Missing for 12 years, Necromass is back on the scene to try to retake the predominant place it had in the Italian black metal scene that it had in its beginnings, in the early 90s. Today, almost 30 years after their debut, the band will visit for the first time the American continent and they chose Mexico as the country where they will stick their flag and grow their legend, now on this side of the pond.
We had the opportunity to talk to the guitarist John Cordoni [best known by his alias, JC Chaos] to tell us what they expect from their first American experience and the difficulties of reappearing on the scene after so many years of inactivity.
They will be in Mexico for the first time very soon, are you ready?
In fact it is our first time in America, and we are really excited to start with Mexico, which is a country we love. We know that Mexican fans are the most amazing in the world and we hope that the shows there will be unforgettable.
They will be playing in some cities that not many bands include on their tours, so why decide to do such a long tour your first time?
Well, we want to show that we are going to break skulls wherever we appear and not only in Mexico City, which of course is a must-see; however we also want to go to Puebla, Monterrey, San Luis Potosí and Toluca and do some hellish concerts there.
We don't know how much you know, but what do you think of the extreme metal scene in Latin America?
What we know is that there are a lot of excellent bands both in Mexico and in the rest of Latin America, and we know that we are going to play with some of those. There is no better way to get to know a scene than to see it from the inside and believe me we are delighted to do so.
Recently, Mexico has had security problems in some of its cities, did this give you any doubts when deciding to come?
No way. We had no doubt, no fear. We come to play and meet our fans and show their enthusiasm and we are totally sure that we will share great moments.
“En la actualidad, hay muchas bandas de black metal, pero muy pocas obras maestras.”
The band was separated for 11 years and now they are back. How did you decide to resume the project?
Yes, there was a moment when we felt that something inside the band was broken and we made the decision to stop.
Returning was not an easy or spontaneous thing. After all that time, we were really looking forward to playing together again. We had a lot of messages from fans, labels and agencies around the world asking us to come back. In the end, it has been a great pleasure getting together and starting again.
What was the definitive reason for your return?
Playing together without a doubt. It is something that we cannot avoid anymore, because we realized that it is part of us, it is our nature.
In addition to Necromass, do you have any separate projects?
Sí, tenemos algunos proyectos dentro de la escena del EBM, como ‘Narr!’ con John Cordoni y Vince Mustone, ex Limbo y Death SS) además de Pilgrim Shadow con Ain Soph Aoun.
After 11 years of retirement, how did you feel about the scene and its evolution?
The scene has changed in many ways, in the 90s there was only space for very few bands and now, on the contrary, there are too many. Let's say there is an over population of gangs. However, many things remain the same, such as our friendship with many artists in this scene.
How did the fans receive their return to the old ways? Both old and new.
Of course, the older fans clamored for our return and their response was more than excellent, but the new fans were the ones who surprised us the most. We have seen a lot of youngsters at our concerts in recent years. Some of them even followed us all over Italy and that is something very satisfying to see. It inspires us a lot.
You emerged in very different times for the music industry, has the Internet been a benefit or a detriment to music?
Well, it depends. For one, the Internet is an incredible promotional vehicle. On the other hand, it has greatly affected music sales. I could not tell you which weighs more, but the truth is that we are surprised by the great difference between the current industry and the one that existed in the 90s.
Do you think the metal scene has grown or has been shrinking?
If we consider the metal industry as a whole, as a whole we could say that it has grown if we only consider the number of bands that currently play. Many of them are very well prepared and it is good to hear them, but the truth is that it is very difficult to find masterpieces. That reflects the time in which we live.
Will there be a new Necromass album in the future?
Of course. In fact, we will start writing new songs once we return from Mexico. We don't know when it will be ready, but we hope to release new material as soon as possible.
What other plans do you have for 2018?
Por ahora solo tenemos planeada nuestra gira por México, la composición de nuestro nuevo material y algunos shows exclusivos por aquí y por allá…
Han pasado 24 años desde que lanzaron ‘Mysteria Mystica Zothyriana’, un álbum icónico en su carrera. ¿Recuerdan esos tiempos con nostalgia?
We remember those nights in the studio after work, we used to record during the night and certainly the situation and the atmosphere were unique. We were young and we had no idea that this work would become an emblematic album for us.
Since that time, how much has your composition and production process changed?
The only thing that has changed significantly is that we now have the opportunity to do pre-production work, the ability to record our ideas very simply which is great. Above all, it continues to be the same, we do the same.
How to keep your sound current within black metal?
When you write or play, when you are a musician, you cannot be thinking about sounding like current music or, in our case, about being valid within black metal. When we play we simply turn on our amplifiers and free our minds and our spirits.
Is that what your composition style is based on?
Sí, nosotros solamente liberamos nuestros instintos y creamos; buscamos oscuridad, poder, locura…
Entonces, ¿cual es la más grande diferencia entre el Necrommas de 1994 y el actual, con su nuevo trabajo ‘Calix.Utero.Babalon’?
In 1994 we were tireless brats, we never rested; now we are tireless adults [laughs]. On our music, you can find many similarities, because it is a very direct sound and you can immediately notice how well we are holding on to our roots; However, you can also find some differences, for example, our production level is much better and we have a broader musical vision.
A couple of decades after their debut, and being a recognized band on the scene, what bands could take their place in the coming years?
I can't mention one in particular, but there are a huge number of bands that can carry the black metal banner with pride and keep the scene alive, and we will too.
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