JULY 17th, 2021
CELTIC HILLS EXCLUSIVE
Interview By: Metal Mom
MetalTitans very own, Metalmom had the opportunity to chat with Jonathan Vanderbilt of Celtic Hills, a band out of Italy forming in 2010. Musical stylings of speed and thrash mized with epic elements of philsophic texts. Similar to bands like Judas Priest or Primal Fear. Personally, I had never heard of them, and figured, this was an opportunity to learn more of a newer upcoming band out of Europe. Let's find out more about the band, shall we?
MT - How did you come up with the name Celtic Hills ?
JV - The territory in which I live was an area inhabited by the Celts until the arrival of the Romans in 183 BC. We have translated the term "Collio Friulano" into English.
MT - You have yourself (Jonathan Vanderbilt) on guitars and vocals, Jacopo Novello on bass and Simone 'Zigo' Cescutti on the drums, tell us how each of them came to be in the band .
JV - Many call Celtic Hills a one man band due to the constant rotation of new musicians, but this is because it is difficult to find good musicians free from other commitments. Simone Cescutti has opened his own recording studio and will probably have a hard time playing all the concerts live.
MT - Can you tell us how Celtic Hills came to be?
JV - It's been 20 years since I stopped playing and it all started with a return to the passion I had in my youth. You are never too old to play Heavy Metal.
MT - Was there anyone who was a big influence on you when you were young that led you to this style?
JV - There was one song in particular! "Guardian of Helloween." I loved listening to music which was very fast at the same time with melodic vocals! Another band I really liked was Anthrax. Before that I was a great Sex Pistols fan.
MT - At what age did you know that music was going to be something you had to do?
JV - When I was 8, I wrote my first song by winning a very small children's festival. Then, at 16, I was playing bass in a punk band.
MT - Were you in a band before this? If so, who and what type of music ?
JV - I sang in tribute bands, covers of Skid Row, Iron Maiden and Helloween.
MT - Who writes the lyrics for the band and where does the inspiration come from?
JV - All the songs I write the music and lyrics, the inspiration comes from the idea of telling a story where the music becomes the soundtrack to get more in tune with what is being told.
MT - You have a new album out "Mystai Keltoy' , what does the name mean, and how did you choose it for the album title?
JV - It literally could be translated as "Celtic Mysteries", but the use of an ancestral language refers to the esoteric world, a language not accessible to everyone, but only to those who share a certain lifestyle.
MT - There are 11 tracks in total, do you personally have a favourite, and why that one?
JV - I love "Already Lost" because it is very fast, with a lot of guitar phrasing and is sung with a melodic and high-pitched voice. Reminds me of the early Helloween style.
MT - How do you pick which song to put into a video ?
JV - These are choices that we all decide together, the band and label. It also depends on how much it costs to make a video.
MT - What kind of music do you enjoy ?
JV - Raw and powerful speed / thrash. If instead you ask me what music outside of metal, then, the 70's disco, when it was played by musicians! But also 80's cartoon themes.
MT - Do you remember the first band you ever listened to and thought, this is what I have to do? Who was it ?
JV - Yes! KISS, with the album "Destroyer."
MT - Tell us something about Celtic Hills that people might not know.
JV - Maybe not everyone knows that it is necessary to have a lot of energy inside to give a wall of sound when you are only 3 guys. Playing and singing at the same time is tiring, but this is the essence of real metal and how MANOWAR sing: "True metal people want to rock, not pose"
MT - If you were not in a band, what do you think you would be doing as a job?
JV - I left my permanent job in a shipyard to go back to doing what I've always liked. Play freely.
MT - How have you been during this whole pandemic thing?
JV . I had no health problems, but the fear of dying made me decide to dedicate myself totally to what I like. I asked myself: "What is my last wish?" And the answer is "what I have been doing since 2020!"
MT - What are your plans once this is all over ?
JV - I'm writing and recording Germana Noage's new debut album (she sang Eden as a guest in Celtic Hills) and I'm working on the new Celtic Hills album.
MT - Is there anything you would like to say, that I might have missed asking?
JV - I would like to advise everyone not to be afraid to follow their dreams and to believe in what you do, because if you don't believe yourself, first you, others won't.
Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with Metaltitans, we appreciate it.