Aleks Evdokimov Interviews Melissa from La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio

This Italian psycho rock bands is young, effective and promising. Blending space rock, psychedelic and some kraut rock they reached their first big milestone – “Sky Over Giza” EP. This vivid, dreamy and cosmic material transfers listener to vast sonic dimensions where you easily could lose the way back to reality. However we have a guide for La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio realm, her name is Melissa.

Hi Melissa! How are you? What’s going on in La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio realm?

Hey there Alexey! Everything is fine with me, thanks, I hope the same with you.
In our dimension many things are happening and we are both glad and somehow surprised of the results we have achieved so far. This summer brought us to important venues and festivals in Italy and abroad, we got very positive feedback and our feeling as a newborn band is that everything is going really fast and we have to take advantage of all the occasions we are going through. The time is now.

The band was founded just about two years ago and till that time you had only single record ‘Fever’ and ‘Jam In Erba’, so how did you spend this period as the band?

The idea behind the birth of La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio arose in the mind of our guitarist Bazu three years ago. He composed “Fever” before the other members joined the project which actually wasn't supposed to be a band at the beginning, but an open ensemble involving every time different musicians on stage. No rehearsal was contemplated and the gigs were kind of jam sessions, nothing was previously decided, all was extemporaneous.

The very first concert took place in 2015 in Milan, along with the Chilean band Föllakzoid, and the only members of the current line-up involved in it were Bazu and the flutist Angelo. Our first release “Sky Over Giza” was recorded in studio last summer as an experiment, in a two-days jam session, without any preparation at all. La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio reached a stable line-up and became a proper band only at the beginning of the current year, embracing three more musicians already belonging to the Italian heavy-psych scene with other well-known bands. Among them, two ladies: me as singer and moog/theremin player, the bass player Claudia and the drummer Federico.

Theremin is quite a specific instrument, how did you learn to play it? And what was your first encounter with it?

Actually it's not a long time since I started to play theremin. The first time I saw this instrument I was a child. 'How can hands produce sounds through that white box without touching it? It has to be some kind of magic.' This is what I suddenly thought as I recall so far.

At that time, as a 7 years old child, I was starting playing piano. Learning how works theremin wasn't in my mind at all - it looked like a far too mysterious and complicate instrument and I didn't know anyone in person able to teach me play it. Much later, as soon as I got in touch with psychedelia and space rock, I decided it was time for me to face this charming instrument. All what I know about it I have learnt by myself and everyday I continue increasing my knowledge. If you have some kind of sensibility towards music, the instrument itself speaks to you and somehow reveals what to do. This is what happened between me and my theremin. Music is a proper magic – children often know far more than what adults do.

So your first bigger record ‘Sky Over Giza’ was released just few months ago, what were your intentions when you started the work over these tracks? What kind of sound did you want to gain?

The purpose behind “Sky Over Giza” was to challenge ourselves and see what we could be able to do. As already told, during the recording session we have played freely, without arranging anything previously. There wasn't any intention at all concerning the kind of sound to gain, actually before entering the studio we didn't have have any idea of what the songs would have looked like in the end, so everything that comes out from these tracks is merely the result of what was moving inside us in that period, both light and shadows, but shadows mostly, I must say. We are somehow proud that things went this way, otherwise our work wouldn't have turned out to be so unconventional.

Italian scene is known with few marks like prog rock, some horror movies-influenced doom bands and… and I don’t know… power metal? However you play in psychedelic rock vein mixing few more components to this sound. How do you see a role of local influences in your music?

“La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio”, that means Death Comes From Space, is actually the title of a 50s Italian sci-fi film by Paolo Heusch, later released in English language with the different title “The Day The Sky Exploded”. This kind of choice, for such an important matter like the name of the band, already explains itself what our music is influenced by: the Italian older motion pictures and soundtracks mainly. We have always been fascinated by that world and the mystery it is wrapped in.

The project actually born with the aim to create a sort of b-movie's soundtrack. Also our way of composing, very instinctive like a flow of sounds, recalls what used to happen in Italy in the 70s composing b-movies soundtracks – the musicians who were committed to create those soundtracks often didn't play in the same band, but did meet each other for the first time in that occasion with the common purpose to give birth to something special.

La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio

How did you spend a ‘Sky Over Giza’ record session? Is it first serious studio work for the band’s members?

“Sky Over Giza” is the first serious studio work of La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio, but definitely not the first one for its members, playing in other bands already known in Europe with several albums released through the years, although we prefer to keep the identity of these other bands unknown - we would like people to focus on our music instead on who we are and where we come from.

As I have just explained, the recording session was very fast, the drummer was the one leading the game, he gave the input for moving towards a certain direction and all the rest you can listen to pop up as the natural consequence of that.

As I understand the lyrics is on second place for you, but the tracks’ titles are pretty interesting or, well, meaningful. What are stories behind ‘Sky Over Giza’, ‘Zombies Of The Stratosphere’ and ‘Sigu Tolo’?

“Sky Over Giza” with its Egyptian melody gives a mental image of pyramids, ancient mysticism and strange happenings in the sky.

“Sigu Tolo”, another name for the star Sirius, hints at a people named Dogon who live in west Africa and were supposedly visited by extraterrestrials 5,000 years ago and given astonishing astronomical information at that time.

“Zombies Of The Stratosphere” tells the story of evil martians brought down in flames in their rocket ship after a furious stratosphere raygun battle. In these tracks the standard music structure doesn’t really apply, allowing in this way a confluence of sound, atmosphere and melody through a free-form journey with no defined destination or resolution in mind.

I see you’re into weird stuff actually! Do you believe in the things like Land of Mu, Atlantis and so on? I remember I read the story about Dogon tribe too, hah, but you know when you have full-time job and family you have no more time to gaze at the stars!

What a hard question to answer to, well done Alex! :-) What I can say is that we don't believe in any parallel reality but, as far as I know, planets are many, galaxies probably also, and the world we live in is only a little part of the universe – universe that will continue to exist with us or without us (probably even better in this last case).

The things we still don't know and the places human beings have not reached yet are so many, that it wouldn't be so weird to find out someday that there is something else beyond us. In the meantime what we definitely believe in is music and its power to create and destroy new worlds through fantastic journeys towards the borders of the unknown.

With what kind of bands do you usually play? Do you feel that La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio live shows are in-demand?

Since February, the turning point between the open gathering of players that the project was and the proper band that it currently is, we shared the stage with several bands, very different one from the other: first the danish psych-rock Mythic Sunship in Milan and the Italian acid-rock Giöbia in Germany, then Fu Manchu, Clutch, Corrosion of Conformity, Baroness, among the others, at Duna Jam - an open-air festival that takes place in astonishing beautiful spots into the wild nature - and finally the American blacksters The Wolves In The Throne Room at SoloMacello Fest. 

It has been weird passing in just a couple of days from the relaxing Duna Jam's white sand dunes to the black metal scenery of SoloMacello Fest, but this is also what we like most of our music: the ability to be transversal to many genres and to easily move through completely different sceneries.

In Milan, at Cox18, we have also had the chance to be hosted by La Società Psychedelica, an institution for what concerns the Italian and international psychedelic scene.

Things are going fast and according with the positive feedback we have been getting we are now ready to leave for a tour across Europe which will bring us from Italy to Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Netherlands.

Can you tell more about La Società Psychedelica? What’s this institution?

La Società Psychedelica is basically the summary of different attitudes.

It was born in 2006 in Milan, at the very beginning only on MySpace, by the idea of two well-known DJs, as a sort of moniker which allowed to collect several bands from all over the world with an open idea of psychedelia, from the classic Californian acid folk to the English psychedelia, more bounded to pop, to kraut rock, stoner and doom, sometimes influenced by ambient music going even towards black metal, and so on.

Nowadays the events organized by La Società Psychedelica are among the most important in Italy and southern Europe for what concerns psychedelic music and further.

What are your ambitions towards the band? How do you see your prospects from the point where you stand now?

We feel to be very close to the people while performing and after the shows, our public is widening continuously and this makes grow the confidence in our project inside us.
In six months we have managed to play on very important stages of which many bands dream about all life long, we are thankful for the opportunities we got so far and we couldn't have taken more advantage of them than what we did. I guess soon we will be able to look back to the last shows as a springboard to something huger that will develop through the upcoming tour.

How did you manage to get on these big gigs? Do you work totally DIY way or do you have a kind of manager?

We don't have any manager at all. The closest person to a manager is me actually, that means I keep contacts with the venues where we perform, the reviewers and so on. Our “fortune”, as a project born from the confluence of musicians belonging to other bands well-known on the European scene, is that before starting La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio we already had many contacts collected through these years we have been playing around. This is the reason why it didn't take so many efforts to get involved in some amazing festivals. When the event planners already love what you do with your band, they are often curious to find out what can flow out from your brand new band.

The following shows we have set up are the result of some positive vibes we had spread during these first gigs - someone noticed us, asked us to play at their venue and this is exactly how we began to plan the upcoming tour.

Do local medias support the band?

If with medias you mean the radio or television, in Italy unfortunately we don't have any about underground music like ours. There are instead specialized magazines on this sector, some of these already have reviewed 'Sky Over Giza', some others will do that soon - like Rock Hard and Rumore, among the others - and we are very glad about this.

Do you already have plans for the next album?

Of course we do! As soon as we stopped jamming and the project reached a stable line-up, we entered the recording studio again. Now we already have enough material to work on the tracks which will be forming the next album - a more structured one this time - and we are ready for the second recording session to happen soon.

We are confident in the work we are doing, the previous extemporaneousness of our sound seems to be heading towards new horizons made of increasing efforts and complicity among us, so that the upcoming long playing will likely be a more representative product of what we are, not only a flow of dark energies but something really deeper.

I am not afraid to reveal that we have great news by our side, we are already looking forward to the next album presentation tour across Europe and, who knows, hopefully even further!

Good to hear it! Then I hope that soon we’ll hear more news from La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio! Good luck with that Melissa! So how would you like to sum up the band’s message today?

Someone once said that the universe is a pretty big place: if it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space. Then, you folks out there, get ready to be conquered from unconventional vibes... Death Comes From The Space – La Morte Viene Dallo Spazio

Words by Aleks Evdokimov

https://lamortevienedallospazio.bandcamp.com/

http://www.lamortevienedallospazio.com/

https://www.facebook.com/lamortevienedallospazio/?tn-str=k*F

Aleks Evdokimov Interviews Chris from SATORI JUNK

Some things happen faster, some things happen slower. Due technical issues, this interview started in May is done only now, but does it change anything? Satori Junk was born in Milan six years ago, their first full-length is full of driving and appealing mix of doom and stoner, so I have watched the band since its release.

To my surprise their second record ‘The Golden Dwarf’ was done on Russian label Endless Winter which has quite another specialization. However Satori Junk surpasses themselves with this new work: more driving tunes, some jazz elements and kind of retro vibe. That’s a great reason to remind our readers about the band, Satori Junk’s guitarist Chris will help us with that task.

Hi Chris! My congratulations - new Satori Junk album The Golden Dwarf is released, and I'm surprised with the band's progress. But first of all, how did you get on Russian label Endless Winter?

Hi Aleksey! The credit for this partnership goes to our friend Marco (SuuM, Bretus). We were looking for a label and SuuM recently signed with Endless Winter. We asked Marco for a suggestion and in a short time we were ready to sign with the Russian label and start work together.

Three years that lie between Satori Junk two albums isn't a big date, but what have happened in the band's life during this period?

In three years we never stopped to play live. That gave us the opportunity to grow, making experience and learn to achieve the best results from every kind of venue. Last year was a bit stressful: we were getting anxious to release new stuff, most of the songs were ready, but it was hard to stay focused on The Golden Dwarf recordings. When last summer we went to the studio, it was like a relief for everyone.

The very first track All Gods Die demonstrates how careful and effectively you incorporate elements of jazz music in your sound. What did drive you to enrich the band's musical arsenal?

We are always opened to many musical influences. Introducing our work with that tune could sound like a weird joke, but since the beginning we felt that such kind of idea could fit to our music. I think we were just looking to express ourselves best, find our distinctive trait, our trademark.

There's also a strong Hammond line in this song, and it works well with driving riffs, thus you keep proper balance of vintage and modern sounds. What was your vision of new stuff when you enter the studio?

Pushing more keyboard was a decision we took early in the writing process. In studio there’s no time to improvise, you could find better solution for your sound, but your schedule is tight. Being aware of that could be a really save you some time, so we decided to practice a lot, thinking very clearly on what our final sound should be.

I wouldn't tell that it's a radical change, but Satori Junk seems to be more Electric Wizard oriented band with new album even though you keep your own individuality as well. Can you tell that this new hypnotic riffs were partly influenced by that dirty stoned doom? 

It's undeniable that I always wanted that kind of sound from my guitar. It’s a matter of choices: there are lots of bands using Big Muff like a state of art fuzz, I choose the underrated Boss FZ-2. This is making my sound different, dirtier, and obviously more recognizable. Anyway, it's just one ingredient of our recipe.

Electric Wizard too get lots of inspiration from the 60s/70s music, we all drink from the same cup, but everyone is keeping his own identity.

Satori Junk – All Gods Die 

How do you see necessary elements of Satori Junk? Which core elements did you transfer from the debut self-titled album to Golden Dwarf?

Preserving the wall of sound was our main goal. I think we reached a nice balance between heaviness and psychedelia, where the main heavy riffing was exalted by the contrast with the softer parts. Also the effort made by Max, caring over his sounds of his drums during all the mixing sessions served our cause: on the first album we were without drummer from the end of the recording session.

What's about lyrics this time? Can you tell more about them and Luca rises in his texts?

Luca always enjoys telling simple, horror stories. His characters are often doomed to a terrible ending with no possibility of return. In this new album, I think that every story is channeling to the title track, where the anguished protagonist seeks for a quick solution and founds himself trapped in a bargain that will bring him back to the starting point after a short moment of relief.

You've covered Doors' immortal hit Light My Fire for the album. Are you fascinated with the spirit of that passed epoch or is it just because of the song's own charm?

No, nothing like that. Luca is a big fan of Ray Manzarek keyboard style, it’s a fact. One night we got the idea: “we could play a cover from The Doors!”. Almost instantly, we found that Light My Fire is a song that could be easily bended to our sound. So, without telling this to the other members, we started to rearrange the song. It was relatively easy to do that.

You played just few gigs in support of the release including one in Romania, how was it? And do you plan to play few more shows to promote Golden Dwarf?

Playing at Revolution Fest was a total blast! Playing in eastern Europe is different: the crowd is really engaged, regardless of the genre. That’s a great thing, especially for a band like us. When you see so many people following your songs headbanging, something happens. You could feel all the energy flowing and you can return it back boosted. By the way, our touring is not over: we are planning a tour this autumn with The Ossuary, ten days all around Europe.

Well, here's a philosophical question or something like that. What are virtues of doom metal? What's good does the genre offer to its fans and artists who play this way?

I think that one of the greatest virtues of Doom is own sincerity. It’s a genre that allows you lots of experimentation, but you must play it in a right way, with attitude, enjoying every single note. These are the blues roots, the roots from which rock was born. There’s something rough and primordial into this, and think every Doom supporter is able to notice it.

World football cup is almost in hand, do you feel anything consider this? Can you tell that you're football fan?

I’m a FC Inter supporter, and Max too. Probably Luke and Lory hate this sport, cause in so many years we never talked about soccer. A World Cup without the Italian team sounds unthinkable, but it could be a nice occasion to follow all the matches without any heartache or headache. 

Words by Aleks Evdokimov and SATORI JUNK

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/SatoriJunk/
https://satorijunk.bandcamp.com/ 

Aleks Evdokimov Interviews FUNERAL HORSE

Funeral Horse started its way in 2013, when a trio of friends took a decision to play some driving, heavy and low stuff. The first EP ‘Savage Audio Demons’ drawn the attention of Artificial Head Records who released next EP ‘Sinister Rites Of The Master’ (2014) and LP Divinity For The Wicked (2015).

The Power trio returns with new album ‘Psalms Of The Mourning’, the label describes new material as punk doom and it sounds damn good. What’s the hell is “punk doom”?

It seems we need the whole Funeral Horse crew here to sort it out, so let me introduce you Paul Bearer (guitars, vocals), Chris Bassett (drums) and Clint Rater (bass). Bring it on dudes!

Hi dudes! How are you? What's going on in Funeral Horse's bay?

Paul Bearer: Hey Aleks! Dude, we’re recovering from our most recent tour and catching up on things here at home. I have Chris and Clint here with me to join our conversation today too.

The band performs proper and tight stoner music, yet I've seen that you're also tagged as "punk doom". How do you see that?

Chris Bassett: While the first album can certainly be classified as Stoner, I’d say the past two records have deviated from that style quite a bit. Not sure if the Stoner Punk label fits either. If anyone feels the need to attach a Stoner tag to us, I suppose "Stoner Prog" might suffice. We, however, are quite content with the term ROCK.

Clint Rater: I feel the “Stoner” feel is gone now. I tune my bass to E standard and there isn’t any crazy fuzzed-out, overdriven wall of repetitive noise. We are much more inspired by 70’s rock, prog, jazz , and blues. In all honesty, I think it’s safe to say that we are not only tired of the “stoner/doom/sludge” label, but we’ve outgrown it as a band and in our personal tastes.

By the way, how do you see social roots of stoner? How did you reveal this spirit in you? 

Paul Bearer: Modern “stoner metal” can be traced back to the early 90s with albums by Sleep, Kyuss and The Melvins. I loved the way it directly clashed with the speed and fury of punk and metal at the time. Before that, you have obvious references such as early Sabbath or even Goblin with their experimental style of rock and ambiance. The spirit of stoner metal, to me, has always been rooted in American blues music… and that’s where Funeral Horse ultimately draws its influence.

There are many stoner bands in US and Old World as well, but don't you think that exclusively stoner is American phenomenon originally?

Paul Bearer: I find the phenomena deeply rooted in British blues and rock and it just evolved with each new band until it ultimately was born out of the California metal scene. 

Funeral Horse - Emperor Of All Maladies

You don’t sound (and you don’t look) as some newbies, do you have some musical background besides Funeral Horse?

Clint: Yeah. I play drums and write in another Artificial Head Records band called Jody Seabody and the Whirls.

Chris: I've been playing in bands for quite a number of years. A few different genres. Currently I play in a few "tribute" bands on the side (Pink Floyd, The Police) but Funeral Horse is my primary musical focus.

Paul: Back in the 90s, I was in a noise rock band called Tranquil. We released an album and did some touring in the northeast USA. I took a break after that and got back into music once I moved to Houston… which was about 12 years ago. Played in a few metal, punk and post-punk bands before finally starting Funeral Horse.

The third full-length album ‘Psalms For The Mourning’ was released just three weeks ago. What were your primal goals when you enter a studio? What was your master plan for a new album?

Paul: We knew that we needed to make a statement with this album as there was a lot going on in our personal lives, especially mine. I was going through a divorce, I lost two close friends to cancer, and I became this self-destructive mess. Funeral Horse was my only positive outlet, and even then – our gigs were rife with fucked up performances, antagonistic behavior towards the audience and I struggled with severe depression while touring. All of that had to come out. All of that had to be given a voice. So the master plan was to create a set of songs that would exercise these demons and give me a way to explain (at the very least to myself) what had happened.

Three years passed since the release of debut full-length ‘Divinity For The Wicked’. How do you value your progress on Psalms?

Paul: It’s a significant step forward in terms of song writing and our playing. We took our time on the production side to make sure the album had the feel and sound we wanted.

What are main features of Funeral Horse from your point of view? Through which equipment did you fulfill it working in the studio?

Paul: We mainly used whatever equipment would get the job done. Most the heavier songs on the album were recorded using a beat-up Japanese Esquire, a basic Fuzzface pedal and a tiny Fender Champ. Other times, I’m using a Les Paul into an old Mesa Boogie and sometimes I used a big old Gretsch hollowbody into a Marshall 18 watt. I got fancy on the song Divinity for the Wicked as I used a double neck (12/6) into Vox AC15 and a tube tape echo machine. Chris used Sabian cymbals and his Tama kit but sometimes he used the studio’s old Gretsch kit.

I gotta tell you though, Clint and I are not into pedals as we like to keep things simple – especially on stage. 

How serious were you in the studio? How much of improvisation was during the record session?

Clint: Personally, I was very focused on having a 50-50 blend of “clinical focus” and “loosey-goosey”.

Chris: For myself, I do very little improv when recording. I work out a part and really don't deviate much while recording. I enjoy the discipline of the studio. It's during the live setting that I like to loosen it up and perhaps add some more color.

Paul: Dude, I was serious as fuck. Sometimes I would walk out of the studio out of frustration and anger at myself for not getting a part done right. It was intense at times.

There’s ‘Evel Knieval Blues’ song on the album, it contains nice country tune, how did you come to an idea? And did your paths ever crossed with Moonbow? With what kind of bands do you usually share a stage?

Paul: With Evel Knievel Blues – I had been toying around with the idea of incorporating different styles into our song catalogue. We have several songs in our catalogue that stray from the traditional metal style because… well… that’s what we like to listen to. Cities of the Red Night, I Hear The Devil Calling Me, and A Bit of Weed are excellent examples of us playing around with different musical styles.

We have played a show with Moonbow when they came to Houston. Oh man… that was sooo long ago too. We usually get coupled with metal bands when we’re on the road or even at home. We prefer to play shows with bands that are quite different from us though as we like that kind of variety.

Funeral Horse – There Shall Be Vultures 

Funeral Horse is a trio, that seems to be a comfortable format for touring, when do you plan to hit the road and start to preach ‘Psalms’? 

Paul: Dude, we’re always hitting the road… that’s why it’s taken us so long to answer your interview questions!!!

Does being in the band grant you some therapeutic effect or something? What are positive and negative sides of being in Funeral Horse?

Clint: Absolutely. Music whether you are performing or simply listening is indeed therapeutic. After a performance there is a definite sense of satisfaction knowing you gave it your all and being able to play music you thoroughly enjoy alongside talented like-minded musicians. If there IS a negative it's trying to fall asleep later on with ringing ears.

Words by Aleks Evdokimov and Funeral Horse

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Aleks Evdokimov Interviews MESSA

Messa of Cittadella, Italy could be a new name still for some of our readers, yet this year Aural Music have released the band’s second album “Feast For Water”. There’s a lady on vocals but I can’t tag Messa just as “female-fronted-doom-band”, as they’re something more indeed. Yes, even their debut “Belfry” (Aural Music, 2016) was quiet innovate blend of hypnotic doom under some experimental spices, but “Feast Of Water” is even more avant-garde and experimental.

This new elements (including dark jazz parts) entwine naturally with riff carcass of the songs and Sara’s voice is truly magnetic, its power is damn close to the one whole Windhand obtain. I’ve got in touch wit Messa guitarist Marco in order to learn more about Messa new work.

Hi Marco! How are you? What's going on in Messa camp?

Hi there! We’re definitely alright. We’ve just released our new record and we’re really excited to play it live.

I guess that we spoke with you about two years ago, how has situation changed around the band?

Lots of things have changed in Messa on a personal and musical level. We are still improving our approach to composition and collaboration, and we are still developing our own way of doing things. It may take some time, but it’s worth it.

Aural Music released Messa's second album “Feast For Water” not so long ago. What's overall reaction on your new experiments deep into doom, jazz and drone territories?

We have received a bunch of very good reviews so far, and many people are listening to the record. First of all, we’re happy of the result and that is very important. Furthermore, both good and bad opinions may help us understand those hidden sides of our music that we may have not taken in consideration before.

There are just two years between “Belfry” and “Feast For Water”, but the changes in your sound are pretty significant. How did you compose this material?

Everything began when Alberto (guitar) bought his Fender Rhodes piano. He would take this very heavy yet delicate sounding instrument to rehearsals, and we soon found out that it would fit real well on certain parts of the material we were working on. This, together with a renewed approach to composition, has proved to be pivotal in the music you can hear on ‘Feast for Water’.

Messa - Leah 

I think that I didn't ask you before, but consider the band's updated sound - what are your general influences in sound and overall aesthetics?

We all have different influences, and we all come from more-or-less different backgrounds. Some of the bands/artists that we all agree upon are Windhand, Angelo Badalamenti, John Coltrane, Bell Witch or Herbie Hancock. For sure we’re also influenced by dutch rock/metal acts such as Devil’s Blood, Urfaust, Dool… Basically, inspiration can come from all kinds of music.

The album is well-produced, where did you record it? And how much did you improvise into the studio?

We recorded it at ‘La Distilleria Musicale’, in Bassano del Grappa. It was engineered by The Soft Moon producer Maurizio ‘Icio’ Baggio, who has worked with many cool bands before. We are very happy with the result, and it was very easy to work with Maurizio. Recording-wise, all instruments were done live in the studio with only vocals, sax, and solo guitars overdubbed. We wanted it all to sound very organic, with the least digital intervention or editing possible. The tones have been conceived to resemble the underwater atmosphere of the overall concept.

Did you have some concept in mind when you enter the studio to record “Feast For Water”? What kind of mood did you want to transfer through these songs?

Yes. From the sounds to the creative approach, we wanted to materialize the physical and mental state of apnea. That sensation that pushes against flesh and bones while carrying you to unknown depths at the same time. This conveys a somber feeling of warmth and salvation.

By the way, why “Feast For Water”?

Water is a central element in rituals, initiations and rites of passages of all kinds throughout all cultures. ‘Feast’ stands for celebration. It’s the point of contact between the human being and the unknowable which lies beneath.

You did shoot official video on song “Leah”… I still can’t use to the fact that metal videos are made only for YouTube nowadays – no TV programs, no DVD-compilations, just YouTube. Do you do it for yourself? I’ve checked and your video on “Babalon” (damn killer song) have about 30.000 views… I don’t know though if it’s bad or good…

We don’t really care if it’s bad or good. Video-clips are just another piece of the puzzle, a complementary part of the concept we have created. This kind of videos wouldn’t be aired on MTV anyway, ahah! These two videos were made by extremely talented Catalan video-maker Laura Sans, with the help of a few close friends of ours. We channeled our musical ideas though visionary taste, full of symbolic motifs.

Messa - Babalon 

“Belfry” lyrics dealt with a wide range of topics if I remember correctly. What does Sara sing about on new album?

The lyrics are always very personal and heartfelt, so it’s not easy to sum up the wide array of topics they deal with. Let’s just say that the best way to have a glimpse of what Messa is all about is to read those lyrics and feel free to discover the secret bonds between them and the songs.

Words by Aleks Evdokimov and MESSA 

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Aleks Evdokimov Interviews Mark Wolf From SuuM and BRETUS

SuuM is a new name in Italian doom underground: they gathered in Rome in 2017, and the debut “Buried Into The Grave” appeared in February 2018 on Russian label Endless Winter.  

Probably I could skip it but there are two familiar persons in the lineup, they are Mark Wolf who also sings in great doom band Bretus and mister Painkiller who plays guitars in Fangtooth.

It’s hard to tell if it’s a kind of “star lineup”, but at least we have guarantees, that men know well how to provide proper traditional doom. I’ve got in touch with Mark to uncover few facts about SuuM.

Hi Mark! How are you? What's going on in SuuM camp?

Hi Aleksey! In SuuM camp everything is going well, “Buried Into The Grave” came out a few weeks ago. The perfect soundtrack for a nocturnal walk in cemetery. The reviews have been full of praise and reactions have been mostly very positive, we have received a lot of appreciation from zines, web zines and doom maniacs. Totally unexpected. We are preparing for some Doomed Rituals and the promotion of the album goes on.

Okay, SuuM is pretty fresh outfit, we know you from Bretus and Painkiller is from Fangtooth, but what about the other guys? How did you gather under the Doom Cult tattered banner?

The line up is completed by Rick and Marcas. Rick (Drums) was the drummer of an historical Hardcore band, Bloody Riot (Italy), Marcas (Bass) has other experiences in some rock / heavy metal bands.

What made you take part in one more doom band? What's your motivation? Do you feel you have something new to say in this genre?

Everything was born spontaneously, I've known Painkiller for a long time, he was born in Sicily, I'm from Calabria, we have shared the stage many times in the past. For various reasons we both live in Rome, we met Rick and Marcas and from the first rehearsal the right alchemy was created. There is no particular reason behind this choice. I think Doom needs to stay in the depths of the rock/metal scene, it's not a mainstream music and it never will be. What drives me and the other guys in the band is the desire to continue to play this music with the right attitude. Basically we just play music we want to listen to ourselves.

By the way, how do you feel an essence of doom metal? Bretus deals with horror stories, and it seems that SuuM isn't faraway from this topic.

I think Bretus and SuuM are different both musically and in lyrics, surely it would not make sense for me to play in two similar projects.

And essence of doom? What is it for you?

It's a state of mind, the doom must be breathed and must be lived, it's not just a musical genre. It is the mirror of soul. Soul is the most important thing when playing this music.

SuuM – Tower Of The Oblivion

The latest Bretus album “…From The Twilight Zone” is vintage sounding tribute to old thrillers, and its sound suits well this concept. What did influence on SuuM heavily overloaded sound? Why did you stop on it?

Well, as I said Bretus and SuuM are two different bands with different approaches and sounds.

In Bretus you can find also 70's Rock, Psychedelia, Blues. SuuM play old school Doom Metal in an instinctive way , there is some death metal influence in the riffing. Painkiller, Rick and Marcas have their own background. SuuM and Bretus play doom music in two different ways, this allows me to try different vocal solutions, this is what I need.

But in the same time your manner of singing is pretty recognizable. Do you mean what you put different efforts or energy in singing for each band?

The energy I use is the same for both bands but the lyrical themes are different.

What kind of lyrics did you record for SuuM? How is it important for you?

With the use of the metaphors we describe the horror that surrounds us every day. I have always been interested in the dark side of the things. Some of the lyrics are introspective and many of these have been influenced by some things happening in my life.

Did you record “Buried Into The Grave” in the same studio as Bretus' “…From The Twilight Zone”?

No, “Buried Into The Grave” was recorded at the Devil's Mark studio in Rome by Marco MT from Demonomancy (Black Metal band).

“…From The Twilight Zone” was recorder at Black Horse Studio in Catanzaro.

How did you spend the record session at the Devil’s Mark Studio? How many days did you have there?

The recording sessions were very fast (two days), it was a full immersion, we wanted to get a sound very close to what we are in our live shows. What you can hear today is exactly the sound of SuuM. Every single riff, arrangement or vocal line took 100% of our time and devotion.

After being so long in Italian underground, how do you see it now? Does the life of bands become easier?

Well Aleksey, as you know there are many excellent bands in Italy, no need to mention them, they are almost all present in your doom encyclopedia (compliments again for Doom Metal Lexicanum).

There is a lot of support among many bands, there is a great scene but there are few places to play live shows compared to the rest of Europe.

Both Bretus and SuuM new album were released by Russian label Endless Winter, don't you feel disappointed that the albums don't appear on Italian labels? I guess that Bretus “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” was released by BloodRock Records, right?

We are not disappointed, is not necessary to have a release by an Italian label,

we are comfortable with Endless Winter and Hellas Records, they are serious people who do their job with passion. However in the future anything can happen.

For the moment we are satisfied with this solution, this is the most important thing.

Bretus – Danza Macabra

What are your ambitions towards SuuM? How do you see the band’s prospects?

Doom is known as the genre that kind of celebrates itself, generally you don’t choose to play this music to make it big. We are not innovators, we don't invent anything, we want to play only Doom metal in a primordial way.

“Buried Into The Grave” was released just a pair of months ago, but what's about new material? Do you already have an inspiration for the next record? Or maybe you are focused on the next Bretus album?

We have already some new stuff, I want to clarify that SuuM do not depend only on my inspirations, I would like to specify something, SuuM is not “my” project, SuuM is “our” band (Painkiller, Rick, Marcas, Mark Wolf). In the band we are all 100% involved in the creation of songs.

At the moment the priority goes to live shows, surely we will perform as many live shows as we can, we will publish soon the details about the new next Doomed Rituals.

With Bretus we are working on the new album, we’re halfway through writing our fourth record right now, we hope to enter the recording studio next year.

Anyway the two bands will not be hindered, each band follows its own path.

The second Bretus album was whole based on Lovecraft’s story, the third one is collection of old thrillers and horror movies. What’s your plan for the fourth one? Do you already have a general idea?

We have some ideas but it's too early to reveal it, it will certainly be something different, probably it will be a concept album, we will see...stay tuned and Doomed.

Mark, thank you for the interview. How would you like to sum up our interview?

Thank you for the interesting interview Aleksey, follow the Sabbath...Doom for the Doomed!

Words by Aleks Evdokimov and Mark Wolf

https://www.facebook.com/suumdoom/

https://suumdoom.bandcamp.com/releases

https://suumdoom.blogspot.ru/

Doom Metal Lexicanum by Aleksey Evdokimov (Book Review)

Doom Metal Lexicanum Book Review

If you're a dedicated follower of the Doom/Stoner Metal Underground and read all the top blogs then you may have heard the name of Aleks Evdokimov. Aleks is perhaps the one of the best and most prolific interviewers within the Doom Metal Community. Aleks contributes here on the blog with great interviews all the time. So Aleks knowledge of the Doom Metal Scene is second to none. I've worked with Aleks not only here on Outlaws Of The Sun but also when I was running The Sludgelord blog.

I always look forward to Aleks interviews and what other things he’s involved with. Aleks told me he a couple years ago that he was working on writing a book outlining the A-Z of Doom Metal Bands. Well that book has finally seen the light of day and has been published by the good folks at Cult Never Dies. Doom Metal Lexicanum is 300 pages outlining an in-depth history of a huge list of great Doom Metal Bands. Some you will know and some you will won't as Aleks has done his homework here outlining the full career projectory of the bands mentioned within the book.

The book is superbly written and is full of detailed articles outlining how the band was formed and their complete discography. Obviously Aleks can't feature every band within the Doom Metal spectrum but what he's written here is nothing short of miraculous. Doom Metal Lexicanum even includes some great interviews with some of the artists that Aleks has covered over the years.

Some people maybe disappointed that certain bands and genres of Doom Metal have been excluded from the book. Aleks provides great reasons for this. And this is mainly down to length purposes. Aleks has a lot of ground to cover here so the more extreme/death metal sounding Doom Metal bands don't make that much of an appearance. (Though Aleks is working on correcting this with his next book that he's currently writing).

The novel does take some time to fully get through as there is a wealth of different information and sometimes it can be very hard to fully absorb. So I wouldn't recommend reading this novel in one sitting. Take your time with the book and appreciate the amazing work that Aleks has put into this novel. I've discovered a few cool bands because of this book and I thank Aleks for that.

Doom Metal Lexicanum is an essential purchase for all of the serious Doom Metal fans currently out there.

Words by Steve Howe

Doom Metal Lexicanum is available to buy now through Cult Never Dies.

Links:

Facebook