Italian heavy psych masters UFOMAMMUT passed by Reverence Festival and we took the chance for a pleasant chat. With a fresh album out this year, Urlo, Poia and Vita spoke exactly as the sound of their music: no fear, no boundaries. Just the taste for frightening music. For Art.
- The Black Planet – Hi guys. This is the second edition of this Festival. You’ve finished your concert one hour ago and it was one of the most populated in stage Praia in these two years. How did you felt up there?
Ufomammut – Amazing! We’ve seen a lot of people. They were preety everywhere. For a band it’s always amazing. So beautiful to have people watching us.
- You manage to see the audience even without lights on stage?
The absence of light is something that we ask because we like to have red lights only, with the projection of image. But still we can see the people. We were feeling them.(Poia): I always start the concerts very shy. The first 2/3 first songs I try to be more concentrated. Really into me. And then little by little I try to break the ice
- And that’s one of the details where you differentiate yourselves from other seminal bands: it seems that 16 years after UFOMAMMUT’s creation you haven’t loss your weight. In fact you probably sound heavier than before. That’s something that comes out naturally?
(laughs) – We were saying this before. The idea is to create the opposite of what other bands are doing. Some of history’s big bands started very good and then ended producing crap. We want to do the contrary: start like crap and end better. Less crap at least.
- How’s things about “Snailking “ double vinyl re-release?
We released a vinyl limited edition 5/6 years ago. Now we are releasing it again because it’s a pity that this album is not available on vinyl any more. We thought it to be the right moment once lots of people were saying that Ecate was the new Snailking. We would like to do “Godsnake? Too because it’s the only one not available in vinyl and we’re trying to do everything on our own label.
- One of the most exciting songs from that album, “Hopscotch” was recently introduced by us in an industrial dj set last week and it kicked ass. Among other sounds such as Ministry, Godflesh or The Young Gods your song proved to be one of the most acclaimed. Do you also assume a clear industrial concept behind your music?
We don’t want to label our music. We don’t feel that we are stoner , doom or sludge. So we can as well be industrial. We want t to be free to do whatever we want. We don’t believe to sound as anything being doom. I don’t even know what is Doom? I don’t thing Sleep (playing at that time) is doom. Neither Black Sabbath. Actually our influences are not Doom, because we like Pink Floyd, The Beatles, probably because of our sound being very obscure some people consider us Doom. But I like to think, as you said, that some of our thing are Industrial, because it’s a different way to see it. But it’s ok for people to consider us Doom, Sludge or whatever. We just feel free as musicians.
- I’m guessing you’ve also been hearing some heavy sounds in the last years. Are there any bands recently discovered by you that deserve being listened to?
Yes. Music is a never ending ending story. Everyday you can discover new bands. From the present or the past. That’s the beauty of the music. It has no boundaries. There is no time at the end. We just like a band, even if they are no longer playing.
- If I’m not wrong you’re coming from a North American tour, and in the last set of years you’ve been touring a lot. How where the reactions and the meeting with other bands?
The reaction was very cool this time. We discover a very good band – Usnea -. Strange and obscure sound. And personally, it was just when listening to them live that we discover how cool their sound was. Very intense and particular. But there are other bands that we meet while touring. In October we’re glad to be supported by Suma. We’ve just rediscover their album “let the Churches Burn and now it’s spinning on our cd player.
- And reaching now you latest “Ecate”, do you still have an idea, a concept behind it? We feel some “art of rebellion”?
Yes, it’s a kind of rebellion at the end, because Ecate is a pre-Hellenic goddess that was transformed by the different gods and at the end by Christianity. So she became a very negative goddess because she turned out to be somewhat dangerous, and then became worshiped, symbolizing the night, the wytches. So it was cool because at the beginning she was able to connect the world of the Humans, the world of Dead and the World of Gods.
So yes, Ecate was an important dark symbol to for our mind growing, such as Snailking or Lucifer, for instance.
It is something related to our fears. A primitive force. The real concept of humanity has been downgraded by tons of rules and dogmas, and we cannot express express ourselves anymore. That’s why the idea of rebellion is fundamental. I am what I am. This is the path I want to follow. And as a band we want to be on our own path. And this singularity is at the end the real meaning of art.
- Well, thanks a lot guys and congratulations for your mind blowing performance this night. Any last word to our followers and our readers?
Keep following us and we’ll have some news in the near future. Fresh metal!
Live photos courtesy of Valentina Erno in Reverence Festival.
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