嗯，我是2020年最后一个加入阵容的人，但就我个人而言，我已经认识这个乐队20多年了，在某种程度上这就像一直是它的一部分，和谐是这个乐队的标志。我们真的是一个大家庭。至于老成员我们和他们中的许多人关系很好，他们有时会在我们的现场演出中现在舞台。

Well, I'm the last to join the lineup in 2020, but personally I've known the band for more than twenty years and, in a way, it's like always being part of it. Harmony is the trademark of this band. We really are a big family. Concerning the old members, we have an excellent relation with many of them and they sometimes make a quick apparence on stage at our live gigs.

V: 你们都是有着丰富创作经验的音乐家，能谈谈你们的创作过程吗？我相信你的创作过程会激励许多年轻的音乐家！

You are both musicians with a lot of experience in composing, can you tell us a little bit about your creative process? I'm sure your creative process will inspire many young musicians!

A: 在创作过程中，贝斯手Michele通常会写下一些想法。然后当歌曲完成度达到85%时，我们开始认真的写歌词，旋律和所有其他元素。有时候我们会在排练的时候凑在一起想出一些点子。

Dealing with the creative process, usually Michele, the bassist, puts down some ideas to work on. Then, when the song has reached a good 85%, we begin to work precisely on the lyrics, melodies and all the other elements. Sometimes, we get ideas from jamming together at the rehearsals.

V: 随着年代的变化，你们的唱片在录音效果方面也更加的精致，你们都在哪些录音室录制专辑？你的专辑是哪个制作人制作的？

As the years have changed and your recordings have become more sophisticated, what studios did you all record your albums in? Which producer produced your albums?

A: 我们的最新专辑“Spiritual Survivor”对我们来说是一个真正的挑战。从一开始我们就打算创造一个严肃而有竞争力的录音产品。鼓是在Barletta的New Born Studio录制的，而所有的吉他，贝斯和人声都是在Gianni Colonna的Kuore Nero Studios录制的。特别是Gianni，他一直是乐队的好朋友，在处理我们最新的工作时，他给了我们很大的支持，以便我们尽可能地工作。最后混音和母带是在Giulio Abbattista的Pitagora工作室进行的，这是一个优秀的制作人，我们感觉亏欠他了很多。

Our latest album, 'Spiritual Survivor', was a real challenge for us. From the beginning we had the intention of creating a serious and competitive recording product. Drums were recorded at the New Born Studio in Barletta while all the guitars, bass and vocals were recorded at Gianni Colonna's Kuore Nero Studios. Gianni in particular has always been a dear friend of the band and, dealing with our latest work, he gave us great support in order to work as best as possible. Finally, the mixing and mastering were carried out at Giulio Abbattista's Pitagora Studio, a great professional to whom we also owe a lot.

V: 你的风格在早期被定义为Thrash Metal，后来你改变了你的风格，新的风格被定义为Groove Metal，你为什么改变乐队的风格？

Your style was defined early on as Thrash Metal, later on you changed your style and the new style was defined as Groove Metal, why did you change the style of the band?

A: 基本上我们从不问自己很多关于我们的音乐类型的问题，我们让自己被直觉和Riff或旋律序列的有效性所引导。我们当然都与80年代的Thrash和Death Metal场景联系在一起（Overkill，Voivod，Onslaught，Megadeth，Death等等）对我们来说Groove Metal可能意味着“一团强大的移动的声音”，其特点是混合了致命的重复片段和朗朗上口的旋律。

Basically we never ask ourselves many questions about our musical genre. We let ourselves be guided a lot by intuition and the effectiveness of a riff or a melodic sequence. We are certainly all linked to the thrash and death metal scene of the 80s (Overkill, Voivod, Onslaught, Megadeth, Death and so on). Groove Metal to us could means 'a powerful moving mass of sound', characterized by a mix of killer riffs and catchy melodies.

V: 你的乐队在2015年之后就没有发行过任何新作品，直到2023年你才发行了你的最新作品“Spiritual Survivor”。你这么多年没有出新作品的原因是什么？

Your band didn't release any new material after 2015, and it wasn't until 2023 that you released your newest work “Spiritual Survivor”. What is the reason why you haven't released any new material for so many years?

A: EP"Arise or Die"（2015）发行后，乐队在2020年之前经历了多次阵容变动，这影响了歌曲创作的过程。当我加入乐队时许多新歌已经部分编曲了。但是在进入录音室之前，我们特别注意所有的安排，录制各种Demo，直到达到我们的期望。

After the release of the EP 'Arise or Die' (2015), the band underwent many line up changes until 2020 which affected the process of songwriting. When I joined the band many of the new songs were already partially arranged. But, before entering the studio, we paid particular attention to all the arrangements, recording various demos until achieving our expectations.

V: 你的音乐主题是什么？为什么选择这样一个音乐主题，你想通过这样一个音乐主题表达什么？歌词部分是你们写的吗，谁写的这些歌词，他的灵感是什么？

What is the theme of your music about? Why did you choose such a musical theme and what do you want to express through such a musical theme? Did you guys write the lyrics part, who wrote these lyrics and what was his inspiration?

A: 我们歌曲的主题与日常生活密切相关。几乎所有的'Spiritual Survivor'都受到新冠病毒建议的极大影响。孤独，疏远，错误的社会动态。例如这张唱片中我最喜欢的歌曲之一"jester’Court"的歌词很容易让人想起Orwel的"1984"或"Blind Chase"，这首歌讲述了一个在医院病房里濒临死亡的连环杀手的内心冲突或者回到过去，'Air Raid'我们的老战马之一，讲述了我们的城市在第二次世界大战期间遭受的轰炸。许多歌词都是克里斯写的，但我们都提供了些思路，使一切更明确。

The topics of our songs are strongly connected to everyday life. Almost all of 'Spiritual Survivor' is greatly affected by the suggestions of the Covid Pandemic. Loneliness, estrangement, wrong social dynamics. For example 'Jesters' Court' - which is one of my favorite songs in this record - has lyrics that are very reminiscent of Orwell's '1984' or 'Blind Chase' which tells of the internal conflict of a serial killer on the verge of death in a hospital room. Or, going back in time, 'Air Raid', one of our old warhorses, tells of the bombings suffered by our city during the Second World War. Many of the lyrics are written by Chris, but we all contribute with suggestions to make everything more defined.

V: 你们的大部分作品都是自己发行的，然后在2007年的专辑在Hurricane Shiva中发行，为什么你们选择自己发行大部分作品？你是怎么联系上Hurricane Shiva合作的？你对他们的工作满意吗？

You guys have self-released most of your work, and then in the 2007 album was released on Hurricane Shiva, why did you choose to self-release most of your work? How did you get in touch with Hurricane Shiva to collaborate? Were you satisfied with their work?

A: Nexxt主要是一个打工人的乐队。对我们来说音乐主要是一种巨大的激情和创造性的出口。就是这样。因此多年来他们更加注重现场演奏和创作好东西。寻找一个好的唱片公司，虽然它代表了一个乐队成长的基本步骤，但对我们来说总是很困难。Hurricane Shiva的经历可以追溯到2007年，当时第一张全长专辑"Addicted To Sin"。这张专辑完全是在Florence录制的，正是在这里，通过我们当时的制作人，Nexxt接触到了Hurricane Shiva。说实话这并不是一次令人兴奋的经历，因为这并没有给乐队带来什么，专辑也没有得到很好的推广。声明一下几个月前我们和Triad Records签了合同，我们相处得很好。Andrea和所有厂牌的员工都是地下乐队的忠实支持者，对他们的所作所为深信不疑。

Nexxt is primarily a working man's band. For us, music is mainly a great passion and a creative outlet.That's it. Therefore over the years, they have paid more attention to playing live and composing good stuff. Looking for a good record label, although it represents a fundamental step for the growth of a band, has always taken a back seat for us. The experience with Hurricane Shiva dates back to 2007, at the time of the first full length, 'Addicted To Sin'. This album was recorded entirely in Florence and it was here, through our producer at the time, that Nexxt came into contact with Hurricane Shiva. To be honest, it wasn't an exciting experience as it didn't add much to the band and the album wasn't well promoted. For the record, a few months ago we signed a contract with Triad Records and we are getting along very well. Andrea and all the label staff are true supporters of the Underground and believe a lot in what they do.

V: 你们乐队的Logo很简单，但是这种设计形式是我个人最喜欢的，因为我很容易记住你们的名字，这个Logo是谁为你们设计的？你的专辑封面也可以非常独特，谁为你设计了这个专辑封面？

Your band's logo is very simple, but this form of design is my personal favorite because I can easily remember your name, who designed this logo for you? Your album artwork can also be very unique, who designed this album artwork for you?

A: 事实上你关注的是一个基本的话题。我们的Logo简单、直接、有影响力，就像我们的音乐一样。如果我没记错的话，实际的Logo是由我们的歌手Chris多年前设计的。关于新唱片的封面，我是在办公室休息的时候自己做的。最终的结果让人恍然大悟。事实上经过几次尝试和不同的组合，我意识到图像完美地代表了专辑的概念。

In fact, you've focused on a basical topic. Our logo is simple, direct and impactful just like our music. If my memory serves me correctly, the actual logo was designed by our vocalist – Chris – , many years ago. As it concerns the artwork of the new record, I did it myself during my time breaks in the office. The final result was something of an epiphany. Infact, after several attempts and different combinations, I realized that the image perfectly represented the concept of the album.

V: 首先祝贺你的乐队在2023年发行了最新专辑，我对你的作品印象非常深刻，阴郁的共鸣，尖锐，快速的riffs与Groove Metal的funky感觉使它更容易听和旋律，鼓手精确，快速的打击也给我留下了深刻的印象，你觉得你的作品怎么样？与旧专辑相比，新专辑有什么变化？

First of all, congratulations to your band for releasing your latest album in 2023, I'm very impressed with your work, the gloomy vibes, sharp, fast riffs with the funky feel of Groove Metal make it more listenable and melodic, and the drummer's precise, fast strikes impress me as well, What do you think of your work? How has the new album changed compared to the old one?

A: 谢谢你，伙计，我很高兴你对我们的工作表示赞赏。'Spiritual Survivor'无疑代表了成熟的作品，我们对我们所做的工作感到非常满意和自豪。在这张专辑的长时间工作中，我们来看非常亲密，这加强了我们的关系。在成为乐队之前我们就是一群兄弟，享受在一起的时光。我想当你听这张专辑的时候，你很容易就能体会到这一点。与之前的专辑相比这张专辑表现出更大的欲望，超越了该类型的正常风格特征。顺便说一下每张专辑都有自己的故事。

Thank you buddy. I am very glad that you appreciated our work. 'Spiritual Survivor' certainly represents the work of maturity and we are truly very satisfied and proud of the work that we've done. During the long period of work on this album, we were very close from a human point of view and this strengthened our relationship a lot. Before being a band we are a group of brothers, enjoying spending time together. I think this can be easily perceived when you listen to the album. This one, compared to previous albums, shows a much greater desire to go beyond the normal stylistic features of the genre. By the way each album has its own story.

V: 作为一个经验丰富的乐队，你们参加过很多音乐节，哪些音乐节给你留下了深刻的印象？你能描述一下那里的氛围吗？2025年你还受邀参加哪些音乐节？1998年你的乐队还发行了一张现场录音专辑，这是你在音乐节上演奏的录音，你还记得吗？

As a veteran band you've played a lot of festivals, what festivals have impressed you and can you describe the atmosphere?What other festivals have you been invited to play in 2025?In 1998 your band also released an album of live recordings, here's a recording from that festival of yours that you played at, do you remember it?

A: 纵观Nexxt的历史，Nexxt已经举办了很多演出和音乐节，为许多大牌开幕，如Master， Destruction， Ancient和Fleshgod Apocalypse仅举几例。早在2005年Nexxt组织了一场Metal Aggression Festival，成功地将像Ancient这样的传奇Black Metal乐队带到普利亚的一个小镇。我们永远不会错过的一个活动是Metal Symposium，这是一个小型但非常受欢迎的活动。但我看到你提到了1998年的一场现场表演。那是'Spazio Giovani'，对于那些年过四十的人来说，这是一个伟大的活动。粉丝小常识：当时我16岁，在舞台下面和Next（当时叫Next）一起跳舞。很神奇不是吗？

Throughout their history, Nexxt have played a lot of gigs and festivals, opening for many big names such as Master, Destruction, Ancient and Fleshgod Apocalypse, just to name a few. Way back in 2005, Nexxt organized a Metal Aggression Festival, managing to bring a black metal legend like Ancient to a small town in Apulia. An event we never miss is the Metal Symposium, a small but very popular event. But I see you mentioned an old live show from 1998. It was 'Spazio Giovani' , a great event for all those peeps who are over forty. Fan fact: I was 16 years old at the time and I was under the stage, moshing with Nexxt (Next at that time). Amazing, isn't it?

V: 你的乐队在2025年还会有什么新的工作吗？比如创作，录制一些新的歌或者发行一张新专辑，你能透露一下吗？

What are some of the other new things you have going on with your band in 2025? Like writing, recording some new material or releasing a new album, can you shed some light on that?

A: 当然! 首先我们很快就会回去做新专辑，我们对此非常兴奋。在此之前我们将录制一个旧轨道的单一版本，我们已经在我们的设置列表中出现了一段时间。显然我们打算继续现场演出，即使很难找到愿意投资地下金属的演出。但是…永不放弃!

Sure! First of all, we'll soon go back to work on the new stuff and we're very excited about it. Before this, we'll record a single version of an old track that we have been featuring in our setlist for a while. Obviously we mean to continue playing live, even if it has become very difficult to find live clubs willing to invest in Underground Metal. But...never give up!

V: Nexxt是一支经典而优秀的乐队，我会一直支持和关注你们的乐队，我也希望通过这次采访让更多的中国粉丝关注和支持你们的乐队，最后你有什么想对中国粉丝说的吗？

Nexxt is a classic and excellent band, I will always support and pay attention to your band, I also hope that through this interview more Chinese fans will pay attention to and support your band, in the end do you have anything you want to say to your Chinese fans?

A: 非常感谢这次精彩的采访，当然! 基本上我们真正关心的是将我们的音乐传播到世界各地，然后……看看会发生什么。我们要对美丽中国的歌迷说：“支持地下音乐，保持大声，保持金属，继续听Nexxt，再见！

Thank you very much for the amazing interview. Sure! Basically what we really care is spreading our music around the world and then... seeing what happens. To our fans from beautiful China we say: "Support Underground Music, Stay loud, Stay Metal and listen to Nexxt, See you soon nexxters!