The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Stefano Fiorelli of Warcoe

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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I am finally doing what I want, musically speaking. That is blending all my music influences and what I like into guitar and vocals and writing my own songs. Now I’ll tell you how I got here. I started playing the guitar as a kid, as most of us do, jumping from a band to another doing many different styles of metal, exploring other instruments as the drums or bass but always singing in the band I was in.

Some years ago I decided that it was time for me to have a defined musical identity, to fulfill all the needs I have I terms of writing music, and this is Warcoe. We started as a trio, now we are four. Mind that I am not a dictator, one that wants to decide everything, I listen to my mates when they are willing to participate in the process of composition but I want to take the responsibility if something goes wrong, so we decided that I have to have the last word.

This is very satisfying, but I think this is transitory, it is my identity now.

Plus I have a black metal side-project, so I must have multiple ones.

Describe your first musical memory.

The very first ones are Japanese cartoons soundtracks, but speaking of more mature stages of my life the first LP I bought was No Rest for the Wicked of Ozzy. But before that there were tapes lent to me by my young uncle and that was Black Sabbath’s Black Sabbath. I have the intro of that song carved in my ears, that brought to me so many emotions when I was a kid. I have so many places connected to that track in my memory, that were probably the places where I was when I listened to it from a Walkman.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

I have seen Black Sabbath (without Bill Ward) in 2014 and that was emotional. But it’s very hard to answer to this question, there are many black metal bands that I really enjoyed seeing live in many different venues, from very small ones to very big. I have enjoyed a lot Megadeth and Pantera back when they were the real deal. You might not expect this but I have seen Blur one time in the ’90s and I think that they are amazing musicians, I loved that gig.

Anyway I have musical memories not necessarily bonded to live shows, there are moments, fragments of my life that I can relate to a certain track from a certain band, or longer periods that can be linked to an album, music is so much part of me.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

Luckily I can say this does not happen often, at least in the sphere of my existence. I am quite open-minded and flexible in terms of beliefs so when I am involved in something that I have to accept I make an effort and go on. I learnt by experience to avoid putting myself in situation where my belief are tested so hard.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

First of all it’s not so taken for granted that one has an artistic progression. For me art is like an explosion, it just happens and then it ends leaving destruction behind, and you have to build something with the remains. In the best scenario there is a progression, when the artist evolves as human being and takes the art behind him, but I think in this case you are not simply an artist but a great one, when art actually is your life, or your life is actually art.

How do you define success?

Success is like immortality, leaving something behind, like a footprint. And a small thing is enough, it’s not necessary to write a masterpiece, but if your record will be remembered after you, that’s enough success for me.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Oh a lot of things, but everything I have seen it’s part of this world and there is good in this world, but you have to take the bad part as well to be able to appreciate the good. There are many things that I don’t like but they somehow need to exist to create the other part, you have to have the night to be able to live the day. And you learn from the bad things that you do, that’s so important.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I would like to create a classic as Carcass’ Heartwork, a perfect album. The one that everyone knows and play over and over again, the one that sets the standards. But I know that’s hard and require a lot of work, and the talent! And I have a very instinctive music writing, I don’t think I have the attention for the details that is required.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

That’s a very nice question, on my opinion art defines the time in which its made. Art is so important for the human being, because it tells, it reveals the intimate spirit of the man. Art is the photography of its time, and very often it’s ahead of its time. The function it has is to make life better, I really think art makes life better, that’s why is necessary. Music, photography, architecture, painting, they all are food for the soul, and not only make life itself better, but make you a better person.

“Il bello” as we call it in Italian, that may be translated in “the good looking” is what helps you to see the world with a different eye. I love when someone thinks that something that I think it’s ugly is nice, because I am able to see it with different eyes and I love when I can see the good where instead I don’t see it. Or the musical where I don’t hear it.

Avant-garde art is so important because it looks into the future in a way that even science cannot. Thus its often misunderstood.

Say something positive about yourself.

I tend to forgive. I am not the one that holds the grudge. For me everyday is a new day, a new start where things can change. That’s something that I can’t control, It’s just the way I am.
And I see a lot of people that spend hours saying bad things about other people, judging, criticizing, thinking to be better than the rest of the world, that’s something I don’t do, I don’t talk about people that are not present and if I do, I only say nice things.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

I would like to be a better dad, not because I think I am not, but because you can always try harder. When you are a parent you never know if you are doing the right thing, even if everyone thinks you are, you’ll know later. It will always be like this for all your kids’ life and you can’t stop trying to be better. As Socrates said, “I know that I don’t know.” That’s exactly what being a dad is.

You put yourself aside, change your priorities but only in the end you’ll know what you did good and what you did not.

Thank you for these questions, they made me consider about existence and what music means to me and how much it’s part of my life, and where instead it’s not.

https://warcoe.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/warcoeband/
https://www.facebook.com/warcoeband

http://www.ripple-music.com/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/

https://morbidandmiserable.com/
https://morbidandmiserable.storenvy.com/
https://morbidandmiserable.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/morbidandmiserable
https://www.facebook.com/morbidandmiserable

Warcoe, Upon Tall Thrones (2025)

Sept. 26 marks the release date for Upon Tall Thrones, the third full-length from Italian dark-arts conjurors Warcoe, who align for the first time with Ripple Music with tapes through Morbid and Miserable. And like their work to this point, the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Stefano Fiorelli, bassist Carlo and drummer Francesco dig wholeheartedly into a nuanced but still Sabbathian heavy. A doom that rocks that isn’t typical doom rock, and a doom that, using tangential Electric Wizardry as a bridge, is able to veer into more stonerly fuzz worship — see “The Wanderer” early and parts throughout the back half of the record — without losing its heft or cultish weirdness.

At nine songs/37 minutes, Upon Tall Thrones trades out the epic closer of 2023’s A Place for Demons (review here) for the more-compact-but-still-plenty-grand finale “Dark Into Light” — also the longest inclusion at 5:42, and an adventure besides — and while that’s in line with their debut, 2022’s The Giant’s Dream (review here), it nonetheless represents the general tightening of songcraft across the board. Whether it’s a darker piece like “I’ve Sat Upon Tall Thrones (But I’ll Never Learn)” (video premiering below, I hope) with a grunge twist in its chorus and a sense of the sinister that borders on aggressive without ever tipping over into caricature. At the album’s outset, “Octagon” establishes a patient roll and then almost immediately contrasts it with gallop. The effect this has on loosening expectations shouldn’t be understated when it comes to taking it on front-to-back.

Warcoe make that endeavor easy and fascinating. There is depth to what they do. There are elements in their sound and atmosphere one could trace to the likes of Judas Priest, Celtic Frost, Pagan Altar, and there are times where they come across in a way that wouldn’t have been out of place among the keepers of traditional doom on Hellhound Records in the 1990s. At the same time, there is an intricacy to their approach — it’s not all as straightforward as it sounds, here or on either of their other two records — and to their style that makes them difficult to place and lets them play around with the boundaries of genre as they will. The two-minute acoustic piece “Gather in the Woods” is paired with the keyboard-infused doom-chug march of the centerpiece, “Flame in Your Hand,” and because that fulcrum track happens also to be instrumental, Upon Tall Thrones finds a way to hypnotize despite the relatively straight-ahead crux of the material.

The setup works, and “Spheres” slaps back to something resembling reality, but the plot has shifted. Watery, almost Monolordian, vocals echo over riffs alternately boogieing, despondent or slacker-shoving, and hints of a more psychedelic lean are dropped. “Deepest Grave” accounts for this as well, but with more of the previously-noted, comparatively light Electric Wizard influence in its roll, and the penultimate “Brown Witch” is a poised heavy rocker that draws together the heft and the space thus far wrought in the songs. Digging deeper into the groove for the chorus, they’re careening by the end of the track, with Fiorelli‘s voice in layers carrying the melody, which feels transgressive of doom’s darkness but is heavy just the same. The title I’ll assume refers to “Brown” in the sense of Radagast the Brown from Lord of the Rings, referring to nature and dealing with the organic world, rather than someone’s skin color. I don’t have a lyric sheet, so that’s a choice I’ve made.

And in some days, “Dark Into Light” is the story of the record itself, ending as it does with metallic poise, weighted tones, a darker ambience at the outset and clear ambitions beyond as it progresses. It’s not a summary in terms of sound or tone necessarily, but it adds to the pastiche of the whole effort and is a signal of intentions toward continued growth on the part of Warcoe, whose identity is more vividly their own in this material than it’s ever been. The development that’s led them to this point has seen them become weirder and farther reaching in their songs. Upon Tall Thrones is declarative in the sense of encompassing and showcasing that identity, but the dark progressivism underlying these tracks does not feel like the sort to let its restlessness go now either.

That is to say, the sense across Upon Tall Thrones isn’t that Warcoe aren’t pushing themselves to try new things in their songs or explore different ideas — it’s pretty clear they are — but that where sometimes that process ebbs and a band settles into a sometimes-limiting self-conception of ‘their sound,’ Warcoe up to now have taken lessons from each outing and used them to move forward. A third full-length is a landmark in the life of most bands, and it may be for Warcoe as well, but it’s also part of a larger story the band are telling of their ongoing evolution.

Below you’ll find the video premiere for “I’ve Sat Upon Tall Thrones (But I’ll Never Learn),” followed by more info from the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Warcoe, “I’ve Sat Upon Tall Thrones (But I’ll Never Learn)” video premiere

Hailing from Pesaro, Italy, Warcoe drags classic doom into the abyss and back with Sabbathian weight, Saint Vitus’ raw gloom, and the swagger of Trouble’s golden-era riffage. Since 2021, the trio has carved a niche in the underground with a sound that’s both a homage to the old gods and a fresh hell of its own: slow-burning, groove-heavy, and laced with stoner metal venom.

Their 2021 debut, “The Giant’s Dream”, emerged like a monolith from the depths, earning praise within the scene before Regain Records unleashed it on vinyl and CD — a fitting resurrection for an album steeped in doom’s primordial essence. The 2023 follow-up, “A Place for Demons”, proved Warcoe wasn’t just a relic revival act but a true force to be reckoned with. Landing at #2 on Doom Charts’ Best of December and #37 for the entire year, the album masterfully fused Trouble’s anthemic might with the creeping dread of Pentagram, all while swinging like Saxon in a candlelit crypt.

Now, with their third album and Ripple Music debut “Upon Tall Thrones”, Warcoe ascends — darker, heavier, and more hypnotic — as they spin tales of arcane fantasy and mortal frailty into riffs that crush and melodies that linger like a curse.

WARCOE “Upon Tall Thrones”
Out September 26th on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital)
Preorder: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/upon-tall-thrones

Tracklisting:
1. Octagon
2. The Wanderer
3. I’ve Sat Upon Tall Thrones (But I’ll Never Learn)
4. Gather in the Woods
5. Flame in Your Hand
6. Spheres
7. Deepest Grave
8. Brown Witch
9. Dark Into Light

Warcoe:
Stefano Fiorelli – guitars and vocals
Carlo – bass
Francesco – drums

Warcoe on Bandcamp

Warcoe on Instagram

Warcoe on Facebook

Ripple Music website

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Ripple Music on Instagram

Ripple Music on Facebook

Morbid and Miserable Records website

Morbid and Miserable Records store

Morbid and Miserable Records on Bandcamp

Morbid and Miserable Records on Instagram

Morbid and Miserable Records on Facebook

Italian doom-diggers Warcoe are set to release their third album, Upon Tall Thrones, through Ripple Music and Morbid and Miserable Records on Sept. 26. The band are streaming the opening track “Octagon” from the album now, and lead-in vibe is resonant as the tonal density, dark atmosphere and willful groove all ignite staples of Warcoe‘s to-date sound. Last heard from with 2023’s A Place for Demons (review here), the Pesaro three-piece have continued to push themselves deeper into the void’s inner recesses. Whatever “Octagon” heralds for Upon Tall Thrones, the safer bet is it’ll be heavy.

I haven’t seen an actual press release for this one yet, but when/if I do, I’ll likely replace the blue text below with that, for max-informativeness. Just a heads up if you come back here at some point and it looks different. While I have you, thanks for reading.

The PR wire made it official this morning:

Italian doom bringers WARCOE debut first single off upcoming new album “Upon Tall Thrones”, out September 26th on Ripple Music!

Italy-based classic doom trio WARCOE have signed to Ripple Music for the release of their third full-length, “Upon Tall Thrones” this September 26th, and unleash its debut single “Octagon” on all streaming platforms!

💀 Let Warcoe drag you into the abyss with new single Octagon 💀

Hailing from Pesaro, Italy, Warcoe drags classic doom into the abyss and back with Sabbathian weight, Saint Vitus’ raw gloom, and the swagger of Trouble’s golden-era riffage. Since 2021, the trio has carved a niche in the underground with a sound that’s both a homage to the old gods and a fresh hell of its own: slow-burning, groove-heavy, and laced with stoner metal venom.

Their 2021 debut, “The Giant’s Dream”, emerged like a monolith from the depths, earning praise within the scene before Regain Records unleashed it on vinyl and CD — a fitting resurrection for an album steeped in doom’s primordial essence. The 2023 follow-up, “A Place for Demons”, proved Warcoe wasn’t just a relic revival act but a true force to be reckoned with. Landing at #2 on Doom Charts’ Best of December and #37 for the entire year, the album masterfully fused Trouble’s anthemic might with the creeping dread of Pentagram, all while swinging like Saxon in a candlelit crypt.

Now, with their third album and Ripple Music debut “Upon Tall Thrones”, Warcoe ascends — darker, heavier, and more hypnotic — as they spin tales of arcane fantasy and mortal frailty into riffs that crush and melodies that linger like a curse.

WARCOE “Upon Tall Thrones”
Out September 26th on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital)
Preorder: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/upon-tall-thrones

Tracklisting:
1. Octagon
2. The Wanderer
3. I’ve Sat Upon Tall Thrones (But I’ll Never Learn)
4. Gather in the Woods
5. Flame in Your Hand
6. Spheres
7. Deepest Grave
8. Brown Witch
9. Dark Into Light

Warcoe:
Stefano Fiorelli – guitars and vocals
Carlo – bass
Francesco – drums

https://warcoe.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/warcoeband/
https://www.facebook.com/warcoeband

http://www.ripple-music.com/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/

https://morbidandmiserable.com/
https://morbidandmiserable.storenvy.com/
https://morbidandmiserable.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/morbidandmiserable
https://www.facebook.com/morbidandmiserable

Warcoe, Upon Tall Thrones (2025)