The Making Of “Metamorfosis” Documentary (Part 1)

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“An artist tries to capture in the real world something that does not exist, something that lives in his imagination, a signal that he receives from beyond. Nothing simple.”

Creating, in itself, is not easy.

It requires energy, preparation, work, effort, perseverance… creating music, in particular, also requires creativity, imagination, talent…

Creating a conceptual music album is an even greater challenge… demanding dedication, attention to detail, perfectionism, focus…

It requires the union of all the musicians in the group, debate, consensus… to compose, record precisely each instrument, each arrangement…

edit all the parts, assemble them, mix them to build each song and bring it to life… and have all of them share the concept of the album… a long and arduous process, really exhausting…

Imagine if you had to do it alone …

If what several musicians in a band, the recording and mixing studio staff all depended on the same person… It would be practically impossible…

But… what if that alternative were the only one there … however difficult it may be … could it become feasible?

That is exactly what Metamorphosis is. After approximately three long years of work and dedication, Metamorphosis is the evidence that nothing is impossible. Today it exists in the real world and is the kickoff in a dream chase.

What is this project about? What are its qualities?

Gio De Marco:
“… Metamorphosis was born as a personal challenge. I felt the need to create a material to test the knowledge that I had been acquiring, and also to be able to show my musical style. With very few resources, without the ideal space, equipment or experience to do it, I set myself the goal of making a complete concept album, like the vinyl of the 70s. I wanted my album to evoke that experience from before, where you put the vinyl on the tray and listened to the entire album. I am a very perfectionist and detail-oriented, and even with the few tools available to me, I thought I could make a semi-professional quality record. ”

What’s the concept behind the album?

Gio De Marco:
“… when I decided to start the album, I was going through a lot of changes: personal, work, sentimental, musical, artistic … etc. That is why the album was called “Metamorphosis”, a conceptual work, with change and constant transformation being the concept of it. I think I managed to capture it on the album, the rhythms change, the sounds as well, no two songs are the same but they are mutating, some brighter and happier, others darker and deeper, there are long instrumental sections, as a reward for those who choose listen, and has the peculiarity of repeating some melodies throughout the album.

For the cover I wanted that transformation, mutation, evolution to be reflected in a hyper-realistic illustration. For that, I published an ad on a illustrators’ marketplace, and there I discovered one of my favorite illustrators, Darío Mekler. Seeing his work, I knew almost immediately that he was the one, I became a huge fan. I think the cover was great, without a doubt I would work with Darío again, I celebrate it and I recommend it infinitely.”

How did the idea of creating the album come about?

Gio De Marco:
“… In 2015, I started to build my humble” home studio. ” I started by recording a test song at home, to see what quality I could achieve, and also to see how many of the production ideas that were spinning in my mind I could manage to translate into the final audio, which are very different things. The result emboldened me to try something more ambitious, and that’s where the idea for a concept album was born. I plan to share everything I learned so that others can create with less limitations, so I invite you to subscribe to the new Artistic Energy Records video channel. ”

Why On Your Own?

Gio De Marco:
“… my original goal is to form a group of high caliber with other experienced musicians, focused on obtaining the best sounds and textures. This is my project with Indica Stout. Where there is freedom of instrumental and tonal expression, create without limits, innovate . Having a group would be ideal. But … it is difficult to find those musicians. They have to be responsible, have chemistry with one, similar interests artistically speaking, play their instrument correctly, discipline, well … it is not as easy as it seems to find matching pairs in the goal. In this context I decided to do it myself. Also to put myself to the test, knowing that if I achieved it, I would gain a lot of experience.

It was undoubtedly an uncomfortable journey, one of constant suffering, evolution and learning. When I told people that I was going to do this, no one took any dimension of what I was saying. Some told me that I was crazy, others that it was not possible … of course I felt that in the middle of the process. Thousands of times, I felt that I would never finish it, that no one would care, that it was not going to be good, and so many other things. But today, with the album coming true, it’s… satisfying.”