Mick Montaguti

Electrocution

It is still a bit perplexing why Italian Metal hadn't been considered a prospect in the earlier days, however, gladly things changed over time and the giant scene in Southern Europe got what it deserved. As one of the earlier relics of that Metal scene, Death Metal band Electrocution, which recently made a comeback, are still clicking with roughly. Steinmetal had a chat with the band's veteran leader, Mick Montaguti, about the new album, its content and meaning, past and future to come.

By Lior "Steinmetal" Stein

• March 1, 2019

Electrocution's Montaguti: "The psychowashing in which we're all falling. The images that have been hitting us every day are so many

Cheers Mick, it is a pleasure having you for this interview for Metal Temple online magazine. How have you been doing?

Thanks. It's a pleasure for me to reply to your questions.

It has been five years since your comeback album, "Metaphysincarnation", dating 2014, and as if suddenly, you are back in the saddle with "Psychonolatry". What took you so long? Would it be a writing block period or another kind of menace?

We worked hard to build the new line-up. We toured Italy and played many gigs while finding the new good balance of the band. When finally, we found it, we started to write new songs. Neil is a killer-riff machine gun, so we worked together on the new album. I like his style so much, he knows well what is Electrocution. So the compositions have flown very instinctively.

Why the chosen title? Any background behind it?

"Psychonolatry" is the union of Psycho and Iconolatry. This is the main idea behind the meaning of the songs of this album. The psychowashing in which we're all falling. The images that have been hitting us every day are so many, and are so false and cheating that we can't understand the difference no more between real and fake. Between the real and the image. Between the waking and sleeping. This album is a mind-blowing descent into the today's human psyche.

In contrast to your early material, merely of "Inside The Unreal", before your disbandment in the 90s, the band became skill driven, which has been portrayed in rather challenging songwriting. Do you believe that "Psychonolatry" may as well be reckoned as another step in the band's technical perception?

I don't think "Psychonolatry" is so technical. The real Tech Death is something different and really unreachable for us (and something we're not looking for). We composed simply Death Metal songs as we like to listen to. We're looking for the roughness and the melody at the same time. We're looking for a music that's a punch in your mouth and that pushes the listener into the pit to burn off! The stage is that for me: a place where to burn off any kind of what need do exit. I think I can be a very dangerous person without Death Metal. It's for sure!

At times, do you miss the old days, playing straightforward old school Death Metal, an all-out attack?

The old times have been so great! I met Chuck Schuldiner. I'll never forget the great stages on which we played and the love of the fans. I miss those times but I don't live on memories. I'm here now and I very need this music. I need to write mature lyrics and songs. This is a need for me. The art is a need and I think I'll do it till I die.

We certainly need more people like you Mick in the Metal industry. In your opinion, how do you see the difference between "Psychonolatry" and the previous "Metaphysincarnation"?

"Metaphysincarnation" is an album to listen primarily by your HI-FI, "Psychonolatry" is to listen live into the pit! I dislike so much my voice in "Meta". On the contrary I did a good job on the latest album. Finally, I found again my real growl. Alex made a very good work composing "Meta" but it's too much quiet for me. "Psychonolatry" is a very Death Metal assault as I wish from an album!

Can you relate to the lyrical theme of tunes out of "Psychonolatry"? What were your main interests when writing the songs' lyrics?

I like to read books on philosophy, science, mind. I'm in relentless quest of myself and of my place in the world. One day I understood that there's not a corner of this planet where I can find the perfect place for me. I'm a sick misanthropic. So I decided to put on lyrics, how I see the human mind. Seemingly there's an exception about the mood of this album: "Bulåggna" / "Bologna". This song is in two versions "Bulåggna" is in the dialect of our city and "Bologna" is sang in English. This song is a tribute to our city: Bologna. She's like a lady betrayed by her own citizens. She has been raped by the politicians whose use this important political place as whorehouse to oil the rotten wheels of power. They use the city as slave or as a piece of meat to cannibalize and from which to steal the blood, drop by drop.

Which of the tunes within the album are your most liked? Can you elaborate why did you choose these?

It's a hard challenge for me. I like every song of this album. "Warped" is maybe my favourite beside "Bulåggna". The first is an explosion of violence with the bridge and the chorus that pull the listener in a vortex as the meaning of the lyrics. Then the special opening with a guitar solo that's is a sea in the storm. "Bulåggna" starts like a slow army that seems it's crushing everything, till it gathers the attack with a wave of violence. If you listen to the song you can perceive the slow but increasing violence from start to end.

Looking back throughout the band's history, do you believe that Electrocution could have been in a different place in the Metal world? Maybe on higher grounds? Do you believe that your vision in the band is fulfilled?

I think that if we were born in USA or in Northern Europe we would have been better possibilities. So I think that maybe we could have been in a very different place in the Metal world. In the past the italian metal scene has been very disliked by the rest of the world. In 1993, we went in Germany to Nuclear Blast with "Inside The Unreal", but they didn't want to listen to it. They said to us they weren't been interested in Italian bands. This has been our curse, hahahaha.

What are your plans to support the new album? Any tours scheduled? Festivals maybe?

We have some gigs scheduled in Italy. But our management is trying to arrange some tours outside Italy

Mick, I wish to thank you for this interview. Though there are plenty of Death Metal bands out there, Metal always needs the experienced vision and abilities of the veterans to keep rolling and you guys are just that. All the best of luck with the release.

Thank you mate! We're working for it. Death Metal is our life.

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