Guernica Mancini has no doubts. After ‘Thunder Mother’, she along with Emily and Mona simply looked at each other and said: forward. No hesitation, no fear, no questions. “F*** that s***. We’re gonna make this happen,” Guernica recalls with the same determination that led her to found ‘The Gems‘, her new project releasing “Year of the Snake” on Friday the 13th of February. “For me, it just kind of fueled my fire even more. Like I’m competitive, so that just made it so, hmm, okay,” she explains, and you can hear the smile in her voice.
“Year of the Snake” arrives at a pivotal moment for Guernica, both personally and musically. The album draws from deep wells of hardship and transformation, reaching back to childhood memories of being left out and bullied, but also confronting present-day challenges. “We went back to how it was as children, being left out and being bullied and all that stuff. We went way back, but also in the moment now of life happens,” she says. For Guernica, one of the most significant revelations came at the beginning of the year when she was diagnosed with ADHD and ADD. “That was pretty major for me, that I did that for myself in the beginning of the year of the snake. So that was huge on many different levels, both in a good way because I already knew it in a sense, but also just a whirlwind because then you have to start taking it more serious.”
But “Year of the Snake” isn’t just about struggle. It’s about reframing it. Guernica embraces a philosophy she sings about on the album itself: things happen for you, not to you. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be bad, even though it feels like shit in the moment,” she explains. That mindset runs through the album’s 14 tracks, each one dealing with real subjects while maintaining hope. Songs like “Firebird” tackle greed and not appreciating what you have, while “Go Along to Get Along” explores breaking free from the past. “We always try to have like the light in the end of the tunnel and like keep it hopeful, but still real,” Guernica says.
Year Of The Snake Tracklisting 1 Walls
2 Year Of The Snake
3 Gravity
4 Diamond In The Rough
5 Live And Let Go
6 Clout Chaser
7 Hot Bait
8 Forgive And Forget
9 Go Along To Get Along
10 Math Ain’t Mathing
11 Firebird
12 Stars
13 Buckle Up
14 Happy Water
Guernica‘s journey to this point has been anything but linear. She started singing in church choirs as a child, formed her first pop-rock band at 14, attended the Musicians Institute in LA, played with Jeff Young from ‘Megadeth‘ on Souls on 11, and spent years with ‘Thunder Mother’ before founding ‘The Gems’. “All those projects have made me to the person I am today. I’m more confident now, I’m a better performer now, I’m a better singer now,” she reflects. But the real difference now? “I finally am in a band where I can find happiness in music again. Like I’m doing it because of the passion, not just because it’s like a routine thing. Now it’s a true passion project and something that’s making me love music again, the way that I did in the beginning, which was lost for a few years.”
That passion is paying off. ‘The Gems’ debut single “Like a Phoenix” hit number two on the German rock radio charts, and “Year of the Snake” has already claimed the number one spot. “I really feel like we’re doing something right. And I also think that when you’re in something where you feel good and you’re in a positive environment and you put out positive vibes that you’re going to get that back,” Guernica says. The success feels like validation, but Guernica has always carried a deeper belief: “I’ve always had the mentality of like, if I just keep going and working hard and persevering throughout whatever, eventually my name is gonna be a name you know, regardless. Just because I’m so adamant and I never give up.”
‘The Gems’ arrive at a moment when classic heavy metal is experiencing a resurgence, and they slot perfectly into that movement. “I think I’ve always done that kind of music and blues rock is in my heart,” Guernica explains. “We met people that love classic rock like I do and we all have different inputs so it becomes like this really interesting mix of all the stuff that we love from back in the day and then we try to make it in our own way and in a more modern way, rebranded kinda in a sense.” The goal isn’t just nostalgia. It’s creating music they genuinely want to listen to. “People need also fun, uplifting rock,” she says, and the point is clear: rock and roll should fill you up, not weigh you down.
The 14 tracks on “Year of the Snake” were written with festival crowds in mind. “In the studio, we’re always envisioning what we can sing. Can they sing along? Because in our minds, we’re already at like, we’re a Maiden and we have like the big crowd, everyone singing along,” Guernica says with a laugh. The band drew inspiration from ‘Van Halen’. “Every time we wrote a new song, we were like, we want to do a new ‘Jump.’ We want to do a new ‘Hot for Teacher.’ Like we need that kind of energy.”
One standout moment on “Year of the Snake” is “Gravity”, a duet featuring Tommy Johansson from ‘Majestica’. Guernica met Tommy a year earlier at a charity event in Stockholm, where she asked if he’d ever be interested in collaborating. “He brought his vocal ability and his good vibes and his just epicness because he’s such a nice human with an amazing vocal talent,” Guernica says.
The songwriting process in ‘The Gems’ is truly collaborative. Mona and Emily both play guitar and present riffs, Guernica develops top lines, and all three work together on lyrics. “We write everything together. It’s just different how it starts, maybe, but since I don’t play an instrument, at the end of the day, it’s all a collaborative thing,” Guernica explains. The lyrics matter deeply to her. She’s conscious of what she sings because she believes in self-fulfilling prophecies and refuses to channel negativity night after night. “I don’t want to be singing too much negative shit. We always try to talk about real subjects but keep it hopeful.”
Despite the nerves that hit before every show, once Guernica steps on stage, everything clicks. “Playing live is always the most fun because that’s where you actually get to perform the material that you worked hard on and to see the people’s reaction. It’s like one of the best things that I know, to be on stage and have fun with the audience. Even though I’m always extremely nervous, once I’m on stage, I’m good.”
‘The Gems’ hit the road on March 21st for the Sleigh Dream Through Europe tour. For anyone hesitant about attending, Guernica has a simple pitch: “If you want to go to a show that fills you up with good vibes and good energy, then you should come to our show. Because it’s a fun and really good time. It’s the rock and roll that everyone loves. Because it’s fun, it’s groovy, it’s high energy.”
“Year of the Snake” drops Friday, February 13th. After years of grinding, doubt, and rebuilding, ‘The Gems’ have created something rare: an album born from genuine passion, collaborative spirit, and the belief that music should make you feel good. “Nobody fucks with my career. Like we wanna do this. We love working together. So we’re not gonna allow someone else to mess with that,” Guernica says. The fire is lit. The snake has arrived.
