White Widdow, the Australian hard rock sensation, is about to pay a second visit to Greece for yet another unique show on the 6th of March in Athens. I am sure that everyone who was lucky enough to have attended the band’s first live show in Athens, a few years ago, was left under the most vivid impression by White Widdow’s energetic performance.
We get in touch with guitarist Enzo Almanzi who was kind enough to share some of his thoughts about White Widdow’s new record and what should all the Greek fans expect by the upcoming show…
Interview: Sakis Nikas
Rockpages.gr: Enzo, you have just released your third album, called “Crossfire”. What can you tell us about it and how different is it compared to your previous records?
Enzo Almanzi: The new album is a lot like “Serenade” and our debut album, although more refined which comes down to us (Jules, Xavier and myself) being a little more experienced and always wanting to refine our craft.
Rockpages.gr: Your first two records were widely accepted by the fans and gained very positive reviews from the press. Was it something that you expected or did it come as a surprise to you?
Enzo Almanzi: It was a complete surprise to all of us. Specifically at the time of sending “Serenade” off to be mastered, we knew we had a good album but certainly did not expect it to take off in Europe as it did shortly after the release.
Rockpages.gr: In this time and age where the competition is fierce and every band tries to distinguish, how hard it is for White Widdow to present its music to the masses, considering, also, that you are based in Australia…?
Enzo Almanzi: We’re not really concerned with competition, and don’t see it that way at all, although competition can be healthy. We construct our music out of love and respect for melodic rock, mainly from being long-time fans ourselves. Being based in Australia does mean that we need to tour internationally, but that’s also another labour of love for us.
Rockpages.gr: Do you think that if you had formed the band in the 80s, White Widdow would have had a better chance to achieve commercial success?
Enzo Almanzi: Quite possibly, White Widdow and a few other melodic rock bands around today would have been offered more opportunities in the 1980’s than we are now. We’re all realistic though, so we don’t think in retrospect a lot.
Rockpages.gr: Where do you think the future of melodic hard rock lies?
Enzo Almanzi: I think melodic hard rock will thrive once again. Everybody loves a good melodic hard rock, don’t they?
Rockpages.gr: You are about to play in Greece for a second time. What do you remember from your previous visit here and what should all your Greek fans should expect from the upcoming White Widdow show?
Enzo Almanzi: We’re very grateful to be playing in Greece again. On our first tour over there a few years back we had an absolute blast! The fans and promoters alike were all fantastic friendly people who went out of their way to make sure we were treated very well.
My favourite memory was hanging out with the band and fans after the show at Bat City. That was a special night for us. This time, with our new lineup and new live set we’re planning to give Greece a very special night to remember!
Rockpages.gr: What was your favorite hard rock release of 2014 and why?
Enzo Almanzi: The last H.E.A.T album was great and I liked Harem Scarem’s album. Top notch singers with great guitar players. I happen to like our album Crossfire a lot too!
This is an excerpt of our review of “Serenade” back in 2011:
The album displays all the elements that we want to listen to and expect from a melodic hard rock album (you know what those are, of course…) and in comparison with the debut record I think that the main difference must be pointed down to the emphasis that White Widdow gives now to the keyboard sound thus putting in the background the guitar…it’s what we would call in the 80s “a shift in a more commercial direction”; but of course, such characterizations are pointless and meaningless in these days and times.
And this is what we had written about the debut White Widdow record in 2010:
One more sensational melodic rock album and I tend to believe that the period between 2009-2010 should be regarded as a milestone for the genre as there were released some diamonds –from new and not only outfits- that are absolutely reminiscent and equal in quality with those glorious record of the 80s. White Widdow and this debut album of theirs fit perfectly in the aforementioned “diamond category”. They come from the distant land of Australia, a country that will be eternally proud of AC/DC, but with releases like this one by White Widdow, it surely has every potential in building a tradition in the melodic hard rock genre, too.
Sakis Nikas
