Onferno Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
- ONFERNO is three people. Guitar+vocals, bass+vocals, drums. Names are irrelevant.
We gather and play since Winter 2013 in our practice room in the Eastern Italian hills.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
- With "Cathartic Offering" we wanted a 100% raw black metal album that would relate to the old school that influenced us. We wanted the guitar to sound edgy and clanking all over the listener's face. We wanted the bass to pound from the underground. We wanted the bass drum to be deep and present. We wanted the vocals to be sometimes stabbing, sometimes eerie, not necessarily in front of all the instruments: we wanted to convey an agonizing feeling without many studio tricks.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
- The lyrics are an abstract collection of images related to all the obscure, bleak and hateful feelings we experience in our lives. They were not written line by line, but rather all mixed together: during the piece, we grab on one phrase or word that is suggested by the music and build from that. The titles refer to the general mood of the song.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Onferno'?
- First of all, it just sounded right to us. Second, Onferno is a word very similar to "inferno", the Italian for "hell", and it is also a place in the Italian hills with some very fascinating caves.

5.On both the facebook and bandcamp page you refer to your musical style as 'unholy black metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
- "Unholy Black Metal" is just one of many Darkthrone tributes present in our album, as it is the title of a song from "Under a Funeral Moon".

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
- We only played 2 concerts so far.
The first is with a death/grind band of friends, Hell Brood: the venue was not a metal venue and our sound was awful, so we are satisfied because the final result was very rotten and most of the people was disgusted.
The second was at a wild multi-group event with another band of friends, Antares: we played 15 minutes, the whole room was filthy because everyone kept throwing stuff, drinks and stinking food at each other, and we are satisfied because in spite of the cheerfulness of the party, some people felt the coldness that we wanted to convey.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
- One member of the group is currently abroad and another one have problems playing live and getting in touch with the darkest core of our music while strangers are only there to drink beer and chat about nonsense.
For this reasons we will not play live unless and until we will have another record ready to be released. In that case, we may have a "release party" concert, but ONFERNO at its current state is not a live band.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
- We are starting to receive some interest, but we're still far from having a direct contact with a label.
Most of all, we are eager to distribute our music in the BM scene so in that sense our door is open.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
- The first record is a sort of "manifesto", so it inevitably conveys a wide and generic vision of Black Metal. After this, we already started writing new material, exploring other aspects and fringes of Black Metal. We think that the next albums should be more focused, each one with a specific sound and "grain".

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
- Each one of us has individual tastes, very different and also distant from Black Metal, but with Onferno (and specifically with "Cathartic Offering") we gathered around some of our favourite "old school" bands - the names may sound banal, but they still remain the most vivid and inspiring: Darkthrone, Mayhem, Burzum, Emperor, Immortal, Ulver.

11.How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?
- We have no opinion on this matter. The Darkness that influences our vision is all-encompassing and rooted in the human guts, it stands before and beyond any religous, philosophical or hystorical belief. It makes us feel angry, hateful and desperate regardless of who we side with.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
- Individually, they range from visual arts to swordmanship to video games.
Together, our collective interest are drinking beer, being mean to each other and NBA basketball.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
- No.

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