Meet Anthony Cozza | Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony Cozza and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
People.
Having the right people in the right places is the key to success in any endeavor. All three of us come from different backgrounds and creative influences, but we each have skills and ideas that when combined create the sound and band of Author of Your Downfall.
Kru, our bassist, is not only a master at his instrument but also an extremely talented graphic designer and our bands logos, cover art, and over all visual appearance is thanks to him. Same with Joe, a prolific drummer but also a brilliant writer and is responsible for turning this project into a concept art piece with a detailed story behind our songs.
People outside of our band are also extremely valuable to our continued success as well. Namly our producer Van VerHoeven of B-Normous Productions for helping develop our sound and making our released music sound absolutely incredible. Colorado has an amazing music scene full of people who are constantly supporting us and our pursuits.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Since picking up guitar at 13 I dabbled in a number of different bands and genres. My brother played drums, and we would practice Green Day covers and try to write our own rock songs. After graduating high school, I started a rock/blues project and self-recorded an album that I am sure is still floating around on the internet in all its out of tune glory. Up to this point I knew I wanted to do something with music but had yet to take the full steps into developing it into something more than a bedroom project. In my early 20’s I actually stopped playing music all together while I struggled with severe depression.
I decided to give music one more attempt though. A truly dedicated attempt to see if I could jump start a project I was truly passionate about. Something slightly out of the normal rock band stuff I had done but found no true satisfaction in. During the time I wasn’t playing music I became obsessed with progressive metal and progressive electronic music. This was music that pushed the boundaries and structures found in pop and rock. It embraced experimentation with new sounds and guitar techniques that immediately sucked me in. I saw it as a opportunity to fully explore music in a ways I hadn’t considered before, and most importantly, it sounded really fun.
I began writing an album that drew inspirations from my favorite artist in this genre such as Animals as Leaders, Intervals, and Polyphia. During writing I also found a new passion: synthesizers. The ability to develop and design sounds unlike any instrument was instantly addicting.
I knew I had to name this project eventually. Anyone who has had to name their band or album knows this is a bigger challenge then it appears to be. You need something that stands out, fits the style, and most importantly, isn’t already taken. I was listening to one of my favorite true crime podcasts at work one day and one of the hosts used the line, “…and this act would make him the author of his downfall.” For some reason that hit me like a brick to the face. Maybe because this project was a do or die moment for me, or the word downfall sounded super cool. Whatever the reason, it was unique and no other bad was using it, thus this sonic adventure was dubbed: Author of Your Downfall.
I had music and a band name but no band. The songs I had written were not particularly complicated, but they did have some odd meter changes and the biggest hurdle, no vocals. I had chosen to make this purely an instrumental project because I wanted to explore more abstract tones and sonic textures and make those the focus. I knew this would be a challenge to sell to potential musicians, but after a few interviews I met Joe. Joe was a classically trained drummer who happened to be a huge fan of progressive metal as well, with his biggest influence being Dream Theater. Joe was also a wizard at odd time signatures. We hit it off immediately, and he mentioned he had a friend who played bass who was also looking for a band. For this project I had written the songs using an 8-string guitar, which provides some unique tuning and tone issues when paired with bass, so we needed someone who understood that and could add their own spin on the riffs. Basically, we needed a bassist who could act as a second guitarist. Kru turned out to be just that and then some. Bringing in an incredible slap bass technique and musical style driven by influences like Meshuggah and Mudvayne, he added an energy and tone to the riffs that brought them to a new dimension. Author of Your Downfall was full formed and went from an idea I had in my room, to a band that was headlining the Moxi Theater in Greeley in little over a year. Together we have played close to 100 shows that each had their own unique challenges and surprises, but we were continually met with the hospitality and incredible support of the musicians and bands we have played with. During that time we wrote and recorded our EP Inexorable Anomaly together as a band and are now currently in the process of recording and releasing our second EP starting fall of 2024.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Estes Park has always been a special place for me. A destination for many of family weekend trips and the stop on countless motorcycle rides with friends. We would also have to check out some of numerous music venues in NoCo and Denver, my favorite being the Lyric with its art installations and jungle gym stages.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my parents encouraging me to pursue music from a young age, and my fiancé Caitlin for her unconditional support and help finding my true musical voice.

Website: https://linktr.ee/authorofyourdownfall

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorofyourdownfall/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorofyourdownfall

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@authorofyourdownfall

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/39THmh6GSMEKvXv2yO8SMc?si=NEvoBMBrSUuTSB0JZGpE8g

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/author-of-your-downfall/1559096641

Image Credits
https://www.instagram.com/cartographler/