Hi man, everything's fine within the Zippo camp. We've just come back from our European tour. More than two weeks on the road with our fellows The Orange Man Theory, and I must say we had a great time together. We'll repeat it for sure...

Well, the name came out as a joke, while the band had a clear purpose from the very beginning. Everything started in the summer of 2004, a band was looking for a singer and that's how I got involved. The other guys were Sergente and Silvio on the guitars, Stonino on the bass guitar and Ferico on the drums. After two albums, Silvio left the band, soon after the recordings of 'The Road To Knowledge'. The new guitarist is Devis, also member of the Italian metal band Sothis.

It's a small label, but it acts like a big one. Davide Cantone (the boss) came to the studio when we were recording the new album, he liked it very much and we started the dealing. The huge interest showed made them the right label for Zippo.

The summer of 2008 saw you release your latest album ‘The Road to Knowledge’. How do you describe the sound of the album verses your previous releases?

In the summer of 2008 the album was just finished and the deal with the label was signed, its release came a bit later, in the first months of 2009. The sound of 'The Road To Knowledge' is rich, obscure, aware; the earlier stoner sound developed into something more personal. We don't have one way to play, we can be loud and evil as well as quiet and dreamy, even in the beginning was so. In terms of genres let's say the missing link between progressive rock, stoner/doom, metal and folk music.

Sure it will do, but at the moment we can't say that. All the reviews are brilliant and the interest toward us seem to be bigger than before. Anyway, promotion is useless without touring, so we'll try to hit the road as often as possible.

Over what period and where was the album written and recorded? What is the writing process within the band, is it a collective or individual process?

It took a lot of time to finish the whole process. The first drafts started two year ago, more or less. Full songs had been thrown away when we were not completely satisfied; the mood was important to convey the book's plot into the musical creature. All the songs were ready by the end of 2007 and we entered the studio in March 2009. We took all the time required and mixing was finished in May. Then the mastering process took a few weeks more, since the record was sent to the USA where John Golden did his job. The writing process inside the band is extremely democratic.

What plans have the band to tour in support of ‘The Road to Knowledge’? Is touring something you personally enjoy or is it a necessary evil?

We love touring, we enjoy being on the road. We've already toured Europe twice with this new album out as well as playing the usual Italian gigs, and we'll keep on doing it. We're already thinking about the next route, after the summer will be a nice period to travel.

The album title is very provocative, is there any hidden message behind the title?

Every title, every art form, everything has a hidden message. The one behind 'The Road To Knowledge' could be miscellaneous, everyone chooses his own road to follow, as Silvio did.

Ahead of the recording of ‘The Road to Knowledge’ the band lost long time guitarist Silvo. How difficult was it to loose such an integral member and how did you hook up with Devis?

If you really feel like going on, nothing can stop you. Silvio's loss has been hard to digest, he was a founder member, he was the man behind most of the graphics, including the logo and the artworks, he was an essential member of this band and replacing him has been a difficult process. Luckily, Devis was interested, we already knew each other in some way, coming from the same underground. We asked him to join, after a few rehearsals he became an effective member and made his first tour with us in October/November 2008 where he did a great job.

The band has been labelled ‘stoner’ rock in the past, is this a label that you artistically feel comfortable and do you feel it accurately describes the bands music?

We started with that musical concept in mind, and we played a bunch of Kyuss covers at the beginning, that's not casual. The level we're walking now is something apart from labels of any kind, the term 'stoner' could not really describe what we are now, we need more adjectives, or more imaginative reviewers. Ah ah!

Of course we have some collective musical influences like Kyuss, Tool or Mastodon, just to name a few. It's difficult to answer to the second task instead. Personally I like to bring a dose of melancholy and restlessness in what I sing, among acid chimes and fat riffs, low frequencies and massive beats.

What is the scene in Italy like, is there much of a metal movement?

In Italy there's a kind of scene, especially in our musical field, where bands help one another. There are a lot of heavy bands out there, but most of them always remain on a lower level than the underground, and that's a pity.

What is next for Zippo? Any final words to all the Zippo fans out there?

Tonight we're going to take part on a benefit show in favour of the victims of the earthquake in Abruzzo, we really feel to do something for this painful situation here. For the fans: I hope to be able to share a beer with each one of you in the future.