DARK CHAPEL – AN INTERVIEW WITH DARIO LORINA

DARK CHAPEL – AN INTERVIEW WITH DARIO LORINA

By Ralph Beauchamp

AMP has been fortunate enough to focus on new up and coming artists right before they start to make noise in the music community. Return To Dust, Post Profit and Velvet Chains are but a few of these acts. Well, we can now add another one to the list. Dark Chapel is a new foursome formed by Dario Lorina from Black Label Society. Besides Lorina, Dark Chapel is comprised of Brody DeRozie, Mike Gunn and Luis Silva. The band has just dropped its debut album, Spirit in The Glass via MNRK Heavy.

Lorina has been with Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society since 2014. He has also released two solo instrumental albums with Mike Varney/Shrapnel Records entitled Dario Lorina and Death Grip Tribulations. Throughout 2024 Dario carefully assembled what would become Dark Chapel‘s Spirit in The Glass. The full length is an incredible piece of art. It features voracious guitar riffs, hypnotic hooks and a drive that cannot be surpassed. Every song delivers cinematic soundscapes, vibrant vocals and driving cadences. Spirit in The Glass is a tour de force that will immediately make its mark in the music stratosphere. This album is infused with pure adrenaline. Definitely a must listen.

Dario Lorina was kind enough to sit with AMP for this in-depth interview.

AMP: What first got you into music?

DARIO: My family is very musical. My father played drums and my mom played piano. In addition, all my uncles were musicians. I was always around it. So, around six, I was gifted a guitar. That guitar never left my hand. Since I was a kid in the nineties, I was pulling Van Halen out of the glovebox. Also, the Boston radio stations were playing bands like Alice In Chains and Metallica. I was into a lot of that form of guitar driven rock & roll and metal. That’s my roots.

AMP: Can you give our readers a little background into Dark Chapel?

DARIO: I’ve been playing in Black Label Society for the past 11 years. In the meantime, I recorded 2 instrumental albums. I was still singing during those instrumental records but I was concentrating more on my guitar work. I’ve had the vision for Dark Chapel for a good amount of years. It took time to create the idea, write the songs, find the other musicians. and hit the studio. I recorded half the album a few years ago with some friends of mine from Vegas who are amazing players. In between touring, I was finishing up the record. I got it done last year. Dark Chapel has been in the creative process for some time.

AMP: You’ve played in Lizzy Borden and BLS with Zakk Wylde. Why strike out on your own now?

DARIO: I look at Dark Chapel as a continuation of my instrumental releases. Now I’m singing and putting in lyrics instead of only guitar solos and verses. The timing seems to be working out well with BLS having some downtime. I actually didn’t plan it this way. It all evolved organically.

AMP: Who are some of the artists that have influenced you the most?

DARIO: As far as guitar playing goes, I would have to say Eddie Van Halen has to be my number one guy. Hearing his playing through my speakers was like magic to me. After that I discovered players like Zakk Wylde, who was another major influence. Then you have George Lynch, Johnny Winter, Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci and John Sykes. These are the guitarists I totally admire.

Music wise, even though these are my guitar heroes, I do enjoy many different styles of music. From Jazz and The Beatles to Singer/Songwriter and Black Metal. I love all types of musical genres and that definitely seeps into this Dark Chapel album. Spirit in The Glass starts in one place and ends somewhere else with a bunch of different vibes in between including blues and grunge.

AMP: Speaking of the new full length, can you give us some insights into the release?

DARIO: Some of the first songs I had written were “Afterglow”, Corpse Flower”, “We Are Remade”, “Gravestoned Humanity”, “Dead Weight” and “Dark Waters”. They were recorded and completely done a couple of years ago. The newer songs such as “Hollow Smile”, “Glass Heart”, “Bullet In Our Chamber” and “All That Remains” were basically written in 2024. Once they were written, I demoed them here in my studio. I then rough drafted them all out before I approached the band. We started to jam on them until they came fully to life. After that, I went to a couple of studios, The Counts-Desert Moon Production and Studio 77, where I finished the tracks up.

AMP: Your music delivers massive sonic explosions. How would you describe your sound?

DARIO: There are many elements embedded in the music but I still see it as hard rock. There are also aspects of metal, blues and several other genres. Even “Bullet In Our Chamber” has a completely different groove than the rest of the record. You really can’t pop it into any specific genre. Every song has its own flavor.

AMP: Dynamics is an important key to the success of any band. What do you feel is the main ingredient in Dark Chapel’s dynamics?

DARIO: It is guitar driven hard rock. So, the guitars are still very prominent but the vocals have this melodic quality to them. There are a lot of depth in the songs. As a band, we all gel. We all have similar mindsets. That’s important to any band’s dynamic.

AMP: Best songs to play live and why?

We just played all the songs a few Saturdays ago. Our first two shows with Zakk Sabbath were only 25 minutes long, so we only played half of the tracks on Spirit in The Glass. We had our record release party at Vamped and it gave us the opportunity to almost play the whole album in full. If I had to pick my favorites, the first one would be “Afterglow” because it’s driving. “Dead Weight” is another song that stands out because it’s just piano and vocals and it gets really intimate. “All Thar Remains” has this amazing bluesy vibe. Actually, they are all great to play live.

AMP: Any plans for an extended tour?

DARIO: We are working on that right now. Dark Chapel is just getting rolling but we plan to be on the road soon enough.

AMP: Where do you see Dark Chapel 5 years down the line?

DARIO: Playing Madison Square Garden or TD Garden in Boston. We will make that a reality.

To learn more about Dark Chapel, check out their Website

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