Bologna’s State of Persistence turn inner conflict into powerful sound, blending modern metal, electronics, cinematic atmosphere and emotional vocals. We discuss their formation, debut single “Charon,” influences, and future.
1. State
of Persistence officially emerged in Bologna in 2026. How did the band come
together, and what brought the five of you to create this project?
Giulio:
About fifteen years ago, Daniele and I used to play together in a
gothic/thrash/core metal band called Haven — named after the Dark Tranquillity
album. After years of playing shows together, our paths eventually went in
different directions. Then Daniele moved back to Bologna, where I live, and
somehow that immediately reignited the spark and the desire to make music
together again.
From there,
we started looking for people who not only shared our vision, but could also
bring concrete ideas of their own to the project. That's really important to
us: State of Persistence isn't about five people simply executing somebody
else's vision.
The
original core of the band was Giulio, Labo and Daniele. We already had the idea
of creating something original and were looking specifically for a female
vocalist. We got in touch with Dalila, who at exactly that time was looking for
a band to work on original music with.
Then Matt,
who was already singing with Dalila in a cover band, contacted us, completely
disregarding the fact that we were specifically looking for a female singer —
hahaha.
But we
really liked the idea of having two very different voices, so we decided to
bring both of them into the band. Somehow Dalila and Matt ended up together
again without either of them actually planning it.
From there,
the identity of State of Persistence really started taking shape. Five people
with quite different musical backgrounds and tastes suddenly had to find a
common language — and that eventually became part of what defines us.
2. Your
debut single, “Charon,” combines modern alternative metal and metalcore with
techno-industrial textures, electronic elements and cinematic keyboards. How
did you develop this particular blend of heaviness, melody and atmosphere?
Musically,
“Charon” was written by Giulio, while Dalila wrote the lyrics. From there, the
song went through the whole band, with everyone bringing something from their
own musical background and personality.
Rather than
trying to decide beforehand what genre the song should belong to, we basically
allowed those influences to collide.
That's
probably why you can hear very heavy and modern metal sections alongside
electronics, cinematic keyboards and much more melodic or melancholic moments.
We don't
really want the electronic and atmospheric elements to feel like decorations
added on top of a metal song. They need to be part of the composition itself.
The goal is for heaviness, melody and atmosphere to constantly interact with
each other.
3. The
song moves between clean, gritty and harsh vocals through your dual-vocal
approach. What made you choose this vocal dynamic, and how do Giulio, Dalila
and Matt work together to shape the band's sound?
Matt: It's
always a process. Especially with vocals, Dalila and I try to find the best
possible blend between our clean and harsh vocals. Having two singers with
different styles gives us many more possibilities. It can be challenging, but
it's also really fun and satisfying to play with those contrasts — and we
believe it works pretty well!
Dalila: We
also abuse Giulio's infinite patience — hahaha. Usually, when an idea comes up,
whether we're discussing it together or working from a recording, everybody
contributes, but Giulio is the one who eventually does a lot of the heavy
lifting in arranging and putting all those ideas together.
As for the
vocals, Matt and I already had the advantage of having sung together before
State of Persistence, switching between clean and distorted vocals. So there
was already a certain chemistry between us. With this band, though, we can push
that much further and use the two voices almost as different characters or
emotional perspectives inside the same song.
4.
“Charon” explores emotional dislocation, alienation and the feeling of becoming
increasingly distant from the people and world around you. What inspired you to
explore these themes in your very first release?
Our lyrics
generally come from things that have actually happened in our lives. We don't
really sit down and decide that we need a song about a particular subject
because it would fit the band.
The lyrics
to “Charon,” written by Dalila, come from old wounds that were never completely
healed and from the way those scars can continue affecting the present.
It's about
that feeling of alienation where you become increasingly disconnected from
everything around you and can't really see a way out. You want to leave, to
escape from everything, and the thought of doing so can feel incredibly
liberating — but terrifying at the same time.
It wasn't
necessarily a conscious decision to introduce the band with something so
personal. It simply happened to represent very well the emotional world that
State of Persistence was becoming.
5.
Charon, the ferryman from Greek mythology, becomes a powerful symbol of escape
in the song. Why did this particular mythological figure feel like the right
representation of the emotions you wanted to express?
Dalila:
When I wrote the lyrics, I was actually thinking more about Charon as portrayed
in Dante's Divine Comedy than strictly about the original Greek myth.
I was going
through a very difficult period, and metaphorically I began seeing Charon
almost as a savior: someone who could carry my soul away from something that
already felt like a kind of hell on Earth. At that point, even the idea of
whatever might exist beyond that suffering could seem less frightening than
remaining where you were.
So Charon
became a very strange symbol of salvation. He's traditionally the figure who
takes you toward the underworld, but from that perspective he can also be the
one who takes you away from your current suffering.
Matt: For
me, there's another layer connected to the impermanence of life, in a very
Heraclitean sense: nobody crosses the same river twice. I see the song almost
as a plea to a greater force — Charon — to help our inner self navigate through
times of struggle, with the Acheron representing that passage.
Every
struggle is different, and even what seems like the same struggle inevitably
changes with time. So the crossing itself becomes important.
6. There
is an interesting contrast in “Charon” between its heavy, mechanical sections
and its more atmospheric and melodic moments. How did you approach creating
those changes in tension and emotion?
Giulio: My
listening habits and influences are actually pretty diverse, but there's
something they tend to have in common: a love for melody and for music that
hits you physically.
That's
probably what naturally comes out when I write — that combination of an almost
cold, mechanical sense of rhythm with something melodic and catchy. I love a
riff or a groove that makes your body react immediately, but I also need
something you can remember afterwards. So it's really about finding that
balance between physical impact and catchiness.
Dalila:
Those two sides actually come together quite naturally for us. Regardless of
how a song takes shape, there's almost always this combination of sadness and
anger in what we write and play.
Those two
emotions seem to go hand in hand for us. The heavier and more mechanical parts
can express frustration, anger or the need to break through something, while
the melodic and atmospheric sections expose what's underneath that anger.
After
reading this answer, people might think we're just five incredibly sad people —
but we swear we're also a bunch of idiots most of the time! Hahaha.
Music is
simply where we tend to put our worries, fears and difficult moments. We try to
transform those things into something beautiful — or at least into something
meaningful. And hopefully someone listening can recognize part of themselves in
it and feel, even for a few minutes, “Okay, I'm not the only person who has
felt this way.”
7. Your
music aims to be made for headbanging while still maintaining melody,
melancholy and emotional depth. How important is it for State of Persistence to
balance aggression with vulnerability?
It's
fundamental, because we don't really see aggression and vulnerability as
opposites.
Anger can
sometimes be exactly what helps you stand up again when you're at your most
vulnerable. At the same time, vulnerability is often what forces you to
understand yourself better.
Musically
it's the same thing. As Matt puts it, it's about finding that sweet spot that
creates the right amount of tension: not heavy simply for the sake of being
heavy and not overly melodic either.
We want
people to be able to headbang to these songs, absolutely — but if that's the
only thing they get from them, then we're probably missing part of what we want
State of Persistence to be.
8. The
band's name and statement, “We turn inner conflict into sound. Persistence is
our state,” suggest that personal struggle is an important part of your
identity. How does inner conflict influence the way you write and create music?
It
influences pretty much everything.
None of us
really sits down and says, “Okay, now we need something darker,” or “this song
needs to be more uplifting.” We don't want to manufacture an emotion because we
think it would work well in a song.
Usually the
opposite happens: something is already there — an internal conflict, a fear,
anger, frustration, melancholy — and music becomes the way we process it.
That's also
where the name State of Persistence comes from. Persistence isn't necessarily
about being invincible or constantly strong. Sometimes it's simply continuing
while carrying all those contradictions with you.
So “We turn
inner conflict into sound. Persistence is our state” isn't really a marketing
slogan for us. It's probably the shortest description we could give of why this
band exists.
9. You
are based in Bologna, a city with its own strong musical culture. Has your
local environment influenced State of Persistence in any way, either musically
or creatively?
Probably
less than people might expect.
Bologna has
a very active and historically important music scene, but especially in recent
years a lot of the attention around new artists here has been connected to the
Italian singer-songwriter and indie scene.
Our musical
references come from quite different places, so we wouldn't say that Bologna
directly shaped the sound of State of Persistence.
At the same
time, being in a city where music, concerts and artistic projects are
constantly happening obviously creates an environment where starting a band and
meeting other musicians feels very natural. So Bologna is definitely part of
who we are, even if you probably won't hear “the sound of Bologna” when you
listen to us.
10. The
official “Charon” video is designed to complement a song with very visual and
cinematic themes. What can listeners expect from the video, and how important
is visual storytelling to the band's identity?
For
“Charon” we deliberately decided to focus visually on the two singers rather
than trying to represent the entire band.
Because the
song is so emotionally driven, we felt Dalila and Matt could communicate what
was happening inside it through their performances better than a more
traditional band video could.
More
generally, visual storytelling is extremely important to us. The imagery isn't
something we want to treat simply as promotional material that comes after the
music is finished.
Ideally,
music, lyrics, artwork and video should all feel like different parts of the
same world. A visual can sometimes communicate something that isn't explicitly
stated in the lyrics, so it gives us another language through which to develop
the identity of State of Persistence.
11.
“Charon” is only the first chapter of State of Persistence. What can you reveal
about the direction of the next songs, and what would you like listeners to
discover as the project develops?
Matt:
“Charon” is probably the hallmark of our style, which is exactly why we chose
it as our first single. It's almost our musical business card. So if someone
enjoyed it, there's a very good chance they'll find something interesting in
what's coming next.
Dalila: And
this is probably a 50/50 answer because we don't want to give too much away —
hahaha.
What we can
say is that an album is definitely in the works, and emotionally it will feel
like a journey inward. “Charon” establishes the language of the band, but that
doesn't mean every song is going to sound exactly like “Charon.” There are
different sides of what we do that we haven't shown yet.
There will
also be live shows, and we're already thinking beyond this first project and
about where State of Persistence can go next.
So we're
not going to spoil everything now. If you want to know what happens after the
first crossing, you'll have to keep an eye on us.
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