A Q&A with Rocklust

Italian hard rock with old-school live attitude…

What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
Our latest release is called Smoking Wheels, our debut full-length album. The title represents movement, freedom, passion and the unstoppable desire to follow your own path despite everyday struggles and compromises. For us, Smoking Wheels is much more than just a collection of songs — it’s the result of years of musical experiences, personal sacrifices and pure love for hard rock music. It captures the spirit of the band and the energy we want to bring both in the studio and on stage.

What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
Probably the hardest part was balancing everyday life with the commitment required to create a full-length album completely based on original material. We all have jobs and responsibilities outside the band, so finding the right time and energy to compose, rehearse, record and organise everything was definitely challenging. At the same time, we wanted the album to sound honest and authentic, without following trends or making compromises, so we spent a lot of time refining the songs until they truly represented who we are.

Who produced the release – what did they bring to it? If you produced it yourselves what do you enjoy most about producing your own material?
Smoking Wheels was recorded at Dyne Engine Studio in Castelfidardo, Italy. The recording process helped us shape the raw energy of our live sound into something powerful but still natural and genuine. We were deeply involved in every aspect of the production because we wanted the album to fully reflect our identity. One thing we really enjoy about working closely on our own material is having the freedom to experiment, discuss ideas together and preserve the emotional impact of songs without losing spontaneity.

What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
We want listeners to feel real emotions and genuine energy. Our music is about passion, freedom, determination and staying true to yourself. If someone listening to our songs feels motivated, nostalgic, inspired or simply has a great time turning the volume up, then we’ve achieved our goal. We also hope our music reminds people that hard rock is still alive because it speaks directly to emotions in a very honest way.

How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
Usually a song starts from a guitar riff. From there we work collectively, building arrangements together and letting everyone bring their own influences and personality into the track. Lyrics often come from personal experiences, emotions or reflections about modern life. We try not to overthink the creative process too much — we prefer songs to grow naturally and keep that spontaneous rock’n’roll spirit.

What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
The biggest influences behind ROCKLUST are definitely classic hard rock and heavy metal bands such as AC/DC, Scorpions, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Motörhead, Blue Oyster Cult. What inspires us most about these artists is their authenticity and timeless energy. Their music still sounds powerful decades later because it comes from passion and personality rather than trends. We also appreciate newer bands like Airbourne or Bullet for keeping that spirit alive with a modern attitude.

What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
We would love at first to build up a strong fanbase in our own country and then to tour across Europe, especially in countries with a strong rock and metal culture such as Germany, the UK, Sweden and Spain. As for venues, every rock musician dreams about legendary places like Wacken Open Air, Download Festival or even classic clubs with strong histories connected to rock music. But honestly, we simply love playing live anywhere people are ready to share energy and passion with us.

If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
We would probably choose the self-titled track ‘Rocklust’ because it is the first song we wrote and it perfectly represents the spirit of the band. It has heavy riffs, strong melodies, energy, groove and the classic hard rock attitude that defines our sound.

What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
Our main ambition is to keep growing as musicians and continue creating honest music that people can connect with. We want to bring ROCKLUST to as many stages and listeners as possible, release more albums and build a strong identity within the hard rock scene. Of course, sharing the stage one day with some of the bands that inspired us would be a dream come true. But above all, we want to keep enjoying what we do and stay true to our passion for music.

Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
“Keep rock alive, stay true to yourself… and get on board of your own Smoking Wheels!”

Find out more about ROCKLUST at instagram.com/rocklust_band