Italian heavy metal force Rogue Deal have been going from strength to strength and recently they put out their brand new album “Escape From Justice.” From their formation to the new album find out all the details from the band themselves!

TheNwothm: Thanks for agreeing to this interview Rogue Deal! Can you introduce the band and where you are from?

Michele Turco: Hi, first of all, we’d like to thank you for the great opportunity you gave us, to make us known as a band. This is one of our first interviews, so this is a very important moment for us. The group is based in Verona, and consists of myself, Michele Turco, singer, Matteo Finato and Gianluca Padovani on guitars, Francesco Galbieri on bass, and Nicola Danese on drums. The classic Heavy Metal lineup.

TheNwothm: And going all the way back to the start of the band, do you remember how you formed?

Michele Turco: Yeah, sure. We formed in 2017, although things have taken a certain direction since September 2018, after our drummer Nicola joined the lineup, thus finally finding us compact in musical ideas and intentions. Having then reached our harmony, we immediately decided to record a demo with the first songs ready, hoping to break out of the stalemate of being an unknown band and thus be able to start doing some live shows. In 2020 we finally managed to complete the 2-guitar lineup, with Gianluca joining. This entry allowed us to get the right sound to think about our album, and we did.

TheNwothm: When you think about the initial direction of the band, was it different to how you sound now?

Michele Turco: No, we had very clear ideas from the very beginning, we are all lovers of NWOBHM and early Heavy Metal, and our intent was to write songs in that style. Let’s say that the construction of the lineup was all aimed at this goal. 

TheNwothm: And did you come up with the band name Rogue Deal and what is its meaning?

Michele Turco: No particular meaning, we liked that it sounded like a typical NWOBHM band name. 

TheNwothm: So in 2019 you released your demo “Rogue Deal.” What was it like putting those first songs together and how was the music received by audiences?

Michele Turco: That demo was the best thing we could do for us, first of all, it made us realize what is the way forward, and then it made us known outside our city.

We have received requests for radio broadcasts, some interviews, we have also sent physical copies here and there around the world (one above all the request from a record shop in Osaka in Japan for about twenty copies, sold in a week) , all for a demo from which we definitely didn’t expect all this feeling so appreciated was a source of great pride for us, and it was truly a magical moment.

TheNwothm: Do you have a favourite track from the demo?

Michele Turco: Definitely, for me, it’s “(You’re Gonna) Take Me Higher,” because it’s our first song that we were fully satisfied with and also because playing it live it sounds so damn NWOBHM, whatever stage I’m on I feel like I’m Paul Di’Anno at the “Ruskin Arms” in 1979. And it’s a good feeling.

Nicola Danese: For me “Night Ranger,” we also put it on the album, and then it was the first song we wrote since I joined the band.

Matteo Finato: I’m undecided between “Night Ranger” and “Take Me Higher,” the former because it always makes a good impression live, the latter because it has a party feel a la “Drifter” which I love.

TheNwothm: Let us talk about Verona where you guys are from! How do you find the metal scene in Verona and Italy as a whole! Do you think heavy metal is big there or do you feel other genres are leading the way?

Michele Turco: In Verona and the rest of Italy the situation for mainstream heavy metal is quite tragic. The proof of this is that no NWOTHM band on its Tours plays in Italy. It is unbelievable, Riot City are literally touring the world and they have never come here. Other genres of Metal are doing better, Power Metal and extreme music are going strong in Italy. Verona is a separate issue, there is nothing interesting here, apart from the few bands we like to collaborate with together and who are doing very good work, like STEALTH, To The Max! and Kryuhm.

TheNwothm: And putting music aside what do you love about Italy? Can you tell us some interesting facts?

Michele Turco: Well, the food 🙂 Apart from the obvious answers, it’s quite nice living here, I have everything I need to be happy, the only thing actually missing is the one written in the previous answer: heavy metal!

Matteo Finato: For me, too, such an unfertile metal scene does not do justice to the rest of the quality of life in this country, however, to console myself I can always drown my sorrows in food…and Alchool

TheNwothm: Thinking back to when you were growing up, what music did your friends or family introduce you to? And are these bands or artists still a big influence now?

Francesco Galbieri: Very interesting question! There were always a background music in my family: my father used to listen to Queen at home and in His truck, but also Pink Floyd and Deep Purple, so i started to breathe it as a child.. but the most important musical moment, for me, was when a friend made me listen to “Smells Like Teen Spirit”: that was like “Ohu, ok, that’s it. I’m on my way now, I finally notice that I’ve to enter to rock n roll way!”

Matteo Finato: At first my father passed me some of his compilations of 80s pop and rock music on cassette, then I began to delve into rock music in high school. The real turning point that made me grow a lot musically was discovering heavy metal in my early 20s, it all started from there.

TheNwothm: Thinking about nwothm today what do you think about scene and the music that is out there? Do you think the genre has heavily evolved since the early 2000’s when it began?

Francesco Galbieri: Yes, there was surely an evolution in the genre, it’s like a run to raise the bar of the creativity. But the most beautiful thing of this movement, it’s that it looks to the past with religious respect, so it can increase without loosing his roots, that is the reason why the result is a non-conventional-fascinating music genre

TheNwothm: This year you released your awesome debut album “Escape From Justice.” What can you tell our readers about the writing and recording process, the songs and the team behind the record?

Matteo Finato: thanks for the “awesome”! The songs that were then recorded on the album were written between 2019 and 2021, after which we focused on details that could make them more personal and attractive during the recording phase. Recordings began in June 2022 at Marco Ciscato’s Industrial Studios, which we already knew since we also recorded the 2019 demo there.

We recorded each track individually and the mastering was instead carried out by Wise Mastering by Davide Saggioro, also an old acquaintance of ours from the demo.

The process was longer than expected for various reasons, but we can definitely say that we are all very satisfied with the result, especially considering that for most of us this is the first studio album.

TheNwothm: And who created that killer artwork?

Matteo Finato: as for the artwork, we have to thank bulgarian illustrator Dimitar Nikolov, you may already know him for his illustrations for bands such as Steelwing, Cloven Hoof, Steel Assassin and Keep It True. Brilliant artist, it was a pleasure to work with him, and the cover is the result of just the very first draft he sent us, amazing!

TheNwothm: Besides music what do you all like to do in your spare time? For instance are you collectors, readers or sporty at all?

Michele Turco: We have various hobbies, which unfortunately we are now able to do very little of, between work, bands and families. I really like cooking, I know it sounds like the stereotype of the average Italian, but that’s just how it is. I assure you that for me it’s a greater passion than music. Matteo is passionate about films and wrestling. Francesco has a lot of interests including films, TV series , basketball and so on, our drummer does a lot of activities such as cherry picking and grape harvesting, while Gianluca is a connoisseur of wines and spirits, a real sommelier!

TheNwothm: Looking back at 2023 how has the year been for all of you?

Matteo Finato: musically, this is probably the best year we had. We had some gigs that really helped us on growing our fanbase in our hometown, our release party was probably the best concert we have ever played in front of perhaps the best crowd and we have exponentially increased our following outside the italian borders.

Personally, it has been a tough year for some of us, but this helped us being even closer to each other. The release and general appreciation for the album helped us even more in that sense.

TheNwothm: What are your touring plans for 2024? Where will you be heading?

Matteo Finato: our goal is to play as many gigs as possible, to make the most of the release of the album and make ourselves known even more. We’d also love to play outside the italian borders, even though it could be difficult for some of us, but never say never.

Moreover, this year will mark our return to songwriting, so expect new songs to arrive as well!

TheNwothm: Where can fans buy your music and merch?

Matteo Finato: You can purchase our music and merch via our Bandcamp page, or by writing us via Facebook Messenger for further details and requests.

Unfortunately, we have no distribution, so this is the only way to get the album on CD or cassette.

Here you are the link: https://roguedeal.bandcamp.com

TheNwothm: Is there anything else you would like to mention?

Michele Turco: Follow us on our pages and do not hesitate to contact us! We LOVE to know that you listen to our music, and don’t forget to tag us on social when you share our songs.

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/RogueDeal/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roguedeal_band/

Youtube :www.youtube.com/@roguedeal3430

Thank you Robert for the interview and for your very interesting site, we have also subscribed to your mailng list!