LUKE FORTINI talks about his new album "In Search"

How would you compare you new excellent album ”To Search” to your previous releases?

So my new digital release To Search is very different from my previous works.
It is still instrumental music, but this time I wanted to include metal, jazz, progressive and neoclassical elements.
A nice mix that maybe not everyone's understanding, but I did what I felt like doing.


How long did it take to record your album?

Overall, it took 5 months, during the period of the lockdown in Italy.
Precisely from March to July 2020, as everyone knows it was a really strange and sad period, everyone at home, closed clubs, no live music and this damned virus that was starting to spread more and more.
I started to compose and record some songs with the intention of making a new instrumental disc in my name, since we were unfortunately stopped with the bands I play with.

You are also a member of the band ”Imago Imperii”, how did you end up in this band and how would you describe their music?

Yes I am a member of the Imago Imperii and I'm also the composer of most of the riffs and song structures, the lyrics instead is dealing with Fabio, the singer.
This is a very close-knit band and we get along very well as people.
We are considered by insiders as an epic power metal band and I would say that I agree with this term, but every now and then we do not disdain some slight exploration on prog metal.
Fabio asked me 4 years ago to join the band and I gladly accepted, we had known each other for a while before, I saw him live with the old line-up and I thought he was an excellent frontman.
I also play in Hyperion, with which we do metal more Iron Maiden or Megadeth.


How has the situation with Corona affected your musical career? Did you have many gigs planned that had to be cancelled?

Unfortunately, this situation has damaged the music scene and at all levels.
In my small way I missed 3 important concerts with Hyperion and even with Imago we were held back, but luckily we managed to compose a lot of new material for a future new record.
In addition to this, I also had to give up some commercial coverband projects, which in our area give you the opportunity to perform in even prestigious clubs.
We are all really hit hard by the pandemic, from cover bands, to the local metal band, to the famous band.
Nothing can be done about it, just wait and see how it goes.

Would you agree that the market for instrumental guitar music is over saturated and too many players sound the same?

I understand well, the market for guitar instrumental music might seem over, I don't know for sure, but honestly I've never asked myself the problem.
The fact is that I still love instrumental records for guitar, especially shred ones, and I don't disdain jazz rock or fusion every now and then.
I grew up with Malmsteen, Randy Rhoads, Allan Holdsworth, Joe Satriani, even if I don't listen to them as before, they are a mirror of my musical tastes.
It is also true that there is a saturation, but this is also true for bands and not just for guitarists.
At the same time the good internet is a cross and a delight, every now and then I surf on Youtube and find some monstrous guitarists, who can give me some input and inspiration.


Do you plan to tour with your solo music, or with Imago Imperii once this Corona situation is behind us?

If this pandemic ends, of course it will.
With Imago and Hyperion we will surely do concerts.
Alone it is a bit more difficult, but not to be excluded, some time ago I thought of going to play alone with the basics, you know in my pieces I play and program everything myself, I wouldn't mind that.
Playing live with the bands songs is however more overwhelming and people flock more (this is obvious), every music has its own resonance, big or small, it may be that mine is very small, but I don't worry about that.

What else do you enjoy in life except for music?

Besides music and guitar, I really like fishing in rivers and lakes, in the spring and summer season.
Then I like horror movies, even the trashy and zany ones.
Finally, a small passion are 80's videogames.

High Quality WAV Download from Lion Music available HERE:
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