Hail Mario! Let us start with questions of current state of the band, Black Widow Records released your last full-length “Gorgoni” in 2010, so do you have something new after these 2 years?
Hi Aleks thanks first of all for your support and interest to the Italian scene and to my THE BLACK. After these 2 years it already came out the reprint of the album Refugium Peccatorum never out on CD support, with 3 bonus track OBSCURA NOCTE, LUX VERITAS EST and a St. Vitus cover HOLLOW'S VICTIM, meanwhile in 2 years we done a lot of live show and worked on a new material, now I have two works ready to be recorded we'll see which one will come out first or why not together, one it's about human phobias and will be called METUS OSTILIS and the other one totally different its inspired by the DECAMERON wrote by Boccaccio. And in the 2013 we will do something special because THE BLACK will celebrate the 25th band's anniversary!
The Black took part in annual Malta Doom Festival in 2012, what were your impressions after playing this show? How often do you take part in such festivals and what do you like the most in such huge gigs?
Well the MALTA DOOM METAL was special and exciting because of the kindness and the warm welcome of the manager ALBERT BELL a great fan of THE BLACK and than discovered as a great musician as all from Albert's band FORSAKEN, and a great friend too. So in Malta we lived a great magic atmosphere and last but not least from the people and fan that supported us so much. So the things that I like the most are the friendship that you breathe the truly respect and to show you some examples I can say about the Heavy Metal Night in Italy, the Stoned Hand Of Doom in Rome and the Italian Agglutination where we played through the years and where we went even as guests when were not in the bill, are amazing situations, so friendly and true to deal with, that shows you the most important side of this music.
Well we don't do this often, but I think it's a good idea to say thanks to our fans, it was an Idea of our manager Gianni Romanelli, so there is not a lot to say about it, it's nice and we will do it again in the future.
Mario, you’ve started collaboration with another doom band Sancta Sanctorum two years ago. Are you busy with that band still? And what did drive you to take part in this project of Death SS?
Yes I've done this thing because I have a great respect for Steve Sylvester and Tomas Hand Chaste and last but not least because I liked that project. It was only a collaboration for that album, like some artists do but I’m not in that band as a permanent member, just a guest.
It seems that one of most famous features of Italian doom bands is hostility to Christianity, but as I’ve found it in interview with Mirdryasi, it’s normal to the country where religion plays such huge and sometimes terrible role for centuries. Lyrics of The Black is on Latin yet even your art-works get straight hints that band’s conception changes through the years and after 20 years of opposing religion you take a look at Roman mythology releasing album “Gorgoni”. How did the band’s lyrical conception develop through years and that did influence onto these changes?
Gorgons (Medusa, Euryale and Steno) are first of all the monsters of Greek mythology and NOT Roman's! Sorry if I'm correcting you on this. Jupiter turned them from beautiful to ugly with snakes instead of hair. I dedicated this work to Greek mythology because in my childhood I was influenced and affected by the snake-haired women.
In fact, over the past 10 years many as request to see THE BLACK live more than in the past, everyone starting to be curious about my singing in Latin that I brought with me from the beginning, the band is solid and we can always do many things properly and like I want it to do, Mario Di Donato's “THE BLACK” has now become a cult figure and this makes me feel rewarded for the great consistency and pledge that I've putted in my music and the Ars Metal Mentis (the new musical genre of Metal) that I've ever tried to push and in wich I believed, its finally recognized and appreciated all over the world even from young bands.
Mario you play heavy music for about 25 years, it’s a quarter of a century! And it’s only if we’re talking about The Black leaving Requiem and Unreal Terror beyond this interview. Can you tell us about your becoming as musician?
I was born painter and musician, I always wanted to compose music and create paintings, but even before the Unreal Terror and Requiem I was in the music scene, since 1967 with bands called Respiro Di Cane and, UT and Un Caso Di Follia and at last I Picchiati starting in the 1966. For me compose music and paint is always been two inseparable things, the one follow the other.
Most of European and American doom bands were influenced first of all by Ancient Ones as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple or – later - by Saint Vitus, Pentagram and so on. But such influences (any outer rock influences) are not so obvious in your case, do you remember how the sound of The Black was developing in first years of band’s activity?
It 's just a matter of style, after listening to the best bands in the world and have somehow formed a great wealth of music, I can say that today we can talk of a “Blackian” style that comes close to any of the greats of the past, I've modeled my sound, my style year after year trying to figure out something original and personal, but only my emotions and what I have to say allowed me to do it, “Blackian” style its something that comes from the inside, its not a matter of sound, volume, effects its just me talking trough my music.
Surely the vinyl is the greatest thrill for those who listen to music belonging to the fact that everything is visually more consistent whit it, but the culture, the collecting that is around the vinyl give to it a great charm. I hope that my record label will always follow this route, I love vinyl they are timeless and give to our music and important artistic visual side.
You combine progressive rock with classic doom metal in your songs, what do you think about more straightforward music? Is it too simple for you to play?
When I compose there are no specific references to some musical style or specific band, and everything that comes out of my head then it’s arranged with the band. However, my direction is and always will be the Dark Doom Metal. About straightforward music personally for me its not more simple to play than the articulated music like mine, I love this style, this is my natural approach in the music it comes naturally out like this, so its a part of me, its not a decision that I make before, it comes out in the moment that I take my guitar.
What do you think about development of Italian progressive and doom scene? There are such classic as Death SS and Paul Chain, Abysmal Grief continues their solemn crusade from the greave side, yet there is a lot of new names playing in these genres: Black Oath, Midryasi, Void Generator.
I love the Italian scene closer to my conception of music and Doom Dark Metal but above all I admire and I love to listen to the new Italian's Metal bands some of them definitely have a better and futuristic ideas (hope so) to keep forward in the time the Dark Doom Metal music. But the big names mentioned like DEATH SS and PAUL CHAIN are important for the history and the foundations of Dark Italian Doom Metal, a good point where to start.
Mario, two years ago you received an international award “Premio Dante Aligheri”, can you tell us about this event?
It was great, in the Metal history no Metalhead musician has ever received an award for music and culture like this, I've never removed from the neck that large silver medal given to me, remembering that special evening spent with so many Metalheads and fan that were there for me, the other winners and with so many people maybe a little bit impressed by my style with my studs on my leather jacket, skulls rings, crosses on myy neck my old boots...in the midst of people dressed in suits and ties, that was a great victory for the Italian Metal!
Thank you for your time Mario! It was a real honour to have this discussion with you, hope we’ll have a chance to talk in a future, good luck!
Many thanks and greetings to you Aleks and to all from your team.
Nunc Et Semper, Mario “THE BLACK” Di Donato.
Interview By Aleks
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