Ufomammut (ITA)

Ufomammut formed in the late 90s by Poia (guitars, FXs) and Urlo (bass, vocals, FXs, synths), rising from the ashes of past band Judy Corda, together with Vita (drums) For more than two decades, UFOMAMMUT has combined the heaviness and majesty of dynamic riff worship with a nuanced understanding of psychedelic tradition and history in music, creating a cosmic, futuristic, and technicolor sound destined for absolute immersion. The new album Fenice (“phoenix” in Italian) represents endless rebirth and the ability to start again after everything seems doomed. The album (out via Neurot Recordings) is the first recording with new drummer Levre joining Poia and Urlo, marking a new chapter in the band’s history and unveiling a more intimate, free sound for the group. While the band is renowned for their psychedelic travels into the far reaches of the cosmos, Fenice is a much more introspective listening experience. The album was conceived as a single concept track, divided in six facets of this inward-facing focus. Sonic experimentations abound in the exploration of this central theme; synths and experimental vocal effects are featured more prominently than ever before as the band push themselves ever further into the uncharted territory of their very identity. Each oscillation of this extraordinary album feels inevitable. The members of UFOMAMMUT are, after all, masters of their craft, and when it comes to creating enveloping sonic journeys into the unknown, it’s their uninhibited sense of exploration that breaches new sonic ground. Fenice is the sound of a band whose very essence has been rejuvenated and are welcoming the chance to create music in the way they know best; by unfolding carefully and attentively, by melding those extreme dynamics which render Fenice as a living and breathing creature, and by writing gargantuan riffs that herald their very rebirth. Poia and Urlo are both founding members of rock ‘n’ roll graphic design collective Malleus, and of the label Supernatural Cat (who most recently put out the solo albums of Urlo, under the name, The Mon). Like any good psychedelic trip, the music of Ufomammut has always been inextricably intertwined with visual art. Poia describes longer compositions “like a painting” as if to reinforce the relevance and importance of visual art in Ufomammut’s music.

Stoner Rock from Bavaria