Ufomammut

Ufomammut (Italian pronunciation: [ufomamˈmut]) is an Italian doom metal band formed in 1999 by guitarist Poia, bassist and vocalist Urlo, and drummer Vita.

Ufomammut
Ufomammut in May 2015. From left to right: Urlo, Poia, Vita, and sound engineer Ciccio.
Background information
OriginTortona, Italy
Genres
Years active1999−2020
Labels
Associated actsMalleus
Websitewww.ufomammut.com
Members
  • Poia
  • Urlo
Past members
  • Vita

They have released eight studio albums to date, the last three through Neurot Recordings.

History

Ufomammut was formed in Italy[1] in 1999 by Poia, Urlo and Vita, a lineup that has remained stable until 2020, when Vita left the band to dedicate himself to other musical projects. The trio has developed a sound characterised by lengthy songs centered on repeated heavy riffs coupled with droning vocals and the use of sound effects and synths.

Ufomammut released their debut studio album Godlike Snake in 2000 through Beard of Stars Records.[2] It was followed in 2004 by Snailking, which was later reissued by Supernatural Cat Records in 2009.

The third album Lucifer Songs was released in 2005 and brought the band to discover new sonic paths with a massive use of droning sounds and synths, while in 2007 the band recorded a collaboration album with fellow Italian band Lento titled Supernaturals: Record One.

Poia (left), Vita (centre) and Urlo (right) performing at Shagoo Shagoo Fest 2008.

In 2008, they released their fourth studio album, Idolum, pushing even further the monolithic sound and psychedelic vein of their music to a new level of composition.

In 2010 the band released Eve, their fifth album. Eve consists of one 45-minute atmospheric track, divided into five distinctive movements; it depicts Eve as a figure reminiscent of both Lucifer (in her rebellion against God) and Prometheus (in bringing knowledge to humanity).

ORO, divided into ten movements, was delivered by Neurot Recordings in two separate pieces during 2012: the first chapter, Opus Primum, in April, and the second, Opus Alter, in September. The concepts behind ORO are expansive and multi-faceted, mutating the Italian palindrome which translates to "gold" with the Latin translation of "I pray." ORO's two chapters can be considered as a single track, as the last part of Opus Primum is able to flow easily into Opus Alter.

Ecate came out in 2015 and it's the seventh album of the band, out again for Neurot Recordings. Its title is Italian for the pre-Hellenic goddess Hecate, able to move toward the world of humans, the world of the gods and the world of the dead.

The seventh album of the band is an evolution in terms of composition and song structure, it's an aggressive and complex album that bring the previous works to a new form.

The band's latest album 8 came out on 22 September 2017 through Neurot Recordings and Supernatural Cat for the vinyl release in Europe. It is a continuous flux of music (its title symbolizing infinity), a single stream divided in 8 songs, recorded live together with no overdubs with the exception of vocals and synths.[3]

Ufomammut live at Soulcrusher II Festival, Nijmegen (Netherlands) (2017)

Ufomammut have made continual appearances at festivals like Roadburn, Hellfest, Asymmetry, Dour Festival, Ieper Fest, Stoned from the Underground, South of Mainstream, Festival d'Affaire, Metalride fest, Le Guess who festival, Maryland Death Fest, Brutal Assault Festival, FIMAV and more and have been touring several times around Europe, reaching the USA and Canada in 2015, New Zealand and Australia in 2016 and Russia in 2017.

Ufomammut's live shows are supported by the video and graphic art studio Malleus Rock art lab, a rock artist collective of which Poia and Urlo form a part .[4][5][6]

The band announced Vita's departure and their temporary hiatus in January 2020.

Style

The sound of Urlo's bass and Poia's guitar are typically distorted, Vita's drum rhythms are slow and oppressive and a peculiarity of the band are the psychedelic and hypnotic visuals during the live shows. During the live performances the band syncs loops of videos with the different parts in their composition, adding up to the sound layers in the sound image to create a feeling of being taken on a journey. The songs' structure is in many cases similar to the one typical of Progressive Rock. The sound of Ufomammut is the product of research around the instruments and amplification setup, resulting in the use of custom tube amplifiers with heavy full size cabinets, and Drop B tuning on guitar and bass.

Members

Current
Poia (guitarist) and Vita (drummer)

Past
  • Vita – drums (1999–2020)
  • Tavor – bass, drums
  • Alien – Korg MS-20, guitar
  • The Flyeater – Korg MS-20
  • LeGof – keyboards

Discography

Studio albums
  • Godlike Snake (2000)
  • Snailking (2004)
  • Lucifer Songs (2005)
  • Supernaturals: Record One with Lento (2007)
  • Idolum (2008)
  • Eve (2010)
  • Oro: Opus Primum (2012)
  • Oro: Opus Alter (2012)
  • Ecate (2015)
  • 8 (2017)
  • XX (2019)

Compilations
  • Stone Deaf Forever! (2000)
  • Blue Explosion (tribute to Blue Cheer) (2000)
  • The Mob's New Plan (2001)

Others
  • Satan (demo, 1999)
  • XV: Fifteen Years of Ufomammut (DVD, 2014)
  • "Warsheep" (single, 2017)

References
  1. Zennaoro, Danile (17 April 2014). "Ufomammut, come inseguire un sogno". La Repubblica (in Italian). Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  2. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "UFOmammut Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  3. "Ufomammut - 8 - Heavy Blog Is Heavy". www.heavyblogisheavy.com. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
  4. Sleeping Shaman interview Archived 2010-02-15 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Malleus Artistic Collective Archived 2008-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Dead Sparrow interview Archived 2009-04-27 at the Wayback Machine
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