Nick K (vox & guitars), Tommy Mastermind (guitars & orchestra), Steven F. Olda (bass), Richard Meiz (drums) Genus Ordinis Dei is a symphonic death metal band from Crema, Italy. Their new album Great Olden Dynasty was recorded and produced by Simone Mularoni (Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody, DGM), and features Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil) on guest vocals for the song Salem. Genus Ordinis Dei was established in 2011 by a close circle of professional music instructors who graduated from Italy’s most respected music academies (RGA, MMI, NAM). Over the course of the next two years, the band sculpted its style, melting new millennium metal with symphonic sonorities. During this period the band started to define their artistic and musical identity, developing the idea for a trilogy where the first album to be released would be Act II of the story, entitled The Middle. The band independently released their self-produced album The Middle in 2013, heavily backed by an intensive run of live shows across Italy and Europe. In 2014, the band met Marco Coti Zelati (Lacuna Coil) while on tour, and a friendship formed over the following months. In February of 2015, the band tapped him to produce their upcoming EP 2016 release. The EP was mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio, and the band signed to Danish label, Mighty Music. The Middle received a proper release in January of 2016, along with music videos for the songs ‘Ghostwolf’ and Roots and Idols of Cement. Shortly thereafter, Mighty Music released their 2016 EP, and music videos for the songs From the Ashes, The Fall and Cadence of War. In the Summer of 2016, the band returned to Domination Studio with Simone Mularoni as producer, to record their next full-length album entitled Great Olden Dynasty. The album is another exhilarating side-story to the trilogy, containing ten brand new tracks of symphonic, technical splendor. The album also features Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil on guest vocals in the song ‘Salem’. After completing the album, they parted ways with Mighty Music, and the band began shopping the unreleased album for a new deal. In Fall of 2016 Genus Ordinis Dei was invited to join the Delirium World Tour as opening act for Lacuna Coil, where they completed a five week endurance of 31 gigs in some of Europe’s most prestigious venues. The tour was a great success for the band, landing them dozens of positive reviews in the press. Over the following months, the band entertained offers from several record labels. In the Summer of 2017 however, they finally signed a new, worldwide deal with U.S. label Eclipse Records. Great Olden Dynasty was released worldwide on November 24, 2017. Check out Halls of Human Delights below!
We managed to catch up with Richard Meiz as he talked about the band’s latest release and more!
Please introduce yourself, and what you do in the band?
Hello! I’m Richard Meiz and I am the drummer! It’s a pleasure to be here!
So how has your latest album ‘Great Olden Dynasty’ gone so far with fans then?
It’s going great! We are receiving a lot of response and some great reviews! We know that the album is in heavy rotation on some radios in the US, and also we noticed a great increase of followers! Can’t be better!
Tell us something about the release no one knows?
Probably no one knows exactly how the recording has been done…We basically lived together in a house at the seaside for a month and every day we used to go to the studio for over 10 hours a day. It’s been funny to stay together for such a long time and it is an experience we recommend to all the bands out there!
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
We’d love to work with Roy Khan, the former singer of Kamelot! He has an amazing voice and for sure he could bring some great atmosphere on a song with us!
How has your latest single ‘Cold Water’ been received?
It’s been appreciated a lot. It came out with a spectacular video we shot on the Dolomites at 3000 meters and no one expected a video like that!
Can you tell us about the meaning behind the track?
It is about an expedition gone wrong, where the main character is forced to eat the body of his friend to survive; and it also focuses on the feelings of him while he’s doing something he’d never expected.
What tours do you have coming up, and what can you tell us about them?
We don’t have a tour happening at the moment. Just some gigs around Italy to promote the album and some summer festivals. Maybe something in Europe will come out for the fall.
What venue are you most looking forward to playing the most, and why?
Probably the one we are doing in Grosseto, which is central Italy this summer. It is a very big festival in a super cool location. Also Grosseto is known for having some of the best food here in Italy and we are looking forward to eat like tons of meat! Haha
What else can we expect from you in 2018?
We have a couple videos more to be released and of course continuing the promotion of our latest album, ‘Great Olden Dynasty’. Please download or stream our new album here, and check us out on Facebook for more info. Thanks again!