Breaking free from the conventional norms of Stockholm’s music scene, Ad Meliora stands as a beacon of innovation within the realm of progressive rock. Hailing from diverse musical backgrounds in Spain and Italy, the band’s members—Pablo, Sergio, Abby, and Paolo—unite in a seamless fusion of creativity that transcends borders. Having left indelible marks on various projects in their respective homelands, this quartet converged in Sweden with a shared vision to redefine the progressive rock landscape.
Originating from Madrid, Pablo, Sergio, and Abby set out on an audacious quest for a drummer upon their Scandinavian relocation, leading them to the serendipitous discovery of Paolo. The alchemy that ensued not only manifested in musical brilliance but also forged a deep personal connection.
Ad Meliora draws inspiration from an expansive spectrum of progressive rock genres, encompassing the retro vibes of 70s rock, the complex nature of math rock, and the atmospherics of post-metal. Their commitment to infusing non-conventional structures and embracing odd time signatures represents a bold departure from the norm, crafting an avant-garde sonic experience that remains remarkably accessible.
Let’s dive into the featured track on the compilation. Can you share the inspiration or story behind “The Sudden Journey”?
“The Sudden Journey” speaks about a spiritual journey that the main character of our album “A Story Untold” undergoes, trying to get away from a perfect fake world and looking for the truth, getting to know himself along the way.
Walk us through your creative process. How do you typically approach writing and composing music? What was your creative process like for your recent album “A Story Untold” in comparison to your previous efforts?
Usually when we are writing new music Sergio comes with some riff ideas to the practice room and we start jamming together trying to shape a song from that. Then once we come up with a structure we like, we start getting deeper into details together until the basic skeleton of the song is made. Then we start adding arrangements, second vocals, etc until we are fully satisfied with the result.
For “A Story Untold” it was definitely a much more complex effort than our previous releases, because being a conceptual album, right from the very beginning we knew what kind of songs we would like to have depending on the moment in the album. Sometimes it was difficult to find the inspiration for the songs that are a bit farther away from our comfort zone. That is why the style range in the album is a little bit broader than our previous efforts, since we felt that it was required in order to tell our story.
Who or what are your major influences in progressive rock? How do they impact your own musical style?
Just to cite a few we could speak of Tool, Mogwai, Between the Buried and Me, Porcupine Tree, Toe, Supertramp, Mars Volta and many more.
We think the most impact in our music is the mindset of always trying to keep things interesting. Even in our simpler compositions you can tell there are some elements that you wouldn’t expect in your normal rock/metal music.
What challenges have you faced as an artist in the scene, and how have you overcome them?
We think the main challenge is the lack of exposure. Nowadays there are millions of bands trying to get their music listened to and it is very difficult as an independent band to get your music enough exposure. There are also a lot of people trying to get profit out of the situation and you should be very careful on where you invest your money. That would be our main piece of advice to any band struggling like us. Hang on, keep doing good music and be smart about where you spend your money.
How do you see the scene evolving, and what role do you believe your music plays in that evolution?
We don’t think we are big enough to have an important role in that evolution yet, but what we are trying to do is to get people a bit more exposure to some more interesting stuff musically.
It is very common when we play live that most of our audience is mostly into classic rock or metal or punk. For us it is a big satisfaction when somebody comes to speak to us after the gig and tell us that they found very interesting what we did.
Share with us some of the most memorable moments in your musical journey so far.
Probably the European tour that we did last year supporting the release of our album “A Story Untold” could be one of the highlights of our journey so far. Being able to play in many different countries, meeting amazing people and sharing together a lot of stories on the road was amazing.
Do you have a personal favorite among your own compositions? If so, which one and why?
Probably each of us has a different personal favorite, but I don’t think as a band we have a song that we like more than the others.
Can you give us a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re working on?
For this year we are planning to focus on writing new music, probably releasing some singles along the way while we prepare our future second album.
What does it mean to you to be a part of our compilation? How has the experience been for you?
We are very happy to be part of this compilation. When we got the proposal we checked the compilations that you released before and there were some amazing tracks there. We are looking forward to hearing what other music will be there as well.
Is there a message you’d like to convey to your fans who will be discovering your music through this compilation?
We would like them to drop us a message in any of our socials. We are very approachable and we always like to chat with the people that like our music. So feel free to follow us and drop us a message if you would like to!
If you could collaborate with any artist, living or not, who would it be?
Pablo (Vocals): Zach de la Rocha (RATM)
;Sergio (Guitar): write a song with The Beatles
Abby (Bass): Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw)
Paolo (Drums): Kurt Ballou (Converge)
If you had to pick one instrument (besides your primary one) to master, what would it be?
Pablo (Vocals): Guitar
Sergio (Guitar): Drums
Abby (Bass): Drums
Paolo (Drums): Bagpipe
What’s your all-time favorite progressive rock album, and why? One album that you always return to.
Pablo (Vocals): Supertramp – Crime of the century
Sergio (Guitar): Between the Buried and Me – Colors
Abby (Bass): Tool – Lateralus
Paolo (Drums): Jesu – Every Day I Get Closer to the Light from Which I Came
Any final thoughts or reflections you’d like to share with our audience?
We hope you enjoy the compilation and as we have said before if you like our music feel free to follow us and drop us a message in any of our socials. We will be very happy to speak with you!
Social Media/Website: Where can our audience find more about you and your music?
