YouTube star Angelo Bissanti talks about his love for metal and anime, his career, plans in Japan, and why covers are his true passion.
Text: Mia Lada-Klein
Angelo Bissanti! Remember the name. With over 89,400 subscribers on YouTube (and counting), he’s already playing in a league most musicians can only dream of. Once rooted in classic metal and cover territory, he’s now carved out his very own playground: anime openings and pop songs that he mercilessly hammers into his signature metal style.
And yes, I’ll admit it: I’m a fan. A fan of his voice, his laid-back, unpretentious vibe, and those cover versions that sound like someone tossed metal and anime into a blender and said, “Shake it, Angelo.”
In our interview, I wanted to find out who this guy from Sicily really is. How he got into music, why he has such a thing for anime and Japanese culture, and what plans he’s currently cooking up. His answers? Straightforward, charming, and as authentic as his covers. But see for yourself.
How did you originally get into music, and specifically into metal?
I don’t think there was a specific moment when I became interested in music, because as far back as I can remember, I’ve always been passionate about it. I can’t even recall when I first got into instruments: I just know there are photos of me as a child holding musical instruments. Music, and art in general, have always fascinated me. As for metal, my musical background was strongly influenced by rock and hard rock, since my father used to listen to bands like Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, and others. But I would say my very first real encounter with metal music came around the age of eight or nine, with Iron Maiden.
What excites you about turning pop songs into metal versions?
What excites me the most is being able to give a completely different interpretation of a song. The idea of transforming something that already works — for example, a pop song created for that genre — into my own style of arranging and experiencing music is incredibly fun. Of course, not every song I’ve chosen was equally suited for a metal arrangement, at least in the way I approach metal music, but yes, that’s definitely what excites me the most.
Is there a song you’ve always wanted to cover but haven’t dared to yet?
More than a matter of not daring, I’d say that in my case it doesn’t really make much sense to approach certain types of songs. Let me give you two perspectives to explain this better. The first ties back to what I mentioned earlier: there are songs that I might really enjoy, but I simply can’t translate them into my musical language. Each of us has our own background and develops a personal style from that. Sometimes, even if I like a song, I can’t find the perspective that would allow me to arrange it in a way that truly satisfies me. The second perspective has to do with the kind of format I work with today. When I was a teenager, around 15 or 16 years old, I used to record covers of classic metal songs, because I loved hearing those tracks played by me. Nowadays, though, my work on social media is based mainly on two formats: pop songs and anime songs reimagined in a metal style. For that reason, it wouldn’t really make sense to create a metal cover of a song that’s already metal. The effort and passion I’d put into it wouldn’t have the same impact, nor would my audience appreciate it in the same way. That said, I don’t rule out doing it in the future, but I’d probably need to open a separate channel for that. Otherwise, I’d risk confusing my fanbase and weakening the identity of my current project.
You’re from Sicily – what is the metal scene like there, and how does it differ from the one in Germany or Scandinavia?
Yes, I’m Sicilian, and I have to say this is a rather complex question. There are definitely some extremely talented musical projects here, of really high quality, that honestly have nothing to envy compared to German or Scandinavian bands. Unfortunately, though, they are heavily penalized — as I was in the past, and as I could still be today — by the fact that there simply isn’t a real market for this kind of music. As a consequence, there are very few venues where metal music can be performed. Yes, they do exist, but there are not many of them, and it all remains very niche. So, even though there are people who are passionate about it, the main issue is that a true market for metal music simply doesn’t exist.
Many people say metal is “niche music.” Do you agree, or do you think metal has already secured a place in the mainstream?
Saying that metal music is still niche, in my opinion, isn’t entirely accurate: it really depends on the place and the context. Today, metal has become extremely mainstream. Even people who don’t consider themselves “metalheads” know plenty of metal songs. I won’t go into which genres or specific tracks, but it’s clear that metal music is now widely spread and achieves massive numbers. We can see this more and more in many mainstream products. For example, I often work with anime, and one thing I’ve noticed is that openings and soundtracks frequently contain a lot of metal elements: riffs, sounds, and arrangements clearly rooted in metal music. So I don’t feel I can call it a niche genre anymore. At most, in certain places where there’s no market, it might still be perceived that way. But nothing beyond that.
How do you see the role of YouTube & social media in today’s music industry – a curse or a blessing?
I don’t see it as either a curse or a blessing, but rather as the natural evolution of our social path when it comes to the arts. In the past, there were different ways to get recognized, and those were the ones you had to follow. Today, the tools have changed, and people rely on social media and YouTube. The big advantage is that many more people, compared to the past, now have the opportunity to be recognized and even build a career. At the same time, the more people get recognized, the bigger and more competitive the market becomes. I wouldn’t say it’s saturated — as long as there’s demand, it isn’t — but it has definitely become harder to stand out. The only potentially negative aspect is that sometimes people tend to follow trends rather than their true passion in what they want to create and share. But even that I don’t see as a criticism: it’s simply a different method. This is how it works today, and I don’t see anything wrong with it, because it gives far more people the chance to emerge.
How do you decide which anime song or soundtrack to cover? Do you focus more on the melody, the lyrics, or the emotional impact?
The choice of the song — or more often the opening, since nowadays I mostly focus on anime themes — can depend on several factors. For example, if my fans have been requesting a specific track for a long time, that becomes a good reason to do it, even if it’s not always a song that excites me personally. On the other hand, if I really don’t like a track, or if when I listen to it I can’t feel a positive vibe, then I prefer not to cover it. Beyond that, I’d answer your question almost exactly as you phrased it: it can be the melody, the emotional impact, or sometimes even the lyrics. I don’t speak Japanese, so I don’t understand the meaning, but I can still feel how the rhythm and the sound of the language contribute to the song’s punch. Another key point is that I follow a specific format: I also choose based on my audience’s preferences. If you’ve looked at my channel over the past year or so, you’ll notice that I often cover songs from older, classic, cult anime. That’s because my audience is mostly between 30 and 60 years old, and there’s a strong sense of nostalgia there. This doesn’t mean I never cover more recent tracks or from the last 10–15 years, but the main focus is definitely on those iconic series.
When you adapt an anime song into a metal style, what changes matter most to you (e.g. speed, distortion, vocals, structure)?
When I arrange a song, the change that matters most to me is definitely the structure. For my taste, it’s crucial to preserve the original vibe and the intention of the composer. Even if I transform the track a lot, if it loses the essence of what it was meant to convey, then it’s simply no longer the same song — it just becomes another piece that borrows the chords or the lyrics but feels completely different. And personally, that’s something I don’t appreciate. That said, it also depends on the type of song. If there are very distinctive vocal lines that deserve more emphasis in the melody, then I shape the arrangement in that direction. Other times, it can be about speed, groove, or other elements. In any case, I always start from the original intention of the song, and from how I hear it in my head. Another important factor is that the arrangement has to fit my own style — the one I’ve developed specifically for anime covers. I also have to take into account the very limited time frame I work with: I start on Monday morning and deliver a finished cover by Friday. That means I have about two and a half days for the song selection, production, mixing, and mastering; and another two and a half days for shooting the video, editing, and handling the social media and marketing side. Because of this, the structure I create has to follow a format that allows me to achieve the best possible result in the shortest amount of time. It’s not the absolute maximum I could do if I had more time, but within these deadlines it’s the best balance I can find between quality and consistency.
How do you handle vocals, especially when the original song is in another language (like Japanese)? Do you sing in Japanese yourself, and how did you learn or practice the pronunciation?
Actually, I’ve never had particular difficulties, and that’s mainly for three reasons. The first is that I’ve always had a natural talent for imitation. It has never been hard for me to adopt an accent different from my own or to quickly reproduce the sounds of another language as accurately as possible. Of course, I need to be immersed in the context: if I’m in it, I pick things up very quickly; if I’m outside of it, not so much. The second reason is purely about sounds. The Japanese alphabet has very sharp consonants, much like Italian. And in Sicily, we tend to emphasize and even double almost all our consonants, so it’s actually easier for me to reproduce the correct sound of Japanese words. The third reason is that I watch a huge number of anime in the original language, usually with subtitles in Italian or English. That has made me very accustomed to the sounds and nuances of the language. With time and practice, the more you sing and immerse yourself in the pronunciation, the easier it becomes to reproduce it naturally. Of course, I’m not perfect, but judging from the feedback I get, people seem to appreciate my pronunciation quite positively. One of my goals, in fact, is to actually learn Japanese, which I’ve recently started studying.
What kind of reactions do you get from anime fans compared to classic metal fans when you cover such a song?
It really depends on the type of listener I have in front of me. For example, there are metal fans who are also passionate about anime, and they get double the enjoyment because the two worlds come together. Then there are metal fans who have no interest in anime and probably can’t connect with it — or sometimes they might change their mind. The same applies to anime fans: some are into metal, others not at all. In my case, I think there’s often a small advantage with anime fans. When you love anime, you’re naturally more curious about hearing a familiar opening reimagined in a completely different style, especially when it’s pushed toward something more extreme like metal music. Of course, my arrangements lean more toward classic heavy metal — not excessively modern or overly heavy — but they’re still very different from pop. And this is where Japanese fans have an interesting perspective: Japanese pop music is not like Western pop. If you listen closely, you’ll often find distorted guitars, driving rhythms, and powerful drums. In some cases, I’ve even come across songs that had the full production of modern metal music while still being labeled as pop. That’s why, for anime fans especially, hearing my arrangements can feel like a natural extension rather than something completely foreign.
Is there a project that is particularly close to your heart? You once mentioned crowdfunding – could you tell me more about that?
The most important project for me is definitely being able to perform live in front of my fans in Japan. At this point, around 80% of my audience is Japanese, and they are absolutely fantastic. I don’t want to sound like I’m speaking negatively about my other listeners, but the level of appreciation and engagement I get from Japanese fans is truly remarkable. Thousands of them have asked me to perform there, and for me it would be the fulfillment of two dreams: first, because it would allow me to finally give something back to the people who have given me so much — if I’m doing this today, it’s mainly thanks to them; and second, because I’ve always loved Japanese culture and anime. Visiting Japan and performing there musically would be a huge dream come true. Recently, a Japanese PR suggested trying a crowdfunding campaign to make this possible. It’s not the first proposal I’ve had about playing in Japan, but this one seemed like the best first attempt, because we wanted to test how the Japanese audience would respond to crowdfunding for a non-Japanese artist. And honestly, the response has been very positive. That said, we probably won’t reach the full target, mainly because of timing. Booking a venue in Japan is very expensive, and often you need to secure it a year in advance. Once a date is available, you have to launch the crowdfunding immediately. In this case, we had just over two weeks to raise a significant amount, which wasn’t enough time. Right now there are still a few days left, but it’s unlikely we’ll reach the budget. However, what I’ve learned — both myself and the PR following me — is that people are absolutely willing to see me live. Every day 15–20 people are still contributing, which shows that with a longer window, like three months instead of just three weeks, and proper preparation, the goal would definitely be achievable. One thing that surprised me the most was the “special ticket” tier we included almost as an experiment. It was a single ticket priced at €900, and to my amazement, it was one of the first to sell. That was a huge encouragement. So, even though this first attempt won’t reach the goal, it gave me great satisfaction and confirmed that my most important project remains to perform in Japan, ideally within the next year or two, and hopefully make it something more consistent over time. My second project, which I’d like to start as soon as possible, is to open a separate Italian channel dedicated to anime openings in Italian. We actually have a rich tradition and a big market for anime songs in Italy, and I know there’s a strong audience waiting for that. Many fans and friends have asked me repeatedly to do it. However, posting Italian covers on my current channel wouldn’t really make sense, because it could dilute its identity. That’s why I’d prefer to build a dedicated space for them. To make it happen, though, I’ll need to expand my team — as I’ve explained, with the tight weekly schedule I have now, it would be impossible to produce even more content on my own.
You can find out more about Angelo Bissanti on his socials.