Interviews: Cayne

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Alternative Metal/Symphonic Metal/Gothic Metal band Cayne from Italy. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. For readers discovering CAYNE for the first time, how would you describe the band’s sound and identity?

For anyone discovering CAYNE for the first time, our sound has many different layers—largely because it reflects who wrote the initial seed of the song. Everyone in the band brings their own ideas to the table, which we then flesh out together.

Naturally, CAYNE has evolved quite a bit since 2001. But broadly speaking, I’d describe our music as alternative metal with dark gothic rock hues, elevated by a violin played both in a traditional, classical style and heavily distorted. It’s a mix of catchy, memorable melodies and heavy, driving guitar riffs.

If I had to sum it up with a fun analogy: if Lacuna Coil and Soen had a child, that would be CAYNE! (laughs)

2. What inspired the creation of your new single “Domina”?

Creativity within the band never really stops—everyone is constantly jotting down ideas, which we share with each other once a song's basic structure starts taking shape.

Musically speaking, "Domina" was born from Giovanni, our keyboardist and violinist—he'd be the best one to dive into all the musical details! What I do remember clearly is that the vocal melodies I wrote for the verses and pre-chorus over his initial demo stayed remarkably close to what you hear in the final mix.

At that point, we had a fantastic verse and pre-chorus, but we were still missing the main chorus. We played around with a couple of chord progressions, and voilà—the chorus fell right into place.

After that, Diego—our guitarist, as well as the band's producer and sound engineer—took care of defining the arrangements and overall sound, working alongside Andrea on bass to fine-tune every detail until we reached the final result.

3. The song is inspired by Mia Corvere from Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight trilogy. What drew you to this character and her story?

I had initially fallen into Kristoff’s world through Empire of the Vampire, which completely spellbound me and led me straight to Nevernight. Mia Corvere left such a powerful impression that I immediately scribbled "Domina" in my notebook—the honorific given to formidable, high-ranking women in his realm. The song was built to encapsulate her relentless pursuit of vengeance, her lethal grace, and the shadow powers that render her utterly fearless.

4. How did the idea of transforming a fantasy character’s journey into a metal song come together?

It all came together very naturally. As I mentioned, I’m a total nerd who is always hunting for new stories to read and draw inspiration from. On top of that, I’m still a hardcore metal fan who buys print magazines and treasures them—I actually still keep copies from the late '80s!

So for me, bridging these two worlds felt completely organic the moment I heard that right vibe in Giovanni’s demo. Writing the lyrics actually went by pretty quickly because I had a crystal-clear vision of Mia, her backstory, and exactly what part of her journey I wanted to tell.

5. Mia is a character driven by vengeance, darkness, and resilience. How did you capture those elements through the music and lyrics?

I had a crystal-clear vision of what part of Mia’s story I wanted to tell. I drew heavy inspiration from the events of the first book, where page after page you witness the transformation of Mia into the Tenebris—a lethal assassin guided and guarded by her shadow-cat, Mr. Kindly, who literally devours her fear to leave her fearless and flawless.

That whole lore, with its blend of darkness, grief, and ruthless resilience, was just too stimulating and powerful to be left as a simple note in my book. It was screaming to be turned into music.

6. What was the songwriting process like for “Domina”? Did the story come first, or did the music inspire the narrative?

The music definitely came first. Later on, while flipping through the notes in my trusty notebook, I came across the word "Domina" listed among potential future song titles. In that exact moment, everything clicked—I knew that this particular track was the right vehicle and that it was time to tell this story.

7. The song features Ambre Vourvahis from Xandria. How did this collaboration happen, and what did she bring to the track?

Once we recorded a complete first draft of the track, Diego—our guitarist and producer—and I realized that a female vocal would give the song an extra edge. More importantly, given that the narrative revolves around Mia, having a strong female perspective felt essential.

We came across Ambre while listening to various bands and singers we truly admire, and her style instantly sold us. We were confident she would bring that unique touch of class, emotion, and power that defines her singing and delivery.

The whole process was fast and completely organic. Diego reached out and sent her the track; she fell in love with the project and the production quality and accepted immediately. We are immensely grateful to her—her involvement opened doors and exposed us to a massive audience we might not have reached on our own so quickly. We really hope to share a stage and perform the song live with her one day!

8. The duet between the two vocalists creates a strong sense of contrast and character. Was that dynamic something you intentionally wanted to highlight?

Yes, absolutely! But even then, we didn't need to give Ambre too many directions. She listened to the demo recorded by me and Matilda—Diego’s daughter—who did a fantastic job laying down the initial guide vocals to give Ambre a clear idea of what we had in mind.

From there, Ambre made the part entirely her own. She immediately grasped the emotion behind the lyrics and the story we were trying to tell. I have to say, the contrast and blend of our two voices fit together effortlessly—we honestly couldn't have asked for a better outcome.

9. CAYNE is known for blending modern metal with cinematic elements. How do you approach creating music that feels both heavy and emotionally powerful?

For us, it comes completely naturally. The four of us bring very different musical influences to the table, so depending on who comes up with the initial demo, everyone adds their own flavor, shaping our music into what it is today. Our sound is in a state of constant evolution, heavily shaped by what we’re listening to at the time and what emotions we want to convey.

On a personal level, I’m always eager to get my hands on new demos so I can start matching them with my notes and story concepts—whether they are personal reflections or fantasy tales. I’m constantly pushing the rest of the guys to bring me new music. Personally, I can only strum a bit on an old acoustic guitar, and I’m mostly skilled at writing depressing acoustic tracks, so I might not be the best judge of "heavy"! (laughs)

10. How important is storytelling and visual imagery to the identity of CAYNE?

They are absolutely fundamental. We always strive to build a cohesive thematic vision that ties together all the tracks on an upcoming album.

The same applies to our visual identity—the artwork and visual concepts accompanying every single one are carefully crafted to fully immerse listeners into the world and story behind the song. It’s all about creating a complete, multi-sensory experience.

11. The artwork was created by Giannis Nakos of Remedy Art Design. How did you work together to bring the vision for “Domina” to life?

Giannis has basically become part of the CAYNE family! We started collaborating with him back in 2025 for our acoustic EP Exuvia, and we’ve continued that partnership through the singles "Outcast" and "Domina,"—and we’ll keep working together all the way through the release of the full album.

Giannis is a true professional. We’ve always admired his incredible work with bands like Kamelot, Evergrey, and Amaranthe, to name a few. He has this amazing ability to take my simple concepts or rough ideas and transform them into spectacular, striking artwork.

For "Domina", it was enough to just tell him Mia Corvere’s story and explain that we wanted her to evoke a sense of fear, authority, and absolute infallibility. Of course, we also requested her shadow- cat, Mr. Kindly, who plays such a crucial role in the trilogy’s lore.

We can't wait to release our next single in September so we can show you his next masterpiece... It's deeply evocative, though unfortunately, I can't spoil anything just yet!

12. With Jay Kristoff being a known metal fan himself, what does it mean to have a connection between the world of literature and heavy music?

I’ve been following Jay on Instagram since back when I was reading Empire of the Vampire, so I was well aware of his absolute love for metal music. When I started working on the lyrics for "Domina," I immediately wondered what his reaction would be and whether he’d appreciate our take on telling the story of such a powerful, unique character.

I actually sent an email to him and his team even before the song was released, though I didn't hear back initially. But once the single came out and we tagged him, he sent us a direct message thanking us for our art! On top of that, he shared our song in an Instagram story and reposted one of our reels. We were absolutely over the moon!

I’m convinced his support gave a massive boost to our streams and brought a wave of new fans to our social media channels—so from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Jay!

In fact, I already have an idea brewing for a future track based on Gabriel de León from his Empire of the Vampire series... who knows where that will take us!

13. Are there other books, films, mythology, or stories that have influenced your songwriting?

Oh, absolutely! I’m always hunting for new stories to dive into—both for personal enjoyment and to find fresh sparks for lyrics and concepts. Sometimes a single line in a book is all it takes to trigger my imagination and write an entire lyric.

I also used to write a lot about personal experiences, mostly focusing on darker or difficult times. But I’m currently in a much lighter, more peaceful chapter of my life, so nowadays I find myself drawn toward epic fantasy tales, themes of personal resilience, and stories of fight and redemption. Deep down, I’m also a true romantic, so I love writing about love too... though it always depends on the musical backdrop I’m working with!

I can give you a little preview, though: in the future, there’s going to be a massive, super heavy track inspired by Berserk, the manga masterpiece by the late Japanese genius Kentaro Miura... keep an ear out for that one!

14. How does “Domina” represent the current direction and evolution of CAYNE?

"Domina" represents one of the fresh new ingredients we’re using in our songwriting process. As I mentioned earlier, a track always starts with an initial idea from one of us, and then the four of us bring our own individual elements to the table.

Sometimes one specific element or influence takes center stage over another, but we never set hard boundaries or strict rules for ourselves. At the end of the day, we know that no matter which direction we explore, that distinct CAYNE trademark will always shine through.

15. What has the response been like from fans of both metal and the Nevernight series?

The response from both sides has been fantastic! Our long-time fans instantly loved the collaboration with Ambre. It's actually the very first time we’ve featured a female guest vocalist in our music. In the past, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting our good friend Andrea Ferro from Lacuna Coil (on "Through the Ashes"), as well as two legendary guitarists: Paul Quinn from Saxon (on "Black Liberation") and Jeff Waters from Annihilator (on "King of Nothing"). On top of that, the track is catchy and packs everything that defines our signature sound—including a stunning solo duel between the violin and guitar.

As I mentioned earlier, thanks to Jay Kristoff’s shoutout, we’ve connected with a whole new audience of avid readers. A lot of them have left super positive comments, genuinely surprised and thrilled that a band wrote a song dedicated to the protagonist of one of their absolute favorite book series!

16. What can fans expect next from CAYNE following this release?

We’re already all set for our next single, which is scheduled for release in September—most likely around mid-month. We’re just putting the finishing touches on some backing vocals, and then Diego will handle the final mix.

Our goal moving forward is to release a new single every two months or so, building momentum until we have a solid package of 8 to 9 tracks to drop a full-length album. For every single, we’re maintaining the same high level of production we did for "Outcast" and "Domina"—that means official music videos, dedicated photo shoots, focused social media campaigns, and live shows. Live performances will resume in September as well, and we honestly can't wait to play these new tracks live. We strongly believe in our material, both old and new, and we know that our live setlist can truly make an impact on stage!

17. Is there anything else you’d like to share with the readers of Breathing The Core Zine?

Yes! To all the friends and readers of Breathing The Core: never stop listening to and discovering new music! Jon does an amazing job supporting bands like ours and helping us get discovered. We really hope this interview brings new fans to CAYNE and new loyal readers to Breathing The Core... Stay Metal!

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