Interview: Frank Leone, Genghis Khan

Italy is not usually cited as the centre of the Heavy Metal Maelstrom, which means you've got to try all the harder to sell the vibe. So, why not start with a kick-ass name like GENGHIS KHAN? That's what Frank Leone and his "Spaghetti Mongols" from Bologna did when they got together more than a dozen years back and started the band, inspired by the likes of VENOM, MANOWAR, RUNNING WILD, and KING DIAMOND.

In recent years the band has been on a post-covid recovery trajectory, and are pushing their recent self-produced EPs “Arrows and Flames” (2024), “Celebration” (2025), and "Ready to Kill" (2025). Revenge of Riff Riff decided to dig deeper by talking to the band's "supreme despot" and amasser of skulls Frank Leone...

RoRR: The name is mega. I immediately thought of the UK comedy rock band BAD NEWS, who were quite good and actually played Donnington Monsters of Rock. In Bad News 2 they did a song "Warriors of Genghis Khan." Do you know this song? Was it an inspiration?

Frank: Hello everyone, first of all I wanted to say that it's a pleasure for me to do this interview for your fanzine. Regarding the band's name, I must say that I wasn't aware of the Australian band with the same name, so it didn't influence our decision to choose this name in any way. I'd like to clarify that we're not a concept band like SABATON or POWERWOLF; we like to be open to any theme. We can talk about everyday life, a war that happened 800 years ago, a failed love story, or even drug dealing in front of schools - anything that inspires us. I wanted to make this clear. The name Gengis Khan came up solely because it's a powerful, sonorous name full of battle energy; it's the revenge of a people who were subjugated for years.

RoRR: You started in 2012, I believe. Have you had a lot of personnel changes? What is the present line-up?

Frank: The band was formed in 2012 along with Fabio Alessandrini, who is the current drummer of ANNIHILATOR. We did some tours with ENFORCER and ANVIL, but we also had many breaks and moments of silence. I played with other musicians like Michael Vescera (ex-MALMSTEEN, LOUDNESS), Phil Lewis (L.A. GUNS) and David Reece (ACCEPT). After that, I too the band back in hand and released a series of albums between 2019 and 2025... actually, right now, a new self-produced EP called Celebration has just been released.

RoRR: Self released? What the main difference between self releasing and having a record company do it for you? I guess there are pros and cons to both. Also I guess self releasing is becoming the norm for a lot of bands now. What's the big picture there? Are record companies a thing of the past now?

Frank: Honestly, I'm not sure if self-releasing is the best thing, and I don't think record labels are a thing of the past. The reason I'm doing it is simply that I don't feel like dealing with anyone right now. It's a period in my life where I don't have much of a social life, and I prefer to do everything on my own. But that doesn't mean things won't change soon.

RoRR:  I think people can get a good idea of your influences from your sound. But are there any influences in there that people might not realize and be surprised by?

Frank: Absolutely, you've hit the nail on the head. Genghis Khan is a strange animal, we don't have a well-defined identity like Running Wild, AC/DC, or MOTÖRHEAD. In one album, we have keyboards, in others, we don't. Sometimes we're more melodic, and often we're not. Epic, speed, thrash, NWOBHM, united with a dark and piercing sound that changes face every album, while maintaining a homogeneous algorithm. We have steel in our hearts, but we're also very catchy, often and willingly. In short, we're not a mainstream band like Powerwolf, something that many in the past have compared us to. They said we were clones of Powerwolf, maybe just because we called one of our singles "Possessed by the Wolf". How much superficiality is there among those who review albums? I've never been able to stand it. But this only happens to emerging bands, not to those who have already made history. This genre of music is becoming ridiculous from the insiders' point of view. Want to know why Metal isn't like it was 40 years ago? Because there are no insiders, not artists and musicians!

RoRR: Which of your rock heroes have you met and how was that experience for you? Who would you hope to meet in the future?

Frank: I've met many of my heroes on my journey, and with some of them, I've even had the chance to play music together. See Phil Lewis of L.A. Guns and Michael Vescera, ex-Loudness. I've had various experiences over the years, I've also opened for bands like Anvil, BLAZE BAILEY, GIRLSCHOOL, PAUL DI'ANNO, etc. etc... In short, I've had the chance to meet my idols from the past, and it's always a great emotion. Many things are changing, we're victims of change, as JUDAS PRIEST would say.

RoRR: I think our readers want to get a flavour of your “band life.” Tell us about your typical "working day" in Genghis Khan. What time do you get out of bed? What do you eat? etc? What other balls do you have to juggle? And how do you live that rock n’roll lifestyle. Please don’t tell us you all go to bed before 12 o’clock after saying your prayers!

Frank: Ahahaha, I'll disappoint you, but since I had a daughter, I definitely go to bed before 12. If it can reassure you, I don't say prayers, although in the last year, maybe I should have, given that it hasn't been a great year due to some family issues. Anyway, back to Genghis Khan, it's very simple. I wake up very early in the morning and start writing tons of material in pre-production to add to my computer folder, accumulating songs to publish in the future. For me, this is the most important thing: music. As AEROSMITH would say, let the music do the talking, right? My diet consists of white wine, grilled fish, and vegetables - just what you need to stay active, adding stretching and light jogging in the early hours of the dawn. It seems clear to me that the 80s lifestyle in the world of rock 'n' roll and heavy metal is just a distant memory. But I'll tell you, I like it this way. Over time, I've also developed other alternative interests, like reading novels and biographies of historical figures. Like the last one I was reading, the master ENNIO MORRICONE - unique and inimitable. He'll be remembered alongside Mozart in 100 or more years... and beyond."

RoRR: Tell us about some of the strengths and characteristics of the other members of the band. I was really impressed that you have a chick on drums.

Frank: Well, I'll reveal an interesting behind-the-scenes fact: the band Genghis Khan doesn't really exist. I'm the one who does everything, including recording every single instrument. The people you see in the photos are just hired hands I work with when I need to do concerts. Gemma is a lovely girl who helps me out when she's available, and there are others who orbit around the band, depending on what I need to do. Unfortunately, nowadays, for a series of reasons, I'm no longer able to form a physically active band to rehearse and record together during the week. We live in a period where it's hard to survive due to government and economic issues. Everything costs too much, so it's complicated to make sacrifices for the band. That's why I prefer to handle everything and keep the project going on my own. Obviously, things could change in the future. Stay tuned!

RoRR: What sucks about being in a band, and what’s really cool about it.

Frank: I have to say that being in a band is like being married, if not worse. I've already told you everything, in the sense that tensions are always present within the band. This is also one of the reasons why I prefer to stay solo, in addition to the reasons I listed in my previous response. Being young certainly helps, and above all, not having real-life commitments... However, I think that young people today have more turmoil than those in the 80s or 90s. Too many stimuli and too much chatter around. In short, critical thinking is lacking in people's minds in general."

RoRR: You been around now for quite a few years and must have clocked up quite a few gigs by now. Tell our readers about some or your weirdest, wildest, or more unusual gigs so far.

Frank: With Genghis Khan, we've done about 200 concerts in 10 years. That's not a huge amount, but it's not entirely few either. I remember one time in Berlin, after getting off stage, I found myself at the bar counter with Mikey Dee from Motörhead, and he offered me a drink. That was crazy... Or the time we played in a prison in Lithuania and the sound system wasn't working. We were facing many lifers, it was like we were in the movie Blues Brothers. There have been many moments like that... Hopefully, there will be more. For now, we don't have any plans to play live, but never say never!"

RoRR: What have you got mapped out for the year ahead?

Frank: As I just said, I don't plan to go live in the next few months, at least until the end of 2025. I have other things to think about, and playing live isn't my priority for this year. As for 2026, I hope to get back on the road. I miss it a lot. It's been 3 years since our last European tour with Anvil. What I can tell you is that there will be many surprises regarding the release of phonographic and video material. You'll be hearing from us often in the near future, be sure of that.

RoRR: We look forward to it. Thanks for a revealing interview.

Frank:  Thanks so much. It's been an honor to be interviewed for REVENGE OF RIFF RAFF. Long live Heavy Metal, and never lose hope! This music fills our souls and is the nourishment of our dreams. Together, we'll win!"

Colin Liddell
Revenge of Riff Raff
2nd of May, 2025

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