Fifteen Years In The Atmosphere: Ufomammut Interviewed
Monday, 24 November 2014
Written by Ben Bland
It’s often noted when discussing Ufomammut that Italy isn’t where you might expect to find an ultra-heavy psychedelic sludge band. After 15 years circling the outer limits of the atmosphere, however, their spacey sounds seem to have changed that. With releases like 2004’s ‘Snailking’ and 2012’s ‘Oro’, Ufomammut have become one of the most respected names in the world of contemporary underground heavy metal.
Their journey led them to 2013’s Magickal Mastery tour, which saw the trio drawing on their impressive back catalogue for some of the most absorbing metal shows of the year. Now, they’ve compiled a DVD release, ‘XV’, to commemorate both that tour and the first decade and a half of their existence. We spoke to the band to find out how they felt about their history as a group and, indeed, their future…
Let’s start with the ‘XV’DVD, which, along with the Magickal Mastery tour, is an attempt to mark the milestone of 15 years as a band. How did you go about putting that together?
Urlo [bass]: It was an idea we had in mind since a long time. Fifteen years seemed to be the best way to make something, especially after a long tour like the Magickal Mastery tour. So, we recorded a live set with Lorenzo Stecconi as sound engineer and Malleus (together with BarbaBaaderMeinhof) worked very hard to realise this documentary. We're totally happy about it.
Vita [drums]: We reviewed all of our tour and recording session videos that we took in the last 15 years and included Youtube videos that our fans posted. We wanted to share our career with everybody who loves us.
Artwork and visuals have always been very important to Ufomammut. What does the artwork for the ‘XV’DVD symbolise to you?
Urlo: It's a very simplified version of the artwork Malleus (Poia and me together with Lu – the one behind Ufomammut's visuals) realised for the Magickal Mastery tour. It symbolised a mixture of 15 years as a band, incorporating all the main details of all our records. On ‘XV’, it's a rune.
Vita: To me it simply symbolises Ufomammut's life.
Fifteen years is a long time to be in a band. What would you say are the main lessons you’ve learned about being in a band over that time?
Vita: Yes it's a long time, especially if we consider the fact that the Beatles "survived" for only eight years. I think that a band should be treated like a marriage, it works only if everybody loves one another. Sometimes a band is even harder to handle because there are more brains and hearts to link together instead of only two. Probably that's our secret; love, respect and total commitment to the band and to each other.
Urlo: That I'm lucky to have the people I have around me.
Poia [guitar]: During these first 15 years we also had many highs and very few, not so important, lows in the band, if I can say that. The alchemy between us becomes more solid year after year, and we surely know each other better than ever. Moreover we also share the trip with other important friends who have helped us in our growth. We spoke already about Lu, and I will also add Ciccio and Lorenzo as our live and studio sound engineers. But the list is longer.
Do you remember what your aims were when you started the band? Have those aims changed over the years?
Vita: I guess that not one of us thought about reaching the point we are at until this point in our career. We started to play together because we wanted to make music for ourselves first and foremost. Then, as time went by, people started to like our music more and more. Being in a band and touring has been my secret wish since a was 16, and now, almost 30 years later, nothing has changed. I still desire this dream as much as I did back then. The same day I quit the music business will be the same day that I die. Perhaps dying on stage during a performance would be the best way to go.
Urlo: We just wanted to play the heaviest music possible. It's been a good starting point.
Poia: That is still our main aim, together with a sane attitude towards altered and tripping sounds. Our mission has always been spreading all these musical seeds through the planet and beyond and being recognized for that. We are still working on it.
Are there any things you wish you could change in Ufomammut’s past?
Vita: I don't know, I don't think so. It's the past. I prefer to focus my energy on the present and future instead of wondering what could have been.
Poia: The past made us what we are, so I wouldn’t change anything.
What is your view on how Ufomammut’s sound has changed over the years?
Vita: The sound has changed because everything else has changed. I mean technology, personal skills, experience, gear and especially our desire to change our sound. We're always looking for something different. Our rehearsal room is the only thing that hasn't changed over the years.
Urlo: I think we have our own personal sound and it's good. It's evolving with us. I hope that it won't get old too.
You’ve come to be seen as a respected band in the ‘sludge’ (or whatever you want to call it) scene in recent times, and there are plenty of younger bands coming through who count you as a major influence (there’s even a Swedish band called Snailking after your second LP). How does that feel?
Vita: It feels great to me, even though it means that we are getting older. That's the beauty of art in general - there is always someone before you who did something to inspire your projects.
Urlo: It's weird to be an inspiration, but it's a very cool thing.
Poia: This is a real, deep and sincere honor.
Have you observed any major changes to the ‘scene’ over the last 15 years, both at home in Italy and elsewhere?
Vita: It's difficult to say, but sometimes it seems that the "scene" has changed because most of the contemporary bands work hard to have their own unique sound. But, on the other hand, there seem to be a lot of overrated bands on the big stages with nothing special or personal to say, no real message or originality behind their music.
Urlo: When we started a lot of bands that are here again today were out of the scene. Too many reunions in the last years have drained a lot of the scene, taking away interest from what's new.
You’ve been in the studio of late working on new ideas. How has that been progressing?
Vita: The new record is finally done and getting ready to be released.
All your albums tend to be quite ambitious, but the ‘Oro’ records made arguably the most ambitious pair to date. Are things going to be even more ambitious on the forthcoming album, or are you simplifying your approach a little bit?
Vita: This time the new album will be a "regular" one but the way we played and approached it is a bit more ambitious for our skills!
Urlo: I don't think we're ambitious. We just do what we feel.
Poia: We just get bored easily and we want to push our personal limits a bit further every time.
Where do you hope Ufomammut will be in 15 years time?
Vita: I don't even know if I'll be alive in 15 years. Probably not, but in case, I hope Ufomammut still has something good to say to our fans and the energy to go on stage to kick their asses.
Urlo: In 15 years we'll be quite old, but seeing that the Rolling Stones are still on stage we have some hope!
Poia: Past meet future. That's why we have chosen Ufomammut as our name.
‘XV’ is out now via Supernatural Cat. A new Ufomammut studio record will be released next year via Neurot Recordings.
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