A Dirty Dozen with VALIRA PIETRANGELO from VESSELES – March 2025

According to a recent press release: “VESSELES (veh-sel-is) is the exciting first solo project from 10-year West Coast Metal veteran Valira (LEGION OF GRANDEUR, AMONG THE TORRENT, ARCANE EXISTENCE) who wraps an exploration of identity dysphoria in layers of symphonic black metal.  A demon living among humans and struggling with the vessel she was born in, she turned to music before understanding its significance. Many years later, she found her true self and the importance of expressing that as loud and proud as possible. Its result, VESSELES (a spin on the word vessel) a study of self-identity and pushing the boundaries of the human dominant world.” We get Valira to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

I Am a Demon is a very personal release (as is this whole project). I’m sure many won’t understand or be aware of what it really means until they read the lyrics and watch the music videos. There’s nothing super hidden beyond understanding the way certain parts were written and what they are meant to convey. One of my favorite things to do with this project regarding piano breaks is to slowly make the progression more dissonant and “off putting.” It’s meant to elicit growing anxiety and internal struggle. This could be noticed immediately upon first listen but the context/lyrics add to the depth of what’s going on.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

It wasn’t a distinct moment but rather something I was interested in playing around with. Evanescence is the reason I write music at all. Amy Lee’s composition always intrigued me because of how haunting her piano / voice could be but it’s also very beautiful. It fed something within me that I needed to explore more. It took many years of writing before I felt like I had finally had a better grasp on how to take what I felt and put it into music. Over the years of writing, I grew more and more interested in doing something with this music besides throwing it in some random corner of Soundcloud. What being a “musician” has meant to me over the years has grown and evolved into more of a need than anything else.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

To add more to the whole Evanescence / Amy Lee thing, one song that has stuck with me all these years that I always bring up as the song that inspires me more than anything is “Your Star” off of The Open Door. I will also say that the live version hits harder since they typically make the ending heavier. However, when it comes to performances, there’s a very specific one that I will always come back to as easily my favorite live performance ever purely due to the raw emotion and passion that is clearly heard and felt. Also Evanescence but this one is “Farther Away” performed live in Cologne, Germany 2003. Evanescence is really at the core of my taste and it evolved from there but the element of piano/strings stayed with me as I much prefer dark symphonic elements.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

You’re going to be hearing a lot about Evanescence and Amy Lee, hah. I’d love more than anything to collaborate with Amy Lee. I’ve dreamed of what her vocals and piano / strings would sound like behind something more heavy / blackened.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

I mean, I love writing music. I do other things too, sure, but writing music is a strong go-to when I need to release some pent up creative energy. Otherwise, watching YouTube video game content or playing some games myself. I’m very into RPGs or casual games. Stuff like Dragon Age and Baulder’s Gate or Power Wash Simulator and House Flipper. It just depends on the mood I’m in but something about the assembly portion of House Flipper just scratches an itch with how it’s formatted.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I typically go straight to symphonic black metal but honestly, I don’t like restricting my writing to a particular genre so it ranges. Symphonic black metal covers enough to get the general idea. I don’t internalize what I read about my own music so I can’t recall any examples. I honestly find it fascinating to see what others compare my music to since I have such a hard time doing that myself.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

It’s hard to say with how new and fresh we are. We’re also in the middle of a lineup change so I don’t want to reveal anything just yet…

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

I already said you’ll be hearing a lot about Evanescence and Amy Lee for a reason. When I met Amy Lee / Evanescence, that had to be the most starstruck I ever was and ever will be. I don’t think anyone else could beat that and ever since that, I don’t really get starstruck.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part is being able to take your emotions and put them into something shareable that can be digested in a way that conveys how you’re feeling pretty accurately. There’s something about the lyrics, music, music videos, merchandise, everything involved in crafting this “world” that others enter and experience that is extremely fulfilling in a way that feels like it’s beyond our comprehension. If I could no longer be a musician, I’d certainly still find a creative outlet and focus the time I was putting into music into that instead. However, I’m already working my dream job which funds this one and that is mechanical design engineering. There’s a whole different level of fulfillment I get from that job that helps keep me energized and ready for creating music.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

It’s weird because in a way, this question is a question I wish more interviewers asked. It allows room for learning and becoming a better interviewer. With that said, in general, I love it when interviews are tailored to whomever they’re interviewing. However, there needs to be a depth of understanding with that. Asking the in depth questions that show they read your other interviews or social media posts is very inviting. With the personal purpose of this project, questions about the origins of it and how it helps me cope is exactly what I want more of. For example, this project is clearly an outlet for your identity and helps you cope with the limitations this world has. What made you realize you needed this project for that? What did you do before this project? Therapy is what made me realize the importance of my identity as well as how much music helped me cope with that. The more I explored my identity, the more I felt dysphoric and at a loss for how to cope with that. Through this project, I’ve been able to express those exact feelings by having an outlet for them. Before Vesseles, I was “fortunate”, in a way, because I didn’t realize how important my identity was just yet. “Fortunate” is a weird way to put it but I can’t think of a better way to describe it. As for a question I’m tired of answering…the first question in this interview. The very general question of “tell us about your latest release / music.” Start off with a deep cut.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

There’s a few. I don’t want to dig too much into it though because things have resolved since. There’s been times where I’ve been too callous about the success or what’s considered in the “best interest” of the band that I haven’t factored in the emotions or feelings of someone else in the band. I’ve learned a lot since then so while I do wish I could have done those situations over again, I have a feeling I would have just done it at a different time since it took learning and growth to realize those weren’t great decisions.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Hah, oh Evanescence. If I could be there for the recording of The Open Door, that would be an amazing experience for sure. Honestly though, I’d want to be there for the writing more than the recording but regardless, witnessing that album become what it ultimately became would mean so much. That album is certainly the most influential in my writing and is what ultimately made me want to write at all (even if only for fun at the time). I also regularly come back to it for inspiration.

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Category: Interviews