Belladonna


Although the band's name refers to a deadly poison, the music of Belladonna is poised for longevity. "Metaphysical Attraction", the self-produced debut of this talented quintet from Rome, Italy, is an emotional and erotic work of undeniable potency guided by the intense vocals of Luana. "We're definitely a rock band," says the raven-haired, sultry singer "But the twist is that the band's music is sensual, dramatic, mysterious rocknoir is the most apt definition."


Belladonna

Belladonna first took shape in Rome at the beginning of 2005. Predictably, the band didn't quite fit the mold of most others lingering around the Italian rock scene. "We used to spend still do in fact! - most of our time staying at home listening to our favourite albums, writing songs and recording demos" says Dani "We loathe most Italian music, anyway: our musical reference points have always been English-speaking ones, so when we try to put on paper the songs that are haunting our imagination its no surprise that they come out in English.".
"Writing lyrics is and should always be - a form of automatic writing" Luana reckons "otherwise its just a conceited, pointless activity".

Co-founders Luana and guitarist/songwriter Dani refrain from divulging any details about their personal relationship: "Some people just assume were a couple, others think we're brother and sister" insists Luana "And yes, surely we're intimate, writing and making music together can bring you closer than sex or even love ever could".
A musical relationship as a marriage made in Heaven? "Or maybe in Hell... muses Dani "Music is an esoteric art form: youre dealing with sound waves and how to combine them to create an emotional response it is akin to alchemy and witchcraft, definitely".


MySpace

Influenced by a wide-ranging collection of artists such as Edgar A. Poe, Kate Bush, Roman Polanski and Led Zeppelin, the band opened their MySpace profile at the end of October 2005. Even without the benefit of extended touring or corporate promotional push, Belladonna quickly began to establish a worldwide reputation thanks to the MySpace word-of-mouth, becoming in a matter of weeks the most played Italian rock band on MySpace after Lacuna Coil.

"It started slowly and then it quickly gained momentum" Luana remembers. "Now it's just snowballing! Our tracks are played thousands of times a day, making it more like a webradio than a bands profile!". "We absolutely cannot offer an explanation for it" adds Dani "Maybe in today's world of pre-packaged pseudo-rock'n'roll angst we write and sing from the heart and that makes us sound different from anybody else 'unique' is actually the most used word to describe our band on our MySpace comments. These days we all crave for something real and genuine, more than ever before."


Album

"Metaphysical Attraction" was produced by Dani and tracked in Rome in his home studio. The album successfully finds that intangible balance between romantic beauty and erotic dirtiness that is inherent in all Belladonna's artistic output. Luana on the albums birth: "Anytime me and Dani wrote a new song we played it with the band and then immediately recorded it, more for our own pleasure than for anything else: we just wanted to blast them real loud in our headphones at night!". The album is actually a collection of some of those recordings, released merely to satisfy the demand coming from their MySpace Friends "Some of them were literally begging for a Belladonna album!" smiles Dani.

It can indeed be argued that the enthusiastic way Belladonnas music is being received on MySpace has something to do with the non-corporate, purely personal motives behind the recordings.
The album was recorded using that old, simple and timeless approach to production: just a tight, focused and passionate rock band playing its heart out, with almost no overdubs and certainly no click-tracks or samples in sight. Ironically this simplicity is exactly what makes "Metaphysical Attraction" so unique sounding and yes, so contemporary when compared to the overdone-to-death Pro-Tooled mechanical perfection and sameness of most music playing in your radio right now.


Songs

Typical of the record is the album opener, "Black Swan": "Black Swan" is about getting your rightful revenge, against all odds an autobiographical tale. reveals Luana. Dani continues, "We're very passionate individuals but passion doesnt necessarily imply love we like to think that Marlon Brandos Godfather would be proud of that song!". Also significant is the vibrant paranormal love-after-death-story "Foreverland" and the abrasive death-after-love-story "Mrs.Hyde" with its pummeling beats and dramatic subject matter. Of the latter, Luana asserts, "It's the song that is the most 'us'. That best sums up the 'noir' aspect of our songwriting".

Lyrically, Belladonna explores dark, introspective themes of madness and magic, retribution and reincarnation, sex and excess. But the group insists its fundamental message is a positive one. "Our songs' characters might be going through pain or emotional turmoil but theyre somehow always winners, who overcome their difficult situations or at least come to terms with them" explains Luana, who besides being a marketing man's manager fantasy made flesh is also a Philosophy graduate and scholar "Pain is the root of knowledge, and evil is the root of mystery Knowledge and mystery are the keys of life, and through music everything for a single magic moment becomes crystal clear"


Live

Belladonna's live shows are nothing short of incendiary: Luana stalks the stage like a woman truly possessed by the demons that populate their songs, with Dani and the powerful Alex on drums providing an intense and emotional musical backing alongside the two other ladies in noir of the band, Alice and Tam, on piano and bass respectively.

"Somehow only girls or guys with a very pronounced feminine side seem to manage to bring our songs to life" Luana emphasizes. "We don't know exactly why, but theres a certain depth of intensity and aggression that women can express way more easily". Dani quips: "Anger and rage are definitely feminine traits, as anyone that has ever had a relationship with a woman will tell you!".


Future

The future? "Who knows?" says Luana "As long as writing and playing music gives us so much sheer joy we won't stop we are music junkies, constantly craving for that pure metaphysical pleasure".