March 2000 - UFOMAMMUT
One of my latest discoveries is a band from Italy. UFOMAMMUT combine heavy doom with interstellar psychedelic power. This sonic behemoth is incredible heavy and monstrously trippy. I did an interview with band members Urlo and Poia, which are also running the collective art community Malleus. Well, I found out later that it isn't one single person, but here's the whole truth...
What can we expect from a live show of the band? Do you use a lot of visual effects?
People should expect from UFOMAMMUT live experience to enter in hell passing through the Galactic core. Now we are using images, cosmic voices, primordial sounds as support for our music, but we are studying a complete light show for future.
How is the relation to other heavy Italian bands like WARHEAD, PAUL CHAIN, SKYWISE etc.? Have you played any shows together with one of these acts?
Sincerely we've never listen to those bands. We don't feel part of an Italian "scene". We're not part of any scene. We only play our music. That's all. We know Paul Chain only by his name (Paolo Catena). We are in contact with THAT'S ALL FOLKS, KAI'CKUL and NEANDERTHAL 2069 (we are going to play in a heavy psych festival with them).
BEARD OF STARS REC. will release your first album. Are there all new songs and will you continue the direction as you did on the 'Satan' demo? How much time have you spent in the studio? Please, tell us something about the process.
Our first full length work is 'Satan's natural development: it's a more expanded and acid thing, that sounds fat and dirty like a proud truck driver (HONOUR AND GLORY TO AL CISNEROS!). We have recorded it all by ourselves at Sindalona, a secret house somewhere in the solar system. We have to thank our soundlord Hendrix R. for his sonic precepts. The album will be titled 'Godlike Snake'.
Let's take a look back in your history. Who's in the current line-up and what have you done before you formed UFOMAMMUT?
UFOMMAMUT's crew is composed by Ale (Korg and effects), Poia (guitar), Urlo (bass and vocals), Vita (drums) and Hendrix R. (Soundlord). The mammuts arrived on earth 1,8 millions of years ago. Before there were lots of dinosaurs...
Which part has Malleus in your work? The graphics are very tasteful and fit to the music. Is he the fourth band member and is he doing all of the artwork for the band?
Malleus is nothing more than Poia and Urlo! We are a graphic studio linked to Ufomammut only because we play in the band and we love take care of every part of it. We have got cool collaboration with Meteor City (the art for their website), Red Sun Records (cover of 'Stone Deaf Forever' compilation), Beard of Stars (covers of fanzine 'Vincebus Eruptum' and That's All Folks new release), Black Widow Records(Blue Cheer tribute cover), and Daredevil Records. At the moment we are working for Matamp website graphic.
Do you prefer live shows or are you more a dope-smokin'-rehearsel-room-jamming-band?
We are more a live-jam-brain-smoking-trousers-bathroom-dope-sleeping-dance-bread-cat-pencil-band.
How do you create your songs?
Usually music comes from an idea of someone of us in our rehearsal room. Then we try to put other ideas together, but we haven't idea of what we do exactly until we listen to the final recording.
You've done a wonderful cover of Blue Cheer's 'Peace of Mind' on the 'satan' demo. Why have you chosen this song and what are your musical influences?
'Peace of Mind' is the other side of BLUE CHEER. For us it is a great song that has a trippy liquid attitude in harmony with an heavy acid section. We try only to play the same music heightening this two souls (that are UFOMAMMUT's souls, too). We love the music that stands between THE BEATLES and MOTORHEAD, we love all the music able to spread power. So, not only rock or psychedelica. We think Blues is evil and we like to consider what we play as a sort of atomic cosmic blues... We also consider classical music important for the sound of the band, well, that sound impossible... but that's true. And we think the early jazz is so physical and visceral that drive you crazy!
'Peace of Mind' will also appear on the Blue Cheer tribute on Black Widow records. What can you report about the co-operation with that label, and will you release more music through Black Widow?
Well, 'Satan' has been a demo only for people like you, people who asked us to receive it, labels and fanzines. We've never sell it to anyone and we've done any money on it. For that reason we can say that 'Peace of Mind' only appears on the BLUR CHEER's tribute (and it's fuckin' cut on the CD version!!!). It won't appear on our album. People will fight out from the record stores to have this previously unreleased track buying 'Blues Explosion'! We like to have lots of those things out. Every compilation we partecipate has an unrealized version of the tracks we play! That's cool and sadic, we think… Black Widow is two cool guys we like very much but we've no more plans for now with them. We think they're great cause they strongly believe in what they do. As you know Malleus has painted the tribute's cover too. So we've done a lot for them and we hope we should receive glory (!) from that album. Well, we think our song is the best on the tribute too…
For me, one of your trademarks is the Korg with all its cosmic sounds and effects. So Poia, is it only a gimmick for studio recordings or do you play it on stage?
Well, at the time we recorded 'Satan' Ale wasn't in the band yet and the previous member (Gara) left the band before we started the recording sessions. So Poia played our Korg on the songs. As you can imagine Ale is now the UFOMAMMUT's MASTER OF NOISE and ENGINE OF DISTORTION! So take care cause the live act is so trippy that you'll never come out alive!!! It's important to remember that we always try to reproduce all we record in our songs on stage!
What have you released so far?
Well… we've started recording some old bullshit jamming in our rehearsal room in the summer of 1998. That songs are 'MALLEUS MALEFICARUM', our first demo. The band was Poia and Urlo, with Gara and in two songs Tavor. Then in February 1999 Vita joined the crew and after Gara left in April, Ale arrived with his cosmic fingers! Then we recorded 'Satan'. After that lots of people was involved in the atomic fluid of our sound. So 5 comps and our first full length work will come out this year! We've started with Red Sun Records ('Stone Deaf Forever' comp), then Black Widow (BC tribute), Waterdragon Records (with two songs), Highbeam-Freebird and finally Daredevil Records. At the end Beard of Stars records! So, lots of things, considering we play together as a band since February 1999! Isn't it?
Well, indeed! Ok, folks, here's my last question. What's going on in the future? Any plans?
Our plans? Well, surely become rich, beautiful and full of muscles like MANOWAR! Lots of girls in the Seventies style (no silicone but not 50 years old too…) and cool stuff! Cars like Mustangs and Corvette and Aston Martin DB6 and Glory as the No.1 band in our building (body building!!!)! Well… ok… seriously… nothing more than playing a lot and a lot. And live more than Mammoths! So, thanks a lot Klaus and long live to Cosmic lava ezine!
Thanks a lot, and let space be your guide!
(KK)