Rock Monsters Romania

On the 26th of January, a new band was officialy born, but we do not talk about just another band, we talk about Manic Sinners, a new Melodic Hard Rock Supergroup formed by Ovidiu Anton (Vocalist), Adrian “Baciu” Igrisan (Keyboards and Drums), and Toni Dijmarescu (Guitarist).

For those who are not familiar to Romanian music, let’s talk a bit about the guys:

Adrian Igrisan, who is also the singer and guitarist of Romanian band CARGO, is one of the best and well-known Romanian and East-European musicians.

Ovidiu Anton, the vocalist of the band, is well-known for winning the Romanian National Selection of Eurovision Music Contest in 2016, but also for his project ANTON and his solo career.

Toni Dijmarescu, one of most famous Romanian guitarist, if not the most famous one, who collaborated with bands like Resita Rocks or Serpentin and with artists like Calin Pop, completes this amazing line-up.

On the 23rd of February, after they’ve announced that they are working at their debut album “King of the Badlands”, the band announced that they’ve signed a deal with Frontiers Music, the home of Whitesnake, Def Leppard and a lot of many other huge bands.

We had the pleasure to talk to them and find out more about the band, the album and the future plans in an exclusive interview. We would like to thank all of them for their time!

How did you meet and who came up with the idea to set up this project?

The artistic world in Romania is a tight circle and basically we kind of know each other. The next stage is affinity: some of us resonate, and this leads to friendship, even if we perform in different bands. Wanting to work on the musical parting together, we thought to form this studio side-project, which does not influence our main bands or projects, but being complex beings, we want to express ourselves in a different way than the main bands.

How did the inspiration for choosing the name MANIC SINNERS come about?

After analyzing several names for our project, it seemed to us the most “rock”, unique, which represents us – and because we try to be honest with ourselves, we cannot pretend that we are “angels” :))

Why did you choose to collaborate with Frontiers Music?

Frontiers are the most important record label specializing in hard melodic rock in the world, so the choice to collaborate with them came practically by itself. We are very pleased with the company we are in and happy because we have made this possibility easier for other bands from our country.

You announced the album “King of the Badlands”. When will it be ready and what should we expect? Will there be songs with guests from outside the band?

The album is musically ready, and at the moment we are at the end in terms of mixing and mastering. If we are on this subject, we can say that this side is dealt with by Alessandro Del Vecchio (HARDLINE, JORN, REVOLUTION SAINTS), who besides being a top artist, is also a world-class sound engineer. We hope the album will appear in the fall of this year, but the final decision is the label’s, because they will promote this album worldwide. We did not have guests on this album, primarily because we wanted to establish a connection between us, and the appearance of this album is in itself a new thing. However, we do not rule out this possibility in the future, especially since we have signed a contract for several albums.

What other plans do you have for 2021?

First we want this album to reach your homes, then, of course, the first single in the form of a video. We are in talks for the release of this album and vinyl version, exclusively for the Romanian market. Being a studio project, the only possibility of meeting with those who listen to us will be through radio and TV interviews, as well as on social media.

What message do you have for those who sent you messages of support after the band was officially announced?

Our message is one: THANK YOU and long live Rock ‘n’ Roll! Due to the warm reception of our project, we will make up for it by organizing online sessions in which we will tell stories at a glass of beer.

Cum v-ati cunoscut si cine a venit cu ideea să infiintati acest proiect?

Lumea artistica din Romania este un cerc restrans si in principiu ne cam cunoastem intre noi. Urmatoarea etapa este cea de afinitate: unii dintre noi rezonam, si acest fapt duce la prietenie, chiar daca performam in trupe diferite. Dorindu-ne sa lucram pe partrea muzicala impreuna, ne-am gandit sa formam acest side-project de studio, care nu ne influenteaza trupele sau proiectele pricipale, dar fiind niste fiinte complexe, ne dorim sa ne exprimam si in alt mod decat al trupelor de baza.

Cum a venit inspiratia pentru alegerea numelui MANIC SINNERS?

Dupa ce am analizat mai multe nume pentru proiectul nostru, acesta ni s-a parut cel mai „rock“, unic, care ne reprezinta – si pentru ca incercam sa fim sinceri cu noi, nu putem pretinde ca suntem niste „angels“ :))

De ce ati ales sa colaborati cu casa de discuri Frontiers Music?

Frontiers sunt cea mai importanta casa de discuri specializata pe hard rock melodic din lume, deci alegerea de a colabora cu ei a venit practic de la sine. Suntem foarte multumiti de compania in care ne aflam si bucurosi pentru ca am inlesnit aceasta posibilitate si altor trupe de la noi din tara.

Ati anuntat albumul “King of the Badlands”. Cand va fi gata si la ce sa ne asteptam? Vor fi si piese cu invitati din afara trupei?

Albumul este gata din punct de vedere muzical, iar in acest moment suntem pe final din punct de vedere al mixajelor si al masteringului. Daca suntem la acest subiect, putem spune ca de aceasta parte se ocupa Alessandro Del Vecchio (HARDLINE, JORN, REVOLUTION SAINTS), care pe langa faptul ca este un artist de top, este si un inginer de sunet de nivel mondial. Speram ca albumul sa apara in toamna acestui an, dar decizia finala este a casei de discuri, pentru ca ei vor promova acest album la nivel worldwide. Invitati nu am avut pe acest album, in primul rand pentru ca am dorit sa stabilim o legatura intre noi, iar aparitia acestui album este in sine un lucru inedit. Nu excludem insa aceasta posibilitate pe viitor, mai ales ca am semnat un contract pentru mai multe albume.

Ce alte planuri aveti pentru anul 2021?

In primul rand ne dorim ca acest album sa ajunga in casele voastre, apoi, bineinteles, si primul single sub forma unui videoclip. Suntem in tratative pentru lansarea acestui album si in varianta vinil, exclusiv pentru piata romaneasca. Fiind un proiect de studio, singura posibilitate de intalnire cu cei ce ne asculta va fi prin intermediul interviurilor radio si TV, cat si pe social media.

Ce mesaj aveti pentru cei ce v-au trimis mesaje de sustinere, dupa ce trupa a fost anuntata oficial?

Mesajul nostru este unul singur: MULTUMIM si long live Rock ‘n‘ Roll! Datorita primirii calde a proiectului nostru, ne vom revansa prin organizarea unor sesiuni online in care vom povesti la un pahar de bere.

Interview by Radu Mihai

Translation by Andreea Ionescu