Deftones and Architects Are the Main Influences on Our New Album 'VIVA,' Says Marc Schaffo of the Swiss Metal Band ARTIFICTION

It was the second day of the Greenfield Festival in Interlaken, Switzerland where I had the chance to watch Artifiction perform live in front of hundreds of people, feeling proud of these young gentlemen from my current local town. The founder, composer, and guitarist Marc Schaffo answered my questions right after the show, and we talked about being an independent band, the metal scene in Lucerne, future plans, the upcoming album, and the musical direction of Artifiction.

The modern progressive metalcore collective Artifiction has been officially releasing music since 2017, starting their careers with a single called 'Pulsar.' Performing at the Greenfield Festival in front of a real crowd is certainly one of the checkpoints in their musical careers, a strategic step forward and a confidence boost right before their debut studio album release in October 2022.

As some of you might also know, the Greenfield Festival is one of the biggest festivals in Switzerland, attracting thousands of people from all around Europe every year. It's known for its beautiful location and for providing opportunities to successful acts from the local scene. "It's one of the best moments of my life," Marc said, expressing the emotion of being here as an independent band. "This was the most professional team we have worked with so far in our careers. We received help while loading and unloading our equipment, were given a backstage room, and it was a great experience."

It was one of those days when everything went smoothly at the festival. The weather couldn't have been better, the energy was great, and people were still arriving as I left the festival area around midnight. I thoroughly enjoyed watching full performances by Artifiction and Baroness during the day and concluded this enjoyable evening with Jinjer.

During our interview, Marc conveyed the same impression, wearing a smile as he shared his experience. He talked about the sound, energy level, and the feedback they received from the crowd, saying, "At first, there were maybe around twenty people during the soundcheck, but when we saw that crowd once we hit the stage, it was an incredible feeling."

Deftones and Architects are the Main Influences on our New Album; VIVA, says Marc Schaffo of the Swiss Progressive Metalcore Band ARTIFICTION

Clearly, the next day would bring different feelings, marking another chapter in their lives with new objectives. I recall that they had been working on finalizing their new album on that festival day and played a new song called "Elysian" for the first time, which is from their upcoming album. When I asked about Artifiction's future plans, Marc said, "Our next objective is the album release on October 14, 2022, and then playing at another major festival in Europe, such as Rock am Ring or Rock the Park, next year. I believe today we showed the world what we can do, and we feel ready for this."

On September 23, 2022, Artifiction released "Elysian," along with a music video on the Dreambound YouTube Channel. It serves as the first single from their upcoming debut studio album, VIVA. Initially, we discussed the album's concept and title. Marc explained, "Actually, the title VIVA, which means 'Live,' was initially a song on the album. After completing all the songs, we realized that this song best represents Artifiction. It features an orchestration of violins and cellos, with sections featuring around twenty additional instruments. Ultimately, the song became so powerful that it gave the album its title." He continued to describe the concept, saying, "Apart from that, I'd say all the songs are generally dark, but in the end, there’s always something hopeful in them, both musically and lyrically. It's a really diverse album."

Artifiction's previous release was a single titled "Sleep," which was released in 2020, accompanied by a music video on Dreambound, just like their latest release, "Elysian." It wasn't an easy transition for anyone, especially for independent artists, as the entire world was shaken by the Corona pandemic that year. When I asked Marc about the past two years of his life, he said, "We were basically trying to stay together," recalling the challenges. He added, "We were trying to stay safe, find a way to rehearse, and play as many shows as possible while complying with the pandemic restrictions. I remember playing a show in a small club where people were sitting with their masks on, and we weren't allowed to leave the room. So, in the end, the best we could do was stay together because I know many bands that, unfortunately, couldn't survive the Covid pandemic. We started focusing on songwriting and recording during that time. Perhaps it seemed like not much was happening from the outside, but behind the scenes, we were working on a new album."

The highlight of the interview came when Marc shared their main musical influences and the direction of the new album, considering it's their debut. Since the release of "Sleep" two years ago, fans of Artifiction must be curious about their new approach. Marc explained, "To me, 'Sleep' belongs to the modern metalcore/progressive metalcore world with heavy Deftones influences. It has similar characteristics, such as melodic powerful chorus sections." He continued, "In fact, Deftones personally influenced me a lot as a young guitar player and composer, which naturally influenced the style of Artifiction. Sometimes you can hear it in the music, sometimes in the vocals. The new album, 'Viva,' similarly incorporates characteristics reminiscent of Architects, alongside the Deftones influence we had in 'Sleep.' It's modern but with a vintage touch this time."

Towards the end of the interview, I wanted to learn more about Marc as a Swiss artist, so I asked him about his main influencer. Without hesitation, Marc responded, clearly prepared for the question. He shared, "Jon Deiley and his band Northlane (a modern metalcore band from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, which I heard of for the first time) have always been a significant influence on my music, as well as my guitar playing technique. So, I'd say their album 'Node' is one of my personal all-time favorites."

As a young artist with a professional musical career of five years in the industry, Marc mentioned how working as a "roadie" for the experienced band Mindcollision from Lucerne taught him a great deal. He praised them as a "great band" and explained, "Until I was twenty-three, I had never learned to play someone else's song on a guitar. I was constantly busy with playing my music. However, after working as a roadie for Mindcollision, the day when I had to learn and play one of their songs on a guitar changed my life forever. That day, I realized the importance of learning to play songs by other bands."

When discussing the local metal scene in Lucerne, Marc had mixed feelings and believed there was room for improvement in his hometown. He stated, "In my opinion, there is a small metal scene in Lucerne, and as a young band, it's not easy to fill a venue. On one hand, the scene is relatively small, but on the other hand, it's rewarding with events like the Greenfield Festival, where people genuinely come to listen to your music. I think people in Lucerne don't enjoy going to closed concert halls and venues as much, but they love attending festivals."

It was a great pleasure talking to a highly motivated and talented artist such as Marc Schaffo. Personally looking forward to seeing Artifiction playing at big festivals (Resurrection Fest) in the near future. Thanks for reading.

Artifiction will be releasing their new album, "VIVA" on the 14th of October, and the release party will be at Konzerthaus Schüür, supported by Mindcollision and A Lost Game.

Artifiction on the Web;

Official Website
Instagram
Facebook
Spotify
Youtube

Listen to Metalhead Community's Monsters of Metal Underground playlist on Spotify